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To Clip or Not to Clip

12K views 38 replies 17 participants last post by  faye 
#1 ·
I am thinking about body clipping my quarter horse for the summer and am wondering what you all think about body clipping. I love the way it looks and it would keep him cooler in the summer and save me a lot of grooming time. I have never body clipped before and don't even have clippers. So any tips would be greatly appreciated. Also, I know clippers are pretty pricey but do you guys know of any that are less than $100? Thanks! :)
 
#3 ·
If you're going to body clip for the summer, do it before your horse starts shedding its winter coat. It can take up to a year for the coat to look nice and shiny like a natural summer coat. I clipped my little girl for a show at the start of spring (I am in australia) and now 6 months later she's only just getting her shine back.

I clip in the winter time because I jump and event, and it takes so much longer to dry them off if they have a long coat. Monty's in pretty hard work and he needs to be pretty heavily rugged anyway because he's a horse that needs to be hot (yes he is quite over-rugged, but he loses weight if he isn't), so one more rug isn't all that much. Last winter I only did a hunter clip, this year I will probably clip him all over because I prefer the look of cleanly clipped legs. If I can fix my trimmers that is! Can't clip legs with large clippers.
 
#4 ·
Theres not alot of quater horses in Ireland, I know of one stud and Iv only ever seen 2 in my life.. so this might seem silly but do they not have a fairly fine coat anyway??
I dont have to clip my dutch mare because her coats lovely in the summer but I have to clip my cob because he just looks like a wooly mammoth lol
If youv never clipped before it might just be easier to pay someone to do it for you.. clippers can be very dear (no point buying a cheap set that wont last) and aswell I remember last winter when the cob was getting done the man said here have a go, I was terrified that I was going to cut through the skin lol So might be best if your competing and want your horse to look tip top to get some1 that knows what their doing.. just a thought.. good luck :)
 
#5 ·
^ QH can be like teddy bears! My mother's QH is the fuzziest of all the horses on our place, he springs his coat earlier and he grows a thicker coat than either of my two. Nothing on the coat of a Welsh, or a traditional cob, or any native English breed for that matter - but still, they can be very fluffy. Usually their coats are nice in the summer though.

edit; also, I hate to correct your spelling, but it's quaRter horse, not quater horse. The first is said quarter, the second would be said kwayter! It's a common mistake in Aus and the UK, but it irritates me :P
 
#13 ·
haha ..thats a bit random....amm what kind of job? If your moving to the north and its just a general job www.jobcentreonline.com is the local site for jobs, theres the odd horsey one but mostly shop/office work. One thats good for horsey jobs would probably be www.yardandgroom.com ...
others just of the top of me head would be ...
www.jobs.ie
www.monster.ie

another site would be www.gumtree.com (north) and www.gumtree.ie (south) its one of them sites that people sell stuff on but theres a section for people listing jobs available, or you could put an ad up for yourself saying your moving here and you want a job doing... whatever
... hope this helps! Where abouts are you moving to? You have to come visit Derry! :wink:
 
#27 ·
Well we live in the states right now but we'd both love to move to Ireland. Haven't really settled on where yet. I think the job situation would settle that. My hubby is a forensic toxicologist. Deff need some sort of difficult lab job to keep him happy. I'm a paralegal but any type of office work would be ok by me. Just so long as it's in a beautiful area! Considering where I live is mostly brown, windy and disgusting Ireland is a DREAM!
 
#17 ·
I wouldn't clip in summer. I know you think you will be making your horse cooler, but in reality, you are not. The horse's coat insulates from the heat. When you clip you take away their insulation as well as making them hotter because there isn't as much between their skin/body and the suns rays.
 
#18 ·
After two hours of brushing today, and a few blisters, I was ready to take a blow torch to those woolly beasts. I considered bodyclipping, but I won't, I'll brush since I love it so much.
 
#37 ·
So when do you guys say is the latest to clip? Not to steal the thread... but my coach suggested I body clip by appendix because he's still SUPER furry and we're already showing and he gets so so sweaty.[/QUO

You can clip at anytime, but earlier the better, clip right now.
 
#21 ·
Never heard such rubbish as clipping removes the shine.
I clip October time and two or three times during the winter as the horses are in full work. As soon as their winter woollies are off they shine.

I rarely body clip in the summer -the weather is not that hot in the UK and there is no need.

I did have a pony who had Cushings which meant she always had a very woolly coat and I would clip her in the summer and she always had a shine when it was off.
 
#22 ·
Foxhunter, I show horses in the UK, in most societies you cannot show a horse if it has been clipped after april. You can also very easily tell which ones have been clipped.
you can still get a clipped horse to shine but not as well as one with a healthy summer coat.

personaly I never clip after january and certainly not after they hae started getting thier summer coat through. (Unless it is for health reasons, I have clipped a cushings pony in summer before but he wasnt showing)
 
#24 ·
If you want to clip, do it before the summer coat comes through and the winter coat is coming out.

Apart from that- elbow grease. I don't know of anyone who clips in the summer, if I'm honest, and 70% of people on my yard compete every weekend plus some.

In the winter I can understand, but during summer, just hose the sweat off, the horses love it, and use a sweat scraper to get the excess off.

And derry girl.. I used yardandgroom a year or so back.

I spoke to Peter Weston who isn't too far from me, but I didn't go for the job in the end.

And a rich arab got in touch.. the yard was beautiful.. like dream yard.. and all his competition pictures showed blue eyed, blonde haired grooms.. PASS LOL

I was looking at this job though -In my dreams!!
Job 20413 : Talented Dressage Rider Wanted At Galmbacher Sport Pferde Zucht - Germany in Bayern, Germany
 
#25 ·
i have never ever heard of body clipping a horse in the summer, unless it has cushings ! i see no need to.
 
#28 ·
I would only clip in the summer if the horse has a thicker than normal coat. Also, if you do clip, keep in mind that your horse will need a fly sheet as there will be nothing to protect him from the flies and you may want to think about sun exposure if your horse will go out during the day.
 
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