Body Clipping

[HunterMarc]

I am going to be body clipping soon and do not have access to a vacuum to get the dust off my horse or want to go through with a full bath. Is there anything you use to help lift the dirt or make clipping easier without giving a bath? He is pretty clean for the most part and know a bath would be best to save the clippers. I just do not want to spend all day doing this. I do use Carr & Day & Martin Canter Silk Mane & Tail Conditioner https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/b/80 as well as Healthy HairCare Hair Moisturizer™ https://www.smartpakequine.com/pt/b/233. I used the Haircare Hair Moisturizer last year and seemed to work fairly good.

Any other ideas? I just don’t want something that will clog the clippers.

Thanks

[lachelle]

Buy a cheapo shop-vac from walmart or home depot. I spent $30 on mine and it has lasted me for a few years now with absolutely zero maintenance. I haven’t even changed the filter… lol

Not sure how I lived without it for so long!

[EmilyM]

Can you do a hot towel bath? it would be a compromise.

Curry the the bejeezus out of him and then body brush first.

Show sheen helps with clipping. I personally haven’t done it, but I usually bathe mine before clipping / organize it around a warm spell. People I respect go the show sheen route.

I hate this time of year! Good luck.

[specifiedcupcake]

I do a damn fine body clip- no lines, no courduroy… but for the life of me Show Sheen just doesn’t work as well for me. Maybe I was clipping faster than normal thinking “this clipping hack is gonna be awesome!”

I have a vacuum, but hot toweling is another good way to lift the dirt… just make sure you have 2-3 towels depending on how dirty your horse is. I buy the cheap restaurant towels and use 5 or 6 on a normal sized horse, because they’re white and I can see when it stops lifting dirt (and bleach between uses).

[CatchMeIfUCan]

Bathe him sometime in the week before and then put a sheet on him. When you bathe him, slather conditioner (like Treseme or whatever is cheapest at the store) all over him with a curry comb and rinse well. Groom as normal and spray the Healthy Hair conditioner the day you clip.

If you can’t do that, hot towel and curry like crazy.

[luvmyhackney]

I would curry, vacuum, then a hot towel. When I hot towel for clipping I mix some skin so soft in the hot water to make the coat slick. Easier to clip if a long coat.

[jetsmom]

Curry. Rub firmly with about 8 bounce fabric softener sheets, then use a soft brush. Dust and dirt will come off easily because there is no static to keep it in fur.

[HunterMarc]

Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

[Showbizz]

To shorten the time of wash/dry/clip, I just wash and clip and skip the dry. By the time I’m done clipping, the horse is dry!

[DressageLin]

I clipped for the first time without bathing and it was much more time consuming and I went through two blades. I curried and sprayed with show sheen, but I will definitely bathe next year!

[Hunterkid]

I just traced clipped this year and clipped the legs all the way up, so I would say almost half of the hair. She was dirty and sweaty and I had a little trouble around her front legs and chest, but other than that it was fine. I’m sure I filled my blades, but they were about due to be sharpened anyways.

[Renn_aissance]

Hot towel him. If it’s too cold for that, spray a 50/50 mix of rubbing alcohol and witch hazel, and rub off with towel. You will go through a lot of towels. This can be drying to the coat so do use your Healthy HairCare when you’ve finished the clip.