Bath before clipping

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Mari

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At present my horse is out of work & unfit. Out all day, in at night, not rugged. In 2 weeks time I can start riding again & getting us both fit. He is a mud monster so lots of dust & grease in his coat. Should I give him a good bath before clipping?
 
I clipped my boy last week as he was a mucky wee bugger - I don't think the clippers would have survived otherwise.

I waited for a sunny and not too cold day and used warm water for the first few steps and then hosed off once he was already soaked.
 
I find that a couple of days in a no fill rug before clipping does the trick - the lining seems to get rid of the grease - obviously a good groom before you put it on 😆
 
If it is too cold to do a full bath do a hot cloth. A bucket of water as hot as you can stand to put your hands in. People add different things but before a clip I just you shampoo and a little baby oil. Using a piece of cloth, (towel, drying cloth), wet it and wring it out as hard as you can, then work all over the body rubbing in circles then rinsing the cloth out. You will be surprised how much dirt comes out. Rug up and they dry really quickly
 
If the coat is greasy or matted it will catch in the blades. Not only will you get a less smooth clip, more lines etc you will be tugging on the hairs and making it less comfortable for the horse. Less of an issue for a thin coated TB types, more of an issue for a cob.
 
The only matted pony I have ever clipped was one with cushings that had got rain scald, the whole thing was like shearing a sheep. I've never had an issue with lines or anything with Frank after just a good groom first.
 
Sorry,but I am not sure why you are on the fence? Bath or not your choice, even in the middle of winter you can bath as long as you dry and warm the horse up after. It is not rocket science.
 
I usually just give a good groom before clipping. However I bathed one Monday for clipping Tuesday and omg the difference it made! In future I’ll be bathing before hand from now on.
 
To bath or not to bath isn’t why I’m on the fence. If it helps clipping go better then I’m bathing. Thank you Dancing Diva. Sounds as if you found it beneficial.
 
Mari said:
To bath or not to bath isn’t why I’m on the fence. If it helps clipping go better then I’m bathing. Thank you Dancing Diva. Sounds as if you found it beneficial.
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I defiantly found it benefical. I had a tight window to clip (pony sedated via vet) I then clipped a unbathed pony after the bathed one and really noticed the difference and what one I preferred.
 
I use extra coarse blades on my cob for the first clip - clippers whizz through the coat, no problems with overheating or coat pulling.
If horse is very dirty/greasy but it’s too cold to do a full bath it might be worth bathing from behind saddle backwards as top of bum seems to be the worst place for clippers!
 
There was an article from someone who clips professionally on a local horsey page earlier saying you really should bath to get the horse as clean as possible before clipping. She said if you can’t bath, then do a 20-30 minute groom. I’m clipping mine next week, my hand disappears in his bum hair! He’s sweating just standing in his box. Sweaty hairy mess!
 
Mari said:
To bath or not to bath isn’t why I’m on the fence. If it helps clipping go better then I’m bathing. Thank you Dancing Diva. Sounds as if you found it beneficial.
Click to expand...

Oh it definitely helps - it’s
Just a faff in itself and I’m
Inherently lazy
 
I don't bath before clipping, just do a good groom.

If I had access to a solarium and hot water, then yes I probably would bath but as I don't...
 
I think a lot of it depends on your horse and how you keep them. Mine don't often get enough coat to clip as I do less over the winter and they put out a thicker summer coat, but if I have one to clip it will already have a thin rug on and be groomed for half an hour a day (I find it therapeutic and love how the coat gleams). I find that even with no bath the clippers cope just fine, and blades stay sharp and cool with minimum tension.

If I had a hairy, greasy yak to clip then I would be bathing!
 
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