Post: Clipping your horse: It’s not too late
Whenever I go out for a hack and run into people walking on the trails the first thing I’m asked is why my horse is two colors.
“It’s because I paid extra,” I like to tell them. “The second color costs more.”
Of course, then I explain that I do what’s called a “trace clip” on my horse because he gets hot working in the snow and this helps him cool down without getting chilled.
My philosophy on clipping is to start with as little as possible and then take off more hair as the weather and the workload warrant. That approach also lets me correct mistakes that I make while clipping! Of course, the best part about clipping a trace clip is that people cannot see both sides of your horse simultaneously so it really doesn’t matter if it’s slightly different on each side.
Now that the weather is changing, I’m going to clip off the rest of my horse’s winter coat. Contrary to popular opinion, clipping in the spring will not ruin your horse’s summer coat. It merely gets rid of the remnants of winter hair. It does take a few weeks for the coat to “bloom” but since many people clip their horses year ’round, if you don’t like shedding, don’t hesitate. Results from a recent poll on the Chronicle of the Horse Forum show that 40 out of 67 people believe in skipping the shedding process.
In my part of the country, clipping also allows me to find ticks more easily so not only is the horse immediately more comfortable, but it’s also imminently practical.
Clipping is not rocket science. The basic requirements are a clean horse and sharp blades. However, don’t clip your horse for the very first time right before you show or go someplace important. I’ve seen some pretty ugly clip jobs over the years!
For more information on clipping your horse, please visit EquineInk.com.