Any alternatives to horse clippers?

[seattle]

Hello all! My minis have not had much training as of now and have never been introduced to clippers. I don't feel that at this point they're quite ready to be introduced to them...we still have quite a bit to do before we're at that point. Plus, I don't even have a working set. My issue is that they still have patches of fuzzy hair left on them, and I was wondering if there are any alternatives to horse clippers that I can try to get this hair off. I tried scissors tonight, but it takes such a long time and the minis have kind of a short attention span...any tips or advice would be great! Thanks.

EDIT: Does anyone have any experience with manual hand clippers or opinions on them?

 

[disneyhorse]

They sell manual clippers.

Manual (hand) clippers

I don't care for them but they are good for nervous horses if you can't use electric ones and are afraid of poking them with scissors.

Andrea

 

[seattle]

Oh wow, I had no idea they even existed. If you don't mind me asking, why don't you care for them? I know absolutely nothing about them

They sell manual clippers.

Manual (hand) clippers

I don't care for them but they are good for nervous horses if you can't use electric ones and are afraid of poking them with scissors.

Andrea

 

[ruffian]

If your horses are that jumpy I'm not sure I would want to have scissors around them. An easy way to get them used to clippers is to go over them with a hair dryer set on cool. They get the sensation without having actual clippers on them.

The other option is a lot of brushing, perhaps with a shedding blade?

 

[Minimor]

Once, a long time ago, someone gave me a set of the manual clippers (new)--I hated them. I would rather use scissors--those clippers were hard on the hand after a little while, they were slow going, and they didn't even cut well. I wrote them off as useless & threw them out.

Really, I think you might be surprised at how well your horses accept the clippers, at least on their bodies. I usually use my cordless clippers--they make some noise but not a lot--and I have clipped some fairly unhandled/untrained horses with them with little difficulty. They fussed around a little & then decided it really wasn't doing them any harm & stood good. I was even able to do their bridle paths with the clippers, but some horses can be more fussy when you're trying to clip anywhere near the ears. It may not work to try and clip their heads or legs at this point, but I expect they'd accept having their backs and sides clipped.

 

[Marty]

A good bath with conditioner followed by a good grooming with some dog shedding brushes should help shed some of that stuff loose. Without a good set of clippers, you are only going to get a hacked up mess. You do really need them. I very much agree with Minimor that horses tend to accept the clippers pretty easily once they get into it and realize how good they feel. I always start in a place that is itchy and they cannot reach well like inbetween the front legs and up from there. You'd be surprised. Save up for a really good set of clippers and some blades. Enslist help of a friend for the hard parts and off you go.

 

[chandab]

Once, a long time ago, someone gave me a set of the manual clippers (new)--I hated them. I would rather use scissors--those clippers were hard on the hand after a little while, they were slow going, and they didn't even cut well. I wrote them off as useless & threw them out.

I bought a pair of the manual clippers, they must have been cheap as I didn't get very far and the handle broke. Before they broke, I did find them to be hard on my hands, and didn't clip well at all. I agree, scissors would be better. For body hair, just lots of brushing to get rid of the hair; and with a little practice a good bridle path can be cut with scissors, as well as those long guard hairs they get on their jawline.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

I would just use the clippers and go with it. Desensitize to them first, start out by just letting them get use to the noise, have the clippers turned out and just have it close to them but not touching them. Second start getting them use to the touch and feel of the clippers, don't actually clip them, just let them get use to the feel. Third try and start clipping. Try small areas and eventually you can clip all over. Just don't take away the pressure when they act up, release it when they are calm and quiet.

 

[Kelsey - Vandy's Farm]

I have clipped jumpy horses before that I have bought out of pasture. Almost every time they have settled right down. Usually they end up liking getting rid of all that itchy hair. You just have to go slow and take your time. If not, brush, brush, brush.

 

[AnnaC]

We dont clip any of our minis unless they are going showing (the weather is never that hot in the UK!) But for those that have trouble losing the last of their winter coats (as in the yearlings) we do use scissors - try to get a pair of surgical scissors (with the smooth rounded ends), no danger of sharp ends turning your guys into pin cushions!

Anna