Question on clipping classics for show

[Leeana]

This past season we clipped our shetlands head fully and did his lower legs only. The color difference was pretty drastic as he is very 'red' and when clipped her turns tan almost. I was told that shetland people do not full body clip. The classic im showing currently will only be shown once here in area 2 next yr and then at congress. Those of you who show classics or foundations, how do you clip yours? I really dont want to just clip his head because it looks really bad but he stays hairy most yr around i noticed. Especially his legs and under his chin and face badly. What size blade do you use on the face/legs? I'm just looking for other options.

Also, i wish i had paid attention this past yr but is it popular to rasor/bald shetlands? Can i see picks of what/where you rasor on a shetland ..or is it the same as a miniature?

If all else fails before congress i may just send him to a trainer for a month right before congress and have them get him ready for congress for me as in conditioning/clipping/grooming ext. I have one in mind up in Michigan who i really like but i want that to be the last option.

Thats him in my avatar, see how dark his coat is and sleek? I dont think there is any right way to blend just clipping his whole head in enough to actually make it look right. I think we can get by with his legs as it looks good, but the when i fully clip his head the color difference looks tacky lol.

Thanks for replies ahead of time!

 

[disneyhorse]

If your pony has a nice, tight summer coat I don't think I'd body clip. Otherwise, ponies are body clipped to show.

They don't razor Shetlands.

Andrea

 

[kaykay]

leanna if we had done royal earlier i would have just totally body clipped him so he would be all one color. But it was way too close to show time. He does not shed out as thin (and as early) as some shetlands so probably i would totally body clip him once BEFORE show season

then you can just trim his chin.

The other option is to do just his head but do it 2 weeks before a show so hes all one color again. then just clean up long under chin hairs etc.

he is a little trickier as his color changes so drastically. But remember tons of body brushing in the spring will help him shed better. Because most shetlands arent body clipped it requires much more hand brushing.

no razoring in shetlands

 

[Leeana]

Thanks you two!

I was thinking about full body clipping him sometime before his first show next season and then body clipping him agian before congress.

I wasnt sure if it was normal to full body clip bc thats what i am really wanting to do but thought i would check first.

We will prob full body clip twice next yr, we may be able to get by w/ just one body clip and then touch ups.

 

[kaykay]

i think you just have to go by the particlular horse. patches was never body clipped even once but she sheds out so slick there was no reason to. we just trimmed above each hoof and did her jaw and ears. Never had to really clip her head. but with her bay color you couldnt tell that for example the ears had been done and not the whole head.

 

[mendocinobackofbeyond]

This past season we clipped our shetlands head fully and did his lower legs only. The color difference was pretty drastic as he is very 'red' and when clipped her turns tan almost. I was told that shetland people do not full body clip. The classic im showing currently will only be shown once here in area 2 next yr and then at congress. Those of you who show classics or foundations, how do you clip yours? I really dont want to just clip his head because it looks really bad but he stays hairy most yr around i noticed. Especially his legs and under his chin and face badly. What size blade do you use on the face/legs? I'm just looking for other options.

Hi Leena: We always do a full body clip on our show shetlands. There is an excellent video that the office has for sale, put out by Dr. Taylor. I don't remember the name exactly, but someone else may. He goes over the clipping, including the blade sizes. I believe that a No. 10 blade is used on the body with a smaller blade for the head, can't remember the exact size. Surgical? We try to get our ponies clipped three weeks before a show. That gives them time to grow out a little bit of coat (color), yet still look pretty spiffy. Face and feet done again prior to the show. I really suggest that you get that video, has lots of other stuff too, but he does talk quite a bit about clipping. Hope this helps. Ta, Shirlee

Also, i wish i had paid attention this past yr but is it popular to rasor/bald shetlands? Can i see picks of what/where you rasor on a shetland ..or is it the same as a miniature?

If all else fails before congress i may just send him to a trainer for a month right before congress and have them get him ready for congress for me as in conditioning/clipping/grooming ext. I have one in mind up in Michigan who i really like but i want that to be the last option.

Thats him in my avatar, see how dark his coat is and sleek? I dont think there is any right way to blend just clipping his whole head in enough to actually make it look right. I think we can get by with his legs as it looks good, but the when i fully clip his head the color difference looks tacky lol.

Thanks for replies ahead of time!

 

[Lewella]

The only time I body clip is for Congress. By then here in MN the ponies are already starting to think about developing a winter coat and are no longer sleek looking.

I use a 10 on the head and legs - 30 on the muzzle and over the eyes and blend them to the rest of the head with a 15. The trick with the legs and cheeks is don't clip against the lay of the hair - clip with it. This will just take off the long stuff and not mess with the color dramatically. This also works for taking off those long hairs that some of the ponies like to get on their tummies.

:

 

[Getitia]

Leeana

Don't you love Ohio weather? We do body clip our classic shetlands - and unlike miniature judges, shetland judges don't seem to really want to see the "scalped naked' look that is often desired in showing miniatures (or for some - tolerated).

For us, if the shows are early (May) - we always body clip about 2 to 3 weeks prior to the show and the timing depends on the pony. I will either use a 10 or 15 on the body - 30s and 40s on the head/muzzle area and blend.

Some of our classics grow hardly any coat at all and are very sleek throughout the remainder of the show year - others will need clipped 2 or 3 additional times. Foals tend to be the most challenging to time the clipping - but usually I clip them about 1 week before the event. I always clip at least 1 full week prior to the event for the classics and as mentioned above, sometimes more. If I am showing foundation, I want more coat growth and will clip to allow at least 2 or 3 weeks of growth. I hope this helps!

 

[Leeana]

Shirlee i will deffently look into that video, i'm sure if i look around i can find the name of it and where to order.

Thanks everyone for the advice and tips. His first show will be in early june so there is no way we can get by w/out full body clipping. Thanks agian for everything

 

[Erica]

Well I never clipped my shetland last year, even for Congress and he started showing in May......and honestly I didn't spend "endless" hours brushing him - I did groom him, but not every day (as I was in college away from home) so more like once a week. All I did on him was his face, bridlepath and fetlocks; I used a 10 blade and then a 30 on his muzzle. The thing about just doing bits and pieces instead of the whole horse is that it can get tricky, as you have to be careful to get it to blend just right so you can't noticeably tell the cutoff line. I do his clips one week before.

I have some closer pictures that show his coat off better, but I am on my laptop now and those are on my home computer which is having some problems right now....

This was him early May at his first show

and then at Congress

 

[txminipinto]

Depending on the horse and how much hair they grow, all of mine are body clipped at the beginning of the season (March) and then periodically as needed. I always reclip, regardless, before Area or Congress. I use a 10 on the body against the grain, and then a 10, 15, 30, and 40 on the head. No razoring, but I will use a blade to get stray whiskers.

If you plan on sending your boy to trainer for Congress, I would recommend giving the trainer at least 60 days and at best at least 90 days to get him ready. Congress entries do not compare to National entries but the competition is just as tough!

 

[Lewella]

Shirlee i will deffently look into that video, i'm sure if i look around i can find the name of it and where to order.

Thanks everyone for the advice and tips. His first show will be in early june so there is no way we can get by w/out full body clipping. Thanks agian for everything

I'm in Minnesota and all of my show stock was naturally shed off for a Memorial weekend show last year. I could have shown them easily a couple of weeks before without clipping - many of them are very closely related to Royal. Like Erica I don't get carried away with spring grooming. One thing I do do is I add a fat supplement to all of my show ponies diets when I bring them in and start fitting them up. I like MoorGlo by MoorMan's feeds and I know quite a few other people who use MoorGlo or NaturalGlo on their show stock. The extra fat really encourages a nice summer coat and seems to also get that old hair to shed much more efficiently.