• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • My Account
  • Basket
Life At A Gallop

Life At A Gallop

Horse and Rider Wear to Make You Feel Special!

TwitterFacebookPinterestInstagram

Horse & Rider Wear To Make you Feel Special

Welcome to my online equestrian store & lifestyle blog.

If you can’t see what you are looking for just send me a quick message.  Francesca

  • Home
  • Shop
  • Categories
    • Rider Wear
      • Kid’s Rider Wear
        • Fleeces
        • Polos & T-Shirts
        • Jodphurs & Breeches
        • Socks
        • Gloves
      • Adult Rider Wear
        • Jackets & Coats
        • Polo Shirts & Tops
        • Fleeces
        • Gillets
        • Jodphurs & Breeches
        • Gloves
        • Hats
        • Socks
        • Boots
    • Horse Wear
      • Headcollars and Ropes
      • Horse Rugs
        • Stable Rugs & Fleeces
        • Turnout Rugs
      • Boots & Bandages
      • Saddle Pads, Numnahs & Ear Bonnets
    • Gifts
    • Grooming Equipment
    • Healthcare
      • Coat Care & Shampoos
      • Feed Supplements
      • First Aid
      • Fly Repellents & Insect Control
      • Horse Treats
    • Tack Room
    • Stable Yard
      • Feed buckets, tubtrugs, water buckets, feed scoops and mixers. A selection of everyday yard equipment for your horse or pony.Buckets & Scoops
      • Rings to tie onto and safety chains and clips to secure your horse or pony too.Chains, Ties & Clips
      • Small, medium, large and extra large haynets with a variety of hole sizes to suit most needs.Haynets
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact
Home | Horse Health | Horse Clipping Styles

Horse Clipping Styles

18 October, 2017 Leave a Comment

Is it time for Horse Clipping?

As we pass into autumn and head quickly towards the clocks sliding back our horses and ponies start to shed their short summer coats and grow their nice thick winter woollies.  This is great if they are just out in the field munching and not doing a lot else but if you plan to continue riding over the winter horse clipping is something to consider.  Over the past couple of years here in the UK we haven’t even really been subjected to really cold winters either so it doesn’t even take hard and fast work for our furry friends to work up a sweat.

I read a blog post recently on Facebook from a blog called Equestrian Reality.  The theme was old school or new school equestrian?  It really is funny and the comments that followed talked about jute stable rugs and New Zealand outdoor rugs.  It certainly brought back a few memories.  The thread seemed to imply that today we get so hung up on whether we should or shouldn’t clip; rug or not rug; feed hard feed or forage.  We seem to spend so much time procrastinating and researching what everyone else is doing instead of just getting on with the task in hand.  I know I have been guilty of this, when I was younger I would have an idea and then either do it or not.  Now I get distracted by someone telling me it’s not the right time or there’s a different way of doing it now instead of going with my gut instinct and just getting the job done.

Is there a horse clipping season?

Traditionally the horse clipping season began around September and ceased before the end of January.  I was told that clipping after January would ruin the new coat coming through making it look dull.  I’m not sure if this was just an old wives tale because 30 years on we clip our horses all year round especially those that are out competing.  Not only that we take that entire coat, head and legs off so not a clip line can be seen.  For those at high end training and competition and out every week it reduces that chance or equine friends getting a chill waiting for their sweaty coats to dry out.

I haven’t clipped either of mine for the past few years because I haven’t really done a lot with them over the winter so I haven’t seen the point.  This year my plan is to clip them both before the end of January.  As I won’t be clipping all year round I’m not going to risk ruining their summer coat.  There are a couple of reasons behind my thinking apart from the fact both my Section A and Hanoverian produce thick long fur.

Reasons to Clip Your Horse or Pony

  • Easier to keep clean and prevents the build up of scurff
  • Your horse or pony will look smarter through the winter
  • Veterans can hold onto their winter coats a bit longer, my Hanoverian now in his 20’s is guilty of this
  • Natives have very thick long fluffy coats that take time to shed, this is the problem with my Section A
  • To prevent excess sweating when exercising.  I intend to be back in the saddle more regularly getting myself and them fit and having a bit of fun.
  • Quicker drying time after exercise

What Type of Horse Clip Do I Choose?

Sticking with tradition and not some wacky design that makes your pony look like a tiger there probably six main clips.

  • Full – as the name suggests, all hair is removed for body, head and legs
  • Hunter – hair left on legs and saddle area
  • Blanket – again as the name suggests it looks a bit like your horse has a blanket on
  • Chaser – like a blanket but with the top of the neck left on
  • Trace – like the chaser but only the front of the neck removed
  • Irish – like the chaser but leave the hair on the quarters
  • Bib – front of neck only
  • Freestyle – just for a bit of fun, personally it’s not really my thing but the kids love this kind of “My Little Pony” design

 

  The Full ClipThe Hunter Clip  The Blanket Clip   The Chaser Clip  The Trace Clip   The Bib Clip  The Star Gazers Clip

 

In terms of clipping the head in my opinion it’s preference and knowing your own horse.  I think a neatly trimmed head or half head is better than stressing or scaring your horse trying to get all the hair off.  I am speaking from personal experience here.  My big horse was a perfect gentleman to clip he just stood barely tied until one day after I had my first daughter I got someone to clip him for me.  I asked her not to do his head as he wasn’t keen and he is also very big at 17.2hh.  As he had practically slept through a full clip she said I’m sure he’ll be fine we’ll just go ahead and take the hair off the back of his jaw.  I should have put my foot down as I know my own horse but I went with the flow.  It was the biggest mistake ever as now he has to be sedated in order to clip him.  This is even for small battery operated clippers.  So use your instinct.

A few pointers before you start

  • Wear old clothes, not fleece, waterproofs can be good as you can just hose them down after
  • Give yourself plenty of time, it’s never good clipping in a rush
  • Give your horse or pony a good brush to remove any mud and grime and make sure they are dry
  • If you are clipping outside try for a day with as little wind as possible or you will end up with little hair tornadoes
  • Oil your blades as you go
  • It can be noisy and a bit boring so talk to your horse as you go to reassure them and keep them calm
  • Make sure you have all the necessary rugs to keep your horse warm and comfortable whether you are planning on turning them out or keeping them in.  Just as is for us layers are best

I think that is it, happy horse clipping.  Share your designs whether it be traditional or new and funky.

 

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Tags: bib, blanket, chaser, clipping, freestyle clipping, horse clipping styles, horse clips, irish, star gazer, trace Categories: Horse Health

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

sidebar

Blog Sidebar

Recent Posts

Monica Jumping

When did you get your first pony? Was it something you had to work to get or are you from a family of horse riders? Are you from a horsey family? I wasn’t so I’m not sure where my love and obsession with horses came from, it has just always been there. I used to[Read More]

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email
Forage Based Horse Feeding

The Bucket to Barrow Feed Talk Some months ago I attended the Bucket to Barrow feed talk delivered by Jane van Lennep from Simple System Horse Feed. A completely forage based horse feeding system registered with the Vegan Society. I had attended one of these talks before probably around 10 years ago. Although I don’t[Read More]

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email
Soda Farls Complete

What is a Soda Farl I hear you say? Although not originally invented by the Irish I think it is safe to say the Irish have made the humble soda farl their own.  The bread was made by Irish mothers in the 1800s looking for a cheap and easy way to feed their large families. [Read More]

Share this:

  • Tweet
  • Email

Footer

Contact Us

Congleton Garden Centre
71 Moss Road
Astbury
Congleton
Cheshire
CW12 3BP
01260 281491
Mon - Fri 09:30-16:00
Saturday - 10:00-17:00
Sunday - 10:30-15:30

Payment Information

I use Paypal as my secure payment gateway.

This allows you pay with all major credit and debit cards.  You don’t need to have a Paypal account to use this facility.

I also accept payment by direct bank transfer online.

If you come in store cash or any major credit cards are accepted.

Blog Posts

  • My First Pony
  • Simple Forage Based Horse Feeding
  • Griddle Baked Soda Farls
  • Horse Clipping Styles
  • Quick and Easy Apple Muffins

Customer Shopping Resources

  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.
To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Links

Health Service Discounts for NHS Staff Congleton
Active Search Results

WordPress Theme by Web Savvy Marketing

Life At A Gallop, All Rights Reserved

Online orders are still being processed. All orders should be processed and on their way within 24hr. There could be a delay in delivery due to Covid-19 Dismiss

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.