Blanketing a clipped horse
Clipping is exactly where simple charts fall down. Here is how much extra blanket a clipped horse really needs - and a calculator that builds it in.
Calculate my horse's weightA horse's winter coat is not just hair - it is an insulation system. Each hair stands up to trap a layer of warm air against the skin, and a healthy horse can adjust that layer like a living thermostat. When you body-clip, you remove it. The horse you turn out in January no longer has the coat the thermometer assumes it has, so the static "30 degrees equals lightweight" chart is simply wrong for that animal.
That is why clipped horses are the ones most likely to be found cold: they look the same as the horse next to them, but they have lost their natural layer. The fix is not complicated - you just have to blanket earlier and heavier - but it has to be deliberate.
The most hair removed. Plan on roughly one to two weights heavier than an unclipped horse, and a neck cover in real cold.
Only the sweaty zones shaved. Keeps most insulation - usually about one weight up from unclipped.
So a horse in steady winter work can sweat less and dry faster. The trade is that you take over its temperature regulation with blankets.
How the recommended weight shifts by clip level. This mirrors the matrix the calculator uses; coat condition, wind, rain, and turnout shelter then nudge it warmer.
| Temperature | Unclipped | Trace / partial | Full body clip |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50-59°F | No blanket | Sheet | Sheet |
| 40-49°F | Sheet | Lightweight | Lightweight |
| 30-39°F | Lightweight | Midweight | Midweight |
| 20-29°F | Midweight | Midweight | Heavyweight |
| 10-19°F | Heavyweight | Heavyweight | Heavyweight + neck |
| Below 10°F | Heavyweight + neck | Heavyweight + neck | Heavyweight + neck |
A full body clip generally moves the horse one to two weight categories heavier than an unclipped horse at the same temperature - sheet becomes lightweight or midweight, midweight becomes heavyweight.
No. A trace or partial clip only removes hair from the sweatiest areas, so the horse keeps most of its insulation. It needs more than an unclipped horse but less than a full clip - usually about one category up.
Often yes - especially with a full or hunter clip where the neck is shaved, and in hard cold below about 20°F. A neck cover replaces insulation over a large, heat-losing area.
Searches for the weights a clipped horse most often needs:
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Enter the temperature, set the clip, and the calculator handles the rest.
Open the calculator