When is the best time to clip your horse.?

Question

My horse is turned out 24hrs a day untill Nov, people on the yard are having there horses clipped around the end of October. Does this sound right? If so how many times a year do you have a horse clipped?

I will have to have him clipped as last yr he was't and was like a woolly mammath and sweated like a pig.

Answer 1

When to clip, indeed IF to clip, depends entirely on the individual horse. It's traditional to clip in October because that's when the hunt horses are back in work. Most advanced eventers are kept clipped year round, and many dressage horses are clipped for the summer season. The type of horse, the work it does, the way it is managed and how much coat it grows all govern when, and how, a horse should be clipped.

A horse in his natural state has all the protection he needs against the winter weather, unfortunately to do more than gently hacking they need some or their entire winter coat removed to enable them to work efficiently and to help us keep them clean.

Horses in the wild grow long, thick protective coats during the winter; they are better at staying warm than cooling off. Their bodies are designed to generate and store heat unlike humans who evolved from a warmer climate.

Beginning in August (in the UK) horses and ponies start to get rid of their light summer coat and grow a thick coat as their bodies prepare a defence for winter. This thick coat serves them well in cold, wet weather with sparse feed; as a free roaming herbivore and a prey animal they are constantly on the move, but we ask them to work and perform in ways that nature never expected.

In addition, we have created an unnatural winter environment by stabling our horses out of the elements, feeding well, and providing artificial warmth through stable rugs. The extra protection is no longer needed and can sometimes do more harm than good, especially if your horse is being asked to work regularly. Leaving a long thick coat on a horse that is stabled or one that is often exercised can cause problems. Being too hot can actually cause a horse to lose condition, even if he is being properly fed, keeping a horse in good condition can become almost impossible.

Reasons for clipping: -

* For quick drying after exercise
* To allow a horse to carry out fast work without too much stress
* To conserve condition by avoiding heavy sweating
* Makes grooming easier
* Maintains a smart looking horse

In general, you should consider clipping if: -

* Your horse is too hot during exercise, winter or summer, and is in danger of overheating, or
* Is in danger of becoming chilled while waiting to dry in cold weather
* Your choice of clip depends on the type of work your horse will be doing over the winter period, taking into account how much he usually sweats
* You need to establish why and ultimately what sort of clip you need to give your horse


The various clips include the following: -


Belly and neck clip

belly and neck clipThe hair is removed from under the belly upwards between the forelegs and up the lower line of the neck and lower jaw. This is suitable for a child’s pony or an adult’s hack as it permits the horse to be turned out into a field but also allows the horse or pony to do some work without getting overly hot.

Chaser clip

Chaser clipThe hair is removed from under the belly upwards between and around the front legs and up a line on the neck, (dependent on how high you require the line to be). This clip and variations are often seen in thoroughbred yards where the horse is unknown or is likely to kick. It is useful on a youngster, which is being clipped for the first time as it does not take as long as the others and is practical.


Trace clip

Trace clipThere are two types, the high and the low trace. The coat is removed from the belly and the underside of the neck. Hair is left on the head, the topside of the neck, body and legs for warmth and protection. For a low trace only a small section of hair is removed from the belly and neck. A high trace takes more hair from these areas going further up the horse's flank.

This clip allows horses and ponies to be exercised without getting too hot. It also permits them to continue being turned-out in the winter with a New Zealand rug. This clip is a useful compromise for a horse kept at grass, which cannot have a hunter clip. A trace clip was often used on carriage horses and follows the lines of harness traces on the underside of the neck and belly, but remains popular for riding horses.

Blanket clip

Blanket clipThis type of clip would suit a horse that has regular exercise, is turned-out in the field and does various events at the weekends. The coat is removed completely from the head, neck and flanks, leaving only an area of hair that looks like an exercise sheet over the back and hindquarters and on the legs. The hair on the legs is left mainly for warmth and protection

Hunter clip

Hunter ClipThe legs as far as the elbows and thighs, and a saddle-patch are left with unclipped. The hair on the legs acts as a protection against the cold, mud, cracked heels and injury from thorns, however they can be carefully trimmed and the saddle-patch saves a sore or scalded back.

Care must be taken when clipping around the saddle-patch; if it is too far forward the horse will look short in the shoulder and long is the back. If however it is cut straight behind the shoulder and allowed to come slightly back behind the saddle it will improve the appearance of the horse. This clip is often used on a horse, which is in hard work. The hunter clip is smart looking but requires an owner with a good sense of stable management and rug routine. A horse that is clipped out should never be left un-rugged as he will quickly become cold and his work should be active.


Full clip

Full clipThis is usually given to competition horses that compete in the winter months. The whole of the coat is removed, including body, legs and head. This clip looks very smart but does require careful stable management. Horses with a full clip need to be rugged up at all times and may need to wear stable bandages to help maintain warmth during the very cold months. These should be applied carefully and evenly, not too tight but must be secure to stop them coming off and becoming tangled possibly causing injury to the horse. It is also wise to have spare rugs, just in case your main rugs becomes unusable or requires repair.


The type of discipline the horse is used for is also in question? There are many types of clips you can do to suit your needs, so think carefully and honestly before shaving all your ponies hair off and then leaving it out during all weathers, even if it does look nice a pony that is clipped but not cared for properly will soon deteriorate through the cold winter months.

Answer 2

End of October into November when the coat is set is the best time to clip. However, it varies for each horse according to how heavy the coat and what work they are doing. This applies to how many times a year too. I will have to clip mine in the next month and he will then need another clip about mid November. That will be all he will need until next year. You can clip every couple of weeks if necessary with the last clip being no later that the end of January. Again, this will vary from horse to horse. We have one on our yard that we have to clip a couple of times during the summer too and he lives out during the day.

Answer 3

Depend on the type of horse, your management regime and what you are going to do with it.
Definately don`t clip it untill you bring it in. If you are not doing a lot of heavy work, don`t show, your horse is not extra long coated and have time to groom every other day I would not bother.
You have the reasons for grooming in the other answers.

Answer 4

Usually you clip them out around October/November and generally, you need to then clip them every 4 to 6 weeks to keep it looking sharp and tidy. Your final clip should be done before Valentine's Day to avoid messing with the new coat coming through.

Answer 5

ask yourself if you need to have your horse clipped.clipping is mainly done to stop horses sweating under strenous excercise and therefore to allow the trainer/rider to keep condition on the animal.also to assist in keeping the animal clean through the winter months.you can clip just once if you rug up correctly and adequately but some people will clip every 2 weeks if they have the need to keep condition on .depends on your reasons,aims and ambitions for your horse.you say yours is kept out 24 /day,well done because that is the best by far.in that situation you would need a very decent rugging regime and again it is upto you to plan your clipping based on what you want to do with your horse and not what everybody else is doing-never just clip for fashion.

Answer 6

Do not clip him until you bring him in. As a general rule you can clip up to christmas, he may need 2 -3 clips over the winter but you shouldn't clip after xmas as it will affect his summer coat

Answer 7

october/november is th best time to clip horses. Mine (in full work) has three hunter clips a year. always finish clipping before the summer coat starts to come through( the time it does is different for all horses) or it could spoil it.

Answer 8

1

Answer 9

Depends what you want to do with the animal , if you are competing during the winter months clip him, Also depends what breed it is Thorobred or whatever makes a difference.

Answer 10

No, 2.

Answer 11

if you are not showing why are you clipping????
I would just keep the bridle path, muzzle and during wet and snowy parts of the year clipping around the back of his pasterns...
Other than that i would not bother with it.