The Best Tools for Clipping Your Horse

Gather these tools and clipping your horse is easy!

Clipping your horse, be it a full body clip or some sort of modified trace clip, doesn’t have to be the horrible chore that we all seem to make it out to be.

Ok, ok, it can have moments of horror as the wind changes direction just as you are yawning and you end up choking on a huge hairball. But a few things to do before you clip and you will be good to go.

Gather these items and get ready to prep and clip:

Shampoo

Detangler

Hair clip to keep the mane out of your clipper path

Clippers

Super clean and sharp clipper blades (video below for tips)

Sharp blades and clipper oil are mandatory!

Clipper oil

Clipper coolant

Post-clipping conditioner

Post-clipping blanket or sheet

Successful horse clipping starts with preparation – and the end result of a super clean horse that’s also super slick.

The oilier your horse, the easier it is for the clipper blades to slide across your horse. But, when you shampoo your horse to get rid of stains, dirt, all the normal horse stuff, you are also taking some natural oils. Hence the detangler. Adding back some sheen creates a super slick hair shaft that’s also easy to clean. Using a spray-on type after your horse dries is easier than using a conditioner that you need to rinse.

Your clipper blades must be sharp and in good condition to do their job.

Your clipper blades are totally important to the success (and speed) of a clip job.

Sharp and clean blades reduce lines and increase speed. Have a clipper oil handy for lubricating the blades often, as well as a spray can of coolant. Coolant is NOT clipper oil – you must follow using coolant with more oil!

Alternatively, you can use an ice pack and two clipper blades as you work, one cools down on the ice as you switch to another blade. You can learn more about clipper blades here.

After clipping, your horse’s hair will be shorter (awesome) and also a different color (probably).

Bays can be mousy colored, chestnuts can be pumpkin-ish in color. The skin and hairs may also seem a bit dry. For the old school grooms out there, mayonnaise is the go-to leave-in conditioner of choice to make your horse’s coat soft and shiny after a clip.

For the rest of us that would puke at the thought of this, go with a spray-on oil and a sheet or blanket to condition the coat. You can rinse it out in a few hours or the next day for a glossy finish!

No. 1 Light Oil is an alternative to mayonnaise.

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