So you want to turn this...

...into this?

The main purpose of this site is to act as a guide for horse owners wanting to clip their horse themselves for the first time.  It sounds like such a simple thing - buy a set of clippers and start clipping.  However, it soon becomes apparent that it is not that easy.  The following tutorial aims to give first time clippers a source of information to make the job easier, safer and to produce a professional result.  It also provides information to owners hiring a professional clipper to make the experience easier and safer for all involved, contacts for professional clippers Australia-wide and places which will service your clippers and sharpen your blades.

Firstly, you need to determine if your horse really needs to be clipped.  In many cases, fashion plays a big part in people's decision, but it is in the horse's best interest to take off as little hair as possible.  When determining what kind of clip you should use on your horse, base it on where he sweats.  If he is sweating only on the neck and girth area, then a trace clip would be appropriate (trace clips can be varied considerably in the amount taken off).  If he sweats a large amount on the neck, the saddle/girth region, and flanks, a blanket clip would be appropriate.  For horses in hard work who sweat all over, a hunter clip or full clip is best.  However, clipping the legs is purely cosmetic and should be reserved for horses whose coat quality is important (ie showing).  Many people leave the saddle area unclipped, either in the shape of the saddle, or the main weight-bearing area (like a saddle shape without the flaps).  This is to add extra protection and does not take much effort to sponge down.  Examples of these clips are on the "Types of Clip" page, but you should not limit yourself to these examples...you can get as creative as you like!

When to clip?  Many people do not realise that a horse actually sheds four times a year.  The second winter coat does not grow through so thick as the first, but you may find a lot of course, longer hairs growing through along with the coat proper.  Usually, a horse will be clipped twice a year...approximately early May and late July.  If you can wait until July, you can get away with only clipping once.

The effect of the horse's diet will be greatly emphasized after clipping.  Horses who have been on hard feed or high-protein diets for some time before the clip will have a smooth, glossy coat after clipping.  You may find these coats are actually easier to clip as the blades tend to "glide" through more easily.  That is not to say that a horse on hay or pasture will not have a healthy finish to it's coat, but that it may not be as glossy as a horse on hard feed.  It is worth noting that a horse needs to be on a high-protein diet well before being clipped to have the optimum effect - increasing the feed after the clip tends not to have quite the same effect.

Care  After your horse is clipped, you will need to compensate for his lack of coat by providing an extra under rug and a neck rug.  Care must be taken that the skin is not rubbed by rugs, girths or saddleblankets and you may find you need to use a moisturizing cream such as Vitamin A Ointment to prevent chaffing.  Alternatively, for horses in heavy work, a wash of diluted metho applied daily will help toughen up the skin a bit on the sides (do NOT use on broken skin), although when working hard under saddle (ie eventing/hunting), a moisturiser cream or vaseline should still be applied to the area at the bottom of the saddle flaps.  Just because a clipped horse is easier to maintain and dries quickly doesn't mean you should stop washing them.  Dried sweat will cause the skin to dry out and so a sweaty horse should still have it's sweaty parts washed or sponged.

Lights  Many people swear by using lights to control when the horse sheds its coat.  There are many opinions, theories and wives tales regarding this.  In my own experience, lights do not make enough difference to be convincing and any change in coat quality can often be attributed to the diet, workload and living conditions of the individual horse rather than the owner's electricity bill.

What colour will my horse go?  The coat of a clipped horse generally goes a different colour and - be warned - it is not always pretty!  Bays can go a lighter yellow or a darker "liver bay".  Chestnuts can go a pinky tawny colour while blacks can go an interesting shade of grey-green!  These are fairly extreme examples and most horses will simply go a shade or two lighter or darker from their current coat colour.  If you want to know beforehand what colour your horse is likely to go, part the hair and look at the colour at the base of the hair.

Some horses might feel a bit fresh when they are first worked after being clipped.  If you are unsure, it doesn't hurt to lunge first for a few minutes.

* If you are proud of your clipping job and want to show it off, or if you have a question, email it to me at haladowerdun@hotmail.com and I will include it on a "Readers' Page".  If you are sending before and after shots, include basic information like your name and your horse's name/breed/occupation and any comments you would like to have added.

A big thank you to my models....

Tic Tack Smudge - Miniature Horse owned by Jaime-Lee Whittard
Avena Vivian - Arabian owned by Melanie Welsh