Alternatives to bathing pre-clip

[Heinz_57]

Hoping someone has a genius alternative to bathing in winter, prior to clipping. I don’t have hot water in the barn, nor do I have a wash rack. I could certainly hook a hose to my kitchen sink and run it out the window to the yard for hot water, but it’s generally windy and rainy here. This guy already dislikes baths, and making him stand in the cold rain and wind for a long thorough one might just overturn his applecart. So, I’m trying to avoid it if there’s even a passable alternative.

Hot towel scrubbing? Blow him down with the shop vac? Combo of both?

[trubandloki]

Subscribing because I am interested in the answers you get.

I just clipped mine dirty. Wasn’t pretty (poor clippers, poor horse).

[Renn_aissance]

Absolutely, hot towel. Can you bring an electric kettle to the barn to help with this?

[Heinz_57]

@Renn_aissance

Absolutely, hot towel. Can you bring an electric kettle to the barn to help with this?

Yes, my house kettle makes frequent trips outside in the winter

[Simkie]

I don’t think I’ve EVER been able to bathe before clipping. It’s never been an issue. I always have a couple sets of blades, and groom well beforehand (just, like, with a curry and a brush, nothing sexy.) Final result has never once been anywhere close to bad or embarrassing, they look just fine!

[Heinz_57]

@Simkie

I don’t think I’ve EVER been able to bathe before clipping. It’s never been an issue. I always have a couple sets of blades, and groom well beforehand (just, like, with a curry and a brush, nothing sexy.) Final result has never once been anywhere close to bad or embarrassing, they look just fine!

I’ve definitely clipped quite a few unbathed and been fine, but this guy is pretty dirty and has never been clipped. I’m also trying to squeak by using my smaller clippers that aren’t really qualified for body clipping, so the cleaner he can be the faster I can go! Worst case he ends up looking like Edward Scissorhands, we aren’t going anywhere this winter anyway

[Simkie]

@Heinz_57

I’m also trying to squeak by using my smaller clippers that aren’t really qualified for body clipping…

Ohhhhh that does make a big difference. Big clippers just seem to power through.

I wonder if you hot towel once to get the dirt off, let dry, and hot towel again with a little bit of something silicon in the water, if that would help get the job done? A little hassle up front might be worth it with little clippers!

Good luck! Post pictures!

[Heinz_57]

Good ideas! I sold my Clipmasters a few years ago, and I’m not buying a new set just for this. He’s only a large pony, and he’s not yak wooly, so… Should be fine, right?!

I once clipped my lease horse as a teenager with a pair of cheap people hair clippers I got my parents to buy me at Costco. My trainer was impressed it came out so well, especially considering I’d never done any clipping.

[punchy]

I like scrubbing down with rubbing alcohol rather than hot water.

[phantomhorse]

I spent many years doing a large, modified trace clip on my hairy beasts with “normal” clippers because I was too cheap to buy big ones.

I would curry well, then shop vac, then wipe with a hot towel (and ‘hot’ may be generous). Make sure you are oiling your clipper blades very frequently - not spray lube but actual clipper oil.

[IPEsq]

I’d curry, shop vac (suction, not blow), hot towel, spray with something slippery (my go to is usually Vetrolin Shine, also helps get the sand out), flick brush, sheepskin mitt (or clean dry towel). And you may need to run your blades through blade wash more frequently than if you’d gotten a good bath in, as well as the oiling and spraying.

[Jarpur]

I didn’t bathe mine this fall before doing their high trace clips, due to weather considerations. Instead, just went with a good currying, then the Vac N Blow on the “blow” setting, aimed right at the base of their hair. Blowing the coat before bathing makes a huge difference, I’ve found, in removing embedded dust/dirt/loose hair, and it worked well before clipping in this case, as well.

Then, they were sprayed with a light coat of Pre-Clip (think that’s the name of the product), and clipped with my Lister Stars. I could tell a difference when clipping, compared to when the horses are squeaky clean from bathing, but the clips turn out satisfactorily, if not quite up to my normal standard.

I bet I put some extra wear on the blades, though, and the clips did take longer than usual (I can normally clip my small, cooperative horses very quickly, as in 20 minutes per, not counting set up or clean up), so this will probably not become my regular practice. But, it was handy to be able to successfully skip the baths in this instance.

[Pezanos]

Re: the no hot water- we don’t have any at our barn and when we didn’t have a kettle, I just filled a couple of large thermoses with hot water at home and brought them with me. I even filled one of those coffee dispenser things with the button on top and then had “hot running water” to wash my hands.

[Pally]

Are you full clipping or part? It’s usually the top of the bum that causes the most trouble on a dirty horse… so if full body clipping, focus your extra elbow grease on that area. Also, the cleanest horses don’t always come from them best bath, but rather from a good regular grooming routine. So, if you still have a few days to go, start your excellent daily curries now!

As for the actual clipping, someone (probably on this board) tipped me off to using rubbing alcohol on blades rather than kool lube or blade wash. Soooo much better, especially where you have a dirty horse gumming things up a bit. I’d also have at least a couple extra blades on hand (even if they aren’t new or perfectly sharp, they are better than nothing). I like to switch the blades periodically to let them cool anyway, and they may get hot even faster on a dirty horse. Plus, if the dirt really bungs up your blades then you have a backup right there!