Top tips for clipping!

[HaloHoney]

Right. I can clip dogs, and even wayward nine year old boys (nobody noticed either of those two had been subjected to a parental “scarecut”)... but Flash was working hard earlier and is currently unclipped- poor lad sweated out of his ears, his face, his throat and his armpits.

I think it’s time to get my clippers out!

I have: clippers (lister cordless ones).
Clipper oil (have patched tested it on him and he didn’t react)
Waterproof jacket and trousers
Baseball cap
Wraparound sunglasses

Planning on doing a low trace, leaving his face on, on the grounds that if I balls it up it can turn into a blanket/hunter clip!

He is a pretty dark bay. Was considering using a chalk marker pen to get my lines right...

What are your top tips for clipping?

 

[Bodshi]

Haha, sorry no tips, but I love that you're so organised with your kit, including wraparound sunglasses

 

[chunky monkey]

If your a woman take your bra off before clipping. I am serious.
I did it one day without taking it off. Put clothes out for washing. The next time i went to wear it, it was still full off hair. It was so painful and made me itch something awful. It took at least 3 washes to get the hair out.

 

[HaloHoney]

Haha, sorry no tips, but I love that you're so organised with your kit, including wraparound sunglasses

I have watched about 20 clips including holding up some horses who were rather more delicate flowers than anticipated in the face of a vet’s sedation to stop them actually falling over.

This included a light breeze coating everyone in hair. I needed sunglasses then- I’m including them now!

 

[HaloHoney]

If your a woman take your bra off before clipping. I am serious.
I did it one day without taking it off. Put clothes out for washing. The next time i went to wear it, it was still full off hair. It was so painful and made me itch something awful. It took at least 3 washes to get the hair out.

Good tip! Cheers! I’ll tuck them into my waist band instead.

 

[Lissie]

Sorry no actual clipping tips, I pay someone to clip because I hate doing it and always seem to leave lines which I can't stand. But not cloth after.

 

[HaloHoney]

Ooh hot cloth after, ok. Hoping to clip him Sunday so I can turn him out nicely for the dressage on Monday. So hot cloth will be good for that too. Thanks!

 

[newforest]

No tips, I love it and just crack on.
No chalk or pre lines.
Next clip will probably be a trace, I like blanket but mine is ticklish and so a trace works well.

 

[joosie]

The key to a smart clip with minimal clip marks is to make long, firm strokes wherever you can and always go against the direction of the hair. If you are hesitant, do short choppy strokes, don't apply enough pressure or have the blades at the wrong angle you will get unwanted lines.
For your actual lines, some people like to draw them on with chalk as you said, and you may find this helps you... Personally I find it harder to get a good line if I'm trying to follow chalk (it's the pressure ) and I prefer to just step back, picture them in my mind and then just go for it. If you're not confident that you're exactly sure where you want your line to be, you could clip a sort of guide line first - more or less where you want it, but stop an inch or so earlier and then you can step back and make sure it's in the right place before you finish it off. Always remember you can take off more hair if necessary but you can't stick it back on!
This is particularly useful if you're doing a saddle patch and then realise it's not the same on both sides, you try to even it up and just end up taking more and more hair off that suddenly there's so little hair left there you may as well just whip it all off
If you're clipping up to the crest and have a wayward mane it can help to stick some bands in beforehand just to make sure it's out the way.
Stop and oil your clippers on a regular basis. It's easy to get carried away but also pay attention to how warm they are because they can get hot a lot quicker than you think, and if you're a slow or inexperienced clipper you may need to stop and let them cool down several times before you're done.
I most definitely second the bra thing - take it off if there is any chance whatsoever that you will get hair down your top. I usually wear overalls to clip which pretty much keeps it all off, but I was working for this girl in New Zealand who had to take a different horse hunting at the last minute and I had 40mins to hunter-clip it before she had to leave... I didn't have anything to put on top of my clothes, plus it was a windy day and she had no stables so I had to do it outside... Not only did I end up literally coated from head to toe in white hair but every 5 minutes or so there was a particularly strong gust of wind that blew it straight up in my face I'm not sure if I had more hair in my mouth and eyes or down my bra but it was not an enjoyable experience

 

[Mary Poppins]

My advice is don't be too hard on yourself if it looks dreadful. Clipping is an art and hard to not leave any lines. The lines will grow out in a couple of weeks anyway.

 

[Jessey]

Sharp blades are your friend, the sharper they are the better/easier it is to get a good finish. If you are clipping outside (I always do) turn the horse so you are up wind of him, then it blows the hair away from you I always like to use 50-70% of the blades for fresh hair, the other 30-50% goes back over the bit you just took off, I find they go through a thick coat easier that way and I get a better finish. I would also say its preferable to clip 3 or 4 days prior to wanting them to look nice, if you do get any tram lines/unevenness they have normally disappeared by that point

 

[GaryB]

I have no idea whether it is true, but I read that if you wash the coat first you get less lines. This is apparently because of the fine grit in the coat which is like clipping through sand! Obviously at this time of year washing isn't necessarily an option!

 

[Jessey]

I have no idea whether it is true, but I read that if you wash the coat first you get less lines. This is apparently because of the fine grit in the coat which is like clipping through sand! Obviously at this time of year washing isn't necessarily an option!

It def helps, but as you say its a tough time of year to bath unless you have a drying room

 

[HaloHoney]

These are fab! Thanks!

I am usually a “just go for it” type but I’m out of my comfort zone having not done it before, I’ll do guide lines to start with

I’m sure I’ll revert to type and just go for it next time!

I can’t wash him because I can’t dry him. I might hot rag him from mid-neck to poll- because that’s the major place of dust and mud on him. Just that bit would help I’m sure.

He’s got quite a fine coat, and because he’s rugged it’s beautifully flat and shiny at the moment- He looks beautiful and I almost don’t want to touch it because he looks so gorgeous. But he’s too sweaty, so some of it’s gotta go!

I promise I’ll do before & after pics

Thanks so much! X

 

[newforest]

One of our worst clips I found in my diary, actually taken January 2014. It's incomplete here because initially I blew up the device! And then the otherside didn't match because she was more ticklish.
(you can hide the worst under a rug. )

 

[Bodshi]

It's the edges I struggle with - they always look ragged where the long hair overlaps the clip when I do it. YO being a perfectionist used to take the clippers off me and do a neat bevelled edge. Now I pay someone to do the clipping - I just do the holding up of a leg now and then when the clipper is doing a tickly spot.

 

[HaloHoney]

Ahh I’ve watched about 5 different people do lots of different horses. And actually found a pretty good instructional video on YouTube.

Most videos are quite good at explaining how to set up the clippers, etc, how to keep your horse comfortable, how to get the best finish- it’s really the ‘where to take the lines from on your horse and why’ that I think I will struggle with the most.


Borrowed a mate’s gelding who needed a second clip- he doesn’t look *that* bad I suppose...

 

[newforest]

I need a side in pic really.
If that's a chaser clip I would probably angle it more. But that's just me and it doesn't really matter.

I am surprised by what some grow back. Mine hasn't grown anything back since her November clip.

 

[Jessey]

I think actual placement of lines is personal preference and depends on the horse, you can enhance or detract from the image by where you put them.

 

[Bodshi]

I am surprised by what some grow back. Mine hasn't grown anything back since her November clip.

I'm debating whether to have a last clip for Raf as he hasn't grown any coat as such since his second clip, but he has grown annoying long cat hairs. Plus I know his coat is changing because his numnah and rug have started to rub his coat which always happens at coat change times. He certainly doesn't need a clip for comfort, it would purely be for aesthetics and is it worth it for a few weeks before his summer coat comes through?