December 12, 2003, Newsletter Issue #155: HANGING OUT WITH HORSES, FAMILY & FRIENDS #3

Tip of the Week

If you ride frequently during the winter, or if you have a horse that really "hairs up" then you might want to consider "clipping" your horse.

Many times Tack Shops or Feed Stores or Pharmaceuticals will "rent" horse clippers; and if you are at a public barn, you can "rent" the clippers for a weekend, and several of you get together with some Christmas Goodies, Hot Chocolate, Apple Cider or Tea and all make some fancy clips on your horses together for a fun weekend or school holiday together.

There are several types of clips that you can fashion. Remember though that the more hair that you remove, you must supply the horse with Blankets and Turn Out Sheets to keep him warm, when you are not riding, and he/she is standing around or stabled.

The basic clip that removes the least amount of hair is the "TRACE" clip, then more hair is removed with the "BLANKET" clip. From here, you will undertake the "HUNTER" clip and finally, the "FULL" clip.

Again, the amount you ride, and the degree to which you horse "sweats up" when ridden will determine the amount of hair that you need to remove. I recommend starting with the most basic "TRACE" clip, and after a week or so, (no more or you will really notice a difference in the hair regrowth), increase the size of the pattern if your horse is still getting pretty sweaty.

You can become creative with forming a pattern on the hip with masking tape in designs (such as Star, Diamond, Square, Circle, Crescent Moon, etc. and clip out that particular pattern on your horse for a "flashy" and personal identification. Especially if you are in a barn where many of you ride together, it makes your horses "creative and artsy" if you each choose a different design for the hip of the horses. Keeping in uniformity, all choose whether it will be the right or the left hip, and all coordinate.

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