Trimmers for horses are an absolute essential part of the clipping kit. They certainly make tidying up and finishing off a clip a much more pleasant experience for both horse and operator.
However, there is some misconception about trimmers being able to clip out an entire horse, this has been done, and can still be done, but we always advise customers that trimmers are for trimming and clippers for clipping.
A trimmer has a much narrower blade than a full-size clipper and as such is so much easier to manoeuvre, enabling an easy and relaxed finish for the horse around heads, eyes and sensitive areas. It will take a very long time to clip an entire horse with a set of trimmers and the life span of a trimmer expected to carry out this requirement on a regular basis will be very limited.
Horse trimmers are generally so much quieter than a full size clipper and therefore, offer a great introduction to the clipping process especially for young or nervous horses. Most trimmers are now battery operated which again, makes it very easy to use around animals that may make a quick move.
There are a variety of trimmers to choose from, most offer the battery option. Some take blades that can be re-sharpened, others have blades that are disposable and need to be replaced.
For blending in with an existing body clip, it’s worth looking at trimmers that offer an adjustable blade setting. This means that the blade length can be changed by the click of a switch, allowing adjustment from a coarser to a fine finish depending on the grade that the body has been clipped with by conventional clippers.