What horse clippers should I choose for clipping my cob?

We just love helping cob owners choose the best clippers for clipping their cobs! We've put a guide together here on choosing the best clipper for cobs, or read on for tips and tricks.

Cobs, whether clipped all year round for show and tidiness or left natural, always require so much time and attention.

To choose the right horse clipper for your cob, you need to ask yourself a few questions, after all, it’s an expensive purchase, so get it right first time!

Here are some questions to consider:

How often will you be clipping?  All year round, or just in the winter?

Is the coat soft, or coarse? 

Do you want to hog and clip off feathers?

Would you prefer a mains horse clipper or are you happier with a battery/cordless one?

Cobs tend to grow a thicker coat whether in winter or summer, which means that a light duty clipper may not be as effective for all year-round use.  It would be perfect for the summer to clip out the body and legs, but in the winter, it may struggle, so a medium or heavy duty clipper would make the job much easier and the finish will be better too.

Clipping heavier coats requires a different blade to one that you would use on a thoroughbred or a fine coated animal.  If you are clipping a summer coat, a medium or fine blade will give a good finish, but during the winter a medium or even a coarse blade may need to be used, depending on the density of the coat, so that the blades can cope with the added winter thickness.

A more powerful clipper is often the best choice for clipping cobs, as the motor is more powerful to cope with more challenging conditions.  Buying a cheaper clipper is not always the best option, as they may not last as long, when clipping very regularly, particularly when hogging and clipping feathers as well as the usual areas.

If clipping the leg area is going to be a regular job, consider the horse clippers that have shorter handpieces.  The longer ones are more difficult to clip with around the legs and feet area, so its worth considering this point. The Lister Eclipse is the shortest clipper in the medium duty range and takes over from the hugely popular Lister Liberty as a re-chargeable and would be a recommended and suitable horse clipper for clipping cobs.

Clipping cobs can require a lot of patience, particularly if they have suffered from itchy legs.  They are more susceptible to irritated skin from mites, mallanders and sallanders.  If this is the case, the skin may be sore, or they might have an association with it being uncomfortable when being clipped.  Take extra care when clipping leg area, and if there is a resistance, it’s always best to have an extra pair of hands to hold or distract as necessary.

Light duty, quiet clippers that have less vibration, such as the Heiniger Saphir, Wahl Max 45, Liveryman Harmony Plus, Aesculap Durati as examples, are a good choice if this is the case.  If the feather is very thick, the first time of clipping may be more of a struggle for this type of clipper, but by fitting a coarse blade on this will help.  Always work slowly around the leg area with the clippers, and if necessary, turn to a trimmer to finish off around the fiddly areas.

TOP TIP:   If the legs need to be treated with topical creams, powders, lotions etc, re-clip every two weeks.  This makes the job much quicker; the skin is easier to treat and keep an eye on, and will become part of a management routine.