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Neck and Belly Clip + removal of
top of leg
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Same as above but in addition an
area on the top of the front legs is removed. |
Neck and Belly Clip
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A good clip for horses and ponies,
which are living out through the winter but which may be used for the
odd hack at weekends or during an occasional light evening. Useful
for the stabled horse that feels the cold or in light
work. It is still necessary to rug up field kept or stabled
horses. |
Apron Clip
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Here additional coat is taken off
to the girth line between the front legs and the top of the forelegs. A good clip for horses and ponies,
which are living out through the winter but which may be used for the
odd hack at weekends or during an occasional light evening. Useful
for the stabled horse that feels the cold or in light
work. It is still necessary to rug up field kept or stabled
horses. |
Irish Clip
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Similar to the neck and belly
clip, but more of the hair on the chest, belly and shoulders is
removed to leave a "triangle" effect. A good type of clip
for those horses which are required to do more work than as described
in the "neck and belly" clip, but which are not worked to a
point, requiring a more severe clip. This clip may include the
removal of hair from the lower part of the face, but would normally
finish at the jowl to become Irish Clip + half head removed. |
Low trace Clip
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As the name suggests this type of
clip originates from the old harness horses. Popular clip for many
riding horses. Very good type of clip for field kept and stabled
horses who have a tendency to sweat when exercised, but which are not
really doing any hard work, hunting or competing.
The coat is removed from the
underside of the neck and belly, between the forelegs and the upper
part of the hind legs. If required the lower portion of the face can
be clipped off. (A good guide to your line off the belly is to put
the saddle on and measure about 16/18cm from the bottom of the saddle
flap) Always rug up to compensate for loss of coat. |
Medium trace clip
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A very similar style to the low
trace clip except that more of the coat is removed (a higher bodyline
is clipped) and half of the face is often clipped as well. Caution
should be taken with this clip if it is intended that the horse should
live outside (in which case leave the face unclipped) and some type
of field shelter must be provided. If stabled, clip the whole or half
of the head out, as it will give a neater appearance. If electing for
a half head clip your line should follow the path of the cheek pieces
down the face. When clipping off heads remember this is an area,
which exposes the horse to a considerable loss of heat because of the
thin skin covering over the bone structure. Not really advisable
unless your stabling is sheltered and certainly not suitable for
those in really exposed parts of the Country.
As a guide your clip height line
should be around a point just below the bottom of the saddle. |
High trace clip
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The clip for horses that are fully
stabled and are just turned out for a few hours daily. Selected for
those horses that are in steady work with the occasional requirement
to undertake some fast work or for those entered in competitions
through the winter months. As a guide your clip height line should be
set to a point about 12cm above the bottom of the saddle. Rugs are
the order of the day with extra rugs or blankets if the weather get
bad. Heads subject to
conditions as previously discussed. |
Chaser clip
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Popular clip for use on the
steeplechasers, as the name implies. A clip for those horse which are
active in competition work or racing. Pretty much the same as the
blanket clip except that you don't remove hair from the upper part of
the neck, and clipping stops just behind the ears, as this will help
to keep warmth in the muscles of this area. Clip out the coat from
the head, lower parts of the neck, chest, belly and upper portions of
the hind legs. The usual finishing line is normally just above that
of the blanket clip. Keep an eye on condition; a warm stable with
plenty of rugs and blankets to combat bad weather periods is
essential. |
Blanket clip
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A clip suitable only for horses
which are stabled and are in medium to hard
work and or competition work. All the coat is removed except for
a "blanket" area over the hind quarters and saddle area. As
a guide the clip line is normally judged to be the level of the
bottom of the saddle flaps but this can vary. Heads are normally
clipped out, but you can opt for half the face or even leave the
entire head complete. Whatever you elect to do, you should take into
account conditions as previously mentioned in the "Medium trace
clip" If you turn out during the day a neck cover might be
appreciated by your horse, - this is an area which suffers a fair
amount of heat loss. As always a keen eye on condition, a warm stable
with plenty of rugs and blankets to combat bad weather periods is
essential. |
Hunter clip
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A smart clip, but only for the
horse who is really working hard, competing and hunting regularly.
It's all off! Except for a small area of mane, the saddle area, the
legs and a small "v" shape is left above
the tail. Horse which have undergone this degree of clipping need a
warm stable, good food, and suitably rugged. Daily turnout for a few
hours but only with a NZ on and an extra blanket underneath and neck
cover is really necessary even in mild conditions. Use an exercise
rug when out exercising. |
Full clip
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Away with the lot! Keep only the
mane, forelock and tail. Some horses are given a full clip in the
autumn with a different style being adopted at the point of the
second clip (hunter or trace clip for example) The idea is that this
will give added insulation compared to a full clip but leave a
shorter coat length. Stable bandages are needed to protect the legs
from cold.
This clip is intended for horses
in hard fast competition work, racing and hunting regularly. Turn out
should be restricted to short periods on fine and mild days during
the better daylight hours and they should be well covered with
several warm rugs and the added use of a neck cover. An exercise rug
is needed when out exercising. Could be a useful clip for those
considering some of the early spring events and shows in order to get
a nice short coat |
Trimming the head and ears.
The look of a good head can be
accentuated, whilst at the same time the lines of a poor head can be
greatly improved by trimming the long hairs which grow on a horse’s
jaw, the muzzle and the ears.
The Muzzle is to many a matter of
preference. Some trim completely, others leave the area. If you elect
to trim use scissors. Do not attempt to trim the whiskers around the
eyes. Horses can have their eye badly injured!
Ears have hair growth inside
designed to act as a barrier against insects and draughts. Do not
attempt to clip away these hairs, but you can trim those hairs, which
are on outer edge of the ears to add to the shape. Work on ears
requires a gentle and careful approach, and the help of an assistant
will often be useful. Certain horses may be more relaxed if they are
not able to see you working on their ears. This can be achieved by
cupping the eyes with ones hand (your assistant’s hands!) over
the horse’s eyes.
Trimming legs will greatly improve
the look of your horse. Avoid cutting deeply into the coat in
isolated places, as it will have the effect of creating “steps”
which give a very ugly appearance. Aim for a “natural”
look. Horses, which compete in winter, should have neat clean legs.
Legs, which have not been trimmed, may be more prone to mud-fever,
equally untrimmed legs make the task of spotting cuts and wounds more
difficult. Horses and ponies, which winter outside may benefit from
having their legs left in a “hairy” state because in wet
conditions water will drain down the long hair to the ground thus
protecting the soft and flexible areas of the pastern and heels which
remain dry.
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