Quick Q : How much are you charging for clipping this year?

[Bubblegum]

I have already had a few requests for clipping, and whilst it's not my favourite job, the money I earn goes into the eventing pot fro my daughter, so it's worth it.

Quick Q : how much is the going rate this year?

Last year I charged a flat £ 25.00 per horse for most clips.
If full clip with legs and face I charged £ 35.00.
On top of this if it was a fair distance I charge 25p a mile diesel.

So, before I take orders this year, I just wondered if my prices were fair and/or comparable to yours?

Thanks.

 

[Quadro]

Not sure on prices as i do my own but the nhs and universities give you 40p a mile in expenses so i think thats the going rate.
Q

 

[Thistle]

My freelance groom has just updated her price list, she is now £42 plus travel, don't think they'll need clipping this year.

 

[Tempi]

I charge £40 for a full clip, travel is additional depending on distance.

Other clips vary depending on what is required (to be honest most people just want a full).

 

[Brimmers]

The lady I use charged last year £25 for a full clip with legs and face left on. There were no travel charges as she has her yard just up the road and she came to do quite a few.

I understand you need to keep clipping equipment in good working order but I would be reluctant to pay someone over £40 for what is just under an hours work for my boy as is he very good and will just stand there for an hour

 

[Charem]

I charge 40 full clip with legs and half head left on (hunter), 30 for chaser or blanket and 10 for a bib. My prices are above average for the area but I don't actively seek to clip other peoples horses nor do I partiicularly enjoy it but I get asked to do a few locally and that is what I charge to make it worthwhile.

 

[3bh]

Trying not to take this off topic - do you recommend some sort of insurance for clipping others horses? I get asked quite a lot over the winter if I will clip others, on their yard - I am a YM for a yard of 20 or so here and so do a lot of clipping myself, like to think I'm fairly good at it having seen some hideous efforts by some local freelance grooms! I've always said no as I don't think my insurance covers me to go onto other peoples yard to do things likethat, and I think its a fairly high risk thing in terms of damaging your equipment, your self or your clients horse - but if thats the going rate I should maybe be looking into this!

 

[Daytona]

I just paid £30 for blanket .

last year paid £60 for full , but was not happy about that - thought it was too much but had no other Option

 

[Polotash]

I just charge my liveries £5 each towards me getting the blades sharpened.

Personally, if i was charging proper rates, I'd go for a flat fee because a full clip is SO much less faff than a trace/ blanet because there are fewer edges/ lines ;0)

 

[Rowreach]

£30 for liveries, £35 + travel for anyone else, unless they bring the horse to the yard. I don't charge any less for chaser or trace clips because they are a pain to do and take almost as long as a full clip, but I do charge less if its tummy and bib only.

TBH I think in and around that amount is perfectly fair when you are paying someone to do a fairly unpleasant job, which can be risky, and you are expecting them to do it well, using their own equipment which is expensive to buy and maintain, and sometimes their own electricity (or vehicle to get to you otherwise) and quite often the horse is not presented in an exactly clean state either

Re insurance, I have grooms insurance on top of my BHS instructor's insurance which covers me for non-livery horses. Liveries are covered under the yard policy. I do not have insurance for somebody's horse kicking my clippers to bits though.

 

[3bh]

Thanks rowreach. Double checked and i'm only insured to teach and do other such on my yard, as i thought!

 

[naza]

anyone here in Wiltshire/Berkshire?

 

[monkeybum13]

I'll be paying £30 for a blanket clip, that includes travel.

 

[PrillyD]

I charge £30 for a full (half head and legs left on) and £25 for a blanket etc etc

 

[farrierswife]

I charge £45 for a full clip (legs on £55 to take them off), £35 trace/blanket clip, £20 bib/belly. Thats including travel, do discounts for group bookings.

 

[Bubblegum]

Thank you all for the replies. I think my prices are fairly reasonable then and there may be a little room to put them up by a fiver each

Thanks

 

[unbalanced]

I charge £7 because that's what it costs to get the blades done.

 

[Littlelegs]

Usually £30 for most clips if horse reasonably behaved & near by. Bib clips depends what else I'm doing, a quiet 12.2 when I'm doing a few full clips I just add on a fiver for. Charge one lady £40 for everything off (except tail!) Provided she hacks to our yard. If people don't like clipping prices, they can buy their own & learn to clip.
That said, I hate cleaning up after clipping. So I have done the odd quick clip for teens when I've been clipping mine in exchange for them cleaning up after me, while I go home for a shower!

 

[amage]

I charge €50 which is approx £39 according to XE currency converter. I do a full mane pull and newmarket scrub as part of the deal. I have a couple of regulars that I do a discount for multiple horses for. Another option I offered some regulars who have multiple horses was an option to build up "credit" by paying a bit each month over the summer so they are not faced with a bill for 5 or 6 horses all at once in October but that was strictly a couple of friends that I knew I could trust. I don't charge mileage unless it is a complete stranger and they are a bit away.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I only clip on yards with at least 5 to do as I don't drive so doing the odd one really isn't worth my while. I generally charge £150-200 for up to 10 full clips or 12 part clips. So it makes it more worthwhile for the whole yard to chip in as a oner which then, in theory if I have 10 to do, makes it £20 a clip, or £15 if it's ponies.

The odd time I have done individual ones that have been brought to me I charge £30 for a full clip

 

[Keenjean]

Amage, what is a Newmarket scrub? Never heard of it before

 

[spookypony]

What would you charge or advise if someone contacted you about clipping a nervous horse? Will probably need to clip next summer, and would happily pay extra for someone to help the pony get used to clipping in a positive way.

 

[amage]

Amage, what is a Newmarket scrub? Never heard of it before

Basically just hot towelling. I use hot water, small bit of dettol and a couple of drops of lavender oil. Use very hot water and mix dettol and lavender in. Dunk a clean towel in and wring out as much as possible and then scrub horse. It's the heat more than moisture you want....it's kind of like steaming their skin. I do them from head to toe gently scrubbing in circular motions then go over them again in the direction of the hair. It gets rid of all the bits of hair and scurf and gets an amazing shine up,on them. I do all of ours once a week in winter and always post clipping.

SpookyPony I charge no extra for taking extra time to introduce a horse to clipping. If the horse is in a yard where I already work I usually get the owner to have them in the vicinity while I am clipping another one so they can experience the noise etc. one thing I do stipulate is that if I feel a horse needs doped for my safety and the horse's safety then I want it done. I am not asking for the hell of it and if I genuinely feel it will be better for the horse and less stressful then it is better for everyone. If clipping a first timer I usually prefer to have somebody who has been around a lot of horses through clipping to hold them. This may or may not be the owner. This again is for safety.

One thing I do have is a couple of very cheap mini clippers I got in Lidl. I lend these to people with first time horses and get them to play around with them having them switched on while grooming etc to help desensitise horse before we try a full clip. For a horse that is known to be spooky and nervous about life in general I recommend getting them used to having lumps of sponge put in their ears for a few weeks before hand so that we can muffle some of the sound.

In terms of sedation it is not always due to fear/bad behaviour. I have two clients who's horses stand perfectly but are incredibly twitchy and ticklish. The clippers literally bounce on their muscles they are so ticklish. We sedate these two as it is a night,are trying to get clean lines and and even clip when they are twitching constantly. The mild sedation settles this and stops it being an issue.

 

[spookypony]

Cheers, amage, the sponge idea sounds fab! This summer, I was asked to clip him for a comp, but I had very little notice, and to my knowledge, he's not been clipped before. He freaked when the yard's "clipper girl" turned them on, well away from him. It took me only a minute to let me touch him with them turned off, using clicker training, but I realised pretty quickly that getting him clipped that way would take longer than the time I had. Have pretty easily got him used to battery-operated mini clippers (again with clicker) or plain hand-operated mechanical ones, but I think the full-on megaclipper will take a bit more doing, especially since I don't own one to work with!