Oster Clippers For Bridle Paths And Body Clipping

Clipping The Bridle Path

Perhaps no place on a horse's body is clipped as much as the bridle path. (The bridle path is the front part of a horse's mane, just behind the ears.) This area is commonly clipped on all kinds of horses of all riding disciplines, and for good reason. Clipping the mane is this area creates a neat place for the bridle to lay across the top of the head, without long mane hairs to get in the way or get tangled.

Exactly how long a bridle path should be can be the topic of much discussion among riders. For the most part, riders agree that the bridle path should start 1 fingers' width behind the ears. In English disciplines, most riders then want the bridle path to be as short as possible, just long enough to accommodate the width of the bridle and a little more. As a very general rule of thumb, English bridle paths are about 3 inches long or shorter.

In Western riding disciplines, bridle paths are usually slightly longer. There is a very old rule of thumb still in heavy use today that a bridle path on a Western horse should be no longer than the length of the horse's ear if it were to be gently bent backward and laid on the horse's neck.

Oster Clippers For Bridle Paths

Oster carries several clippers that would be perfect from trimming a horse's bridle path and much more. Oster is famous for their A5 line of clippers, known for being lightweight, quiet, and with enough power for clipping the bridle path, around the face, and the legs. The Oster A5 accommodates a wide variety of blades for all purposes, including the #10 for general trimming, the #30 for close trimming, the #40 for extreme close trimming, and many more.

For trimming delicate areas such as the face and bridle path, Oster also makes the Adjusta-Groom, the Sculptor Cordless Trimmer, and more. In addition, Oster is well known for their Clipmaster line. The Oster Clipmaster is a larger trimmer, not suited for areas such as the face, but an excellent choice for body clipping horses and/or use on other livestock such as cattle and sheep.