Clipping a horse

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The colder days are around the corner, horses are creating another winter coat and maybe now is the time for your horse to be clipped.

Choosing a fine clipper for your horse is not always easy. Your first consideration is often the price, but be sure to also look carefully at the quality, functions and durability of the machine. When making the right choice, you should consider how often you will use the clipper, will you use it for the whole horse or just for grooming and if your horse is easily stressed during clipping, choose one with less noise.

If you have just one horse where you will only be clipping the head and legs. Then you don't need to look for a very advanced clipper - a small clipper will do the job. But if you are going to clip the entire stable from top to bottom, look for a powerful clipper that will last a long time.

You have different types of clippers:
The clipper for light work, the trimmer.
The trimmer is great for shaving up and grooming your horse. Think of clipping the ears, head and legs. Trimmers are generally very light and quiet, so very suitable for a nervous horse or for introducing clipping to a young horse. They are also handy for carrying around or making fun artistic figures.

Tip trimmer: The Liveryman Nova Clipper, Sectolin Clipper SE-210 Pro or the Wahl Admire Clipper.

Clippers for mild work
Clippers for mild work are suitable for clipping the whole horse and all coat types. Although they do tend to be larger than trimmers, they are still light and easy to handle and very powerful in their work. With these clippers, you need to adjust the blades to match the clipping force.

Tip medium clipper: The Wahl Eclipse, Lister Star Clipper or the Aesculap Bonum GT654.

Heavy-duty clippers
Heavy-duty clippers are suitable for professional use and when clipping multiple animals frequently. They are made for heavy-duty work, durability and can clip through tough and difficult hair very well. These clippers often have a strong motor that can handle regular heavy work well, making them great for clipping a wide range of horses and coat types. Due to the required power of the clipper, some units can be heavier and therefore difficult to handle, so be sure to take this into account when choosing the type of clipper as well.

Tip heavy-duty clippers: Wahl Legend, Liscop Super 3000 Clipper or the Liveryman Kare-Pro Slick 150.

Maintenance of your clipper:
Maintenance of your clipper is very important, of course you would like it to last as long as possible. It differs per clipper or trimmer what kind of maintenance it needs.

Use oil for your clipper
Regularly oiling blades of your clipper is a must. This will keep the blades moving easily over each other and prevent them from heating up quickly. The blades can overheat and wear out faster due to too much friction if you don't oil the blades enough. Even when using a new clipper, it is important to properly oil the blades first. When applying the oil to the blades, keep the clipper head down well, this prevents oil from getting into the motor. It is also important to oil the clipper after shaving the horse.

Each brand has its own oil. For example, for a Sectolin clipper you have Sectolin clipper oil, for Lister clippers you have Lister blade set oil and from Wahl you have special blade set oil and cleaning spray. It is usually the best choice to go for the brand's own oil, but you can also use a universal clipping oil.

A clean coat
If you want to clip your horse, it is important to wash him/her well first. The blades go more easily through a clean coat and you get the best end result. It is also important for the maintenance of your clipper to clip through a clean coat. Sand and dirt wear down the blades faster and they are more likely to need replacing.

Remove hairs
While clipping, it is good to occasionally check the clippers head to make sure it is not full of hair. If this is the case, it is better to remove it first. This will keep the machine clipping better and prevent it from jamming or overheating. Hair can clog the air cooling system, so regularly blow the hair away at the air filter.