How to Clip a Halflinger Horse

Competing at a breed show requires you to conform to the breed standards for presentation, especially if you're competing in a halter or showmanship class. With some breeds, this means that you have rules regarding what you can and can't clip. With Haflinger horses, however, there are no rule requirements and you can present your Halfinger almost any way you'd like, depending on the discipline(s) you are showing in.

Things You'll Need

  • Body clippers
  • Clipper oil
  • Trimmer
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Instructions

  1. Clipping a Haflinger

    • 1

      Choose the type of clip most suitable for what you are doing with your horse. For most horses a trace clip, where the hair on the underside of the neck and about halfway up the sides and hindquarters is clipped off, is suitable, especially for horses that will be turned out. A field hunter may need a hunter clip, where all of the coat is clipped off except for on the legs and a patch where the saddle sits, so that the horse is easier to clean. A show horse is usually given a full body clip, where all of the coat is clipped short. None of these clips touch the mane or tail. Since most Haflingers grow a lot of hair, your horse will probably appreciate some type of clip if he's being worked hard enough to sweat.

    • 2

      Clip the hair against the grain with size No. 10 blades. Oil the blades often and rest them when the motor gets hot. Keep the blade as flat as you can against your horse's skin to keep the clipping pattern smooth.

    • 3

      Use the trimmer with a size No. 10 of No. 40 blade to clip a bridle path out of the mane about twice the width of your bridle's crown piece. The bridle path is place approximately where the crown piece lays behind your horse's ears.

    • 4

      Trim your horse's ears, if doing a full body clip, with a trimmer with a No. 40 blade. Haflingers don't have to have their facial whiskers clipped short, and you may want to leave the whiskers if your horse is in a pasture for more than a few hours a day.

    • 5

      Remove your horse's leg feathers, if doing a full body clip, with a No. 10 blade. This is allowed with Haflingers, unlike some other draft breeds such as Clydesdales.