Help!.... Clipper line misery!

[JJones]

I have a very heavy gypsy vanner who sweats all over at the mention of work. I decided to give her a full clip but leave half face and legs on.
I first clipped her a few weeks ago and despite my best intentions she was covered in clipper lines and looked pretty much like a patch work quilt.

I have clipped for years when younger then didn't clip for about 8 yrs as had no need so not a total beginner clipping.

After reading all I could and watching you tube videos on how not to leave clipper lines i re clip her today.

Made sure I kept clippers level and went slightly up previous clip line. All went well (ish) on the soft hair on neck area. But her hair is so coarse over back and bum it just wouldn't clip as well. So now she has more clipper lines to hide for a few weeks and looks pretty bad.
I use big heavy duty clippers (forgot name but decentish ones) and smaller masterclip ones.

Anyone any ideas?! Thank god I don't take her out competing much! Feel quite disappointed in myself.

 

[JustKickOn]

Only thing I can think is are your blades sharp enough?

 

[FfionWinnie]

If its not the clippers (sharp blades/fully charged etc) are you not keeping the blades flat on the skin? If I get a line I just clip it off, not sure why you can't do that?

 

[Burnttoast]

The remains of sweat in the coat soak up clipper oil instantly and make it really hard work for the clippers - can be impossible to get a good finish. So now she's clipped bathe/hot cloth her if you can and clip again. Feeding linseed also really improves the coat and makes it easier to take it off smoothly. Having said that, clipper blades are flat and horses are curvy and ever will be thus - it can help to either clip in short sweeps (imagine hoovering) or to go over your longer sweeps again at a different angle - experiment to see what works for you.

 

[ruth83]

There are some horses who, unfortunately, have a coat which always comes out like this. If you are an experienced clipper and the clippers/blades are all fine, you may well have one of these.

If it really bothers you, you could try clipping with coarse blades and then going over it with medium blades but it's a lot of effort!

 

[Costypop]

Think you may need some courser blades, sounds to me like you have fine/normal blades on your clippers.

 

[Tern]

Did the same.. clipped for first time yesterday (have helped friends so not complete newb) But i do have uite a big of clip lines but i was using a cordless clipper in medium blades and should have changed to wide, especially her tummy!

 

[kerrieberry2]

my mare looks a bit liney for a few days then for some reason they go away! maybe you weren't pressing hard enough? and maybe you could just go over the area a few times? when im hairdressing/barbering I clip over the persons head in different directions to get ride of any lines, so maybe you need to do that with your horse? clip it all off then go over it cross ways to double check you've not missed anything!! but I would check your blades too?

No ones horse can look as bad as mine at the mo! she had a blanket clip 3 weeks ago, decided to take it all off last week, so took the long bit off first, done one side and it looked lovely, start the over side, done her bum then the blades went totally blunt on me! so she has the long hair left on her body on one side! the old clip that is a bit longer than the new clip! and she looks so bad she has to keep her rug on, much to her disgust!! hopefully blades will be back this week so I can sort her out at the weekend haha!

 

[lonelypony]

I've been told that the best way to avoid lines is to hot towel the horse immediately after clipping. Seemed to work on my horse, even if it doesn't its good to do anyway to soothe the irritated skin. Hope this helps somewhat

 

[Maisy]

I have a coloured mare with really thick, coarse hair who is absolutely impossible to clip without clipper lines....I have tried a variety of blades, and when she was younger and out hunting she was bathed several times a week so it wasn't grease in her coat. Its just her...luckily I have several others I clip (mine and other people's), so I'm confident it isn't my shoddy work!!!

The lines disappear in about 3/4 days, and these days she only hacks out, so it doesn't matter as long as she is comfy!

 

[holeymoley]

This happens to me as well and I have a coloured too. No matter what way i do it theres always lines! The only thing I can say was the black bits didn't have lines, only the white bits! I reckon they show up more

 

[maisie06]

With a coat like that use coarse blades for a first clip then run over again with a medium blade.

 

[L&M]

I have to agree that lines are more likely with a coarser haired coat.

I own 2 irish cobs and their clips never look as nice as the ISH I clip for a livery - the same clippers and blades so the only difference has to be is a finer coat.

The good thing with my two is that their coats grow back quickly, so as long as I clip a week before going out in 'public', the lines have disappeared!

 

[JessPickle]

My boy is a proper hair mammoth. I've only just started clipping so quite a daunting task. I clip him once, quickly as possible just getting it all off. Then whenever I next have time. Go over the whole lot again. This was him today after the going over only my third time clipping. So think clipping twice in a week is the only way to do it.

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Pickle as a wooly mammoth, obvs not when recent pic was taken. As he is a right fattie here

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[MiniMilton]

Sorry didn't read all the replies. I was having trouble with new Heinenger (sp?) clippers doing this, it turns out I wasn't tightening the blades on tight enough. I followed instructions but it didn't work, as soon as I over tightened them (over tight according to instructions) they started to work beautifully

 

[JJones]

Thanks for all your replies. I'm glad I'm not alone.
Her bum and back hair is so dense compared to her neck which is silky.
I tried pressing harder but this left an actual deeper indent line and looks worse. I'll get my blades sharpened and await them to grow out!

 

[Shear Ease]

Nobody has yet to mention excess tension. When the tension on blades is too tight it can leave lines and the blades will get hot very quickly. Obviously there could be a clipper problem but we wont go into that given you say yours is new. Just thought I'd run that up the flagpole and see if anyone salutes it.

 

[Prince33Sp4rkle]

Go back over the coat in a diff direction a few times in short strokes to even out the lines, you will never do just in single sweeps!