Quiet clippers for a nervous cob

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zeburdy

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Anyone know which are the best clippers for a nervous cob?

I bought my Hannovarian x Cob about 5 months ago, and previously when he was clipped a twitch was used... Ideally I'd like to clip him without a twitch, and get him used to them, before I use them.

I've heard Listers and Liverman clippers can be quite loud...

Many Thanks :)
 
You might want to consider the Heiniger Progress ones - I have these and they def arent as noisy as some (and are comfortable for smaller hands to hold).

Before trying any clippers tho, use things like electric toothbrush etc to get horsie used to buzzing, that works well...
 
I too have this problem with my new boy, he is petrified of clippers, unsure if he has had a bad time with them at some point in his little life.

YO was hogging her horse at weekend and my boy was stood in his stable at the back looking OK, then I brought it forward more and asked her to turn them back on and this made him do his snorting thing... ok yep he has a prob with them.

I am hoping I can have him on the yard whilst others are being clipped this weekend for him to try and get used to noise and see that it actually doesnt hurt you.

The farrier uses a grinder and he doesn't batter an eyelid to this and its louder makes sparks but nothing!! Bizarre.

I am hoping to try and calm him, but heard he needs sedation... :( :( Awsome a vet bill too

Be interested to see if your cob x handles the quieter ones....
 
When we bought my daughter's horse we were told he needed IV sedation to be clipped. Looking at recommendations on here, I decided to buy the Liveryman Element cordless trimmers and was able to initially do a bib clip and then progressed gradually to a high chaser, all without any form of sedation. This year I went straight to a high chaser and he was easy to do!

Although they are marketed as trimmers, last year I did two high chaser clips with them, then this year have clipped all bar half head and legs on the pony and another two high chaser clips on the horses. Oh, and clipped the dog multiple times as well!
 
I would recommend the Lister Liberty Clippers! It’s funny you said that you heard they were loud I find the new listers much quieter than a lot of other makes.

http://www.clipperservices.co.uk/ac...d_Field_Pack_Horse_Clipper_Special_Offer.html

These clippers are great especially for nervous horses as quiet and no cord to worry about and you can just stick with the horse where ever he goes! I have used these on many horses and they are great and the battery last for ages I would say easily enough time to fully clip 2 horses!

I used them on a livery’s horse a few years ago who was very nervous to clip and before he came to us was fully sedated and nearly falling over before you could clip him! And these worked a treat just stuck with him and no cord to worry about it’s much easier and he soon got used to it.

Good Luck :D
 
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Thanks all. I may look into Listers and Heiniger Progress ones.

I've tested a electric toothbrush and depending on his mood isn't too keen on it.... Slowly but surely see how it goes :) x
 
Heiniger every time

I suggest grooming your horse and tying it up next to another who is being clipped, do this as many times as you can before you try on yours..

Then go over it with the clippers unplugged.

next turn them on and just hold them a distance away and gradually move them nearer , carry on till you can actually turn them on his back but not actually clip..

time will get them used to sound and feel
 
Leviathan - thanks for the info, which Heiniger clippers?

I've heard Heiniger Progress cordless are good, but wondering being 80w, whether they would be powerful enough once my cob gets his winter coat?

Thanks :)
 
I have just done this morning a full clip inc half face with Moser Avalon cordless they are great.

My chap was terrified of the clippers - even the noise if they were no where near him - so I did the following (borrowed pair to do this just in case it didnt work)

Day 1 make up feed with clippers turned on but no where near horse - they were in my pocket
Day 2 stand right by horse as eats food with clippers on and held near him
Day 3 stand by him as he eats his tea with clippers on and with hand not holding clippers touching him
Day 4 stand by him as eating tea and start to touch all over with clippers on in hand but use back of hand not clippers to touch him
Day 5 as eats tea touch all over with clippers turned on.

It worked for us, he can be clipped by me on my own and thats saying something as I am not the quickest !
 
I have Heineger progress, the sort of quietly chug along and do the job well. They don't have any blasty air vents which can scare nervous horses towards the head area. I love mine, they are light too so you don't get shoulder ache!
 
Another vote for the Heiniger Progress - I used to have to get the vet to sedate my older mare (a lengthy attempt to de-sensitize just didn't work) - now I can do it with just a small dose of sedalin (and I did manage to do a low chaser clip without any the other year). She gets a very dense coat and they have no problem with getting through it. The other plus is that the "handle" has a small diameter so it's more comfortable to hold as I have small hands.
 
The Heinegars are a pretty safe bet! The progress is a bit narrower in the body and lighter than the handy. Also a bit quieter. The main thing I always found with the heinegars are it is imperative to get your blades sharpened correctly and once you have mastered the tension setup, you should be fine. They don't blow hair everywhere and have the benefit of quality blades made out of German steel. One of my old customers used to hang an old clipper in a nervous horses stable without blades attached and just leave it running for 30 mins here and there to get his horse accustomed to the noise. The battery powered Heinegars are good, but I would say always buy a spare battery and a second set of blades, as it is easy to get half way through and go flat. The listers with the battery pack are good, but I recall the price differential is high.

Good luck and safe clipping

The Engineer

A good few firms for advice are:

http://www.clippersharp.com/index.php

http://www.hcsservices.co.uk/

http://www.clipperservices.co.uk/
 
Thank you all for suggestions. I bought the Heiniger Handy online, so time will tell how it goes :)

TheEngineer - I've been trying an electric toothbrush until I get clippers, and put it in his stable today... he gradually calmed down. Fingers crossed I can desentise him to clippers... That is certainly the hope that I don't have to sedate him
 
zeburdy said:
Thank you all for suggestions. I bought the Heiniger Handy online, so time will tell how it goes :)

TheEngineer - I've been trying an electric toothbrush until I get clippers, and put it in his stable today... he gradually calmed down. Fingers crossed I can desentise him to clippers... That is certainly the hope that I don't have to sedate him
Click to expand...

Good luck, a couple of tips with the handy. First always be careful when changing your blades, inside the head is a rotating shaft with a small square block on it, this spins inside a bracket held with two long spring arms. Always ensure you don't lift the bracket up, as the block can drop out. Also, never run a Heinegar without blades on it, as the drive can jam and strip the drive gear. When changing blades, turn the machine upside down and rest on an old towel, wind the tension anti clickwise then locate the small cutter on its pins and apply oil to the rubbing faces, then slide the comb blade into place, so the flat rear face of the blade goes right back, then tighten the screws holding the blade. Before turning the machine upright, screw the tension in just lightly to grip the blades together. Then turn over and follow the tension instructions. PS if you have bought the machine with A102 blades, you might need to invest in a set of A106 blades for thick furry bits, but I am sure you will find that out as you progress. I can highly recommend all three people from my earlier post for sharpening.


Happy clipping!
 
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