Anyone ever use anything that leaves hair longer than a t84? Pony gets frisky clipped but is currently getting too sweaty to avoid it. Suggestions?
Do a trace clip.
You can use a longer blade but it’s more difficult if not done right. You need to go up two blade lengths to use a blade in reverse of the hair growth direction which is about the only way a longer length works. A T84 is a bit longer than a 10 so if you want 50% longer than that you are going to need a 4 blade to use in reverse to equal a 7 with the hair. Anything higher than a 4 has only worked for me relatively smoothly on a very very fluffy but clean mini. A trace clip with the hair grow using the T84 would be much easier. But if you want to leave maximum hair a trace clip with a reverse blade would leave the most hair in a smooth cut.
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Thanks for the info. Pony is showing so I’m just going to clip and cross my fingers!
IME longer blades leave more tracks all else being equal. I’ll trace my horses with the big Oster livestock shears because they leave more hair, but I wouldn’t want to show them with that clip. It would be fine if you have a few weeks before your next show, but it won’t look pretty to start with.
I totally get what you’re saying. Just for for some perspective on what I’m expecting… we are talking mid Atlantic winter shows, not Florida. I want him to look nice and be comfortable, but also not freezing/mad if that’s remotely possible 🤷”♀ï¸
Lol. I was just lamenting today’s clip session on my daughter’s Belgian WB/Yeti over in Off Course. I use a T84 and was thinking it would be nice to try something that leaves the hair longer due to how thick this horse’s coat is. It almost overwhelms the clippers. I wouldn’t have the skill to even out the lap marks on longer hair, though.
Fwiw, we live in northern Virginia and pretty much everyone seems to use T84 on the body and 10s on the face. The horses are fine as long as they’re blanketed. I use an exercise rug on my fine-skinned TB but my daughter’s horse gets too hot with one once his clip is more than 2 weeks old.
It’s probably a bit late, but what about an 8 1/2 or 7 FC grooming blade? Dog groomers, feel free to jump in here…
I am not a dog groomer, but I’ve thought about this. If you have a single-coated horse without too much fur this should work fine, but but it’s annoying if you don’t have them in wide because it takes longer with the smaller blade (unless you’re doing a pony.) I body-clip with the equivalent of an 8 1/2 with my Lister Stars. This length works fine and blends well with a T84, harder to blend with a 10. On a double-coated horse, a Cushings coat, or a furball, I find that the T-84 can choke and fail to cut where a 10 is fine. For that reason, I’m not sure about an 8 1/2 or 7FC with the Andis Super 2’s. A 7 skiptooth might work but I’ve never tried it because I wasn’t sure how it would finish.
If it’s a pony the hair will grow back quickly, there’s no advantage to trying to do a longer clip.
