i usually prune mine about now,not to hard but half of last years growth.
mines over an arch,you can prune out alot of the thin bits if you want ,it will grow back
if you are unsure how much to cut out then wait until it starts to grow and see which bits are dead and how big an area you want to cover.

you can see whats got new buds on it now .just cut back to a healthy bud .