What type of clip would best suit your horse? H&H helps you decide
Find out which types of clip are best suited for which horses, what they look like and how to decide which one is right for your equine partner
If you’ve not clipped your horse before or are thinking of doing something different this year, it’s worth checking the types of horse clips available and considering which might work best for your horse.
Clipping your horse – whether you take off some or all of his winter coat – will help prevent him getting too hot and sweating profusely while exercising. It will also help him dry off more quickly after exercise.
Over the years, my incredibly hairy pony has experienced almost every type of clip going – as well as some hybrids – as it really depends on the time of year, his workload that season, how he’s coped with previous clips and how that changes as he ages. I still consider my choice every year as his needs continue to change.
How to choose the right type of horse clip
Before choosing the right type of clip for your horse, you need to consider how much work they are doing, the thickness of their current coat, whether your horse will be stabled or turned out, what rugs you might need to keep him warm afterwards, and how much your horse feels the cold.
Remember, you can always take off more but you can’t put it back on, so if you’re unsure it’s wise to err on the side of caution and see how you get on. If you task a professional with clipping your horse, they will be able to advise you on what clip might work best.
I’ve split the types of clips below into categories by workload. As with everything related to horses, this is not a hard and fast rule – you may find a horse in moderate work who feels the cold more will benefit from one of the clips that removes less hair.
If you’re in need of a new handset to tackle the job this winter, check out some of the best horse clippers currently available.
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Types of clip for light work
Light work is usually described as up to three hours throughout the week, with approximately 40% walking, 50% trotting, and 10% cantering. It might include light hacking or basic schooling, early training for young horses, plus occasional low level shows. Most leisure horses fall into this category.
These clips are also suitable for horses who particularly feel the cold or struggle to keep warm.
Bib clip
What it involves: Just the hair from the front of the neck and chest is removed when using a bib clip. Some people also carry on the clip under the belly to where the girth sits, too.
Best for: Horses in light work and turned out a lot or living out full time.
Irish clip
What it involves: The Irish clip is useful for young horses and those in light work as it is quite quick and easy to do. Hair is clipped from the neck and behind the elbows, where a horse is susceptible to sweating the most, but there is still plenty of coat left on for warmth.
Best for: Horses who need a little more taken off than a bib.
Low trace clip
What it involves: The horse’s coat is removed from the underside of the neck and belly, extending to include the top and around the back of the hind legs. This clip is very similar to the chaser clip, but less neck hair is removed.
A little curve is cut in where the hair swirls on the flanks. This popular clip was originally developed by carriage drivers to follow the lines of the traces from the carriage harness, hence the name. The low trace takes off the least amount of hair, but you can go higher (medium or high trace) if your horses will benefit from removing more.
Best for: Horses in a light work but sweat more and are turned out frequently.
Types of clip for moderate work
Moderate work can be described as three to five hours throughout the week, composed of approximately 30% walking, 55% trot, 10% canter, and 5% jumping or higher skill work.
Blanket clip
What it involves: Hair is left on the horse’s legs and back, in a similar area to where an exercise sheet would sit. These are both areas that aren’t prone to sweating.
Best for: Horses who are in moderate work but are turned out regularly and will benefit from the extra coverage.
Medium or high trace clip
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What it involves: Just like the low trace, the coat is removed from the underside of the neck and belly, extending to include the top and around the back of the hind legs. The difference is these options take more hair off the belly and neck.
Best for: Horses who are in horses in regular, steady work with occasional fast work for winter competitions.
Chaser clip
What it involves: Very similar to a blanket clip but the chaser clip gives coverage to muscles on the top of the neck warm, too. Many people lightly trim the longer hairs running down the back of the leg to give a neat finish.
Best for: Horses in moderate work and turned out during when the weather permits, and for those who can’t wear a rug with a neck.
Types of clip for heavy work
Heavy work involves four to five hours work throughout the week, which is composed of roughly 20% walking, 50% trotting, 15% cantering, and 15% galloping or jumping. This work is mostly only done by competition horses.
Hunter clip
What it involves: All hair is removed, bar the legs – the idea being the hair left on the legs helps to protect them from water and mud and a saddle patch to help protect the back from the saddle.
Lots of people will lightly trim the hair down the back of the horse’s legs to tidy them up with a pair of the best trimmers. Again, careful rugging is required to prevent your horse from getting cold when not being worked.
Best for: Horses in heavy work who will benefit from leg protection or are sensitive along the back.
Full clip
What it involves: A full clip is when all hair is removed from your horse, including the legs, head and ears. It means that the horse dries out quickly after strenuous work as sweating is minimal.
If you have a full clip, you’ll need to rug carefully to ensure your horse doesn’t get cold, and you should also be aware of the increased possibilities of rain scald and mud fever due to the lack of natural protection offered by their coat.
Best for: Horses is very heavy work, who are stabled at least some of the time.
Are you ready to clip?
How to prepare
Before you start clipping, it’s important to prepare your horse and your area. You should:
- Wash your horse the day before – use shampoo, scrub thoroughly and ensure the coat dries thoroughly
- If it’s too cold or you can’t bath, spot clean with dry shampoo or hot cloth instead
- Apply coat shine spray to help clippers glide smoothly through the hair
- Band or plait the mane and tail out of the way so they do not get caught in the blades
- Check your blades are sharp, clean, and properly oiled
- Mark the lines on your horse’s coat with a piece of chalk to outline the clip pattern
- Prepare a safe space in a quiet, dry, and well-lit area with an accessible power source and a safety circuit breaker
- Prepare a hay net or salt lick to keep your horse occupied
- Consider your clothing – clipping is messy task and hair gets everywhere, so dig out your waterproof jacket and waterproof trousers and leave your fleeces at home
- For unlimited access to advice on how best to care for your horse, subscribe to the Horse & Hound website
Georgia is Horse & Hound’s deputy website editor and equestrian products expert. She curates content across the website with a particular focus on upcoming equestrian events horse care and buying advice. She also manages all the ecommerce opportunities that allow us to give you easy access to the best products at the lowest prices via our buying guides. Georgia has first-hand knowledge of all the equestrian brands and their ever-evolving product lines, having been working with them closely since she started in equestrian media in 2015.