It’s that time again! I would love to hear some tricks and tips from veteran clippers! I’ve only done it twice ever - and I wasn’t 100% thrilled with the job I did last year (granted, my boy is not super cooperative with belly & face!). But I would love to hear any tips y’all might have. I usually leave his legs a bit longer, just because I feel like it helps keep him warmer and sweat isn’t an issue! I’m planning on using an 7F for legs this year.
Big hay net of tasty hay, super clean horse, show sheen or some silicone spray to get them slick. Fresh sharp blades, and drugs if needed. I always start with the face early or do it the next day. Some people clip wet, but my pony has such thick hair it makes the clippers heat up faster.
I mist them with the show sheen until damp at the skin and let dry for a few minutes. Then clip the area. Clippers just glide right through.
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Start with an uber clean horse. Bathe them twice if you have to.
Apply showsheen and use a damp towel to rub it up under their coat. Make sure they’re dry before you clip them.
I would do his more sensitive spots first while he’s the most patient. Then do the larger areas that are less sensitive once he gets annoyed with it all.
Cross tie the horse in the lightest brightest spot you have available so you can see what you’re doing and move faster.
Have an extra set of blades handy so you can swap them as they get hot. Let the first set cool down (put them on an ice pack) while using the second.
Oil your blades every 10 strokes.
Use superior clippers such as Lister or Premier that don’t blow hair all over you. It makes a huge difference in your own tolerance and patience for the job.
Give your horse a timeout from the task. If you’re exceeding 45-60 minutes, let him chill out for a bit while you get lunch or do some other chores then finish the job.
Make sure to mark the blade box or whatever you store them in with how many full clips they’ve done. I usually send my Premier blades out after 4-5 full clip jobs.
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Super clean hair, all the way down to the skin. Dander and the oil produced by the skin will cause the clippers to catch in the hair and that will be unpleasant for the horse.
Don’t try to clip with the full width of the blades, use 1/2 to 2/3 the width and overlap strokes.
Use Blade Wash then Cool Lube before the blades get hot. test blades for heat by [turn off clippers] putting them against the tip of your ear. If holding it there is uncomfortable for you, it’s uncomfortable for the horse.
Clean blades that slide easily over each other generate less friction and less heat. So adjusting the blade tension must be carefully done and monitored thru the clipping process.
Plan to do small sections and give yourself and the horse breaks. If either you or the horse are having a bad day find a happy stopping point and give yourself permission quit and regroup another day.
The ‘body clipping must all be completed in one day’ mind set is why so many horses object to clipping.
Oh, and horse hair is very itchy so I always wash my clipping cloths separately and wipe out the washing machine after to avoid getting hair onto other clothes.
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If you have access to a vacuum that can be used on horses, blow a lot of the loose hair and dirt off before bathing. The horse must be spotlessly clean down to the skin, as others have posted, and this has helped me with that.
Have everything laid out – I prefer a jar of blade wash dip - including cool lube, oil, small brush to remove hair from the blades, paper towels, hair accessories (for the horse, to keep mane and/or tail out of the way), perhaps a way to mark the clipping pattern if necessary (chalk or tape, for instance, although I personally eyeball it from years of experience), etc.
I also didn’t get good results from clipping damp hair, perhaps due to my horses’ plush, thick coats, so I wait until they’re completely dry from their baths. I clip steadily, with even pressure, and stop every few minutes to a) give the horse a short break, b) clean and oil the blades, and c) allow the blades to cool). These brief but frequent breaks save time in the long run.
Oh, and I have a supply of little treats in my pocket. At a few random times during clipping, while the clippers are running and the horse is cooperating, I slip it a little something, which rewards the horse for standing still and tolerating the noise.
I find that my horses look forward to their clips, as though they understand that they’ll be more comfortable after losing their heavy coats.
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My only “trick” is wet clipping. I’d say I do it 50% of the time. Sometimes I get annoyed with how hairy one of my horses is and just whip out the clippers and clip. But probably half of the time I prep for it correctly, in which case I pull the horse out, give it a (very cold) bath, toss a cooler on, and then go to town on the wet horse. IME, clipping a dry horse is relatively easy, clipping a wet horse is even easier, but clipping a half dry/half wet horse is MISERABLE! So when I do wet clip, I keep a bucket/sponge handy so I can rewet the horse periodically.
Seems like my clipping jobs come out about the same either way (wet or dry), but the wet clipping keeps my clippers a lot cooler and keeps all of the hair off of me. That usually means a much quicker clipping job.
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You guys are AWESOME! Fantastic tips! Thank you all so much! Does anyone have a preference on blade lengths? I’m using my big body clippers which are I think are the old style Oster Clipmaster with the 83AU/84AU blades. I tried blending with my smaller clippers last year with a 10 blade and they didn’t quite match up. Does anyone know what smaller blade would match up better? The big ones are just awkward for face.
A 10 clips more closely than an 84 (think of that as an 8.4). Higher numbers leave the hair shorter. Look for a blade numbered closer. For example, I used to clip with a T-84 – that should leave the same length as your blade (but it’s a wide blade).
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As many have said: a clean horse.
I find that many of my clients horses are very dirty on the top of their croup. I always ask owners to scrub and clean the top of the croup and legs twice. Wash, rinse, wash, rinse.
I was always taught to make long strokes, overlapping them by about a third. Short strokes take longer and can lead to lines or choppy areas.
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Andis T-84 blades are the best. I always use for full body clips and never ever have lines. Make sure horse is super clean, spray with show sheen or laser sheen. I always clip dry. I have about 10 blades I use and rotate before sending out for sharpening.
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I also wash my horse again after I’m finished. This gets all the prickly hairs off and soothes the skin before throwing on a sheet (inevitable after clipping). You can do a vinegar/water rinse or a little baby oil in warm water.
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Like others have said, clean horse, sharp blades, oiling, do fussy areas first and all your lines if you are doing a part clip and then the larger areas. If they are nervous about an area don’t dwell on it, go somewhere else and come back. Usually this way you can get it done without making an issue. If they are really nervous the best thing is drugs for both horse and human, you have to put yourself in some pretty risky spots clipping and the last thing you need is to be hurt. Also, I see many people applying too much pressure, let the clippers gently follow the horse, you will get a much more even cut and more pleasant for the horse too!
Post clip I like to clean them off with hot towels and put some healthy hair care moisturizer or essential oils in there to get the remaining dander out and the itch before you blanket.
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Everyone has covered the important points. I second the Andis T-84 blades, those are idiot proof for good clip jobs if the horse is properly clean.
If clipping dry, run to Home Depot and get a couple of the disposable painter’s body suits and wear one over your clothing. No more ruined clothes or tiny hairs under your bra.
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Don’t get discouraged. My clip jobs have gotten much much better with practice. I think it’s one of those things that you just have to keep doing until you get the technique down. I have finally gotten to the point where I can clip my yak-haired pony without leaving lines everywhere, and it’s not easy. The first time I did her it was bad, so I paid a professional to do it the next time and frankly their job was only marginally better. I was shocked because this was an Arabian show/training barn and every single horse in the barn had an impeccable clip job. Just be aware that some horses (mainly ultra-hairy Thelwell types) are going to chew up your clipper blades and test your patience. My TB and paint horses are a breeze to body clip and take less than half the time my pony does ! I have even clipped them without a full bath first and been OK, but that definitely won’t work on the pony.
I like to use the hands-on grooming mitts when bathing to really scrub, and definitely shampoo at least twice. Wet or dry clipping works with my normal-haired geldings. Wet does tend to keep the hairs from flying everywhere and sticking to me. But wet clipping is a big old NO with the pony. The blades simply can not do it. Sharp blades are absolutely a must. I can get 2-3 body clippings out of a pair of T-84s (my choice) with the geldings, but only 1 out of the pony and it takes 2 sets of blades. I switch them out to cool, and both need to be sharpened after she’s fully clipped. She was definitely designed to live in the mountains of Tibet.
Show sheen does help, but I have switched to furniture polish (lemon Pledge). I checked the MSDS first. Obviously you may not be comfortable with that but it worked very well for me and was a lot cheaper. I go through so much of it when I clip the pony because I really work it down to the skin, and I apply frequently. It also makes a good tail detangler.
Troubleshooting:
If you feel your blade snagging on hair, stop immediately. That is very uncomfortable for the horse and is a good way to make one bad about clipping. It’s a sure sign they need to be sharpened.
If your blades are fairly new or recently sharpened but not clipping well, take them apart with a screwdriver and scrub them with a toothbrush. Often they have picked up gunk which prevents them from cutting well. Usually that means you didn’t start with a clean enough horse. The horse can never be too clean!
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The pro that clips for us adds a bit of olive oil to the last rinse using a bucket to rinse off the horse. after careful bathing. When dry, the hair is soft and clips very well
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Is it feasible to use the Andis T84 blades on Lister Star clippers?
No
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It is difficult to get that area super clean, depending on how hairy the horse is already. A friend who does a lot of clipping tends to leave that area for last, then while she’s got the blades hanging out in some blade wash, she switches to smaller clippers for face or whatever, then goes back to the big clippers to do any touch ups.
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I very much agree. I have found that a muck tub flipped over to stand on and a rubber curry comb really helps get the worst of the grit out. Just a little extra effort is better that a quick suds of a sponge.
I previously used T-84 blades with appropriate clippers, but currently clip with Lister Stars using Premiere medium blades (which leave the hair .08" long) with very good results on my densely-coated horses.
