So yesterday my boss asked me to rinse off and clip a horse’s hind legs because she was lame. I did it, but I did it with the clippers she had laying out. I forgot to check the blade size - they were 40s! The poor horse now had naked legs from hoof to about halfway up the lower leg. My boss told me today that we can’t use her until the hair grows back in. Of course I feel awful, but is there anything to do that’ll promote faster hair growth? If not, how long will she be out?
You didn’t notice after the first pass?
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This time of year, it should just be a few weeks–they’re all growing a winter coat. There’s not really anything you can do to speed it along.
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First question is why is Horse lame and why did your boss think that clipping would help? Second question is why did you not notice after the first path? Have you not clipped before? Third question is that a horses rate of hair growth varies from horse to horse. It is fall though and horse should be growing his winter coat.
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No, I didn’t notice. I haven’t clipped a lot before and when I have people have given me all the specific tools without really explaining it. And this horse has a history of cellulitis so I’m assuming that has something to do with it?
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I do not understand why clipped legs would prevent riding. Unless you are riding in the bush. Horse will be fine. We had a horse get a cut last year that required a surgical clip for pretty much his entire leg, and the vet didn’t worry about him being turned out and ridden (once healed) and he was close to bald during 30 below. It took about 4 months for his hair to grow in (December to march). I think your boss is over reacting.
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I’m going to guess it has something more to do with the horse LOOKING dumb rather than functionality. If it is a show horse the trainer may be suggesting he/she will not want it to leave the property with the bad clip job until it has grown in. However, if the horse is lame they shouldn’t be being worked anyway, so I don’t see how that is an issue.
I know when I worked at a show barn once, one of the other girls was supposed to trim the whiskers but ended up clipping the entire muzzle all the way up to the noseband of the halter. The horse looked ridiculous and she got chewed out but the horse showed anyway. If the trainer asks an inexperienced employee to do something without teaching it first (or making sure the employee knows how to do it) they shouldn’t be getting angry at the results. Clipping is not an easy skill to master, especially if she wanted it to be a show acceptable clip.
Clipping legs because a horse is lame doesn’t make a whole lot of sense other than if the horse has big feathers or something and has mud fever or scratches that just won’t go away, which I don’t think is the case here. Really bad cases can make a horse lame but those are obvious skin issues the OP would have (hopefully) noticed when she was clipping. With cellulitis the affected leg is usually huge and swollen and tender and I doubt OP would be able to miss it if that were the case either. It doesn’t really matter, the hair will grow back when it grows back (and as others have said, probably won’t take too long as they are growing winter coats right now, so you actually got lucky on timing, OP).
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The hair will grow back. Now, why can’t you use the horse with lack of hair on the leg?
I would imagine that not being able to use the horse has more to do with the lameness that necessitated the clip than the clip job? Or at least the over exuberant clipping seems like kind of a moot point if the horse is also lame 
Sounds like the trainer was just mad and taking it out on you a bit.
The difference between 40s and 10s during this time of the year (when horses are working on their winter coats) is seriously about a week - 2 at tops. I just did the same thing to one of mine intentionally…the only working clippers I could find, without pulling out the big body clippers, was a little muzzle/bridlepath pair with permanent 40 blades on them. I clipped both of one of my mares’ front legs so I could keep a better eye on the swelling from a ruptured check ligament. It looks like she’s wearing pantaloons since she’s already pretty fuzzy, and it definitely looks kind of silly, but it’s not like it would have looked much better or different with 10s. I did it 3 days ago and her legs already look less naked.
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Ohhh sooo many wrongs, I can’t make a right. Not all your fault OP. But UMMMMMM SHOULDN"T A LAME HORSE BE OUT UNTIL SOUND ANYWAY!!! IF the clipping was to prep for some sort of topical treatment shorter is better anyway!!!
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I understand clipping a lame horse b/c it helps keep them clean, easier to ice, ultrasound, shockwave, etc. but why would you “use” a lame horse? So many scary people out there…
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Add me to the crowd that is confused why a horse is not usable because the hair needs to grow back in.
I hope your trainer just misspoke and meant until the horse is sound again.
I would not put anything on her legs without discussing it with the trainer first. A person who gets this upset about a clip job is likely to not be too happy if you apply something in an attempt to make hair grow. (I agree with the others, nothing is needed, BTW.)
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I’ve seen people put DMSO on girth galls that are healed but still bald to encourage hair growth. Can’t speak with any authority to it’s effectiveness, but these were top notch WEF show grooms.
I have very limited experience of clipping (literally done it once haha)…can someone more experienced please elaborate as to why a horse clipped more than it was intended/desired can’t be worked? Sorry for my ignorance.
As has been said above by many, that seems like a strange leap to make by this horse owner.
The difference between a good clipping job and and bad one is two weeks.
But why someone would want to use a lame horse is beyond my comprehension.
