C+ Grooming, Clipping, & Cooling Down

Name 4 reasons for grooming

• Keep skin and coat healthy

• Provide a massage, stimulating circulation and muscle tone 

• Improve appearance 

• Opportunity to inspect horse

Name 4 reasons for clipping

• Allows horse to work easier during winter months with it would otherwise have a thick coat

• Helps maintain condition to prevent excessive sweating

• Allows for higher level of fitness to be attained

• Makes cooling off and drying off following riding easier 

• Saves time and effort in grooming

• Helps prevent disease

• Improves appearance

When trimming what areas wouldn’t you trim?

The inside of the horse’s ears, horse’s whiskers

When may trimming be required

To improve appearance and tidy areas that grow particularly long and hairy such as the heels, and end of tail so they look smarter and less muddy

Name this clip and what it’s suited for

Full clip:

Suited to horses that are stabled or lives in a well sheltered paddock and provided extra rugs

Name this clip and what it’s suited for

Hunter clip:

Offers warmth and protection

Saddle patch helps to prevent a scalded back 

Hair on legs helps to protect against injuries and prevent cracked heels or mudfever

Name this clip and what it’s suited for

Blanket clip:

Useful for heavier coated horses in work who feel the cold easily if too much of the coat is removed

Name this clip and what it’s suited for

Trace clip

Suitable for horses living out in the paddock, removes the hair from area’s that would otherwise sweat freely but leaves the protection on the upper parts of the body

Name this clip and what it’s suited for

Belly clip 

Suitable for horses not in particularly hard work and might otherwise have to be turned out wet at night

When should you clip?

end of March (after the coat has set)

How should your horse be prepared for clipping

should be clean and dry, mane plaited if having a full, blanket or hunter clip. Cover handy to throw over horse as clipping progresses

What clippers should you use when clipping?

usual electric type with the motor in the head. Smaller battery powered ones useful for the head

What should you have prepared when clipping

• Power outlet 

• Residual Current Device (RCD): circuit breaker to cut the power incase of emergency 

• Oil: light  machine type 

• Kerosene or plastic container 

• Soft brush to use on blades and keep air filter clean 

• Spare set of blades or plates 

• Grooming kit and tail bandage 

• Sheltered yard or well lit box 

• Haynet to occupy horse

• Twitch to use if necessary 

• Assistant to calm horse and/or help as required

What should you wear when clipping

Overalls to protect your clothes, gumboots, tie hair back, head scarf sensible 

What kind of day should you clip on?

Choose a warm dry day, allow plenty of time

Describe the process of cooling down a horse after strenuous/fast work

• Pull horse up gradually, in a straight line and keep your horse balanced

• Risk of injury pulling horse up suddenly, turning sharply or dropping the contact

• dismount , run the stirrups up, loosen the nose band, loosen the girth and lift saddle to allow air to circulate, place a cover over the horses back and loins and walk quietly for 10 minutes or until he stops blowing

• Hose or sponge down, scrape off the towel dry. To avoid him catching a chill quickly repace cover over back and loins 

• A sweat rug underneath will speed up cooling and drying time

• Lead again for another 10 minutes to allow muscles to cool and remove lactic acid

• Only small sips of water. Don’t not allow horse to have a big drink or feed until horse has cooled down and respiration back to normal 

• Next day, check for injuries and trot out in hand to check for soundness

• Groom to remove any mud or sweat and give him the day off 

Describe the process of cooling down a horse after a “normal”/”regular” ride

• Always try bring your horse in cooled off following riding (not seating or blowing)

• If hot under saddle, loosen the girth and lift saddle to allow air to circulate, leave saddle on while you tend to your horse, prevents back from cooling too quickly which could result in a chill

• Tie up horse, remove bridle, pick out feet & check shoes

• Brush over, paying extra attention to behind the ears, nose (where the noseband goes) between forelegs, under stomach and between hind legs 

• Remove saddle, if damp, rub rigorously with a towel then brush

• Brush girth area thoroughly

• Place rug back on.

Describe the process of cooling down a sweaty pony in cool weather

• Doing nothing not sensible, can catch a chill

• Cover the forehand while working on the hind quarters and vice versa, use a sheltered area

• Some methods include:

  • Dry him off while still keeping him warm:

    • Cover him with an antisweat or woollen rug, stuff handfuls of straw underneath

    • The straw creates space that allows air, warmed by body heat to circulate and dry the coat

    • Walk pony around if weather permits

  • Let the pony roll in clean sawdust, bush the debris off

    • Sawdust will soak up the moisture from the coat

    • Rolling will take care of the itchiness

    • Cover with an antisweat or woollen rug, groom when dry

  • Rubbing the coat with a towel can speed up drying process

  • Use warm water and sponge to remove the worst of the sweat 

    • Dip sponge in warm water

    • Squeeze out excess

    • Rub the small area that is sweaty, rinse and repeat