how do I get ready to clip

[parsley]

I am going to try and do a little clip on Bomber tommorow - i am going for a ride early on, then I thought when I got back I would give the bit being clipped (bibish area) a shampoo in warm water as he is bound to be really sweaty, spray on show sheen, put him in his stable with a fleece on and let him dry. I was going to wash him as he is completly filthy. Then I planned to clip him later in the afternoon.

When I start and get the clipper tension right should I clip behind his elbows first, or do his face.

I was going to use string and chalk to mark out the clip outlines - will this work?

Here is a picture of him clipped last winter, I was going to do the same sort of clip. He lives out 24/7 and is unrugged at present. Should I rug him when I have clipped him?

Thanks for any help/advice.


OHHh and have you any ideas for consoling him when he ends up looking like a chewed rug?
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[Sal_E]

Yes, string & chalk does work (assuming you have someone to assist!).

I'd start on the shoulder which is the place least likely to cause a reaction - continue until you feel he's perfectly happy with them then get on with the tricky bits for a) he gets bored & potentially fidgetty & b) the clippers get hot. Of course I'm not advocating doing ANY of the horse with hot clippers, but somewhere like the elbow will be more sensitive to 'warm' than the shoulders for example...

Good luck!

 

[Bossanova]

I wouldnt use show sheen, just a bath should be fine.
Def start on the shoulders and if you dont trust your eye you could try chalk but it'll be quite tricky on his white bits- blue works quite well for those but you'll need white for the black bits!

 

[Cobnut1]

If you're doing a bib clip you won't be clipping the shoulders, so start on the underside of the neck. For other clips, Blanket, Full, Trace etc always start on the shoulder..as this is a large flat area, and unlikely to cuase a nick.

If you're unsure how your horse will react to the noise of the clippers, fisrt of all turn them on, standing away from him...speak to him, then place your empty hand (palm down) on his shoulder, and place the running clippers onto the back of your hand...this will let him feel the vibration of the clippers in a safe way....if he's ok with this, start clipping!

I would also clip before you ride..if the hair is slighlty wet/damp the clippers won't go through properly and will pull the hair making horse flinch.

 

[parsley]

Thankies everyone! Bomber is completly happy to be clipped (I wouldn't try otherwise)! I am just going to clip under his neck, chest and between his front legs to start with. Luckily I am not worried about whether he looks posh or not so I can just take off this bit and then if need be do a bit more next time!