Trace Clip vs Full Body Clip: Types of Horse Clips and When to Clip

Types of horse clips: the short answer

The main types of horse clips are the bib, trace, Irish, hunter and full clip, listed here roughly from the least hair removed to the most. Choose the smallest clip that keeps your horse from sweating up in winter work, because every patch of coat you take off has to be replaced with a blanket.

Clipping season is in full swing. This month, owners on X posted about a full body clip and a horse that would not stand still for a trace clip. Another owner, after a neat trace clip and a botched full clip on the same horse, now pays someone else to do it.

Winter coats are right on time. They respond to shorter days, not cold, and EQUUS notes they are already starting to grow in by mid-August. In the Southern Hemisphere (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay), shift every date in this guide by six months.

Rule one: if you clip, you blanket

A winter coat is your horse's insulation, and clipped hair does not grow back quickly in cold weather. University of Minnesota Extension says a clipped horse needs suitable shelter and blankets through the winter and into early spring. That means someone adjusting layers every day as the weather changes.

How much blanket depends on the clip and the weather:

• Sheets come early. Rutgers' Equine Science Center notes that some owners start sheets on clipped horses once it drops below 60°F (about 15°C), while stressing that you should watch your own horse.
• Layer up as it gets colder. Riding Warehouse's clipping guide suggests a lightweight blanket for a clipped horse at 40–50°F (4 to 10°C), a medium at 30–40°F (-1 to 4°C) and a heavyweight at 30°F (-1°C) and below.
• Feed for the missing coat. Minnesota Extension also advises feeding clipped horses for their higher energy needs, and hay is the best fuel for staying warm.

Before you clip, have a waterproof turnout sheet, a medium or heavy turnout and a cooler, all fitted. Our when to blanket a horse chart has the full temperature guide.

Horse clip types, from least to most hair

Each clip takes off a little more coat, starting under the neck and belly, where horses sweat most, and working up and back.

Bib clip

The smallest clip. Hair comes off the front of the neck and chest, sometimes with a strip under the belly. Your Horse magazine recommends it for horses in light work that live out through the winter, and it needs the least extra blanketing.

Trace clip

Named after the traces of a carriage harness, the trace clip removes hair from the lower neck, sides and belly. Minnesota Extension describes it as reaching about a quarter of the way up the body from the elbow.

You can set the height. A low trace sits about 7 inches (18 cm) below the saddle flap, a medium trace follows the bottom of the flap and a high trace goes about 5 inches (13 cm) above it. It is the go-to for light to moderate work in horses that still go out.

Go higher still and take off the whole neck, and you get a blanket clip, which leaves a blanket-shaped patch of hair over the back and hindquarters. Guides differ on the legs: many leave them on, but Your Horse's version clips them too.

Irish clip

Imagine a diagonal line from just behind the ears to the stifle, the joint at the top of the hind leg. Hair comes off below and in front of that line: much of the neck, the chest, shoulder and belly. The back, hindquarters and legs stay covered, so it suits a horse ridden regularly but not hard.

Professional clipper Shannon O'Hatnick, quoted by US Equestrian, says it takes off more than a trace clip while covering the same sweaty areas. Some guides place it closer to the bib, so agree on the exact line with whoever is clipping.

Hunter clip

Everything comes off except the legs and a saddle patch. The leg hair adds protection, including from thorns, and the saddle patch helps prevent rubs. Riding Warehouse calls it a popular choice for horses worked hard through the winter and shown early in spring.

Full clip

Every inch of coat goes, including the legs and usually the head. Your Horse notes that it leaves only a small upside-down "V" at the top of the tail. It suits horses in hard, regular work, and they need careful blanketing day and night.

Whatever clip you choose, leave the whiskers on.

Trace clip vs full body clip: matching the clip to your horse

Workload decides how much hair should come off. Turnout, climate and your blanket routine decide how much you can safely take. Ask yourself:

• How hard will winter work be? If your horse only sweats under the neck and belly, a bib or low trace is enough.
• Where does your horse live? A horse out 24/7 should keep more coat. A horse stalled at night, with daily blanket care, can handle a hunter or full clip.
• How cold and wet does it get? A full clip where winters bring cold rain is a big blanket commitment. In a mild climate you may not need to clip at all.
• Is your horse older, thin or sensitive-skinned? Take less. A veterinary dermatologist writing in The Horse suggests a trace clip that leaves hair where the saddle pad sits for sensitive horses, and says she is not necessarily an advocate of body clipping in warmer months or places, preferring a good rinse after each ride.

Not ready to clip? Rutgers notes that lights stretching "daylight" to 16 hours a day can help keep a winter coat thinner.

When to body clip a horse (and how often)

In the Northern Hemisphere, Riding Warehouse's clipping guide puts the first clip between September and November, once the winter coat has fully grown in. In colder regions, clipping early in that window makes it easier to bathe your horse first.

A season at a glance:

• Late August to September: The coat comes in. Check blankets and clippers, and book a professional early if you are hiring one.
• September to November: First clip.
• Through the winter: Many horses need a second or third clip, depending on how fast the coat grows back.
• By the end of February: Last clip, so you don't interfere with the incoming summer coat.

How to clip a horse: checklist and costs

If it is your first time, recruit an experienced helper.

Before you start

• Clean, dry coat. Your Horse suggests a bath the day before and a blanket overnight. In cold weather, Riding Warehouse says a thorough currying will do.
• Sharp blades. Dull blades snag. According to Your Horse, a fresh set of blades should manage about three or four full clips with good oiling and care, and the tension should be set so the clippers hum like a sewing machine rather than squeak.
• Marked lines. Use chalk and string for a straight edge, then step back and check both sides from the front and from behind.
• A safe spot. Choose dry, non-slip footing with good light, and keep the cord away from hooves.

While you clip

• Start at the shoulder, where most horses accept the vibration best, and clip against the hair in long, even strokes with the blade flat.
• Oil the blades every 5 to 8 minutes and use cooling spray, because hot blades are uncomfortable for your horse.
• Keep a rug or cooler over the parts you are not working on.
• Leave a saddle patch for a hunter clip, since even a well-fitted saddle can rub a very short coat.

When you finish, brush or bathe off oil and loose hair, blanket right away, then clean, oil and store the blades dry.

What it costs: Doing it yourself means clippers, spare blades, oil and cooling spray. In late September 2026, Riding Warehouse listed horse clippers from about $65 for a light touch-up model to about $315 for a cordless professional clipper, before extra blades. Professional clipping prices vary by clip and region, so ask local clippers for quotes.

Nervous horse? Tips for one that won't stand still

A quiet horse is not always a relaxed one: in a small Nottingham Trent University study, horses that stood politely for sham clipping still showed physiological signs of stress, even though they looked calm.

Build acceptance over several sessions. Your Horse suggests this order:

1. Rub the clippers over the body while they are switched off.
2. Turn them on nearby and let them run so your horse gets used to the noise.
3. Switch them on and off repeatedly, rewarding calm behavior.
4. Start clipping on the shoulder, a less sensitive spot.
5. Spread the job over several days if you need to.

A few more tips:

• Work where your horse feels settled, with a hay net to munch on.
• Use your quietest clippers and start with small trimmers. Riding Warehouse suggests a low speed around the face and equine earplugs for noise-shy horses.
• Have a helper hold the horse instead of tying it, so it can take a step without panicking.
• On ticklish spots such as the girth area, Your Horse advises holding the clippers firmly and confidently rather than too lightly, and switching to small trimmers if the big clipper's vibration bothers your horse.
• If your horse is frightened enough to be dangerous, stop and talk to your veterinarian. Sedation is a vet's decision, not something to improvise in the barn aisle.

For calm handling skills, see groundwork and horse behavior. Kids can help pick the pattern and watch from a safe spot, but an adult should run the clippers.

What to do this week

• Decide your winter plan first. Workload and turnout should pick the clip, not what the horse next door is wearing.
• Sort blankets before clippers. A clipped horse in a leaking blanket is worse off than an unclipped one.
• Start small. You can take more hair off in two weeks, but you can't put it back.
• Watch the first cold rain after clipping, and check under the blanket for shivering or sweating.
• Check the skin under the saddle and girth after the first few rides for rubs or bumps.

Our grooming guide and care guide cover the rest of your winter routine.