Clipping experiences

Chestnutmare

Chestnutmare

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Mr T had his new hair cut yesterday he has had a full clip, being told he was fine by his owners, and not to touch his head as he doesn't like it.... ok not a prob about head.

So anyway, YO clipped him and he was OK for one side, once that was done he got a bit fed up I think, as he had her against the wall and struck out... BAD pony :( :(

She was OK about it, he didn't hurt her thank goodness but like she said she was surprised too as he is sooooo quite in everyway, but she said he doesn't like the beauty parlour!!

He has a large patch un touched under his belly and up by his head where he got so naughty she thought best to leave it as he was too dangerous to carry on and I totally agree too.

I rode him last night and he had that 'just clipped' feeling which was nice for me.

Are all your angels (usually angels anyway) good for clipping?

He looks real smart, so long as you don't look too close ha ha, even YO apologised for him not being finished but to be fair I don't mind so long as she was OK.
 
I continually surprises me how one sided horses can be. They certainly do prefer to have that sort of thing done to only one side - unfortuantely the half and half look isn't in this year!!

My old boy used to pin me up against the wall and lift the far legs off the ground (proper leaning in)!! Nothing else, just that.....
 
Last year my old boy was a nightmare to clip, bucking, barging and rearing and we were using corded clippers. This year, I bought some Cordless clippers and clipped him in his stable. He did protest to start with, but I held the cliipers (running)and held my arm against his shoulder, making sure that I was staying safely out of the way of legs. After about 5 minutes, he stopped pratting around so much, so I started to take the coat off.

I haven't done his head, but I have taken his neck and belly out, so a "half blanket" at the moment. I wasn't going to push him too far. Better to do a little and end on a good note. I'll carry on one evening or at the weekend and go over the whole lot again. Hopefully, this time, we won't have such an issue to begin with.

The best thing was having the cordless clippers - where he went, I went. Once he accepted that they weren't going away and that they weren't hurting him either, he calmed down.
 
I had a clydesdale x mare once who I clipped out with a blanket and took her feathers off. She went on loan and then the loaners bought her, so when I went round at the end of the loan period to get the money from them I found them hogging her with a pair of scissors - apparently she took a massive dislike to the clippers and wouldn't let them near her! I was very confused as I had had no problems clipping her, I even took half her face off with the clippers and she was fine!
 
I do not know what it is about some horses being 'fed up' or playing up when they are clipped. I am pretty sure it is down to the attitude of the person holding the clippers!

I could not begin to count the number of horses I have clipped over the years and can honestly say that I have had to resort to the twitch for heads or ticklish parts on about a dozen over the last 40 years and have only had to dope about two.

I did two horses yesterday that I was told were not good to clip. Both were as good as gold. Both needed a second person to just hold their heads whilst I did the ears other than that they were steady as a rock - once we had it sorted that I was going to clip them and i was not going to take them swinging into me, kick out or generally fool around. The danger of me getting cross was far more worrying to them than ever the clippers were although I never did more than slap them with the flat of my hand and tell them, in no uncertain terms, that it could be easy or as hard as they wished to make it.

When they were standing quietly and I did a ticklish area or they were helpful like standing with legs apart or forward, then they got a slice of apple. Pratt around and they were growled at. Butlins or Borstal. Plain and simple, their choice.
 
Foxhunter49 said:
I do not know what it is about some horses being 'fed up' or playing up when they are clipped. I am pretty sure it is down to the attitude of the person holding the clippers!

I could not begin to count the number of horses I have clipped over the years and can honestly say that I have had to resort to the twitch for heads or ticklish parts on about a dozen over the last 40 years and have only had to dope about two.

I did two horses yesterday that I was told were not good to clip. Both were as good as gold. Both needed a second person to just hold their heads whilst I did the ears other than that they were steady as a rock - once we had it sorted that I was going to clip them and i was not going to take them swinging into me, kick out or generally fool around. The danger of me getting cross was far more worrying to them than ever the clippers were although I never did more than slap them with the flat of my hand and tell them, in no uncertain terms, that it could be easy or as hard as they wished to make it.

When they were standing quietly and I did a ticklish area or they were helpful like standing with legs apart or forward, then they got a slice of apple. Pratt around and they were growled at. Butlins or Borstal. Plain and simple, their choice.
Click to expand...

Totally agree with this, i worked as head girl at a livery yard for 6 years, over that time many owners told me 'you'll never clip his face' or 'she won't stand still to be clipped' but i did. I've found the horses played up most when their owners were present cos they knew they could get away with things.
I always asked them to be out of sight of the horse or not at the yard at all and 99% of the time the horse was good as gold because they knew i wouldn't take any s**t!

**Also i appreciate there are some horses with a genuine fear of clippers no matter who is holding them**
 
Both my cobs love being clipped. Kelsi's top lip wiggles like when they are being itched. I think it feels like a horsey massage to them.

I started clipping yesterday and did about ten minutes when my clippers made a load bang and stopped working! I have dropped them off to be fixed but it will take two weeks, so am going to hire some at the weekend.
 
Come and try clipping my horse then if you think he is just playing up for me.... he has to be sedated. He has not responded to de sensitization. He has been exposed and exposed and praised for tolerating it but beyond his rump and some of belly, he will not let anyone clip him. Others have tried.
I'm in Norfolk, any takers? Seriously??!! He is 18 but acts like a 2 yr old when clippers come out. Been like this since I've had him.
so those of you who manage to do more than me when clipping without forking out for full sedation, think yourself lucky! I so envy you.
 
I once had a huge 17.2 hh ID that you could not clip. He is the only one I have been unable to clip. Even without the clippers plugged in, if you even walked towards him with them in your hand he would completely explode. In all other ways he was the most perfect gentle giant you could ever wish for. I can only think he had a terrible experience with clippers in his past.
 
I have one horse that is a bit of a pillock on the ground and you have to have a death wish to pull his mane but clipping he will just stand there and he falls asleep - still waiting for him to misbehave but he actually loves it.

My other big lump is petrified of the clippers, mainly I think this is because every time he had procedures or ops at the vets they would clip him in the area beforehand so he is expecting to then be stabbed by a needle or worse!! :( I spoke to the vet about sedating him by IV rather than sedalin and she said she would but we agreed that I would just run the clippers over him and next to him daily to see if that helped. Every time they are turned on he leaps in the air and every time he sees the cord he spooks and blows, however once the clippers run, taking the hair off he is fine. Didn't bother with the sedation after all as wanted him to see clearly that it wouldn't help and break the cycle of vet comes, needle is stuck in and clippers turned on. Took us 3 hours but he had a beautiful hunter clip and half his head off. We had the jumps when they were turned on and the occasional spook at the cord but other than that he was fabulous - helped by a few parsnips and hay :)
 
Worst experience was a 12.2 Welsh Mountain pony. Enough Sedalin to have his nose on the ground, but when the clippers were started 20 yards away, he reared, pulled the ring out of the wall (where it had been concreted in) and the last we saw was this little grey backside going like the clappers across the meadow.

Current boy just goes to sleep.

Always remember, though: What's the difference between a bad clip and a good one?
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about a week... ;-)
 
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My mares and arse. Sometimes I can do the whole lot face legs tickly flanks others she just keeps fidgeting shaking her head and threatening to kick. Its not because clippers are hot, she is cold or anything I can think of shes just quirky. Shes like this about many things, worming, new rugs,new anything, jumping and also gloves. Have no idea what happened to her in a past life but it must have involved something that smelled new.:confused:
 
As soon as they mess around I get the vet out for a needle. Especially if I am clipping on my own. Any horse which I am doing first time, I automatically give it a couple of ACP tablets or some Sedalin. I think clipping is dangerous enough without having a huge brute leaping around showing you his feet!
 
95% of the horses I clip are fantastic to clip. I have 7 that I quite simply will not do without sedation because you just can't get near them. A few that are knobs, and 1 Russian Roulette horse that I do without sedation. He is fab to clip for the most part but you can't do his flank as it is too ticklish for him so I just point, aim, clip, jump back and start all over again until it looks semi respectable. I should say that by the time we get to the point and aim stage we have already gone though the biting, kicking, barging, running away, rearing, bucking and quite literally throwing himself on the floor - just for the flanks, every where else he goes to sleep.

I generally don't take any nonsense unless the horse is genuinely scared in which case I just sedate them.
 
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