Look at that hair!
Clipping vs. Shedding
It is springtime! Which means shedding season. Depending on the age of your horse, they will either shed out their winter coat naturally, or need some help with all that hair. Typically, older horses can shed out their winter coat, we help by grooming and brushing almost every day this time of year. Even with consistent brushing, baby horses may still need a bit of help shedding their first few seasons of winter coats. Here’s some answers to common questions we are asked.
When do you start clipping your horses in the spring?
ANSWER: We live in Ohio. Generally our winter season is over by March. But, not always. We’ve had snow days as late as April 20th or so. That being said - we try not to clip until we see consistency of nights being above freezing. With the exception of this year, we will clip our first horse around Reds Opening Day (end of March). The horses fit to do the parade are some of our more experienced horses, so doing April visits with them is easier with a shorter coat. But generally, the majority of the horses do not get clipped until May or even June. We just don’t want to subject the horses to the potential freeze overnight.
What clippers and size of blade do you use?
ANSWER: I’ve attached the Amazon links. We have, oh 5 or 6 different clippers out in our tack room. Our favorite is this Andis set. It is the quietest we’ve found, and it does the best job on our horses. We’ve had ours for maybe four years now, and it is our go-to for the minis. We also use a longer blade. Personally, we like the fuzzier look on the horses, the 10 blade cuts too short. (Again, personal preference.) Also, we like to have a little longer hair on our white horses with pink skin. It helps with sun protection on their body and it feels so nice and soft when we visit. Here’s the amazon link to the 5F blade. We have probably 4 of these blades. One of my sons is very handy with sharpening blades and woodworking, so he sharpens them for me. But, you can find places that will sharpen the blades.
What is the training method for clipping babies?
ANSWER: Remember, this is a very important training period for your horses! This will be the initial picture left in their memory for years to come. Make sure it is a good one. We generally start by just turning the clipper on around them and placing it on their back. If you’ve ever felt the clippers on your head it feels very unusual! We want them used to the vibration before we even start clipping. Once they seem comfortable we work in very small segments clipping the main body and slowly moving toward the neck. We leave ‘leg warmers’ on our horses to help with the flies. Not only is it so cute to see, but it also helps protect their legs from flies in the summer. Also - the face is a very sensitive area for a horse. Take that into consideration when clipping.
Here’s a video:
Wait: Did you say sunscreen?
YES! Don’t forget to apply sunscreen to your horse’s nose during the summer. Especially if they have a pink nose or lighter skin. We like the spray sunscreens because it is a lighter formula. But - don’t spray it right on the horse! We spray it into our hand and lather it onto the horse’s face. We even like to use the kids versions of sunscreens, here is an example. Horses can get sunburnt! Typically it shows up as blisters on their nose. So, applying sunscreen even now will help them during those long sunny summer days.
Still have a question.
Feel free to ask any questions. You can email me, Lisa: lisa@therapyhorses.com. Or you can call or text me: (937) 231-5605. I would love to help with any specific questions. I’m here to help!
