First try at clipping

Jane&Ziggy

Jane&Sid these days!
Apr 30, 2010
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A rush of blood to the head and yesterday Carol and I figured out how to put the clippers together, got Sid out of the field and over to the house, and prepared to have a go. We were aiming for a chaser clip but I found that there was not a bottle of clipper oil in the box, as I thought, so we were only able to do about 10 minutes of clipping.

Sid could not have been better or more helpful. Even when I was doing his face he didn't shift by as much as a muscle except to whiffle my hair while I was crouched in front of him doing between his front legs. When I was doing the spot where his neck joins his head, he gently and gracefully swung his head away from me to make it easier for me. He did it both sides, so I think it must have been on purpose!

Because he's white you can hardly see the result, but it's a sort-of starting-to-be-a-bib clip.

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Before I do any more I am going to get some blue chalk to mark him out. I think I should be able to manage on my own, he is so good.

He is definitely cooler now. I am amazed by how hot his skin is where he has been clipped compared to where he still has his thick coat coming!

The clippers seem very good. They are Lister Stars and I got them on eBay for £130, just serviced and sharpened. I'm happy!
 
Looks good to me! I have Lister Stars too and whipped all of Gracie's off on Tuesday. I thought I'd get better with practise but that doesn't seem to be the case with me! Oh well, you know what the difference is between a good clip and a bad clip? About two weeks! 😂 It always grows again.
 
I have lister star too. What blades have you got with them. Im sure you said before. That second picture definitely has a clip line, i would suggest going over with a fine blade once youve clipped off the worst. Also get some dettol antiseptic, the brown stuff. Mix up a weak solution, after youve finished clipping and wash over clipping with a good bristle brush, it will help minimize the clip lines.

I cant believe you are all clipping already. Chunky and Billy are both moulting there summer coats out like mad. Admittedly they have grown trousers on the back legs which arent moulting out.
 
Sid looks good!

I also have Lister Star clippers — brand new — used them once — the equine chiropractor thought mehbee once is enough 🤯🤯

I seem to do better with the smaller clippers and sticking to cutting the jowel, armpits and the belly line that can’t be seen————
 
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They are chunky clippers. They came with coarse and fine blades and I was using the fine for his body as recommended by my horse care handbook, which said, Cut BEFORE the coat gets thick and use fine clippers except for hairy legs.

I can see the lines but I hope I will improve, though if @domane 's experience is anything to go by I will probably be as much of a clip dork as I am a tack dork!
That second picture definitely has a clip line, i would suggest going over with a fine blade once youve clipped off the worst. Also get some dettol antiseptic, the brown stuff. Mix up a weak solution, after youve finished clipping and wash over clipping with a good bristle brush, it will help minimize the clip lines.

How does that work, @chunky monkey ?
 
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I use medium blades for G. I have fine ones but they clip so close that they really show up every line and error.
 
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He looks good to me and what a good boy! I’m fairly rubbish at clipping so it’s a good job Belle doesn’t do enough work to warrant a clip any more.
 
How does that work, @chunky monkey ?

Sorry you lost me do you mean the washing bit. It seems to wash out the clip lines better. Apparently the dettol helps in reducing the lines. Also being antiseptic i think its suppose to help the skin with healing, you know a bit like men and shaving rash. I actually stopped using the dettol myself. I just use my ordinary horse shampoo which is a medicated one. I definitely think for me it reduced my bad clipping lines. I know one day i was pushing daylight when i clipped, so i didnt wash him straight after. Just slapped the rug on. Next day it definitely looked a bit patchy. There was also the very fine short bits stuck in the rug. So washing those tiny bits off is also a bonus.

I found using the fine clipping blade on the body on my cobby, the blades just seem to blunt. I guess its trial and error and your probably right if its done before it gets to thick you can probably get away with the fine blade. I think clipping chest areas the hair is generally fine.
 
Gracie always has a bath the day before I clip her. Dust, dirt and grease will all make your blades go blunt a lot quicker.
 
Yep i also shampoo the day before i clip too. Clipped one time without washing the horse and although he looked clean. Clippers struggled with the dust and grease still in there and yep i had to send off for sharpening. Lesson learnt.
 
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