This is the best advice anyone has ever given me about body clipping. Probably, it’ll turn out well. If it doesn’t, it’ll look good two weeks later.
Hah, for years I said the difference between a good clip job and a bad clip job is 2 weeks. And the difference between a really bad clip job and a good clip job is 4 weeks.
I tested that out when I gave my fjord a clip job late in winter when I could not stand the stinky sweaty fluff and fuzz anymore (seriously, he smelled like a wet dog). It was cold enough I couldn’t bathe him because it would take a week to dry. So I KNEW it was going to be a bad clip job (also knew the blades were near the end of optimal use and this would finish them off), but you know… 2 weeks? OK, it was going to be 4 weeks. No problem, we weren’t going anywhere and did I mention he smelled like a wet dog? An OLD dirty, wet dog.
HAHAHA, he picked that moment to stop all hair growth in preparation for spring shedding, which he didn’t start for another 4 weeks. I swear it was almost 6 weeks before he stopped looking like he was attacked with a dull weed eater! And no way was I going to hit him up with clippers and lose the pretty spring coat if I didn’t have to.
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Is clipping wet hard on blades or the clippers? I just was always told to clip clean and dry. I have never seen anyone clip wet… so curious why more don’t clip wet?
I watched and hopefully learned! Thank you!!!
Good advice. I always do the big easy areas first, and then I’m exhausted by the time I get to the hard areas.
I really enjoyed your website.
Mostly because they are terrified to, probably equating it to getting the motor wet (bad idea). But I will say when I had clipmasters I always clipped wet and it was awesome. when I tried it with the listers I wasn’t as thrilled, and since listers don’t blow hair in your face I was ok with dry clipping, but I keep making to give it a try again.
Why does clipping wet leave less lines?
Re: wet clipping
Pros: Do not have to wait for horse to dry, and thus they dry faster because you’re clipping off the wet hair. Hair does not blow around and get in every body crevice God gave you.
Cons: I have to clip a little bit slower. Totally worth it to not have hair in every body crevice and wait for horse to dry.
Clipper condition, cleanliness of horse and human ability determine clipping lines. Not wet or dry haircoat.
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Thank you so much!
And how can you protect motor from getting wet? Dry horse off as much as possible?
I am by no means a pro when it comes to clipping, but I do clip my own mare because she behaves better for me and I don’t want people to have to deal with her, haha.
I have a pair of Lister Star clippers (love them) and have always clipped dry, I try to bathe right before and wait until she is dry before clipping because I thought that was just the way things were done. But I read this thread earlier this week and the few comments of clipping wet, combined with a high spike in temperatures, I decided to bathe and clip wet yesterday.
And I will probably do it again! I also clipped outside in the wash rack for the best lighting (another tip pulled from here) and I found the lighting really helped me pin point any lines and fix them right away. I’m not sure if my blades glided through the hair any more or less than when I’ve clipped dry, but I think they may have struggled in some areas. But I do think that clipping wet helped with lines, I really noticed I didn’t have a lot of areas to “touch up” as I usually do when I’ve clipped dry.
The biggest tips I could give some one would be;
- Oil, oil, oil! I use blade oil every 10 minutes or so. I know it seems excessive but it really makes a massive difference.
- CLEAN HORSE. It’s so much easier on you, your clippers, and your horse.
- Personally, I start with the big areas first and save the legs and face for another day. I have a horrible back so it’s not likely I ever do everything in one shot and I find it’s easier to do it this way and leave those areas for the next day or two days after when my back is feeling better.
- Have someone to help hold. Or have a hay net. It will save your brain.
Don’t drop the clippers in a bathtub. 
(But they will be fine for wet clipping… unless you clip your horse in a bathtub)
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I use a sweat scraper, then go to town! Depending on how warm or cold the temps are, I’ll leave bellies and legs to dry a little bit. If it’s cold, that means they are done last. If it’s warm, after about a half hour they are not too wet to tackle.
I’m reviving this thread…I normally clip early October. Normally, we have plenty of days that are warm enough to bathe, dry, clip and re-bathe. This year, it’s really cool. Any suggestions for clipping well without a bath???
New or freshly-sharpened blades. Maybe hit with some ShowSheen. Resign yourself to chewing through said blades.
You can hot towel the horse. Take a bucket and fill it with really hot water. Add a dab of shampoo (a tiny amount – just to change the ph of the water – you don’t want to make the water soapy!). Have several towels on hand. Submerge in the water and then systematically lay the towels on the horse kind of pressing into the hair. Think steam cleaning rather than scrubbing.
This system (I learned it from the book “Grooming to Win” by Susan Harris) works surprisingly well when a full bath is simply not possible.
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Thank you! I have that book, but have never tried the hot towel method. Thank you, again!!!
I wonder if hot toweling w show sheen on top is an idea…
If I can’t bathe, then I use a high velocity dryer to blow the crap off their skin and hair before I start.
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Yes.
I have an Irish Yak and he is often emotionally ready for his spring clip before he is emotionally ready to stand and dry for 3 hours after his spring bath. I hot towel to steam as much crud to the surface and then rub briskly with a towel to lift the hair and the dust and hair follicles. With the hair still standing on end, I spray Show Sheen liberally, then brush down. I want the Show Sheen down near the cutting area, not up on the topcoat.
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