| showing your horse, doing a proper clipping job can be | | | | flies in the summer. |
| one of the most important ways to make him look his | | | | The bridle paths should be trimmed with scissors |
| best. | | | | before using the clippers. For most horses, a 2” |
| Many people leave show grooming to the last minute. | | | | long bridle path is adequate. Some breeds require |
| When clipping a horse for a show, it is important to | | | | longer bridle paths, so check your breed’s |
| think ahead. It takes about a week for any clipper | | | | standards to know how long it should be. |
| marks to grow out enough to be unnoticeable, so | | | | Clip the bridle path as tight to the neck as possible. |
| show clipping should always be completed at least a | | | | You will probably want to repeat the clipping from both |
| week before the show. | | | | sides of the neck to make sure that you don’t |
| Start out with the head. There are several things that | | | | miss any hairs. Avoid the temptation to trim a little |
| should be trimmed to make a horse’s face as | | | | further each time as you will soon wind up with a bridle |
| refined and beautiful as possible. First of all, you need | | | | path that is too long and looks terrible. The bridle path |
| to trim the excess hair from under the jowl. While in | | | | can be trimmed again just before the show if |
| the summer, many horses are sleek, during the fall and | | | | necessary. |
| spring seasons, the shaggy hair below the jowl can be | | | | Another area that often requires trimming is the |
| quite unsightly. Pointing the clippers so that the teeth | | | | fetlock. This will probably only need to be done a |
| are perpendicular to the cheek, gently run your clippers | | | | couple of times a season, but does make a big |
| down the cheek towards the jowl. This will catch any | | | | difference in how a horse looks in the ring. Following |
| cat hairs and shaggy coat without clipping down to the | | | | the direction of the hair, clip down the fetlock, around |
| skin. | | | | the joint. Do not clip the front. Picking up the foot, trim |
| Under the jaw, clip the coat tight to the jaw line. Make | | | | the hair up the back of the pastern, towards the ergot. |
| sure that the edges are even, or your horse will wind | | | | Remove the ergot if it has gotten long. |
| up with a ragged look. Trim the hair down towards the | | | | Finally, if your horse has decent hooves, you will want |
| chin, removing the long hairs that snug up against the | | | | to boot up your horse. This is done by clipping the |
| chin. | | | | excess hair around the coronet band. Clip each section |
| Generally you should not need to trim any hair on the | | | | upwards from the hoof, just catching the hairs that |
| rest of the face. The whiskers will need to be trimmed, | | | | hang over the coronet. Be sure to go all the way |
| but they can wait until the day before the show. The | | | | around the hoof, catching the inner hairs as well as the |
| eye whiskers can be trimmed too, but should be left at | | | | outer hairs. |
| least half an inch long as they are the eye’s | | | | No matter what breed or discipline you show, make |
| primary protection against damage in the dark. | | | | sure that you check the standards before you go |
| To trim the ears, fold them gently in half so that the | | | | ahead and clip. Some breeds specialize in long fetlocks |
| inside hair sticks out. Trim along the edge of the ear, | | | | or shaggy faces. It would be a terrible faux-pas to |
| removing the inner hair that sticks out. Unless it is | | | | arrive with a neatly trimmed horse only to be |
| necessary for your breed or discipline, avoid trimming | | | | confronted with a ring full of shaggy beauties. |
| out the inner hair as it is an essential protection against | | | | |