To Clip the Mini or Not?

[Marsha Cassada]

I need to do midnight now but will have to wait till after the next cool spell. she won't leave a blanket on.

 

[Barbie-GypsyFeverFarms]

When you guys are clipping, at what overnight temps are you blanketing your clipped ones at, that live outside and not inside the barn.

 

[emaureena]

I have 6 minis and they all look like fur balls. I live in AZ on the outskirts of Phoenix and our weather fluctuates a lot too. A few weeks ago I went out and had a little ice floating in my automatic waterers for the birds and this was around noon. We can have hard freeze warnings, then up to the 110's in the summer. If I can find someone to clip them, then I clip all of them right when the hotter weather starts, like the end of March, first part of April. Until then I use a set of shedding instruments called SleekEZ. Here is the website for it, but you can buy them just about anywhere.
https://www.sleekez.com/products/10-sleekez-the-original-animal-grooming-tool?variant=12832859619416
I have all three sizes, but the large and medium are the ones I use the most. You would not believe the hair they get off and the hair comes right off without you having to use your hands to get it off. Just slips right off the blade. Somewhere I have a pic of how much hair I got off one of my minis using them. I'll see if I can find it and send it. With these tools, you can get as much or as little as you want off and take it off in stages as the weather gets warmer. I highly recommend them and if you use them enough, you could probably get by without clipping them. Here are the pics.

 

[Barbie-GypsyFeverFarms]

Thanks. Yeah I have a sleekez for my Gypsies. Also hairy critters lol. I normally will do a trace clip in November on necks and chests if still hot occasionally as they’ll sweat in the barn. I normally body clip in April for our first show which is now cancelled. These mini girls are super fuzzy but they are starting to shed so might end up just doing heads and necks this week when it gets warm then and try to shed them out naturally everywhere else. They came from Tennessee and possibly even further east and north from there, unsure of exact origin so they definitely have coats for a different climate than Southern California.

 

[emaureena]

Nice to hear from you Barbie. What a combination, Gypsies and minis. I think Gypsies are just about the most beautiful horses on earth. The minis I've bred here in AZ have the same thick coat as any other miniatures from any other areas of the country. Coat thickness is not related to temperature and the growth or shedding of hair is directly related to the length of the days. That's why my minis start growing winter coats in September/October even when we are still having temperatures in the 90's and higher.
Maureen

 

[Marsha Cassada]

They say 50 degrees at night for a clip without a blanket. i know I will probably have to blanket a few nights till he grows out a little.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Well, for pete's sake. 31 degrees with a wind chill of -8. Plus a rain shower. I wake up and rush out to check on Dapper Dan. Instead of standing in his nice shelter eating hay, he is out in the open shivering. Get his blanket and neck warmer on him and confine him in the shelter.
Only then do I check the faucets and the tender potted plants.
Totally unexpected from the forecast, which did not mention rain nor a freezing low. Yesterday's high was 80, and we've had a 90 day.
It's always a risk to clip early.
Spring is not my favorite season.

 

[imahappyhorsemom]

Well, for pete's sake. 31 degrees with a wind chill of -8. Plus a rain shower. I wake up and rush out to check on Dapper Dan. Instead of standing in his nice shelter eating hay, he is out in the open shivering. Get his blanket and neck warmer on him and confine him in the shelter.
Only then do I check the faucets and the tender potted plants.
Totally unexpected from the forecast, which did not mention rain nor a freezing low. Yesterday's high was 80, and we've had a 90 day.
It's always a risk to clip early.
Spring is not my favorite season.

I'm right there with you! I never know if I should blanket them or turn their stall fans on.

 

[Cayuse]

Clipped my welshie today. He is nekkid . Never had a horse that loves the clippers as much as he does, he moves all around so I can get to the hard to reach spots. When I clip his throat latch, he stretches out his neck and turns his head sideways so I can reach the nook and crannies. He's a smarty pants, that one!

 

[ravenwoodfarm]

My Cully is starting to shed. I'm asking my family for new clippers for my April birthday.

Any standards as to the correct way to clip a mini I.e., bridle path length and how to thin a mane and forelock?

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Dapper Dan has a very full forelock. I've experimented with shaving farther down between his ears, and farther up on the forehead. This year I'm shaving farther up on the forehead and having the forelock begin farther back between his ears. You can shave the forelock thinner between the ears. Use the blade, not attached to the clipper but just held in your hand, and run through the forelock or mane to thin it. I do that from underneath.
How far back to go with the bridle path is personal preference. The Standard, I believe, is shaving back the length of the ear. Since Dapper Dan has a thick, unruly mane with several cowlicks, I take his bridle path all the way back to his withers! It was a hard decision to make one year, but now I do it every year. He looks much better this way.
I think a #10 blade is usual for the body. Someone mentioned a #7, and I think I may buy one of those to see if I like it.
You can put vaseline on the ergots (those callous-things inside legs and on fetlocks--I forget both the names), if they are tough, and the next day they will peel right off.
Other folks may have different/better ideas. I'm not showing, so I keep it simple.

 

[Cayuse]

I do the same as Marsha, tip back an ear and estimate the bridle path lenght by where the ear ends up. I do not like the really long bridle paths seen on most of the show horses. I show mine at the open shows and just do a usuable length bridle path and no one fainted.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Decided to clip Dapper Dan, as it's been kind of hot and humid lately and he was sweaty after a leisurely drive. All my blades were dull--wouldn't you know--so borrowed #7 from my sister. I think the cut is fine for now, but I'm not sure I like it as well as a #10 cut. I had a sharp #15, so I tidied up his legs and face with that, as the #7 just didn't seem to look as nice. I was surprised how long his hair was as I was clipping. No wonder he was hot. Don't think I will do Midnight; her hair is finer and she doesn't seem as uncomfortable in the heat.
I ended up ordering an extra 10 and two 7's from Chewy. I had to research what a 7FC in Andis is. I considered the skip tooth, but decided on the regular blade. The #7 is probably better this time of year as (hopefully) nights will start cooling down. And sent all my blades off to be sharpened--better late than never!

 

[Dragon Hill]

I was told if you use a #7 blade against the grain that you will get a nice short cut without tracks.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I was told if you use a #7 blade against the grain that you will get a nice short cut without tracks.

I'm thinking the 7 blades were not sharp enough. I will try again with fresh, sharp ones.