Does everyone showing use

[Becky]

It totally depends on how far in advance of a show I have to clip.

I had to start clipping this past Friday for the upcoming Central Regional Championship Show. I am using 30's on the body of all the horses due to the fact that I had to start clipping so far ahead and most of them are growing winter coats!

 

[maryann]

Thanks for all your comments. I still am not sure what I am going to do. We are going to naionals for the first time and I really don't want to skin him and haul him 18 hours and then slap a harness on him and ask him to preform 100%. Since he is in only two halter classes and many driving classes we may just clip him with a 15. I really don't expect him to do that well in halter anyway .It sure would be nice to hear from someone who judges sometimes. ? His coat is so rich and bright when cliped with a ten I hate to mess with perfection. Here is a pic of him clipped with a 10, does he look bad??

 

[Fred]

We don't even clip our horses until we get to nationals as they fuzz up so fast.

As for which blade to use it depends on the horse and the show. If I'm showing

I won't clip really close, because they will burn. however I have a pre=cushings

mare that HAS to be clipped in a #30 blade because of the hair she grows.

Not just for showing either, she hates the heat. You will find most people wait

until they get to nationals to clip, as for the blade its your personal preference.

Linda B

 

[ruffian]

I have been against body clipping for 10 years! But if you want to be competitive, you have to do what the trainers are doing. Unfortunately, that means we're taking all the protection from the sun and bugs away from our horses.

One AMHA nationals I went to a few years ago the color class was a joke. The horses all looked pastel - grey and pink instead of black and white pintos, light gray and pink - bay pintos, and white and pink - gray pintos. The solids weren't any better.

I have to admit I have clipped one horse with a 40 - yep I did the first swipe without checking the blade. He looked very pretty, all soft and plush, like a velvet horse. But he looked SO much better with his natural coat all dappled and shiny. You can't get a natural shine on a horse that has no hair!!

I'd love to see this practice be outlawed by the registries, but that ain't gonna happen

 

[kaykay]

we only use a 10 never anything shorter and have shown rocky in natural coat since like mingus he never needs body clipped.

I havent seen this as a trend in the shows ive been to?

 

[Southern_Heart]

30 blade on the horse?

That would be like having a naked horse with nothing but skin showing

I would never do that!!

I think a size 10 is close enough

Joyce

 

[J&HMinis]

I use a 30 at least 3 - 4 days before a show on my black mare. I use a 15 on my bay colt and on my silver bay gelding. I think the 30 makes the color come in faster.

 

[Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis]

I normally use a 10 or 15 however have had horses done closer as well. I think it depends on where I am showing and the bottom line is when going to Nationals you want your horse to be as well turned out as the next.

Color does play a big part in it and a dark horse with no white usually looks better clipped closer.

 

[bevann]

I would love to see our Minis go back to showing in natural coats.I hate seeing pink pintos in the ring.The natural colors are so rich and deep looking.

 

[_minihorses4ever_]

Thanks for all your comments. I still am not sure what I am going to do. We are going to naionals for the first time and I really don't want to skin him and haul him 18 hours and then slap a harness on him and ask him to preform 100%. Since he is in only two halter classes and many driving classes we may just clip him with a 15. I really don't expect him to do that well in halter anyway .It sure would be nice to hear from someone who judges sometimes. ? His coat is so rich and bright when cliped with a  ten I hate to mess with perfection. Here is a pic of him clipped with a 10, does he look bad??

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I think he looks WONDERFUL in a 10 blade. I would keep it at that!

 

[capall beag]

He looks beuatiful with the 10 blade, leave him at that!!!!!!

I like as natural looking as possible.

I am from Ireland, and I do notice in America a tendancy to lean towards if some is good more is better, sometimes it's true

BUT I don't think it is true with clipping and fussing too much with what is natural.

Mingus looks fabulous BUT I guess not all horses have a natural coat like that!!!!!

I was recently at a fair and cows were being shown, I thought they looked pristine BUT very strange all clipped and prettied up. They were spotted pink cows!! This was a first for me to see a cow look like this! Surely a judge could tell a good cow even if it was knee deep in ... in a field???????

Please note!

I do not show!

 

[ClickMini]

Well, I clip w/ a 30 all over, with a 40 for sculpting on the body. On the face it is 30, 40, and fifty plus razoring.

It looks beautiful in the show ring, BUT as they grow out the hair stands straight out. I don't like that.

My yearling mare that I didn't show has a beautiful, slick, shiny coat, unclipped.

 

[MiniHGal]

I use a 10 on the body...occassionally I'll use a higher # blade for the face and bridle path(ears, muzzle). For driving, I would not go any shorter than a 15 or so...especially if the horse has sensitive skin.

I once did a quarter of Oliver's body with a 30--it looked HORRIBLE. That part was a dull, grayish color in comparision to the rest, which was bright chestnut. I was so embarrassed until it grew out, which took forever.

 

[Margo_C-T]

As our friend from Ireland said, "sometimes"(like, about 99% of the time...),many Americans tend to act on the idea that if some is good, more is bound to be better...actually--NOT USUALLY, in my observation. An animal with a complete body covering of hair has it for a reason, you know; depriving them almost COMPLETELY of that, over all, or a major portion of, their body, is not a very good idea, nor a very kind thing to do, I strongly feel. Like Sue C., I see absolutely NO point in "skinning" our horses( and for sure, no benefit to the horse!!)Certainly, one 'should' presume that anyone who does so, would then take all steps to compensate for the near-total loss of the natural protection(by blanketing, protection from both heat(direct sun) AND cold--but living the time I have, and seeing the human behavior I have seen---well, I wouldn't bet on that being a certainty.

I have never, and would never, clip the major portion of the body with anything that clips closer than a #10 blade. As I wouldn't razor, I have used a 30, 40, and a 50 on various places on the face, tapering each area into the other. The photos of Mingus are absolute proof that a miniature can look absolutely smashing in natural coat(and he is now a gelding, so it's not the hormones!)

Based on the look of the hair coat of the horse about whom the original question was asked, I would continue with the # 10 blade-his color looks great, and he looks slick and healthy! And as for that super-close clipping making a horse look 'tighter'(??), or enabling judges to 'see'musculature better--all I will say is--oh, please.....!

It is true that at the time of the two miniature "national" shows, most if not all people wait until they arrive there to clip their (halter)horses. Horses have already started significant production of their winter hair coats by that time of year, and are going to try to replace the clipped-off hair VERY quickly by then. A very clean and dry horse, good sharp blades, and a knowledgable clipper are very important-but that combo can produce a gorgeous horse, the day before the class--with a # 10 blade--I have seen it happen, many a time!

(And yes, body clipping, in many cases, is followed by a pretty icky looking grow-out of the hair coat!) I haven't touched any of my horses with a body-clipping this year--and they look SOOO nice! Not saying I will never body clip again--but if/when I do, it'll be with nothing that cuts shorter than a #10... .

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Who sets the standards??? The people in the show ring! Who are they?? US!!! If you do not like it, like balding, DO NOT DO IT!!!!! Eventually others will join in, as is happening to me. Eventually things will level out. Don't like it- DON'T DO IT> Simple as that. And I DO show, LOTS!!! And I do win too.

 

[Mini_Bre]

And as for that super-close clipping making a horse look 'tighter'(??), or enabling judges to 'see'musculature better--all I will say is--oh, please.....!

I find it rather annoying how many have no problem bashing those of us who clip with a 30. I don't recall any one saying how clipping with a 10 is stupid and no I don’t think that and I would never say that because I do not want to hurt anyone’s feelings. And just so you know my horses are also blanketed for the protection from bugs and they are in the barn and not out in the hot sun. And I was the one who said I believe a closer clip makes them appear tighter and the muscle tone shows better and I still believe it because that is what I see every time I clip. And I fully respect your opinion but no need to sound rude.

Breanne

 

[_minihorses4ever_]

Willie is cureently clipped with a 10 blade for his body, but I want to start clipping with a 15 blade... I don't like the skinned look ethier, I think 15 is PLENTY for the body, I will never go any higher.

 

[ClickMini]

Well, I used to be one of the never less than 15 crowd, too, but once again I was proved to never say never. Alladdin does look amazing when he is clipped down w/a 30. His beautiful, deep silver dapple color just glows. So I will go by the horse, I will NOT clip Ally down that far, as she is PINK underneath. A 15 for her will be a max. But my dark colored horses will be taken down to a 30.

I just hate what it looks like as it grows out after a clip, whether from a 30 or a 10! Doesn't matter! Once they are clipped AT ALL, the hair no longer lays nice and smooth as it is meant by nature to do.

 

[blueprintminis]

  I just, seriously, do NOT understand the "need" to skin our horses. Perhaps "we" need to develop a hairless horse; like the hairless cats and dogs that have been "manufactured" in years past.

IMHO(honest opinion, not humble, in this case) 

a #10 is more than enough for a body clip. Enough is enough already!!

 

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I agree. I just returned from the Eastern Championship show. I had clipped my horses, body and legs, with a 15 and faces with a 30. Previously I had always used 10 on the body and 15 on the face and legs. Even with the 15 on the body, my horses looked "fuzzy" compared to the others. Maybe next year I'll just use Nair on the entire horse and "beat" everybody!!!!! (Just kidding about the nair.)

 

[minicount]

Saw this coming a mile away.

Simple answer is my horses my choice to the style of haircut they get. I shave most of mine with a 15 and two with a 10 but my choice does not make others wrong.

I am sure some people that shave with a 30 that do not give their horses adaquate protection from bugs, cold and so on BUT there are some people that do not take care of their horses in the pasture. Does that mean that all people who keep horses in a pasture are mistreating them?

It has been hot, hot, hot around here all summer and there is not one horse in the pasture that has a short enough haircoat to show.

Hop down off the high horse. If you don't like the look fine, don't even care that you say you don't like the look but really people using words like "skinnning" is just trying to start a fight.