Pick the best clipper blades for horse clipping
What are the best clipper blades for horses? It depends on the type of clip – body clip, trace clip, or trimming. It also depends on how much hair you want to leave on your horse! Here are some general guidelines for understanding clippers and blades for horse clipping. Picking the right blade will give your horse the best clip, not too short or long.
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You can slide the clipper blade apart (not all the way!) for cleaning.
- Clipper blades come in about a zillion different sizes and are made for humans, dogs, cats, horses, sheep, cattle, and just about any creature that grows hair. As a general rule, the blades are numbered. The higher the number, the closer the cut.
- For example, a 10 blade will leave 1.8 mm of hair, a 15 blade will leave 1.5 mm of hair, and a 30 blade will leave .8 mm of hair. Most blades you find at the tack shop will have the length of hair left written on the blade itself in case you forget.
- I love the 10W for body clipping. It’s a wide head blade that goes a little faster and covers more real estate for full body clipping. These are like a hot knife through butter to use when your horse is clean, and your blades are sharp!
So many choices – but each blade has a different application. The blade on the right is a 5 in 1, which makes it versatile. The blade on the left is a 10.
Don’t clip too short on legs or under white hair.
- Depending on the time of year and your horse’s living situation, clipping the legs/face super short can expose sensitive pink skin to the sun and insects. I would suggest trying the body clipping blade for any pink-skinned areas and then going shorter if need be.
- I will still clip white hair close if a wound needs attention. This allows for effective cleaning and medicating; you don’t have to clip a huge area around the wound. Most vets use a #30 or #40 blade to tidy up wounds.
Cordless or corded clippers?
- As far as clippers go, I love light and cordless. Cords can be dangerous; if you are clumsy like me, you will need a map to get yourself untangled. However, many corded varieties have durable and long cords so that you can work around your horse without tangling him in the cord. For more info on how to decide between corded and cordless, feast your eyes on this article.
You can also get a 10 clipper blade in a WIDE version. It saves time for large clips!
Caring for your clippers and blades
- Use OIL! And use it frequently! Oil will help reduce the heat created by the sections of the blades zipping back and forth. Stop every 5 to 10 minutes to brush off your blades and add clipper oil.
- A spray lubricant or coolant will clean the blades, but the lubrication provided quickly evaporates. Use oil after applying a coolant. Every 5 to 10 minutes is a good place to start if you are using coolant and clipper oil.
- If you use too much oil, run the clippers for half a minute and then wipe the extra oil away before touching your horse. For more details on cleaning and storing your clippers, read this one! There’s also a handy video below that explains it all.
For the complete guide to horse clipping, read this. There are tons of photos and videos, from training to blades to techniques and tips.
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This cordless trimmer is powerful and comes with the 5-in-2 blade system for versatility.
This is my favorite clipper - It's great for body clipping, trace clipping, and trimming. Cordless for the win!
Thank you!
