Is anyone else useless at trimming etc?

Broodle

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Since I wasn't riding in the storm today I thought I'd give my horse a little tidy up. I really should know better by now...

Firsly I hacked hair from around his fetlocks to the point that he looks like he had a lucky escape in a potato peeling machine.

Then I attempted to pull his mane, and when he got fed up quite early on I had the brainwave of taking a little length off with the scissors... Cue me going along the mane a good 5 times attempting to make it all the same length. Huge fail, and it's now both super short and a mess of random lengths.

Finally I had a good old hack at his tail, just to complete the disastrous look.

Argh! Is it just me?!?
 

Red-1

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I am lucky with this one, she is a non hairy beast. I do pull the mane, but other than that she is super just as she is. Not even had to clip her. No hairy ankles. Smug mummy.
 

Meowy Catkin

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I carefully selected horses that you don't need to trim - manes and tails can just be left to grow, no feather, pathetic winter coats (not needed clipping yet) and I leave whiskers. The horses like to thwart me anyway. CM dreadlocked her mane (how?) and it was a scissor job to rescue it, that of course looked awful. Now the grey kept stepping on her tail (why doesn't it snap off on the ground like with the others?) so that needed trimming. I have done a wonky job. :( She doesn't mind thankfully and the mane grew out after a bit. :) That's the good thing about hair - it grows again. :D

ETA - a pic of her (complete with hacked mane) and a little friend.
 

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Broodle

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I carefully selected horses that you don't need to trim - manes and tails can just be left to grow, no feather, pathetic winter coats (not needed clipping yet) and I leave whiskers. The horses like to thwart me anyway. CM dreadlocked her mane (how?) and it was a scissor job to rescue it, that of course looked awful. Now the grey kept stepping on her tail (why doesn't it snap off on the ground like with the others?) so that needed trimming. I have done a wonky job. :( She doesn't mind thankfully and the mane grew out after a bit. :) That's the good thing about hair - it grows again. :D

Haha, yes - the difference between a bad haircut and a good one is about 2 weeks ?
 

JFTDWS

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Mine are ferals. I trim their feather, beards and tails when I know we're not going out anywhere for a few weeks and if I screw it up, it'll have grown back a bit before anyone will see. I prefer them fluffy anyway - native-level feathering is ideal for protecting against the elements and life without the full on hairy monstrosity of cob feather. I hate pulling manes and have no patience for trimming anything!
 

oldie48

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Although I have clippers I pay for Rose to be clipped by a pro as she is both quick and does a better job than I would manage. I pick at Rose's mane but never really do it properly as she's not that keen on having it done. When she goes away for schooling she always comes back with her mane vastly improved! I haven't touched her tail until yesterday apart from chopping some off when it's obviously too long but the dock area is very untidy so I have carefully taken some out of the sides with a rake but it needs more taken out really. I do like my horses's to look smart but lack confidence in doing it well enough but this is something I am going to improve on. Watch this space!
 

Broodle

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Very reassuring to know I'm not alone!

Oldie48 I think my problem is an overabundance of (misplaced) confidence as I always charge in with enthusiasm... Just no skill sadly!
 

Meowy Catkin

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When she goes away for schooling she always comes back with her mane vastly improved!

That reminds me... if I ever send one of mine for schooling it will be written in the contract that if they pull/trim anything, that I will be pulling the person who did it's eyelashes out one by one with tweezers. ;)

I still remember that thread where the horse was hogged while on loan without the owner's permission!
 

Mule

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I clip mine at home, it turns out ok. I paid someone to do it once, they did his face and ears as well as his body. He looked like a supermodel! When I do it, he does not ... His mane usually turns out ok when I use a solocomb. It would probably look better if I bothered to pull it.
 

DirectorFury

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I am completely incompetent with scissors and am cursed with a horse with enough mane for 2 normal horses! I once screwed up mane trimming so badly my only choice was to hog her, and whenever I trim her forelock it turns into a bowl cut :p.

I work off the idea that it's just hair, it will grow back, and she won't let me pull her mane so if it's the best I can do with scissors then so be it. It's not like other horses are pointing and laughing at her in the field and if other horse people want to judge me for it then that's their problem ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
 

Mule

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I don't really like pulled tails. I like to be able to do a nice tail plait. Of course I can rarely be arsed doing them but I like to have the option :)
This is why wash N go natives are the way forward!

Saying that I can clip, trim and pull not a bother - I'm not too hot on a pulled tail though, I don't go far enough down the dock.
 
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I don't really like pulled tails. I like to be able to do a nice tail plait. Of course I can rarely be arsed doing them but I like to have the option :)

Tail plaits I can do! I do them for racing but if I am doing a season of showing with my ex-racers then they get pulled. I plaited Gray's for his one and only outing last year.

Bangor racing plait:

mtTQvGV.jpg


He may look clean but he had orange legs on the other side! No idea where the orange came from but no amount of fairy liquid or purple shampoo would shift it!

7SvSVNF.jpg
 

Mule

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Tail plaits I can do! I do them for racing but if I am doing a season of showing with my ex-racers then they get pulled. I plaited Gray's for his one and only outing last year.
When I first got the beast his previous owner had clipped the sides of his tail. I couldn't plait it for ages and it looked really thin and miserable.

It has improved a lot now. I very rarely touch it anymore and it's really thickened up. I love a long, thick mane and tail.
 

Leo Walker

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I prefer them fluffy anyway - native-level feathering is ideal for protecting against the elements and life without the full on hairy monstrosity of cob feather. I hate pulling manes and have no patience for trimming anything!

The baby highland is a delight. Hes just the right amount of fluffiness. The cob is scalped 6 weekly!
 

Mule

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Tail plaits I can do! I do them for racing but if I am doing a season of showing with my ex-racers then they get pulled. I plaited Gray's for his one and only outing last year.

Bangor racing plait:

mtTQvGV.jpg


He may look clean but he had orange legs on the other side! No idea where the orange came from but no amount of fairy liquid or purple shampoo would shift it!

7SvSVNF.jpg
Ooh they are fab :)
 

Pippity

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If I want Blue to look a bit smarter, I hog her, lop off the bottom of her tail, and wash her white bits. Otherwise, she stays feral with a mohawk. (I would LIKE to take off her feather, but she's a nightmare with having her feet handled, and the farrier appreciates the extra handle.)
 

PurBee

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I love trimming forelocks...makes mine look years younger! Handy to have long for flies, but the odd whisp can get caught in their eyelashes and eye and cause gunkiness.
I was out today trying to get the dreadlocks out of the mare’s mane which is super long at 18 inches. I was tempted to get the scissors. I think goblins come at night and spin the dreadlocks, they quickly become knotted and weaved. Trimmed her tail so she wasnt dragging it behind her, it seems to grow so long. It could have been straighter....no-one will see who gives a crud!

Those plaiting pics are extremely expertly lovely..wow!
 

Berpisc

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It's not like other horses are pointing and laughing at her in the field
You do realise they wait until you have gone to do this lol
My worst sin is enthusiastic pre winter tail trims. I like to take a "little" bit off the bottom of the ponies tails so that they dont get clarted up if it gets muddy; sometimes my idea of a little ends up nearer their hocks and looks daft. Still, as has been said, it is hair and it will grow.....
 

CanteringCarrot

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For reasons unknown to me, I've always been good at clipping, trimming, braiding, and general hair related things with horses. I cannot for the life of me do such things with my own hair, but at least the horse looks good!

My current yak...I mean horse (P.R.E.) has a long "natural" mane that stays braided and is braided for competition. If not, I'd consider roaching his mane as he has a nice neck shape for it and I fancy a mowhawk. So there is always the shave it off option! LOL

I'm actually off to clip his legs and underside of his head today as he's trying really hard for this yak look, and it's become a bit much. I have to trace/body clip clip him about 3 times each winter - I start a bit early because he really sweats! I wonder if he is part Icelandic horse because it seems he is getting ready for an apocalyptic winter each year. No idea how he surived his first few years of life in Spain.

I do think practice with these things helps and I have watched some YouTube videos to perfect some of my braiding techniques, but I do feel as though some just have a knack for it.
 

Broodle

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I tried clipping once - it looked like she'd laid down in her stable and the rats had gnawed her hair off - I had to get a professional in pronto; I was too embarrassed to ride her.

Hahaha! I am randomly not completely incompetent at clipping (though I would definitely do it at least 2 weeks before a planned outing ?), just all the other elements of trimming and tidying hair ?
 

MiJodsR2BlinkinTite

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Feeling everyone's pain as I'm totally useless at trimming and clipping, and always have been!

I had the bright idea to trim my youngsters very hairy feathers up a bit - this was before her first pleasure ride - but Oh Dear it went a bit haywire and I somehow managed to make her look just bleddi awful. My profile picture shows us going through a stream on that self-same ride, all I can say is thank heavens no-one can actually see her feet in the pic! Jeez, I was soooh embarrassed.

I really do wish I could do these things properly I really do, but every time I touch my poor horses with scissors or clippers in hand they end up looking like a RSPCA publicity poster.
 
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