How long do you allow to bath, clip, plait? (Hunter clip)?

[Neddie123]

It's a while since I've done a hunter clip (friend who loved clipping always used to do it for me) and I'm trying to establish how long to plan to do it.

Hunting so plan is bath/clip eve before and get plaited on the day. I'm rusty on the plaiting front too! Horse is pretty good with clipping.

 

[AmyMay]

Unless the horse is filthy, groom, clip, an hour if rusty to plait.

If bath is definitely required, do it the day before.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would bath the day before clipping and a hunter clip on a big horse can take at least an hour depends how fast the person is at clipping.

Plaiting if rusty give your self 40 minutes at least I would probably do that the night before and put a hood on.

 

[Neddie123]

Horse is big, grey and lives out covered in mud! I usually avoid plaiting day before as I imagine it pulls if plaits are tight, perhaps I should reconsider this... I have a hood so this is possible. My time management is terrible and I'm always late/disorganised so this is my attempt at time planning.

 

[AmyMay]

Horse is big, grey and lives out covered in mud! I usually avoid plaiting day before as I imagine it pulls if plaits are tight, perhaps I should reconsider this... I have a hood so this is possible. My time management is terrible and I'm always late/disorganised so this is my attempt at time planning.

If he lives out, do a high trace clip rather than a full clip.

 

[Starzaan]

Always bath the day before clipping, otherwise your finish will be rubbish, your blades dulled, and your horses coat will get snagged which will hurt.

I’d leave an hour for bath, an hour for clipping, and half an hour to plait if you’re rusty.

 

[Lady Jane]

Bath the day before, its the drying that can take time.
It takes me ages to clip but I'm new to it - I would allow at least 2 hours. I bath after the clip to make sure I don't get any reaction to the clipper oil and its easier to get the haiir and grease out (my horse is still greasy when bathed the day before). They dry treally quickly after a new clip.
Plaiting takes me an hour again I'm not good at it - and don't wash the mane the day before! Also depends on your horse's mane, some are easier to clip and how many plaits you want.

I can hear many of you laughing at me.....I'm so slow!

Oh and don't forget the mess you have to clear up afterwards, cleaning the clippers, sweeping up the mess etc

 

[spacefaer]

Hot water bath the day before clipping - cold water doesn't get the grease out. takes me about half/ 3/4 hour. There's very little likelihood that any of my guys would be dry enough to clip the same day in daylight if it was the first clip of the season. They get quite fluffy!

Full hunter clip, leaving saddle patch and legs but taking off ears and face, takes me about an hour for a well behaved 16.2.
Ideally I like to clip at least a few days before they're going to be seen in public to let the clip settle.

Plaiting a mane I know - about 12 minutes. A tricky/thick mane maybe about 20mins.
I plait down the night before including forelock, and put a snuggy hood on. Then roll and band in the morning.

 

[spacefaer]

In terms of time management, I break my morning down into segments and allow generous blocks of time for each section
Eg one hour for mucking out the 5
1/2 hour for finishing off plaits, washing any green patches on grey horses, brushing out tail etc
1/2 hr for tacking up and putting travelling kit on
1/2 hr for getting my kit on.
(We're normally taking two horses)
Then I add another 15/20 mins to allow for any disasters. I try not to be optimistic about how long things will take because then I'm late.
So if I want to leave the yard at 9, I'm starting at around 6.15 and not panicking.

 

[Neddie123]

If he lives out, do a high trace clip rather than a full clip.

He has a high Tracey and he's too wet after riding hence the decision to do a hunter. Although I had been considering a high blanket to keep back warm.

In terms of time management, I break my morning down into segments and allow generous blocks of time for each section
Eg one hour for mucking out the 5
1/2 hour for finishing off plaits, washing any green patches on grey horses, brushing out tail etc
1/2 hr for tacking up and putting travelling kit on
1/2 hr for getting my kit on.
(We're normally taking two horses)
Then I add another 15/20 mins to allow for any disasters. I try not to be optimistic about how long things will take because then I'm late.
So if I want to leave the yard at 9, I'm starting at around 6.15 and not panicking.

This is hugely helpful thank you!

 

[spacefaer]

@Neddie123
Time saving hacks
Put all your tack in one place the night before - i hang the bridle, martingale etc over the saddle, together with the numnah, girth so that I know I've got it all, it's clean and I can just grab it
All travelling kit in a pile outside each door
Put all your clothes out the night before, including checking your boots are polished and your coat brushed. I have a bag with stock pin, gloves, hairnet, boot pulls etc

I hitch up the trailer and check there's enough fuel in it. Put haynets, water and buckets in.
The more you can do the day before, the less you have to do on the morning itself and the less you will need to rush!

I have a terminally slow OH with no sense of urgency so I have to be organised getting both our horses ready otherwise I'd be curled in a corner screaming at him. (I also tell him we're leaving 15 mins before we need to ..... )

 

[mini_b]

I wouldn’t clip a grey the night before an outing. As you’ve maybe seen on a few threads, it’s not easy to get a grey looking good freshly clipped!

bath the day before you clip, or in the morning and leave them in to dry.
Clip a week before, lots of hot clothing.
Start plaiting an hour before you need to leave.
have truck/lorry loaded night before or if you are travelling to meet tacked up, get all tack in one place ready to chuck it on.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Horse is big, grey and lives out covered in mud! I usually avoid plaiting day before as I imagine it pulls if plaits are tight, perhaps I should reconsider this... I have a hood so this is possible. My time management is terrible and I'm always late/disorganised so this is my attempt at time planning.

Greys are the most difficult to clip in my opinion so I would give yourself plenty of time, I would consider leaving hair on the legs and top half of face if he lives out, I clip my Arab's that way and they sort of live out all year although they do come in if weather is awful, they do have good turnout rugs but cope fine clipped that way.

I've always plaited the night before a show and never had issues but the horse has been stabled so seen as yours lives out probably best to do it in the morning.

 

[Leandy]

Why do you want to do all this in one go? I wouldn't take a freshly clipped horse straight out hunting, way too many excuses for high jinks! I would also bath after clipping and not before. I've never bathed before clipping and never had a problem but then I'm old fashioned and do actually use a body brush and curry comb on my horses routinely, so they don't need it. How are you going to get the bathed horse dry enough to clip if you bath before and do it in one go?

 

[Orangehorse]

I don't think it would be possible to bath and clip on the same day, the coat wouldn't dry.

An hour to clip would be the absolute minimum I would think, it always seems to take ages, but I suppose if you are taking the whole coat you don't have to worry about being even on both sides or getting lines straight!

Plaiting can take ages to 10 minutes depending on how practiced you are. A hunter livery groom said they were allowed 10 minutes per horse, but the manes would be short and they would be doing it twice a week.

I would day 1- bath, day 2 - clip and ride, day 3 -prepared for hunting the next day, maybe plait, or divide the mane up.

 

[Red-1]

I would bath the day before clipping and clip a week before hunting of the horse is not an old hand at being clipped then worked. Also, even the bottom of the numnah can rub on a freshly clipped horse, so I would prefer a week to see how it goes before hunting.

Plaiting takes me around half an hour but then I'm not fastidious over neat plaits.

 

[irishdraft]

I wouldn't attempt all that in one day. Yesterday I clipped my grey who lives out, takes me nearly 2 hours. Then I wash over with a damp sponge. Today I've washed her tail & plaited down her mane in prep for hunting tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll be up early hose off wet mud and brush off dry and plait up, normally takes about 45 mins.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Why do you want to do all this in one go? I wouldn't take a freshly clipped horse straight out hunting, way too many excuses for high jinks! I would also bath after clipping and not before. I've never bathed before clipping and never had a problem but then I'm old fashioned and do actually use a body brush and curry comb on my horses routinely, so they don't need it. How are you going to get the bathed horse dry enough to clip if you bath before and do it in one go?

I actually agree with riding a freshly clipped horse I did it today on my 18 year old Arab with a thick quarter rug on and I was on my own and he was a complete idiot, we jogged all the way on the way out and he cantered almost on the spot on the way home leaping and snorting he did feel pretty amazing though ?

Forgot to add that he was clipped last Friday but it was the first hack I've done since then.