Winter is here, and that lovely horse of yours—the one who looked gorgeous at the summer shows—is now hiding in a wooly mammoth coat. But even if the two of you plan to lay low this winter, don’t assume that you’re off the hook for regular grooming.

Besides keeping your horse looking good (or as good as fuzzy can look), regular winter grooming provides health benefits, too. A dirty coat isn’t as effective at keeping your horse warm, so it’s important to stay on top of major mud stains and dirt year-round.

But what if it’s 25°F and bathing your horse is out of the question? Here are a few grooming tips for your horse this winter so that you can keep him looking his best, even during the coldest months of the year.

1. Loosen the dirt

Long coat or not, you can easily (well, sort of easily) remove a great deal of the dust, dirt, and dried mud stuck in your horse’s long coat.

◆ Start with a curry comb or grooming gloves. While a basic curry comb is a good tool any time of year for removing muddy debris and dust, elbow grease is essential in the winter for removing dust and dirt from deep in your horse’s coat. Grooming gloves are similar, but they allow for a closer feel of your horse’s curved surfaces and can also be used on the face and legs.

◆ Try a shedding blade. The same shedding blade that comes in handy during your horse’s spring shed-out also works well to etch off those big dried mud stains.

2. Remove the dirt

But simply loosening the dust and dirt isn’t enough; you need to remove it as well.

◆ Brush with a flicking motion. A stiff-bristled dandy brush can be quite helpful for removing most of the dust you shook loose with the currycomb. Use your wrists to flick away all that dust. Softer body brushes can also be useful, and their gentle touch is required around your horse’s legs.

◆ Try a vacuum. If he’s cooperative with the idea (and it may take some careful training to get him there), using a horse-safe vacuum can be an excellent—and dry!—way to remove more dirt than you could probably achieve with brushing alone.

Some horse vacuums come with brush-like attachments to help you safely whisk away the dirt. This just might be your ideal winter bathing replacement, especially if you plan to attend a winter show, clinic, or other event.

3. Use a spot stain remover

During the summer, we often break out the hose to deal with things like sweat stains and green manure spots. If the temperatures are too cold for that, you may still be able to perform some spot cleaning without getting your horse very wet.

◆ Use a commercial product. Sometimes called a “waterless bath” or “waterless shampoo,” these products are (obviously) still moist, so you may have to avoid applying them on frigid winter days. But for mild winter days, these products can be a great way to clean your horse without soaking his entire coat, and they’re often quite effective at removing unsightly stains.

This technique may be more effective on clipped horses or those with naturally short winter coats, rather than super-fuzzy animals. After application, dry the spot with a soft towel.

◆ Try a home solution. For small stains, you might be able to clean them with a small towel dipped in rubbing alcohol, but you don’t want to overdo this method as it can dry out the horse’s coat.

4. Maintain manes and tails

Regular mane and tail grooming regimens apply to your horse in the winter just the same as the summer, but there are a couple of extra tips for preventive measures you can take:

◆ Try a mud knot for tails. Depending on your climate, mud can be a significant issue in the winter, but you can help protect your horse’s tail by using a simple mud knot. It will protect his tail and save on grooming time.

◆ Keep his mane shorter. If it’s too cold to use mane detangler, try to keep your horse’s mane combed frequently. You can make the job even easier by shortening his mane during the winter to limit the amount of mud and debris that it entangles.

5. Think about hooves

Locations that experience prolonged temperatures below freezing may develop hard, frozen ground. This can be very difficult on your horse.

◆ Talk to your farrier. If the frozen ground is uneven and painful for your horse to walk on, your farrier may recommend making temporary adjustments, such as shoeing a normally barefoot horse or adding borium for traction to steel shoes.

◆ Watch out for snowballs. When bringing your horse into the stable after turnout, be sure to remove any packed snow that has developed on his soles; this can be quite uncomfortable for him to walk on. This happens particularly with shod horses—look into having your farrier add snow pads if this is a frequent problem.

6. Be a weight watcher

Keep in mind that a thick winter coat can make it much more challenging to estimate your horse’s body condition.

◆ Use your hands to “see.” Use your regular grooming sessions to examine your horse’s body weight by using your hands to feel for areas around his hips or ribs that might not have enough body fat coverage.

Not only will an underweight horse suffer more in cold temperatures, but it can also be difficult to increase his weight when he’s using extra calories just to stay warm. It’s better to catch winter weight loss early.

Just because your horse is a little woolier this time of year doesn’t mean you should forego regular grooming sessions and health checks. A little bit of routine work can go a long way toward keeping him looking good. Before you know it, he’ll be shedding out that winter coat—and you’ll be covered in it instead!

Horse Grooming Tips for the Winter Rider If you ride during the winter, you have another set of challenges to deal with. Groom the right spots: Take extra care to remove any dried debris or mud from your horse’s saddle, girth and bridle areas. This will help your horse avoid any uncomfortable chaffing. Cool out properly: Because the insulating hairs of the winter coat prevent the heat from escaping effectively, expect to find sweat marks under your horse’s girth and saddle pad even when the thermometer dips below freezing. Be sure to put a cooler on your horse until he’s dry to prevent him from becoming chilled. Consider a body clip: If you ride heavily in any climate throughout the winter, your horse will sweat a lot and probably take too long to dry without hours of work. In this situation, a partial body clip (like a trace or blanket clip) is the way to go. Partial clips leave some natural coat for the cold weather and remove the areas that sweat most. Keep these tips in mind for body clipping: ◆ Make sure to use clippers that are specifically designed for body clipping, not small face and leg trimmers. ◆ Have one or two freshly sharpened or brand-new sets of blades ready to go. ◆ Start with a squeaky-clean horse: bathe with shampoo in a heated wash rack, or bucket bathe with heated water. To bucket bathe, scrub back and forth against hair grain with well wrung-out towels, switching out frequently for clean ones. Make sure your horse is completely dry before clipping, and have winter blankets ready for stabling and turnout. Check out this article for more detailed steps to a great body clip.

The post 6 Winter Grooming Tips appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Blanketing

The first commandment of horse body clipping is thou shalt blanket. If you or your boarding help aren’t available at least twice a day to switch out blankets from light to heavy or remove when needed in warmer climates, you’re better off not clipping and leaving your horse with his full coat, using a lightweight waterproof sheet as needed.

When you take away your horse’s natural protection, needless to say, you’ve got to commit to keeping him warm and dry with the right wardrobe of blankets.

Choosing the Right Clip

The next step is to decide how much hair to clip. This is dependent on your climate and your horse’s workload. Horses living out on pasture for the winter should generally keep their leg and face hair for protection against cold where blankets don’t reach.

If you live in a warmer climate or your horse is usually kept in a stall, you can consider a head-to-toe full body clip. These are usually reserved for horses that will be actively competing and training over the winter or in early spring before they shed, since they need to look show-ring ready.

For those wanting to leave some hair on, there are three partial clips to choose from: hunter, blanket and trace. A hunter clip leaves only the face and leg hair, while the blanket clip also leaves a “quarter sheet” of hair over the back and rump. The trace clip is the most minimal, removing a strip along the bottom of the neck, belly and flanks where horses tend to sweat most heavily.

Horse Body Clip: Full Clip

A full clip takes off the hair from head to toe, and is good for horses that show during the winter. Many people leave a “saddle pad” of hair to prevent rubs under the tack.

Horse Body Clip: Hunter Clip

A hunter clip leaves the legs and usually head unclipped for protection against the elements.

Horse Body Clip: Blanket Clip

A blanket clip leaves head, legs, and “quarter sheet” of hair unclipped. This gives extra protection against those cold winds when you’re riding outdoors.

Horse Body Clip: Trace Clip

The trace clip takes off the least hair, and is good for horses in lighter work or those that spend more time pastured outside in the winter.

Choosing a Clipper

A common mistake people make is having clippers that aren’t powerful enough for the job. I’ve seen enough friends struggling for hours to body clip with light-duty trimmers to know it’s not worth the bother.

Blade Length

The most common blade sizes for body clipping are a No. 10 or Andis T-84. These cut hair to 1/16″ and 3/32”, respectively.

Higher-numbered blades like the No. 15 and No. 30 should be strictly reserved for trimming the face and muzzle. Many people like the option of a wider blade to help body clipping go a bit faster.

Sharp Blades

One of the keys to body clipping success is to use freshly sharpened blades for every single job. You don’t necessarily have to buy new ones, but take them to a sharpening service to get them honed like new before reusing.

It’s a good idea to have a spare blade set (or two) on hand in case yours get dull and stop cutting midway through a clip.

For particularly coarse or long coats, expect to swap blades out halfway through to get the job done.

A Clean Horse

Along with sharp blades and powerful enough clippers, this is the third key to a successful clipping trifecta. Any lingering dirt or dust in your horse’s coat will quickly dull your blades so they stop cutting.

Since clipping is usually done in winter, you’ll need a warm day or heated barn and access to hot water. A heated wash rack is the ideal place to bathe, since you’ll have a hose to blast through that thick hair for extra cleaning power. Wet your horse thoroughly and scrub your favorite equine shampoo all the way down to the skin using a nubby mitt. Time spent here will be paid back in spades with a quick and easy clip.

Finally, rise thoroughly until dirt and soap are no longer coming out of the hair. Towel your horse thoroughly and put a cooler on him, then hand-graze in the sun so he dries quickly without rolling. Mist the hair with a silicone coat polish spray before clipping to help the blades glide more easily through the coat.

Accustom your Horse to the Clippers

If your horse has never been body clipped, or you’re not sure, have a practice session before the real thing. Most horses take to it well, but some—for whatever reason—strenuously object and can be impossible to clip without having your vet administer a sedative.

Begin at the horse’s left shoulder and turn on the clippers. If he doesn’t mind the sound, put your hand on his shoulder and rest the clippers against the back of your hand to see if he minds the vibration. If he remains indifferent, go ahead and clip a test patch to be sure he’s OK with the blades against his skin.

Keep Blades Flat

Always clip against the grain of the hair with the metal blades flat against the skin. Most of the time this is easy to achieve, but there are some areas of loose or ticklish skin to contend with.

If you have a helper to hold the horse’s front leg forward while you clip around the elbow, it will be much easier. Be particularly careful clipping the flanks and belly, as this can make horses twitch or even kick. Your safety is always more important than getting every last hair off the undercarriage.

Keep Blades Cool & Oiled

You will notice the blades getting hot as you clip. Periodically switch them off and feel them with your hand. If they’re like a red hot poker, most horses will express their discomfort and you’ll have an uncooperative haircut customer on your hands.

Fortunately, blade coolant spray is made just for this situation and works like a charm. You can also use a multi-purpose blade wash/dunk that will cool them down.

Every 10 to 20 minutes or as needed, the blades will also need oil to reduce friction and extend the lifespan of your sharpening job. Squeeze a thin layer of oil along the teeth and also a drop on each side where the blades meet.

Finish with a Bath

When you’re done clipping, your horse will probably be itchy from the thousands of prickly hair clippings all over him. While you should run a body brush over him several times during the clip (such as any time you take a break to cool the blades down), it’s ideal if you can rinse him off before blanketing.

Many people choose to follow this step with a treatment of post-clipping grooming oil designed to moisturize the hair and skin after a fresh clip.

And finally, the unofficial 11th commandment: Don’t wear fleece or lip balm while clipping if you don’t want pokey hairs sticking to you. A slick nylon track suit helps repel those pesky microscopic shards.

Now you’re ready to conquer clipping for the winter ahead!

This article originally appeared in the November 2018 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post 10 Steps to Successfully Body Clipping Your Horse appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.