With the change in temperature and shortening of daylight hours, the coats of our horses will start to grow more thickly. From the end of August onwards, the old hair will start to shed, with a new thicker coat growing back through to give the natural protection that is needed during the colder winter months.
However, if a ridden horse is continuing to be exercised and competed to any degree during the winter months, the thicker coat will bring additional problems; it will cause the horse to sweat more quickly and will require cooling off or washing off after exercise. To alleviate this, we turn to the choice of being able to clip the coat, bringing it back to a shorter, more manageable length which is easy to deal with after exercise.
So don’t be caught out at this time of year, and ensure your clipping equipment is clean, serviced, and with blades freshly sharpened, and at the ready. There is nothing more frustrating than going to clip and finding the clipper isn’t turning on, or the blades are blunt!
Give yourself a little time beforehand if the horse you are planning to clip is new to you, or young or sensitive. Time spent acclimatising them to the sound of the clippers or trimmers will help in the long term and give you time to ask for extra help if needed.
If you have a young or difficult horse, that might prove sensitive to clip, its worth running clippers and trimmers near them as part of a daily routine or clipping another horse next to them; this will get them used to the noise. A radio, or ear plugs are also a helpful distraction, but patience and a quiet introduction with trimmers and then moving forwards to the larger clippers, will always be the best practice long term.
If you are using clippers for the first time or moving on to a new brand, have a read through of the instructions, to ensure you use the correct tension for the clipper that you are using. Most brands have their own way of tensioning, and it is certainly not a one way of tensioning for all machines.
If you tension the blades too tightly, the blades will get hot quickly, and cause pressure on the motor. Too loose and they will chew the fur. Oil blades every 5-10 minutes, and if you feel the blades are getting too warm, stock for a few minutes or change over to a spare set of blades. This is good practice when clipping around the head, where you want the blades as cool as possible.
Before starting your clip, ensure the horse has had a good curry comb, brush off and wash off, if very dirty. Grease builds up with the change of the coat, and this will not only blunt blades quickly, but will leave more lines, and cause undue stress on the clipper.
For a smooth, line free finish, correct tension, a clean coat, and consistent pressure without pushing the clipper through the coat too quickly will ensure the best finish. Choosing the right grade of blade will also help. A fine set of blades clipping through thick hair will struggle and the finish may be less than perfect. Medium blades are often the best choice to start with and then move on to the finer blades for the second and subsequent clips.
After clipping, a wash off in warm water with a wash off solution such as Lavender Splosh Wash will ensure the skin is refreshed, soothed, and give a shine back to the new finish.