Driving Clip Patterns

[whitney]

I have my very first Driving Trial comming up in 2 weeks and was wondering if anyone could give me ideas or pictures of a "winter" driving clip?

Edited to add: Is a Trace Clip appropriate?

 

[Sue_C.]

I know that MiniHgirl (Breanna?) used a trace clip to show CDE's...so I would think that they'd be acceptable in a Trial.

I picked up a great little book several years ago, that has some good pictures of the various clips. It's one of those little Threshold Picture guides..."Trimming and Clipping". I am always trying out modified trace and blanket clips in the winter/spring, to make live more liveable for my harness horses.

 

[MiLo Minis]

A trace or trace-high clip is absolutely perfect. That is exactly what is called for. Leaves the hair on their backs and loins to keep them warm and removes the hair on their chest and belly to keep them from getting quite so sweaty and makes for quicker cooling out. Although it is quite often used for riding horses the name originated with driving horses.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Hey, that makes sense doesn't it? A clip that follows the line of the TRACES being called a TRACE CLIP? I learned something new! :aktion033: And now I think I know how to determine the line I will trace clip my guy on in a couple of weeks! I'll just harness him, chalk a line down his sides to match the traces, then unhitch and clip. I noticed this weekend that the only clips that didn't jump out and look odd or ugly on the driving horses were those that blended at the headstall of the bridle, at the breastcollar, etc.

ADS not only does not care how you clip your horse (as long as they are neatly turned out), but they actually think we're all nuts for body clipping our minis if their coats have shed out for summer. Of course this is in cooler climes like mine, but still. Minis will be the only body-clipped animals at any given event here.

There are two main reasons to clip a mini in spring and they determine what parts you shave. You either clip in order to be able to get their equipment on (so you'd be clipping head, underline of neck, elbow area, etc.) or you clip them to allow them to cool off which means head and neck can stay but chest and belly and the inside of the hind legs must go. It's totally up to you.

By the way, does anybody know what the tradition is with blanketing a trace-clipped horse? Do you or don't you do it? It seems like if I'm going to have to blanket anyway there isn't much reason not to just clip the whole darn horse except maybe to make sure his back is warm as we start working, and a quarter sheet could accomplish the same thing without making him half-sweat and half-freezing inside his blanket.

Leia

 

[SkipsMom]

I trace clipped two of my horses last month- a mini I"m driving and my main riding mare. If you go here: http://community.webshots.com/user/watsonpippin then go to the mini's album, then the second page in the min's you can see Sam- I just added the photo. Because it is a spring trace clip I took off all the hair on his legs because we'll have mud and removing the leg hair will keep scratches/mud fever at bay.

Were I doing a fall trace clip I would have left on more hair. As is, a spring trace clip in the midwest still requires that an owner monitor the weather closely. For example, a week ago we had 4 or 5 days in the 70's-80's and tornados while this a.m. it is 32 degrees and we have snow flurries. Go figure.

There are as many ways to trace clip as there are ways to enjoy horses. IMO, some things to consider are what the horses work load is, the density of it's coat, where you are in the season and your committment to go out at a moments notice to add or remove sheets/blankets.

Hope this helps!

 

[MiLo Minis]

There is no real need to blanket a trace clipped horse. The hair left on the top side allows the rain to run off without soaking the horse to the skin and basically acts like a blanket anyway - think about it - the hair will be covering everything that a blanket would. Adding a blanket is likely to make the horse colder if anything. It will crush down the hair coat which, when it is standing up, traps air and keeps the horse warm.

 

[whitney]

Thank you for the help! I found a neat link with pictures last night for us newbies.

http://www.newrider.co.uk/Library/Horse_Ca...g_how_much.html

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Skips mom that is technically a Blanket clip not a Trace!! Trace leaves the head on and most of the neck. Milo- I disagree- depending on the weather of course, there is no way I would turn out a horse with it's belly and neck exposed- you clip, you blanket, as far as I am concerned.

You could just clip a line up the underneath of the neck and part of the chest- it looks fine once they are in harness, and covers a lot of the area that sweats.

I do not like these clips on Minis as the coats are so long, but they are a compromise between full clip, I suppose. Since I would blanket anyway, I would just clip out, I am afraid.

 

[cjacobucci]

My minis both got traced clipped about a month ago. They haave way to much hair to drive them without it. They look sort of silly, but as someone mentioned before when they are harnessed up they look fine. I would also rather look silly then have to spend three hours making sure my horses are colled out and dry before putting them away. They do wear blankets, mostly at night or if the weather's bad. Here in Colorado we can go from 70 one day to 20 the next so i just keep an eye on the forcast to determine whether or not to blanket. I don't like full body clips this time of year because then I have to deal with multiple hoods and blankets to keep them warm and they can't get turned out with no blankets to let them roll and just be a horse. The trace clip is a good compromise.

Carrie

 

[Sterling]

Good thread Whitney! I was wondering the same thing as I will be starting to work Hershee towards the end of the month. I like that page you added too with that link on the trace clips. I like the idea of the trace clip and leaving the legs in tact. I don't normally blanket unless I've totally clipped...but then again I've never trace clipped before either. I will have to see how he does and go from there.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Thanks for that link, Whitney. Cute site!

Interesting discussion regarding to blanket or not. MiLo minis, I'm in agreement with Rabbitsfizz that at least a blanket covers the chest and belly which to my way of thinking would be very cold without one. On the other hand, I don't want to full-clip as that leaves my horse's legs, head, and neck all out in the cold. I do not have hoods nor would I ever want to use one. He lives in a snug run-in shed and spends all day out in the weather of his own choice. I guess maybe I'd better just clip the pectorals and a thin line up the neck and call it good until it's warm enough to clip the whole horse. Bleah, I really wanted to clip his belly to keep track of how fat he really is or isn't.

Here's a picture of my first attempted trace clip last year. I got so far off my intended lines I ended up just clipping the whole horse to fix it! LOL.

As you can see, I left his legs and forehead/ears hairy though and that actually worked nicely. He looked MUCH more smooth-bodied fully clipped but the "leg warmers" kept his little tooties warm and he never got that awful stubbly look on his forehead. When it came time to lose the leg warmers I was able to do it with my regular clippers and not have to rent the body-clippers again. That's why I took them down to the knee in the first place; any higher and I would have had to use the heavy duty set.

Leia

 

[SkipsMom]

Rabbitsfizz- you are correct, it is a blanket clip. As a "yank" I guess I get to casual with the words.

Again, spring is here so I removed more than what I do on my main riding horse each fall.

I'll respectfully disagree with the idea of not blanketing a trace/blanket clipped horse. If I have removed some/most of Mother Natures winter protection from my horses then it is my responsibility to closely monitor and provide what is needed. The absence of that on my part would be inferior horsemastership.

 

[MiniHGal]

I do trace clips on my horses a lot for driving. This is what they are supposed to look like....sometimes they don't go as planned and I end up doing a full trace clip(which is actually just our name for a clip that leaves the hair on the legs from the stifle and elbow down and shaves everything else off). This mare was only occasionally lightly blanketed...but we are also in So. CA and it was never very cold.

This is Fascination's trace clip...I did her bridle path, one swipe up her neck, and cleaned up her jaw. She wears her blanket with this clip...mostly because she is a sensitive horse.

I leave padding under the breastcollar and usually breeching.

Then I will also clip down to the knees and hocks and blend as if the horse just had feathers.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Skips mom you must remember that people with NO horse knowledge at all will be reading this Forum.

To say that a horse that is clipped does not need to be blanketed could result in pneumonia if taken literally.

Far better to err on the side of discretion, I feel , and say a horse trace clipped should be blanketed if in any doubt whatsoever.

The "golden rule" when I was a child and these horses were actually working was "You clip /you rug (translation- Blanket)" and I agree with this unless the weather is very warm or the horse is permanently stalled.

Even then, I would blanket a clipped horse.

:

 

[MiLo Minis]

Skips mom that is technically a Blanket clip not a Trace!! Trace leaves the head on and most of the neck. Milo- I disagree- depending on the weather of course, there is no way I would turn out a horse with it's belly and neck exposed- you clip, you blanket, as far as I am concerned.

You could just clip a line up the underneath of the neck and part of the chest- it looks fine once they are in harness, and covers a lot of the area that sweats.

I do not like these clips on Minis as the coats are so long, but they are a compromise between full clip, I suppose. Since I would blanket anyway, I would just clip out, I am afraid.

To each their own!

: I wouldn't do this clip unless the weather was warm enough to warrant clipping and I just wanted to leave some protection from cold rains.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Cold, overheated...cold, overheated...so hard to figure out! LOL. If he wasn't working his coat would be fine and I would never consider clipping yet. But he is working and he's hot and sweating after ten minutes due (as I can prove from last year's experience with before/after clipping) to all that hair on him. Take the hair off and he's fine and can really be conditioned. But if I only take off as much hair as I need, which is my preference, then he's got parts that will need to be blanketed and parts that will be majorly overheating under a blanket (and those are the parts getting most of the insulation!) But it's too cold for a blanketed full clip on an outdoor horse. So what do I do?!

: LOL.

I need some sort of reverse-insulated blanket. All the warmth is around the bottom edges and the chest and the back is only waterproof.

: Hmm....

Leia-who-thinks-too-much