Feature: One clip at a time

FEATURE

One clip at a time

Despite having no plans for a career in horses, former professional groom and Equi-Clip owner CHARLINE REMY found once the opportunities started, they kept coming.

Charline’s career with horses has taken her around the world, helped her learn a new language, and now has her clipping hundreds of horses a year through her own business.

Growing up in Belgium, Charline did not come from a horsey background. It was her grandmother who took her to riding lessons when she was a child, although she’s the first to admit that it took some time for her passion to develop: “I didn’t even like it that much, to be honest! But my grandma kept picking me up, taking me to my riding lessons, and after a little while I started liking it.” ponies and clean stables in exchange for lessons. By the time she turned 18 she was working for a professional show jumper on weekends.

Charline considered studying to become a journalist but instead opted to continue grooming at show jumping stables. Her resume includes the European Sunshine Tour and other noteworthy shows, and internationally recognised riders such as Jan Tops and Edwina Tops-Alexander. “The opportunities came and just kept coming,” she says. “In that kind of job you always have opportunities – it’s impossible to be out of work.”

Playing a major part in the horse and rider's successes was a rewarding aspect, along with seeing ‘her’ horses turned out impeccably as they performed in the ring. It was while she was based at Stal Tops twelve years ago that she was introduced to Australian show jumper Jamie Winning-Kermond, who was looking for someone to quarantine and fly with her horses back to Australia.

Charline saw a chance to visit a new country and improve her English – while working in a better climate than the United Kingdom – and three weeks later she was in Germany in quarantine with the horses and preparing to fly to the other side of the world.

Jamie arranged a role for Charline with fellow show jumper Julia Hargreaves, and once out of quarantine, she was given a tour of a property. “I was like, where are the stables?” she laughs. “The fact that all the horses were out in paddocks and living outside was quite cool. They were left to be horses which I found really good compared to Europe.”

The riders also treated their grooms more as equals in Australia, with everyone pitching in to drive to a show and unpack. Having seen both worlds, Charline recognised what worked, and what didn’t when it came to horse management. “One thing I’ve noticed is less is more. If you wash the horses in betadine or medicated shampoo everyday it’s going to create problems because the skin gets dry. Then you’re forever trying to fix a problem that you’ve created.”

Two years later Julia took a team of horses to Europe and Charline travelled with her. But she came to realise she no longer enjoyed the European approach and made the decision to return to Australia through a sponsored visa, which was offered by Alice Cameron of Oaks Sporthorses.

Charline had been considering a clipping business for some time, and after four years at Oaks Sporthorses she decided to make the leap. “It was a bit scary – I started the business and I was waiting for permanent residency at the same time, which is always a pretty scary waiting game. The first year was not super easy, I had to travel a lot and clip a horse here, a horse there. Then I got into the racing industry and that really took off.” She began clipping for some major names in racing, including Chris Waller and Bjorn Baker, which helped stabilise her business by guaranteeing a few hundred horses a year.

When it comes to clipping, horses need to be in work and the owner should ensure they can rug them appropriately. Clipping is necessary for horses who are likely to get too hot under rugs, or while working due to a thick winter coat. It also allows horses to dry more quickly if they are hosed down late in the day.

Horses can be clipped from May onwards, Charline says, although many may need clipping again later in the season. Most high performance horses require full clips, which work well given the level of care they receive - but she recommends that equestrians consider leaving hair on the legs to provide a natural barrier. Unlike the body, horses’ legs do not overheat and are clipped purely for cosmetic purposes.

In order to prepare for clipping, horses should be shampooed thoroughly and scrubbed with a brush to get all the dirt out from under the hair. She has found most horses tolerate being clipped, although there are some that object if they have extremely sensitive skin, are unsure of the clippers, or have had a bad experience in the past.

Her technique has changed over the years and she finds the horses are not as bothered. The type of clippers Charline uses has also changed, and she now opts for cordless dog grooming clippers that are about half the weight and much quieter.

The sheer volume of horses she clips means she has a second person clipping with her, and they each have three clippers to make sure there is plenty of backup in case something goes wrong halfway through. "I have two different types of blades. I’ve got the normal standard 10 blade and then I discovered a slightly longer blade that leaves an extra millimetre of coat but it’s made a huge difference. I always give people the choice, but the longer blade leaves a little bit more protection, and if the horse

FACING PAGE: A blanket clip is ideal for paddock-kept horses in medium to full work, and for those worked during the colder hours of the day. ABOVE: Preferring to use small cordless clippers, Charline aims to glide them over the skin rather than push. All images courtesy of Charline Remy.

ABOVE: Ideal for horses in light work, the trace clip removes coat only from areas that sweat the most, leaving as much as possible for cover.

is sensitive, you kind of want that just little bit of extra cover.”

Her clippers are sent away for servicing every few months and the blades are sharpened regularly. During clipping season she will clip between eight to ten hours a day, which equates to around five full clips, although she can clip up to 10 racehorses in a day as they typically don’t need their legs clipped.

For anyone wanting to try clipping for the first time, she suggests investing in a good pair of clippers and several sets of blades. “You don’t want to have a blade that can run out halfway through, that’s the worst. The way blades work, we’re talking about nanometres and if they’re not aligned properly they will stop working. You want to make sure you have a few pairs with you. Even blades off the shelf are often misaligned.”

She advises clipping on a slight angle rather than directly against the hair. You should also glide over the skin rather than push. "You can't really stuff it up when you clip a horse. If it doesn't look good you can still go over it using a bit of a different angle. Eventually you should be able to get it all.” Don’t miss our podcast with Charline in the VIP area, and you can email her at charline@equi-clip.com, or call 0438 626 932.