Bad clip

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Peterboy1

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I had a go of clipping with my new clippers today and it looks absolutely awful, some lines, some pink skin and the lines and everything about it is just uneven :0 How long can I expect to wait to see it looking a bit better? I regretted it as soon as I started :(
 
It could be a good few weeks maybe months until it grows long enough to get someone else who can clip clip it to look well. Did you get any lessons before doing it yourself or have anyone look at the length of your blades? Pink skin is not that easy to get.
 
I did exactly the same with my new clippers last year. And as luck would have it we had a very mild January and it took months for it to grow out. I've now clipped 4 times, I've just about sussed the tension on the clippers and I'm getting better each time. Still need more practice though. Just pray for cold weather and your horse's coat will grow out faster.
 
Cowpony said:
I did exactly the same with my new clippers last year. And as luck would have it we had a very mild January and it took months for it to grow out. I've now clipped 4 times, I've just about sussed the tension on the clippers and I'm getting better each time. Still need more practice though. Just pray for cold weather and your horse's coat will grow out faster.
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Not necessarily, because it might just grow pig hairs.
 
EKW said:
Yup! I'm afraid that at this time of year that is all that is going to happen until the summer coat comes through. Though I call them cat hairs lol!
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haha i guess i get pig hairs from the fact my horses are so small they look like pigs when they are growing these silly annoying things.
 
Don't blame yourself, it may not be anything you have done wrong! It is easy enough to get a poor finish if the blades are the wrong type or the machine is set up wrong. Pink skin,to me,is your blades are cutting too close to the skin. What blades where they?? A2F,A2,A102,A100 ??? Also your machine, what make model, maybe some tip I can pass on ref operation or setup. Feel free to ask/PM me.

Regards

Ian (The Engineer)
 
It's not a good time of year for the coat to grow so you might be stuck with it for a while, but don't worry, it will grow out eventually! And even if it doesn't look tidy, at least your horse won't get too hot.

I love clipping, but I learned to clip on show jumpers and it was very stressful as they absolutely could NOT look untidy. I got good very quickly :p
 
HashRouge said:
It's not a good time of year for the coat to grow so you might be stuck with it for a while, but don't worry, it will grow out eventually! And even if it doesn't look tidy, at least your horse won't get too hot.

I love clipping, but I learned to clip on show jumpers and it was very stressful as they absolutely could NOT look untidy. I got good very quickly :p
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lol my first clip was on my horse who was showing...a full clip. So again could NOT look untidy. Very stressful!! But i have to say Brooke the clipper girl DVD made it all a lot easier! I got it with him, there is no way i would pay £40 for a 20min DVD on how to clip...
 
Luckily it's only a small bit of pink skin, the rest just looks all lumpy and inconsistent. I attempted a chased clip and one side is also higher than the other, but I suppose it will grow out soon 😓... hopefully
 
Peterboy1 said:
Luckily it's only a small bit of pink skin, the rest just looks all lumpy and inconsistent. I attempted a chased clip and one side is also higher than the other, but I suppose it will grow out soon ��... hopefully
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According to my lovely boss you can only see one side at a time - the comment made to me when waiting to be seen at A & E after the horse I was clipping reared up and split my head, I was only halfway through clipping him and he raced the next day, one side clipped and the other side hairy!
 
Tnavas said:
According to my lovely boss you can only see one side at a time - the comment made to me when waiting to be seen at A & E after the horse I was clipping reared up and split my head, I was only halfway through clipping him and he raced the next day, one side clipped and the other side hairy!
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I have a friend clip my mare as I hate clipping with a passion. She is ocd and hates the fact that I only want the real riding school one, diagnol lines back from the ears, as it involves matching lines. I keep saying to her that anyone on the ground can only see one side at a time, I'm too busy trying to stay on when I'm on her, and the mare really doesn't care if she matches so just clip as best you can and leave it!!

For any clip with lines you can draw them on with chalk before you start to guide you while clipping, my mare looks very fetching with green lines all over her before we start! 😂

Pink skin sounds like a blade issue though, were they fine blades? Long strokes whenever you can and an even pressure with each stroke help to avoid lines and spots. It's all about practice though, don't beat yourself up about your first try, at least you are giving it a go!
 
Don't worry..it will grow out eventually..I clipped my old lad yesterday, didn't quite get the tension perfect so when I looked today, I saw lines and a few lumps and a tuft under his belly I'd missed! Clippers out tomorrow to touch up those bits! Earlier this year, I did a better job..good days and bad days and practise makes perfect! Also I'd started a high trace..lost the will half way so took the lot off! You have to have a lot of time and not rush it..
 
I've always heard that the difference between a good clip and a bad clip is about a fortnight........... ;)

Don't worry, it WILL grow out!!

Alternatively, if you've got a competition or hunting or what-have-you coming up, then your best bet would be to get a professional groomer in to see if they can salvage the situation.

I usually have a professional to do my boy, and do a quick touch-up job in between with my battery-powered clippers. Last year my usual lady couldn't clip mine, so I used someone else - she was supposed to be a "professional" but by jiminy she made one helluva cack-up, there were lines you could drive a bleddi tram down and marks where she'd just hacked off the coat unevenly, it was awful :( I could have done a better job myself and that's saying something.

If you DO have a professional, then use the time and money profitably, and see how they do it!!

Well done for having a go; in all probability I suspect it doesn't look half as bad as your perception of it tho'........ you'll get the hang of it as time goes on, you see.
 
Sounds like you may have used fine blades. Unless an absolute expert, fine blades nearly always leave a mess. You need standard blades to stand half a chance of a reasonable clip if you are not practiced. Most horses have finished growing their coat at this time of year except for the guard hairs (pig hairs referred to above). Sorry, OP.
 
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