How on earth am I going to fix this?!

[Jean_B]

Minnesota has a very active Miniature horse club (they used to have a website but I'm unable to find it). But you could try contacting the person listed here: http://www.shetlandminiature.com/member-services/aspc-a-amhr-clubs/item/minnesota-miniature-horse-club.html Or they have a facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/MN-Miniature-Horse-Club/259321917536523 - they used to put on seminars on basic care, fitting, showing, driving, etc. Lots of very knowledgeable people in that club.

 

[MyMiniGal]

So do most horses, the coat grows down? I haven't looked close enough to Halo to see which way the grain goes. I too, have done dog grooming and for the most part, went with the grain, other than Poodles faces and sometimes their feet.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I use blade wash. Pour some in a bowl and drop each hot blade into it. By the time the next blade is hot, the other is cooled enough to use. Oil your blades before use. If you can't move the head back and forth by hand, your clipper motor can't either.

I learned of this sharpener guy here on the forum and tried him. Excellent! He also offers a CD showing how to care for blades and clippers. You'll have your sharp blades back in less than a week. notherntail.com

You should be able to clip your horse with that clipper. You may need to let it rest and cool. That may work out fine for your horse to take a little break. However, some of its parts may be worn out. That clipper guy will fix you up. Equipment in good working order always makes a job easier for you and for the horse.

I use a 2 speed Andis, and also have an Oster cordless. Neither is "professional" but they do just fine for me clipping two horses.

Don't stress! It will be fine! So you have to clip a little every day, it is all a learning thing. And when you get to the show, there will likely be some helpful exhibitor there who can show you how to fine tune your clipping job.

If you don't have a regular blanket, you can use any blanket and duct tape. Necessity is the mother of invention!

 

[BSharpRanch]

We have found that rubbing alcohol works excellant at keeping the blades cold while clipping. We put a small amount into a bowl that is big enough to dip the blades into, then just dip the blades as needed. A spritz of WD-40 every third or fourth dunk keeps the blades oiled. Very economical and it keeps the blades sterilized to boot!

 

[Barnmother]

The larger the number on clipper blades like Oster and Wahl the closer they clip. That being said we use a 10 or 15 for body clipping horses, go against the hair keeping the entire flat of the blade against the horse. Always clip a clean dry horse whenever possible (and we usually do our first clip of the year with a dirty horse and a blade that is very close to needing sharpening. A dull blade will certainly make tracks. We rotate back and forth between a couple sets of blades spraying them with Kool Lube regularly to keep them lubricated. Showsheen or LazerSheen applied to the freshly bathed horse and allowed to dry certainly seems to make the clipper blades guide more smoothly through the hair. We use a 40 for the muzzle and bridle path.

 

[wingnut]

{{{{ hugs }}}}

Pretty much EVERYONE starts off their clipping experiences like this. It really does take time and practice! Don't beat yourself up so much. You'll be surprised what a week of regrowth will do to even much of that out. I'm in my 3rd year of clipping and I'm much improved but still could do better.

I agree that a #10 blade is the way to go in the beginning, especially with horse with white. Even then, I've scalped my one pinto a time or two with a #10. I do not use a guard when clipping my horses and have never had an issue. And yes, the flat of the clipper head needs to be flat against your horse's body.

Remember, this is all meant to be fun! Don't make yourself miserable so that it's not fun. Accept what is and move on!

{{{{ hugs }}}}

 

[Riverrose28]

someone else mentioned holding the blade against the skin, that is very important, don't use it like a comb, hold the whole flat of it on the skin, and use long strokes from bottom to top if going aginst the grain. Wish I had a diagram to show you. Horses have many swirls to that take patience to clip this way and that. My granson just clipped his gelding for the first time himself last year, and he is 11 and he got the hang of it, so you can too. Practice makes perfect, just keep at it and don't give up. Wish you were close so I could help, so maybe you can find someone to help. or just keep at it till you are satisfied. There are some DVD's out there like the one that Brooke the Clipper Girl has, so try looking in you MHW or the journal to see if you find one. Good luck.

 

[AnnaC]

We all had 'problems' when we first started clipping so dont' worry, you will get the hang of it the more you practise! Many good suggestions here, so all I want to say is to keep a really good eye on how hot your clipper/blades are getting. They have a habit of suddenly heating up after you have clipped for a while and many horses will suddenly get very fidgety because the blades have become more than warm - keep testing them on your hand as you go along. Better to take a break and let everything really cool down again than to try to keep going that little bit longer just to get finished, you might put your horse off being clipped the next time you try!

Good luck, and good luck for the show!

 

[Lil Eowyn]

Thank you all so much for the helpful tips and support. =)

I used different clippers on her today and they worked! The ones I had were dull? But then I took them apart and thoroughly cleaned them and they seemed to be working again! They were really cheap ones though, so next time I need clippers I'm going to spend more money on nice ones lol

Again,

Thanks so much!

 

[Tremor]

I'm sorry. I laughed out loud at this thread.

Trust me, you'll get better. I did.

I would suggest nice horse clippers, blade wash, and LOTs of coolant spray/clipper lube.