Theres got to be a better way - clipping

[mydaddysjag]

It's been getting pretty warm here lately, and my colt was been getting quite hot and sweaty, and he dosent dry. He is sweaty just standing, and it obvious that he is quite uncomfortable. I decided that I was going to trace clip him to help him cool down because it is still too chilly at night to do a full clip. Today my Barn manager helped me try to clip him some. I expected him to flip out, but he was actually really good. He was clipped once as a baby by his breeder, but he was small enough then to just hold him still. He didnt try to buck or rear or bite today, he just got tired of standing still. We took turns of someone holding him, and someone clipping. Heres the problem. The clippers cant even get through his winter hair. We were using a 10 blade, and it took forever, and we didnt get much done. We were basically brushing him with the blade until we got enough of a path to try to clip, and that was a very choppy clip. The blades are just getting stuck in his hair. My double K's are off getting repaired, so I dont have them to try. Im thinking my best bet would possibly be to cut the hair down as much as I can with scissors, and then use the clippers. Would a skip tooth blade make any difference? We were clipping for atleast 2 hours and only got the hair on his neck cut back, and his chest area. The hair is still about 1/2" long because after 2 hrs he just couldnt stand still anymore. Hes not even a year yet, so I was glad that he stood so well so long and decided we would do more on a different day. I thought it would be better to end on a good note. Any tips? Blades were sharp and oiled, but it didnt seem to make a difference

 

[Mona]

If you can bath him, and then spray him with Show Sheen and let him dry thoroughly before clipping, the blades will run through the coat a lot better. Also, are you clipping with the direction of the hair growth, or against? You need to clip against.

Also, keep the blades clean(dipping occassionally in blade wash) and well oiled while clipping. Good Luck!

 

[minih]

That first haircut is the hardest. We have a heavy pair of the gold osters that we use on them for the first clip. Mona's suggestion of a clean coat and show sheen will be your best bet with a smaller pair of clippers and A5 blades.

 

[mydaddysjag]

Honestly it hasnt been warm enough here to bath yet because i dont know how steady the weather will be. Today was warm, but it rained, its supposed to be warm for a few days, but rainy. I did curry him really well before trying to clip him. I do have a horse vaccume, Im going to try to get him used to it and try to get more of the dirt off of him. Hopefully he will accept it quickly and maybe I can spend an hour or so vaccuming him. If theres a day thats warm and not rainy Im going to try to bath him, but you never know. Our wash stall is outside, so the weather decides when we bath. I think I am going to try cutting some of the hair back with scissors before I bath him so theres less to wash and dry. I really dont care about clean lines and track marks, I just want him comfortable. I do hair for a living, so Im confident that I can blend out any lines I make before show season.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Can you set it on Blow??

Also I never am able to wash before I clip- it is still freezing here and although I would not normally clip at this time of year for this reason I have had four to clip for a sale- I have had no problems but I am using a full size horse clipper- it is all I have that will do a full clip, there is no small animal clipper on the market I would use for anything except head and neck.

Going with the coat will help initially but it is the scurf up by the skin that causes the real problems- hence the advice to wash first- and by currying you are spreading this throughout the coat- thus the difficulty getting the blades through the coat.

I have gone through eight sets of blades on four horses, so I would think your blades are now blunt!!

Try blowing him well out before hand, start with fresh blades and use the coarsest blades possible- I have a special set specifically for this, but even they gave up after two horses.

It is not, I know, the washing that is the problem- with me it would take three days for the horse to dry out!!

 

[mininik]

:lol: Something is definitely wrong with either your clipper blades or your clippers or both. Although I agree with the other posters that clipping a dirty coat is not easy or good on your equipment, a decent running pair of decent clippers with a decent blade should be able to do the job much easier and quicker than you describe. :new_shocked:

So, what kind of clippers are you using? How old are they and when were they last serviced? How much have they been used since then? What about your blades? When were they last sharpened and how much have they been used since then? What "oil" product were you using to lube them as you went? Some cheaper clippers just aren't powerful enough to work on some coats, especially thick winter coats on horses. On the other hand, even if your clippers are newer/powerful enough and/or recently serviced, it's possible something has worn or broken down inside the clipper and is causing it to run poorly. This could be because your blades were not in good working order when you used them last (even if they were new or recently serviced).

That said, I am a professional groomer (of both dogs and horses) and would not recommend using a skip tooth blade on a horse. Skips feed more hair into the blades quicker, but it's also easier to catch the skin. A #10 should be all you need for a quick shave down (once you figure out what the problem is with your equipment) and if you cannot bathe the horse, try blowing out the coat before clipping.

Jane - I just finished clipping our string and only used 3 (sharpened, not new) blades on Double K clippers and did about 6 horses per blade. These horses were FILTHY, but the blades still went through their coats like butter.

:

 

[New2Minis]

Yes I agree with mininik. I just clipped 4 unbathed Mini's (full body clip) with my Andis Super 2 Speeds with the same blade. I got them 6 months ago and still using the same blade they can with and they are still sharp as can be. ALso mininik, what kind of finish does a skip tooth blade leave? I have never used one.

Good luck!

:

 

[Suzie]

I have clipped unbathed horses with a Show Sheen spray on. It definitely makes clipping go smoother...

 

[ChrystalPaths]

Yup, the first clip of the season for me is always a dirty horse and I use a 10, but I spray on the Show Sheen to save the blades.

 

[mydaddysjag]

Well my double K's are on their way to tony for repairs and maitenance so I cant use those. I was trying to use my A5's with a supposedly sharp 10 blade and clipper oil. They never got hot, so I didnt use anything else. After getting agrivated with them my Barn Manager tried using a set of her wahls. They worked about the same as my A5's. Im pretty sure the problem is the dirt, but I cant bath yet. Im going to vaccume him really good, then blow his coat out and spray him with some show sheen. My barn manager also said his coat was still very soft like a baby coat, and he is a yearling, maybe that is making it harder for my clippers? I really wish I had a set of sheep shears because I felt like I was shearing a sheep. Keep the advice comming.

 

[bevann]

After experimenting for almost 20 years with clipping and some very serious mistakes(coming from a bif horse background I was always told never clip a dirty horse, but a Mini yearling in winter coat can take several days to dry after a bath) I have found a system that works for me.I use a#10 wide blade and go with the direction of the hair growth and don't dig real deep.They look awful, but it gets off lots of the long hair.Then wash the horse and get the dirt out.Then clip with whatever blade you use and go against the hair growth.If I have some that will be turned out lots I use a#4 blade.It leaves some hair for protection against the elements especially bright sun for Pinto horses.Good luck.The first clip of the year is always the most difficult.

 

[Reble]

We where told by a clipper repair guy, the fault usually we do is not too oil enough, oil, oil, oil more often than you think.... :new_shocked:

 

[mininik]

Okay, check out this website for some serious professional advice regarding your clippers and blades:

www.bladeguyz.com

Your A5s should have been able to handle the job. Since Wahl makes many kinds of clippers, some stronger than others, I couldn't tell you if they should have performed as well.

For everyone else, the above website can also answer all of your questions about clippers and blades not cutting, making too much noise, getting too hot, etc.

 

[Sandee]

After experimenting for almost 20 years with clipping and some very serious mistakes(coming from a bif horse background I was always told never clip a dirty horse, but a Mini yearling in winter coat can take several days to dry after a bath) I have found a system that works for me.I use a#10 wide blade and go with the direction of the hair growth and don't dig real deep.They look awful, but it gets off lots of the long hair.Then wash the horse and get the dirt out.Then clip with whatever blade you use and go against the hair growth.If I have some that will be turned out lots I use a#4 blade.It leaves some hair for protection against the elements especially bright sun for Pinto horses.Good luck.The first clip of the year is always the most difficult.

I second this. I always use a #10 wide blade on the first clip of the year. I never thought that you could easily clip that winter coat but my (new last year) Double Ks went right thru it last year. What a nice surprise. Of course if you can wash, it makes it easier but several really good grooming sessions and that vaccum would improve things too!

 

[River Wood]

When we clip the first dreaded clip of the season with all of that terribly LONG hair, we use a clipper blade that works wonders for us. Its an Oster blade and its a wide skip tooth. Wish we would have had it LONG ago. We love it and have never had a problem with using it.

 

[shane]

hi connie, speaking of osters ive bought a set in from the usa, and i tried them, and they wouldbnt cut atall, im not sure if i should tighten or loosen the blades

any advise is appreciated

 

[fowlersminis]

I have always had success with my Double K clippers. I used to have Oster clippers, but they're definately not powerful enough for full or even partial body clipping. It seems like the speed of the motor makes a significant difference. Of course, the blades need to be sharp, and the horse should be as clean as possible. But I don't ususally bathe mine before the partial clipping in the Spring, and I've never had a problem with my Double K's. Good Luck!!!

 

[mydaddysjag]

Just wanted to thank everyone for their input