Horse Clipping Styles

From: Horse Care | Clippers And Clipping

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Horse Clipped

Horse Clipping Styles
There are several clipping styles to choose from depending on your horses workload, age and temperament.

Full Clip
This is where the horses entire coat is removed with no hair for protection being left anywhere.Use this clip for horses with very thick or coarse coats or for horses in very hard work. Carefully check the horse over for knocks,cuts and bruising as they have no hair for protection they are more at risk.

Hunter Clip
This is where the saddle patch and the horses legs are left with hair on and the rest is removed,this gives them protection from the saddle and against day to day trials such as mud,thorns,rain and will offer some warmth.

To give the clip a pleasing look a line should be run up from the horses elbow to a point at the top of the front of the foreleg and then proceed running down the muscle of the upper part of the inner leg below the chest,you will have to ask your assistant to stand in front of the horse and extend the horses foreleg out,this gives you the opportunity to clip under and around the inner elbow and in between the chest.

To give an accurate hind leg a straight line should go from half way up the gaskin to the stifle the clip will form a point this time at the back of the leg going downwards in the shape of a V with the clip carrying on in towards the horses inner leg.

When clipping legs try to line up the points so that they match in shape and in height when viewed from the front,back and at the side.

Around the tail area a small triangle should be left at the very top of the dock that points along the spine.

Chaser Clip
This is where a straight line is clipped to run from the horses stifle across the horse diagonally up to the horses ears.

This means that the horse has hair covering the top half of their body assisting them to stay warm with the under side of the neck and belly being removed. The forelegs will still have the hair left on.

Bib Clip
Ponies that live out and ponies which require a small amount of hair to be removed will benefit from this clip as it quite simply removes the hair from part of the neck and into the chest area giving a shape that looks like a bib at the front of the horse. To extend on from this you can take the clip slightly higher up the neck to the base of the jaw and extend the clip from the chest around the top of the front legs going between the front legs.

Blanket Clip
Hair is left on the top of the back of the horse with the legs also being left on, this offers them protection and warmth from the saddle, from the cold, when out being exercised or in the field.

The fore and hind legs need to be done neatly at the top of each leg with the tip of a triangular shape pointing upwards at the front of the forelegs and a neat V pointing downwards at the rear of the hind legs the assistant with you will need to extend the front legs out one at a time as this smoothes out and wrinkled skin,making it easier to clip and it also allows you to clip around the elbow and chest area more easily.

Curve the corners of the blanket clip as it will soften the edges.

Due to the activity of the horses hind legs by adding a small semi circle in the flank area of the horse with the circle running uppermost will help prevent this area from sweating up and looks pleasing to eye, especially when the horse is working.

When you get to clip around the rear of the horse by the dock place the tail over your shoulder or hold it out of the way, then run the clippers up the side and curve them inwards just at the base of the side of the dock ensure that you match up both sides.

The horses head is a sensitive area, take care especially around the ears and eyes.An option to a full face clip is a half face,this is where the clippers are run from the corner of the horses mouth up to just behind the ears,a half face clip is neat because when the horse has its bridle on the line of the face clip is hidden.

Trace Clip
This is a cross between a chaser clip and a blanket clip. The upper half of the horses neck,tummy and hindquarters are left with hair on while the under side has the hair removed, the hair on the legs is left with the legs being finished off with neat triangular points around the front of the fore legs and hind legs with the semi circle being added around the flank area.

When you come to clip around the dock of the horse you need to put the tail over your shoulder or hold it out of the way then run the clippers up the side of the dock curving them inwards at the very top and also curve where the corner of the clip goes round to the side of the horse ensuring that both sides are evenly matched.

When you come to do the face depending on where your neck clip joins the jaw on the side of the face that is where you need to curve the clip downwards from towards the corner of the mouth.


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