Can you fix a really bad clip job?

[LostandFound]

I body clipped my mare for our show. It was bad. I tried to fix it. It's actually got worse. I gave it 2 weeks to grow out. You can still play tic tac toe on her. The options I see are to try again and hope I don't make it worse. But I probably will. Or give it another week to grow out and hope it looks a little better long. Or cancel my plans and hide my horses horrible haircut at home. Is there an option I'm missing?

 

[Willow Flats]

Maybe try again or find a training facility and give them a call to see if someone can help you?

Everyone has to start somewhere! The first time I clipped a horse it didn't look great, so the next day I cleaned it up and by the end of the week it looked fine.

I hope it works out. Go to the show regardless and meet people who can give you tips!

 

[chandab]

What clippers? What blade? Did you clip with the hair or against the hair? Did you bathe before clipping?

 

[LostandFound]

The first 5 or 6 times I've tried to clip, they ended up looking like they had a bad case of mange. I'm improving but it's slow going. They are some kind of wahl clippers with whatever blades they come with...I think 10/15/30? if that sounds right? I did wash her first and I went with the hair everywhere I could. Paying a pro is a good idea, but I'm already over budget...same with buying new clippers.

 

[Minimor]

Clipping with the hair takes a lot of practice to make it look smooth. Show clips are generally done against the hair and truthfully are easier to do. You can still have it come out looking amateurish on first try, but it still won't look as bad as a rough "with the hair" clip job.

I use Wahl cordless clippers and clip with the hair on my show ponies. However, in most cases they are quite slick and I am just blending legs and taking off longer hair in a few areas of the body. I've been doing that for years and they now look pretty natural when I'm done. I can do a pretty decent clip on a mini too, but again I have clipped a lot of late winter coats as practice. Unfortunately, showing minis is still best done with a shaved coat. You won't see many that are shown without an against the hair clip. That is probably the best way to "fix" your clip job--be sure to use sharp blades on a clean horse.

 

[LostandFound]

Ah, I had read that with the hair was easier to make it look nice, which was why I went that way. I will try it against and see how that works. I do know that I'm going to look pretty silly either way.

 

[Minimor]

With the hair leaves the hair longer, so any spots that get cut shorter or longer than the average are glaringly obvious. Shaving against the hair leaves hair shorter, so while you will still see some "oops" spots, they are less obvious overall. If you clip a week to 10 days before the show, the hair grows back just a little bit and smoothes out the overall picture.

 

[Cayuse]

Are your clippers big enough? They sound like they might be smaller ones, but I'm not sure. Using the wrong sized clipper can mess things up. I use Wahl KM's with a 10 blade, or Double K's. If you clip now against the hair and have a week or so until the show, you might be ok.

 

[chandab]

Most equine clipping is against the hair, seems easier to blend and correct mistakes against the hair, as well.
You might want to get a single length blade for your clippers, a #10 is a good all-around length. One of my sets of Wahl's came with multi-length adjustable blade, and changing to a straight #10 blade gives me much better results. I don't show, so only clip for comfort around here, as needed. [As soon as our weather straightens up and stays warm enough, I have a yearling that needs to be clipped; she currently looks like a matted, black Q-tip.]

 

[LostandFound]

Well looks like we are a little short on time for it to grow back out, and since it's possible it's my clippers more than my unsteady hand it might not help anyway. I'm going to go with hoping that she sheds out enough to even it out a little more.

 

[Dragon Hill]

I don't show, so you may want to ignore this. I clip with a #7 full tooth against the growth. It always turns out nice, probably that way is more forgiving. Maybe try it that way to build your confidence up? If you can, but your clippers don't sound like you can change out blades, and are designed for trims and touch ups.
If so, it would be much harder to get good results on a body clip.

 

[Maryann at MiniV]

For most horses, a #10 is usually best, against the grain, for the body. A #30 or 40 for detail on the face...(where you plan to apply make-up). This is why I recommend doing the first clip before the first show several weeks prior. That first overall clip will NEVER look perfect. It will look a heck of a lot better by the third clip!
Oh, and if you have an all white or pinto (especially with lots of white), try using a #7 blade. With a #10, the pink skin tends to show through the white.

 

[LostandFound]

I think I'm going to need a new set of clippers. A #7 blade sounds like it will work best and I guess I can't get them for mine.

 

[Cayuse]

If you do show her, put a blanket on about 30 minutes before the class and don't take it off until your going through the in gate. I usually use a light winter blanket if the classes are in the morning and it's cool, or a sheet if it's warmer. It will help slick down the goof marks long enough to get through a class.

 

[Kelly]

I can’t fix a bad clip job....and ALL my clip jobs are bad! Good luck to you

 

[LostandFound]

That is a super idea! She has actually evened out quite a bit too. She is going to be a little long but I don't care. I'm going to get new clippers but for now we are doing what we can with what we've got.