Thanks very much, mvp! 
Another query:
Any ideas for creating a pattern that leaves the hair on the point of the shoulder?
How about some kind of hairy diamond that comes up from the point made where the muscles over the elbow end?
The only thing worse than a fugly clip is a set of blanket rubs.
mvp - Just try it. Worst that happens, it looks terrible and you clip the fuzzy points off. I would probably leave the shoulder on, and just clip a bib over the chest. The normal trace clip/chaser clip could be done from the girth/elbow area back, but the hair left on over the shoulder would make it look a little nicer, I think. In case my description leaves something to be desired - like this.
winter - I got asked to do a “reverse” blanket clip recently… It was nothing short of awful! The poor horse was clipped everywhere a blanket would lie (back, chest, shoulders and hind end) and left hairy everywhere else (neck, legs and belly). The poor thing was nervous too, so he shook and I couldn’t make a straight line anywhere… He honestly looked like he lay down in front of a lawn mower with dull blades! Luckily they gave me another horse at the same place to clip out properly (and she looked lovely!) or I was going to have to make it a condition that they weren’t allowed to say who clipped the first poor horse! 
A few years ago I tried a trace clip. It didn’t grow out well and in the spring I ended up having to body clip which was NOT what I wanted to do!
The next year I did a sort of Irish clip. Much happier with how it turned out and it grew out well. Didn’t have to body clip in the spring to even him out I’m considering doing one for my old man since he’s already a wooly mammoth and down here in lower Alabama it’s going to be 80 today 
Here’s how I did the Irish clip. I can’t find a better pic right now though…sorry!
http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv237/BBMcGee31/MiloClinic2013flat_zpsc56bb5ea.jpg
[QUOTE=King Creole;8389467]
A
Here’s how I did the Irish clip. I can’t find a better pic right now though…sorry!
http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv237/BBMcGee31/MiloClinic2013flat_zpsc56bb5ea.jpg[/QUOTE]
Another nice clip-- looks good in motion— and a horse I’d cuddle and feed candy to all.day.long. Why must you make him breathe hard and sweat? Why?
Another nice clip-- looks good in motion— and a horse I’d cuddle and feed candy to all.day.long. Why must you make him breathe hard and sweat? Why?
I think he wants to know the answer to that question as well! And he is super cuddly. He demands attention. He’d rather cuddle than work.
If you are worried about getting the lines nice use chalk to draw your clip. You can make adjustments before you start clipping. Works great. I did a blanket clip on my horse this year and that seems about right for him.
I clipped for the first time in a long time this year. I did a chaser clip but ended it just behind the girth to give him more belly hair. I also did the face/jaw up to the cheekbones and it looks surprisingly good given my inexperience.
Its is also working great. He’s damp under the saddle after a hard ride but a few minutes in a cooler and he’s dry.
I just usr hope it grows out well or I’ll be body clipping in spring!
I have a white horse so the chalk lines don’t work well with him. I could have used a sharpie but I use duct tape to mark the lines. I can also move the duct tape until both sides match.
[QUOTE=King Creole;8389467]
A few years ago I tried a trace clip. It didn’t grow out well and in the spring I ended up having to body clip which was NOT what I wanted to do!
The next year I did a sort of Irish clip. Much happier with how it turned out and it grew out well. Didn’t have to body clip in the spring to even him out I’m considering doing one for my old man since he’s already a wooly mammoth and down here in lower Alabama it’s going to be 80 today
Here’s how I did the Irish clip. I can’t find a better pic right now though…sorry!
http://i687.photobucket.com/albums/vv237/BBMcGee31/MiloClinic2013flat_zpsc56bb5ea.jpg[/QUOTE]
I like this more minimal one. You guys would hate the clip I did, sort of a partial trace but left the belly hair. But then I like the trace clip; it has a nice fox-huntery look!
[QUOTE=silverdog;8393634]
If you are worried about getting the lines nice use chalk to draw your clip. You can make adjustments before you start clipping. Works great. I did a blanket clip on my horse this year and that seems about right for him.[/QUOTE]
Even better, use painters tape. Much straighter than chalking a line yourself, and the edge of the tape allows you to glide the clippers along it for a perfect line.
I’ll try to get a picture - I did a modified chase/Irish clip that takes all of the hair off of the neck and the angle sort of goes from the withers back to the stifles. So, back, butt and legs are left hairy. If my horse were furrier, I would do his whole head, but I think it worked well with clipping up to the cheeks. This means the hair behind his ears is gone and this is one of his favorite places to get sweaty!
I didn’t hate the trace clip itself…I hated the having to body clip in the spring to even out his coat! lol
I’ll be doing the “modified” (meaning how I did it last time) to my senior this week. We are going to a schooling show in two weeks and my poor old man is so fuzzy right now. Today is the first cool day we’ve had…the low was in the upper 50s and it’s supposed to be only 70 today…so he could use some relief. We have enough blankies to make up for missing a little hair
I may just go ahead and do my other guy (the one in the pic) again this year too since I should be able to ride consistently this winter (I moved to a drier place this summer).
I am a big fan of the chase clip. We call it our racing stripe =]
http://bit.ly/20HMzEl
http://bit.ly/1MkIMCY
And yes, you can just hug him: http://bit.ly/1kH31nb
I use duct tape to get my lines on blankets and trace clips.
http://bit.ly/1L6Yn7l
Here is what I ended up with: http://s410.photobucket.com/user/katiefaraone/media/TT%20Clip_zpsscohoxuu.jpg.html
Pardon the Alushield face and awkward pose
TwoDream, I like how you did the wither on your blanket clip!
BostonHJ, was that picture taken at Newbury by any chance?
[QUOTE=SonnysMom;8393700]
I have a white horse so the chalk lines don’t work well with him. I could have used a sharpie but I use duct tape to mark the lines. I can also move the duct tape until both sides match.[/QUOTE]
I used an expo marker on my palomino. You could just rub the marker with your hand and most of it would come off if you needed to redo the line. And the stuff I couldn’t get off with my hand wa easily taken care of by soap and water. It was a nice alternative to a permanent marker!
[QUOTE=SonnysMom;8393700]
I have a white horse so the chalk lines don’t work well with him. I could have used a sharpie but I use duct tape to mark the lines. I can also move the duct tape until both sides match.[/QUOTE]
Colored chalk works fine in this scenario too.
[QUOTE=Sing Mia Song;8395908]
TwoDream, I like how you did the wither on your blanket clip!
BostonHJ, was that picture taken at Newbury by any chance?[/QUOTE]
Nope, Emerald Hill in Essex. So pretty it slays me!
[QUOTE=BostonHJ;8396021]
Nope, Emerald Hill in Essex. So pretty it slays me![/QUOTE]
Love that area, but glad to not be there in winter! 17 Massachusetts winters were enough for me!
