From: Betty
Dear Jessica, I've moved my horse to a new barn where I will be able to ride daily and have twice-weekly lessons all winter long. I'm excited about this because I've never been able to do this before. I've always just turned Zarie out for the winter. She grows a good coat. This year, obviously, I can't let her grow a huge thick coat because I'll be riding all winter. I've already bought her two good quality blankets and had them adjusted to fit her really well, so that's okay. But I've asked around, and i t seems I'll have to body-clip her soon, and again twice or three times before spring, and that costs more than $100 around here. My husband has offered to buy me some really good clippers if I will do the clipping myself. I've never body-clipped a horse before, but she's quiet and I'm sure I can do it although I'm sure it won't look perfect the first few times. My instructor has said that she will help me the first time. Can you give me some advice now, so that I won't feel completely ignorant when we do this? And do you know any tricks or tips that you can share with me? I think we will clip her in October or November.
Thank you very very much! Betty
Have a second set of clipper blades on hand -- you may need them. Clipper blades need to be kept very sharp, and you'll need to plan to send them back to the factory or to a blade-sharpening service when they become dull. They will become dull MUCH more q uickly when you are still learning how to clip; later, you'll find that they stay sharp a lot longer. ;-)
Start with a very clean horse -- nothing dulls blades quite so quickly as dirt! And use a hair polish (like ShowSheen or Laser Sheen) to make the coat even softer and more smooth.
Keep the clipper blades clean and cool. Dirty blades will become dull more quickly, and won't cut as well. Hot blades can cause "clipper burn" -- and your horse will be MUCH less amenable to the idea of being clipped. Have a small bucket with clipper blad e cleaner/lubricant in it, so that you can dip and rinse the blades frequently as you clip.
For your first clip, use French chalk or masking tape to mark the areas to be clipped. Even when you've done this before, it's not easy to keep the right and left sides even. And although I know you are planning to do a full body-clip, don't start by clip ping the horse's right side or left side.... whenever you do this, you will either be interrupted and have to stop with the horse half-clipped, or the clipper blades will become damaged, or the clippers will quit.
Begin by doing a "pony clip" -- clipping the lower half of the horse's neck on both sides, the chest, and an area between the front legs. If you're interrupted NOW, your horse can be turned out without a rug.
Then use your masking tape to mark a low trace clip, and do that -- again, if you're interrupted at this point, your horse can go out without a rug unless the weather is really cold and damp.
Use your masking tape to mark a high trace clip or a blanket clip.
Finally, finish with a full clip. But since it's for winter, don't clip the head closely, and leave the ears alone. (And remember to leave those feeler hairs above and below the eyes alone!) You may also choose to leave the lower legs alone; there's no ur gent need to clip them, and the hair does protect them to some extent.
This way, if you have to stop at any point, your horse will not have to live with fur on one side and shaved skin on the other... ;-)
Exercise your horse before you work -- don't get him sweaty, but don't expect him to stand still for hours when he's been confined to a stall for hours and hours. While you're clipping, he may get tired, bored, or restless -- if he does, put the clippers away and take him for a walk. You can start again when you get back, and he'll be willing to stand still then.
As for clipping techniques:
1. Clip against the hair growth, and keep the blades FLAT against the skin, not angled.
2. When you clip behind the elbow, have someone pull the horse's front legs forward -- otherwise you're likely to cut the horse. There are a lot of skin wrinkles just behind the elbow.
3. When you clip the stifle area, put your hand behind the skin that's just between the barrel and stifle, and keep those blades FLAT -- this is another area that is too easily cut.
If you are horrified by the "clipper tracks" from uneven pressure and varying lengths of hair after a few passes with the clippers, RELAX. Tracks aren't fatal or even dangerous, they'll look better in a few days, and as you gain more experience with the c lippers, you won't have as many tracks. If you can't stand them, then you'll need to re-clip them, using the blades at a slight angle across your original path (not at an angle to the skin -- they must still be FLAT).
Ask for your instructor's help when it's time to clip around the tail; a horse that swishes its tail at the wrong moment can end up with a very peculiar-looking tail! If you braid your horse's tail for competition, you won't want to cut the hairs on the s ide of the dock, and in any case you won't want to cut those hairs if winter is coming, because those do serve to protect delicate tissues from cold. Many blankets do NOT protect the dock area, so be careful to leave the tail intact. Don't try to clip all the way to the top of the dock, either. Wrap the horse's tail, or have your helpe hold it steady and keep the tail hairs on the dock pulled together. Then clip UPWARD from the edge of the tail on one side, toward the top of the horse's back, and then cli p from the edge of the tail on the other side, also up toward the top of the horse's back. This will leave you with a neat little "V" of hair just above the tail. LEAVE IT THERE. If you always remember to do this, you'll never have to deal with shaved hai rs at the top of the dock. ;-)
Be patient, take your time, be nice to your horse. Keep treats on hand and remember to walk him around if he gets restless -- if you make it pleasant THIS time, he'll be happier to cooperate NEXT time. And as you get better, it will take less time, every time.
Good luck!
Jessica
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