05/04/2026
The importance of clipping preparation can not be more highly stressed. We are entering a wonderful time of year where bathing is now possible! Yippee, all horses (and donkeys) need to be bathed prior to clipping. Most would benefit from TWO baths even to remove the winter build up of dirt and dander on the skin. Equally important would be the *blanket/sheet* that goes on immediately after the bath. We are all smart enough to now know the first thing your very clean horse is going to do is roll after their bath. If this happens without a blanket on, please restart and bath again.
My personal routine is the bath with two rounds of shampoo and one of conditioner, moisturizing spray, blanket on, next day big thorough groom with elbow grease, then clip. After clipping it’s always a good idea to bath or hot cloth with moisturizing product to clean and nourish your horses skin and coat post clip. Going forward I continue to use moisturizing spray every time I groom to prevent a dry and brittle coat.
Here is my handsome Jake showing the steps of preparing for his clip, as well as his after shots 🤎
