By Jessica Lohman
Jessi Lohman Manager of Equine Marketing
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Clipping for the Show Ring
Q: I recently bought a horse that I’d like to show at local hunter shows. How long should I clip the bridle path?
A: The bridle path should be just slightly wider than the crown piece of the bridle when it’s on a horse. A long bridle path is unattractive. When your horse’s mane is braided, the goal is to make your horse’s neck look long and elegant, not like you were thinking of just roaching the mane and then stopped halfway.
Q: Those long hairs under my halter horse’s eyes sure can detract from the overall picture when he’s ready for the show ring. Can I clip those?
A: I’d really advise against clipping those long hairs. Since horse’s have peripheral vision, they can’t see directly in front of them. Those hairs act as great sensors to forewarn a horse so that he doesn’t knock his head into something. While I agree that those long hairs can be a nuisance – they are a lot better than a huge scar on your horse’s head.
Q: How can I make my horse’s socks look brighter when I show? I seem to scrub and scrub with whitening shampoo and I can still see stains!
A: Clipping the hair on your horse’s socks with size 15 blades is a great way to increase their whiteness. With less hair, you can be more effective at removing stains when scrubbing with a whitening shampoo. When clipping, start at the coronet band and go in an upward motion against the hair. Make sure you blend the hair nicely where the white hair meets the colored hair. And ONLY use size 15 blades! If not, your poor horse will look like a Standard Poodle from the knees and hocks down.
Q: Is it absolutely necessary to clip out my horse’s ears?
A: It depends on how much you are going to show. If you are only going to show once a month, it is probably not necessary. With size 30 blades, just trace the outside of the ears to create a nice silhouette. Hair left inside the ears will provide a bit more warmth in the winter and it won’t be as easy for bugs to set up house in your horse’s ears in the summer.
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