Yes, I’m ready to jump in to the dark side of clipping my horses wet. I’ve always clipped dry in the past (bathe, scrub, bathe again, let dry, and clip), but from what I’ve read on here, clipping wet is the way to go. Any tips and tricks on how to do this? Anything specific I need to know? Is it just simply bathe, scrub, bathe again, and clip?
TIA!
Electric clippers and wet horse does not sound like a wise combination.
I’ve done it, it was fine, I think it might dull the blades faster but who knows.
I tried it. I hated it. It made the clippers drag and they got dull much more quickly. Plus, as the hair became DAMP and not WET it became even harder to clip. And the wet/damp hair doesn’t stand up/stare the way dry hair does-- so I didn’t feel as thought I got as even/close of a clip. I wouldn’t recommend it. The best substrate for clipping is a squaky clean, dry coat DROWNED in showsheen.
Clipping “wet” = No. Clipping “damp” would be a more appropriate way to describe. Works great! Spritz with some Show Sheen while horse is wet then clip when hair is damp. Clippers just glide and hair doesn’t get all over you.
Didn’t work for me. I agree with vxf111. Made the clippers drag.
[QUOTE=vxf111;7248064]
I tried it. I hated it. It made the clippers drag and they got dull much more quickly. Plus, as the hair became DAMP and not WET it became even harder to clip. And the wet/damp hair doesn’t stand up/stare the way dry hair does-- so I didn’t feel as thought I got as even/close of a clip. I wouldn’t recommend it. The best substrate for clipping is a squaky clean, dry coat DROWNED in showsheen.[/QUOTE]
I totally agree with this. I tried the damp clipping approach once and it was a complete non-starter. Having a clean, DRY, show-sheened coat is the way to go.
I’ve done it and been happy. That said I have only had it work well when my horse had been clipped once already that year. I tried in on a very hairy cob and the clippers would not go threw her hair.
I won’t do it. Gums up the blades, dulls them fast and isn’t as clean of a clip.
I’ve only done legs that way, but I did feel like it gave me a little more room for error—less clipper tracks if you’re prone to that.
I think it may depend what clippers you use. I use Oster clippers.
After reading about it on COTH a few years ago, I tried it and I love it.
I won’t do clip any other way now.
I bathe, scrape and then start clipping.
Damp hair tends to fall rather than blow into your face 
I have not had any issues with dull blades, lines or any other negatives.
I don’t do it because it’s better, I do it because I don’t have time to wait around for a wet horse to dry in the winter. I figure clean and wet > dry and dirty. But I’ve never tried it on a really hairy one. It is nice that the hair doesn’t blow around, but by the time I get to the other side the horse is mostly dry anyway. Still drench with showsheen.
I clip with Lister Stars for the body, and Andis AGC2 for the head and legs.
I really thought this was the way to go after reading about it. More feedback of pros and cons is very much appreciated!
I like it, the hair doesn’t blow all around and the results are the same.
I’ve done it twice and I wouldn’t do it any other way now. I use Andis ACG2 for the whole thing. I bathed, quick scrape and clipped. Have a bucket of warm water handy to rewet areas as they get dry. The horse can be quite wet when clipping, you’re not going to electrocute anything. The horse hadn’t been clipped this year and had the full winter coat. The clippers went through the hair great, which fell to the ground and didn’t blow, and no lines. I did it on a warm day and when I was done I went back over dried areas to get any spots that were slightly longer that I couldn’t see when wet. This was minor though. I’m surprised the experiences are so varied as mine was easy with great results. Maybe it really comes down to the type of clippers and/or the haircoat.
I clip legs and and touch up areas slightly damp. I don’t do full clips, just my touch ups and I use a spray bottle of water or some calm coat or pink moisturizer. I spray then clip. I found it shows less clipper lines then when I don’t, especially since I’m just touching up. I use a Cordless Andis.
You can always try it, and if it doesn’t work well, just wait for horse to dry and then clip as usual! I did try it a couple of years ago, and it didn’t work well on mine. My guess is that success does greatly depend on hair coat type. I was clipping a TB mare who grows a fairly short, fine winter coat, and I have the AGC Super 2-Speed also.
On a tangent–I wish the wet clipping worked for me. I’m about at the point where I’d like to pay someone to bathe and walk my horses dry. I don’t mind the clipping itself, but the waiting-to-dry bit always feels like it takes way too long!
I tried it once - and it was a no go for me. The clippers dragged like crazy, damp, rather than wet seemed to make it worse. Soaking wet + electricity worries me (I know someone that was shocked quite badly clipping a horse in wet weather!).
I had to let the horse dry - the clipped like usual.
[QUOTE=Lori T;7248204]
I think it may depend what clippers you use. I use Oster clippers.
After reading about it on COTH a few years ago, I tried it and I love it.
I won’t do clip any other way now.
I bathe, scrape and then start clipping.
Damp hair tends to fall rather than blow into your face
I have not had any issues with dull blades, lines or any other negatives.[/QUOTE]
I’m with Lori T.
I tried wet clipping for the first time 6 or 7 years ago and I’ll never go back! I’ve done it with big Osters, my current Groomer’s Edge belt-mount clippers, and my AGR cordless clippers (which I can’t get a battery to survive on, so the use of those has been very limited).
Last year I got lazy and decided to clip my horses kind of on a whim (no prep ahead of time, started with a bib clip which was going to do until I got around to clipping, but got carried away and clipped all 3…dry). And that experience reminded me that my least favorite part of clipping is the part where you get hair everywhere!
This year I returned to wet clipping. Clipped my mare from head to toe and remembered why wet clipping is so awesome. Easy to do, easy to clean up, and the clip job comes out better overall. I go through fewer blades when I clip wet (so my experience is that dry clipping dulls the blades more), the clippers don’t get nearly as hot, and the job takes way less time.
The only thing that I’ve found with my horses is that damp never seems to work. Dry clipping is okay, wet clipping is great, but damp spots are terrible. Also, if you do a half-assed bath/spraying job (as I’m prone to doing), you can often have hair that’s dry at the roots and wet on the surface. This is also a no-go. And that’s the only difference I’ve ever noticed between coat types. My super thick coated horses (which includes the WB mare I just clipped and my pony-yak crossbreed) are tough to get wet clear down to the skin. Once I do, they clip easily. My thin-coated TB and my middle-of-the-road WB gelding seem to have a much larger margin for error (they can be dry, wet, or anywhere in between).
I also keep a bucket on hand to rewet each section before I start on it with the clippers. Makes life easier.
[QUOTE=sarcam02;7248048]
Electric clippers and wet horse does not sound like a wise combination.[/QUOTE]
I was surprised to learn that one clips sheep wet on purpose. Of course, their fiber is quite different and coated in lanolin.
The differing results people report may be a result of different clippers, different clipper blades, or different amounts of tension.
By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.
For Customers
Company
Terms of Use
