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Bath and clip? Or clip and bath?

From: Karin

Dear Jessica, I have been told by my instructor that I should clip my horse no later than the middle of February, because after that time he is likely to be growing a summer coat that the clippers could damage. I need to clip him because I have signed up for two clinics and a show all before June, so we will be doing a lot of ridden work and he is likely to get very sweaty if I don't clip and rug him. Now I have a problem.

My instructor is on a riding course in Germany, and will return at the end of February, so I can't ask her. I remember her saying that I ought to give Sultan a bath when I clipped him as he would have grease near his skin, and he would be more comfortable after the clipping. My two friends who stable nearby are very angry with me for clipping, they like horses to be natural, and also they are angry about the idea of a bath because they think that the natural grease in the coat protects the horse, and should not be removed.

This makes sense to me, and I feel bad but I really must clip Sultan soon. I know that if I work him for three more months in a heavy winter coat, he will get sweaty and take hours to dry out, and that cannot be good for him, it's the reason my instructor said to clip him!

But because of the criticsm and the absence of my instructor, I am paralyzed and cannot make up my mind to act, and yet I must act soon. My latest reason for doing nothing is that I don't know what to do or think about the grease in the coat, and whether I can give Sultan a bath without hurting him, and whether I should give the bath and then clip him, or clip him and then give him the bath to take away all the little loose hairs.

Please help me with your wise advice, or I will continue to be paralyzed and nothing will get done until my instructor comes back when it will be too late!

Karin The Confused and Sultan the Soon To Be Clipped, Maybe


Hi Karin! I divided your letter into separate paragraphs, it's easier to read that way. ;-) Right, then, let's talk about clipping and bathing. You and your instructor are right. If you are going to be riding your horse a lot during the next few months, you should remove his hair coat and substitute a blanket to make up for the lack of a coat when he isn't working. Otherwise, the combination of exertion, sweating, and a long coat will make him uncomfortable while he's working, and could easily lead to a chill afterward.

Your instructor is probably right about mid-February being a good "cut-off" point for clipping; you don't mention where you live, but I know that I've always used that date somewhat arbitrarily when I've had horses to clip, for the same reason that you mention. So we've established that you do need to clip Sultan in the next week -- see, we've already made progress. ;-)

The grease in the coat -- yes, it's there to protect the horse from winter wind and snow, and if he were turned out 24/7 with only his own hair for protection, the combination of the long, thick winter coat and the grease in the coat would protect him very well. And as a turned-out hairy beast in winter, he wouldn't be likely to exert himself enough to get into a sweat -- that usually requires a rider!

That said, he's not going to be turned out with his own coat for protection, the coat will be GONE and he'll have a blanket instead, and daily grooming before and after rides, and the grease in his coat is therefore irrelevant!

So, yes, there should be a bath involved. I can see your reason for thinking that a post-clip bath might be nicer for Sultan than a pre-clip bath, but I'm going to recommend the pre-clip bath anyway, because that will give you a chance to remove much of the dirt and grease from his winter coat before you ask your clipper blades to deal with the hair. The clipping will go much more smoothly -- literally! -- if you are clipping a clean horse. Afterward, if you feel that he really needs another bath, you can give him one and let him dry off under a cooler.

Don't feel guilty for not keeping your horse in a natural state. When we ask horses to do things that they wouldn't do in nature, we have to change and arrange matters so that they don't suffer for it. If you ask him to work and get sweaty, it's your responsibility to remove his winter hair and put a blanket on him. That's just good owner behaviour. Look at it this way: if you are going to work him quite a lot, it will be your responsibility to feed him grain as well as hay, although horses in nature certainly aren't given grain. If you are going to ride him a good deal on the road, it will be your responsibility to have him shod so that he doesn't wear his hooves down to a too-short, painful length, even though horses in nature wouldn't need shoeing. And think about deworming paste and dental care -- neither is natural, yet both are essential to horse health and responsible horse management.

It IS good to allow your horse to be a horse, and to give him as natural a life as possible: lots of grazing and/or hay, salt and water, room to exercise freely, and companionship. But when you change his situation in one way, you often need to change it in several ways -- if you clip, you blanket; if you ride on hard or rocky ground, you shoe. These aren't unkindnesses, they're actions taken on your horse's behalf. In ten years, or whenever Sultan is retired, you'll let him stay out 24/7 and keep his long coat until he sheds it in the spring, because keeping it will be convenient and comfortable for him. This spring, though, it's not going to be either convenient or comfortable, so please leave your computer NOW, and go find your horse shampoo and your clippers. At the end of the February, you'll present your instructor with a clipped and cheerful horse and a happy rider. OK?

Jessica

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