Now is the right time of year to clip your horse, but if you're new to it, Andrea Calvesbert has a few do's and dont's

2:52pm Thursday 13th November 2008

MAKING the most of riding is often hard with the dark nights and mornings of this time of year – and the last thing you necessarily want to do at the end of it is dry off a damp horse.

In its winter coat, a horse will sweat a lot, causing its condition to deteriorate, but trying to wash and dry an animal on a damp day is difficult.

One solution is clipping and this month is the ideal time to do it.

“It allows a sweaty horse to cool more effectively in the clipped areas,” says Sue Adams Wheeler of Sue Adams Riding School at Shobdon.

When considering whether to clip and which clip to give, care must be taken not to clip more hair than is necessary, as that leads to the horse requiring more rugs and, possibly, more feed.

Sue offers the following advice.

When deciding on the type of clip, consider if the horse is kept in or out and how much work it is expected to do.

“If more than a very small area is clipped, a New Zealand rug must be provided for warmth and waterproofing,” she says.

To make the process as easy and safe as possible, ensure your horse is used to clippers.

“Run them near the horse so it gets accustomed to the noise,” advises Sue.

“Also run the clippers over it without clipping to get it used to the vibration.

“It may be necessary to do this more than once as a nervous horse will sweat and then the clippers will snag and pull, causing discomfort and worrying the horse.”

If you are new to clipping, have a lesson from an experienced person and if it’s a job that takes a long time, remember to stop regularly so clippers can cool.

Safety is vital so ensuring the clippers are checked regularly by an expert qualified person is important.

Always use a RCB (residual current circuit breaker) as horses are very susceptible to electric shocks.

The clipper blades must be sharp and clean. Use a light machine oil to keep them cool and free running.

The horse should be as clean as possible and dry.