Since I like pictures and hate words (ok thats not true. I love words. I'm a words fanatic. But not in blogs. Pictures. I like dem) I chose a topic relevant to the season AND one that can have all the pictures, because pictures.
Shaving.
Bodies. Specifically horsebeast bodies.
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For those of you vehemently opposed to taking away a horses natural defense against the wrath of mother nature, hold up fo a minnut.
For one, what part of owning a DOMESTICATED horse is natural? Literally nothing. No amount of trying will replicate a wild lifestyle. Sure, you can come close, but lets be real, everything we do is to benefit ourselves. Yes yes we love our horses tenderly, and choose the beeeest grains, and hay, and turn them out and vet them regularly and shoe/trim them etc etc. BECAUSE they are domesticated. Small example; they simply can't wear their feet down enough ((unless you live on a ranch or whatever, maybe, but seriously, most of us cram our horses into tiny lots or pastures and stalls because thats what is available and convenient to us)) with the lifestyle most live. So farriers it is. Bye money!
Whoa, too many words.
To keep it short; I clip my horses because I ride them all year long. I have limited time. This comes in handy because a blanketed, clipped horse is usually really clean. Shiny even. Tacked up in 5, BOOM. Also, no fungus. BOOM. The babes are also are heavy sweaters way too furry IMO. Being clipped, they stay relatively dry throughout workouts, and cool out takes another 5 instead of FORTY5. Tack also stays pretty clean. BOOM. BOOM. Being blanketed they never get wet in inclement weather, and consequently, chilled/shivering/sick. BOOM. They also barely shed in spring and look prettier faster. BOOM FOREVER.
Strong downside is having to be blanketed all winter. First acquiring them. If you're a tack whore like myself though, you never throw shit away and buy in off season. And on seasons. And have enough blankets to clothe a herd of horses. Then, changing them whenever the temp fluctuates. Last winter was a bitch with -20 temps one day and 60 degrees the next. Then then cleaning them. Also a bitch. And you usually have to re-clip. Another bitch.
6-4 odds, not bad.
Sure, it benefits me in the end, but I tend to think it benefits them as well. I've never had a horse complain about being clipped either. And blankets with hoods are REALLY stylish.
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| Swag |
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| 2007, right off the track |
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| 2008-2009 |
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| Sept 2010 |
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| Jan 2010 |
I think 2011 disappeared into the Bermuda triangle because I have 0 winter pictures, but I know I did a variation of this clip. So we will pretend this is for 2011/2012. Possibly called a version of a low hunter/high trace?? Who knows.
Can you tell I'm getting slap happier each year and taking off more and more hair? Yeah. Because its so.much.nicer.
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| 2013 |
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| 2014 |
2014 was the year of the checkerboard. Andrea did a bomb ass version of this that reminded me of a puzzle. Love. For this, I started off with a highhunter/trace with a free hand checkerboard.
Bad idea. Never freehand. Always tape. ALWAYS.
I tried correcting it a month later and ended up making a huge mistake and then just said fuck it and shaved him bald.
Best decision ever. I will probably shave him naked every year from now on, unless he has the winter off.
I got probably a thousand compliments on top of the fact that he just looks so dapper and clean.
Which bring s me to this year. Already cooking up designs for Bacardi and Yankee. Shall not divulge because people are crafty and will thieve my ideas! Maybe.
I heard B is a shithead about clippers so thats fun. But here's what he has last year,
What I want to know is what YOU do!
Clip? No clip? Why? Why not?
I clip for the same reasons you do: because my horses stay in full work regardless of season. So clipping = quicker drying, less sweating, less mud to curry off, nicer appearance. (I honestly don't like the winter fuzzy wooly bear look.) I start out with a low trace clip in the fall and then just keep taking it higher and higher as winter progresses and it gets colder and I can add more layers blanket-wise. It's a very similar progression to what you've done with Yankee throughout the years, except I'll do it in one season! Haha...
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to clipped beasties this year, Diva will be needing some serious drugage
ReplyDeleteI love clips! I also kind of love clipping, because that's how I roll. I totally adore your checkerboard, but don't think I'm that talented. Not sue what I'm doing this year. :-D
ReplyDeleteMy Trak mare grows no hair whatsoever. She literally stays summer slick under a blanket. It makes fall temps stink as she gets cold as soon as the weather changes, but oh well. The Welsh A on the other hand already has inch and change of hair-fleece.
ReplyDeleteDon't clip. Because super lazy and don't keep the horse on full work for the most part. Over a decent winter it does cross my mind but the below zero for a couple months no way do I ride. But my horse also gets very little fuzz and I keep him blanketed for that.
ReplyDeleteWell, you know I did the crazy clip last year, and somehow feel like I have to up the ante this year... but to what? I have no idea but I have a feeling I might try to make her into a REAL brick house complete with bricks!
ReplyDeleteI loved the checkers. I hate clipping. HATE. When I lived in Scotland, I had to clip the horses once a month all winter...and I began to despise it lol
ReplyDeleteI blanket, all winter long. I start blanketing about 10c (50f) and then my horses don't grow coats. It's cold enough here that the little hair they do grow doesn't make them sweat. Luckiy 3 of my 4 horses wear the same size of blanket..so I have about 30 75-78s!
I clip if in full work. I have always done a full clip. Sometimes all but the legs and last year because I had 2 rated events in November I clipped his legs. Last year was also the year of stall rest and blah so regretted clipping.
ReplyDeleteThis year I am still trying to figure out what to do. No fancy designs that's for sure. I'm debating a trace clip. We'll see though. I will be gone 2+ weeks in late December and won't ride if we have temps hovering around negs to 15* like last year so it's a tough call. Trace is probably my safest bet if I clip at all.
I CANNOT wait to clip my horse. I did the whole "I don't want her to be cold, so no clipping" whine last year. Never again my friend. I've never spent more time trying to get anything to dry than I did last year getting her that way. Clip job it is. Although probably super boring because hunters are super boring.
ReplyDeleteoooh i'm curious to see what you do this year! i don't clip bc mare's coat isn't particularly wooly and she doesn't typically get too dirty (plus we have a vacuum that converts to a blow dryer if she gets uber sweaty), but i LOVE the look
ReplyDeleteFull clip, every winter. Reason: Texas weather. I haven't body clipped Eli yet, though, because last year he didn't get furry and didn't need it, and also I didn't technically own him at the time. I hope that goes for this year, too, because I don't see him enjoying a body clip.
ReplyDeleteI usually say fuck it and shave off all the hair... but no designs because I am NOT that talented.
ReplyDeleteI clip. Badly. Husband's horse would be a shaggy overheated monster if I didn't, mine would be a shaggy overheated small monster if I didn't. The high here today is 94 and I've already clipped twice. Really not much of an option if you don't want your horse to melt into a small puddle just standing still!
ReplyDeleteI don't clip because I despise cold weather so I don't do much riding in the winter. If I do ride in the winter it's normally trail rides so if they sweat I just walk the last bit of the ride to cool out and then curry the fur back to it's fluffy state when I get home. :) If I did clip I would have to do a full clip though.... I just don't like the look of any of the others... well except for the checkerboard. I love that!!
ReplyDeleteFull shave but just cuz not artistic or adventurous! Love the checkers!
ReplyDeleteI want to clip cool things but I'm too afraid to mess up. I LOVED your checkerboard. I'll probably do a blanket clip on Jetta again and a low trace clip on Misty this winter.
ReplyDeleteI had a book growing up called the British and their horses and it is still one of my fave coffee books...all it showed were these heavy, gorgeous horses with the best clip jobs EVER..so I've always 'wanted' a clipped horse. I think they look AMAZING with it and just overall 'my horse is fing fancy' and awesome to no fungus/groom time. Laz grows such a thick yak coat that his clip job would probably look ridic plus I am lazy on the other side and prefer to not have to blanket all the time ;) Lazy rules all. The boys look great!
ReplyDelete