DIY Clipping

[vicm2509]

I just wondered how easy/hard it is to clip your own horse? One of the girls on our yard does most of the horses but charges about £20 per horse, so I was thinking in the long run it will work out cheaper to get my own clippers and do it myself. I want a full clip so the only fiddly bits will be the top of the legs and the face. I have never done it before though and wondered if anyone has any tips or knows of any good websites that have a step by step guide of how to do it? I thought if I had a go at doing the first clip now at least it will quickly grow out if it goes wrong as he is only just starting to get his winter coat through.

 

[eekmon]

Its not that hard, especially to do a hunter clip!

Best advice I would give is to have someone who can clip show you how to do it! Reading about it is one thing but putting it into practise is another

Good luck

 

[AmyMay]

I bought my own clippers - and that was one of the reasons (costs of others doing it etc.)

Practice definately makes perfect - and I'm not bad now. Poor Amymay the first winter had very odd leg markings though

 

[Rambo]

I did mine for the first time last week...it wasn't difficult at all ! Just make sure you have some smaller clippers for the fiddly bits around the head and ears

 

[vicm2509]

May sound like a silly question but for 1 horse can I just get some light duty clippers? Or do I need to spend £150 on a set?

I was looking at something like these

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-LIVERYMAN-STEP...1QQcmdZViewItem

My friend thinks her dog clipper could do the job easily, could she be right or was she just being a little optamistic? I dont want them to blow up half way through!

 

[Rambo]

Hmmmm...I'm not the person to ask i'm afraid, as I borrowed my YO's clippers....which cost a LOT more than £150

I think they were Lister Neon's from memory

 

[K9Wendy]

Dog clippers will do the head, but not the body. Dog clippers are about 35watt horse clippers 140watt and much bigger blades.

To clip make sure you stretch skin around elbow, loins etc were skin is paper thin & prone to nicks horse won't like that! When clipping track over your previous line by about 1/3 of track mark so you don't leave tram lines. Clip against the direction of hair. Bandage tail out of the way, and avoid clipping into mane.

Watch the horse does not step on your cable. Use a RCD to protect you both against shock.

Have fun, as mentioned, practice makes perfect, and it does grow back...

 

[K9Wendy]

Those clippers you're looking at won't do the job sorry!

 

[Caritas]

Dog clippers will not do the job, sorry!!

 

[Vicki1986]

Go for it, ive only clipped twice, did my girlie the other day, everything off except legs ! she survived! i enjoy it, and wouldnt pay someone else to do it, it not hard its just practise!

even gave her some stars as she is a 5* pony !!

 

[Kelly1982]

Its not hard at all and if you whack it all off its even easier

 

[RunToEarth]

I do all of ours and earn a little on the side clipping some pony clubbers ponies too, and im only 16. A case of more you do, better you get, you should have seen my mare when I first had a go

 

[helenandshadow]

I clip my own and i'm only 15, i'm not that great but practise makes perfect!! the main thing is to clip against the direction of the coat, keep an even pressure and overlap your lines.

 

[MagicMelon]

Its really easy to clip. Bit scary when you start off but within minutes you'll find it a breeze. As people have said, always clip in the direction of the coat, overlap lines etc. Just make sure you stop if your clipper blades get hot and let them cool down. Also make sure you oil them frequently.

 

[princesskelly]

dont worry once you get going you will find it really easy. i always find it easier to start with the head because even though my mare is an angle to clip she starts to get bored and fidgets so i always do the head first plus the blades are'nt hot. good luck

 

[WishfulThinker]

I have done my one all by myself a few times. I always to the arm pits practically 1st though so I have the strength to hold his leg up and clip. Have never cut him yet! I find it fun, as long as if you are in a yard make sure people know and arent going ot feed their horses! Someone did that last time i clipped my boy and the angel went MENTAL cos he wasnt getting any.
Put the radio on and relax - OH and WEAR A HAT - not beng over the top but with the comotion last time I got a knee to the back of my head and had a headache for a week! Wish Id worn my hat now.

Oh and be very patient arount the head, and if you feel yourself getting imoatient just think that it would feel like to have something big buzzing against your nose. I usually do the head the next day.

 

[Louby]

I prefer to do my own but really for one horse its probably more economical to pay someone especially if its only £20.
It is easy abd the only thing I hate about clipping is the hair. It ends up everywhere, was even in my bra last year!! God knows how. Make sure you either wear overalls or an old fleece that you can throw away.
Have fun

 

[Cobnut1]

It's a bit unfair to say that dog clippers won't do the job, because, infact they will!

Up until last year my friend who comes to my yard to clip, has been clipping this really clipper-shy pony, with dog clippers (she's 14.1hh and cobby) she also had to be sedated, but she has come on a bit now, and at the end of the last clipping season, she was succesfully clipped with normal sized horse clippers (cordless ones) and not sedated, we are hoping she will be as brave this year..

However, I wouldn't reccomend them, but neither would I say that they won't do the job. They are really good for the fiddly bits, and the ears/face etc. when the said pony above was clipped with them, it was a full clip and with two pairs going at the same time, took three hours.

 

[K9Wendy]

There are dog clippers and there are dog clippers, if the clippers were professional ones like Aesculap then they may just do the job, but they cost around £200 a pair, better spending the same money on horse clippers plus the blades cost around £40 each. You would need at least 2 pairs of blades for the size of the horse. I use Aesculap for head, and fiddly elbow bits, and in fact I did and Irish clip on a pony last year no problem, however most people will buy dog clippers out of Argos, and they are utter rubbish!!

Would agree with you on the nervous horse & dog clippers, they make much less noise than horse ones..

 

[amage]

practise makes perfect. tbh i think the best thing you could do is offer the girl who does clipping £10 to show you how tight blades etc should be and how to do the fiddly bits. its better then doing it yourself and winging it.

 

[vicm2509]

Well i have decided to have a bash at it. The lady in the stable next to me said I can borrow her clippers as im looking after her horse for her for a few days next week. So im hoping the big boy will be good for me (im sure he will). OMG im so scared!

Now about the face...how close to the eyes do you clip? I dont want him to look like he is wearing goggles!!

Oh and is it advisable to keep the legs on or off? I was thinking I may take them off now then leave them on for the second clip as it will be colder then and he will be out all day in the winter. Or is it more fiddly to take them off?

I will get someone to show me how to do it but I dont want to look totally clueless.

 

[Weezy]

If I were you I wouldnt clip his face out - do a nice straight line where the cheek pieces lie on the bridle - if you do want the face off I would get someone who really knows what they are doing to show you how as it isnt the easiest thing to do!

And I would leave legs on too otherwise you will have to bandage or use leg wraps if it gets cold over winter!

 

[frannieuk]

Echo Weezy, I would leave the legs on, and a tip I got told when I first started to clip was to use chalk to draw out the lines to make sure everything is symmetrical - obviously only really effective when your horse is not a grey!

 

[druid]

Then lipstick works fabulously

 

[wanderersmelody]

Tips - make sure your horse is as clean as possible - dirty horse will blunt your blades really quickly. Use plenty of oil so the blades don't overheat. Someone also said spray your horse with show sheen and the clippers glide through. I've not tried this yet but will give it a go this year. I also put the horses tail in a tail bandage too and roll it up like a polo pony so it doen't get in the way. Baby wipes come in really handy too for wiping off all the little hairs at the end. If you are not doing a full clip, place a numnah over his back and then you can check that trace lines or blanket clip lines are level both sides. Also, when doing the lines on the legs, start a bit higher than you need to then if you make a mistake you can always go down a bit and cut into fresh hair. Its also easier the next time you clip to move the line a bit further down and cut into fresh hair rather than try and follow the original line. There is a really excellnt book on clipping snd trimming. It does give excellent tips.
Good luck - you'll either love it or hate it! I love it!

 

[vicm2509]

Oh and one more question....where do I start? The front end or the back?

 

[rrose]

front

 

[Weezy]

I start on the shoulder usually!

 

[Vicki1986]

spritz on some conditioner first makes the blades run through smoothly and quickly

 

[MillionDollar]

Reading this thread has made me feel so much better. I'm getting some clippers on Monday (yay) but was quite scared coz i haven't clipped before. But i've got a friend teaching me, so should be ok, i hope! I've always had nightmares about cutting the horse