How to clip a design or saddle pad on your horse
Well, you don’t need many fancy tools, although you might need a bit of practice…and the ability to remind yourself that it will all grow out… if you want to clip a design or keep a furry saddle patch on your horse.
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- Regardless of your style of clipping on your horse, leaving some hair over the withers and down the spine might be a good idea. Clipped hair is shorter than a summer coat until it grows a bit, so that furry saddle pad might be a good idea.
Full body clip with a saddle patch remaining.
How to create saddle pads and designs
- Step one – draw it out. Use a water-based marker in a contrasting color to your horse and trace a numnah or half pad for the saddle area. For designs, you can use masking tape, a stencil, or draw freehand.
I place the half pad, then trace around it. I go wider than I think I’ll need, so I can do some fine-tuning if I have to.
- Step two – grab some clippers with a blade that takes off a lot of hair. A #30 or #40 blade is good. Hold these clippers like a pencil, and at an angle, to trace the lines you have drawn or taped. You may need to flip the clippers around to find the perfect angle to cut a line into your horse’s coat.
Use a blade that removes a lot of hair to edge out your design. Think #40 blade or so. These are trimmers that have an adjustable 5-in-1 blade.
- Step three – Clip the rest! Start a bit bigger for fuzzy designs on a clipped rump so you can work in. Start a bit smaller for clipped designs on a fuzzy rump so you can clip out. I switch to a #10 blade to clip the actual design, it leaves more hair than a #30 or #40.
Stencils are helpful, too.
- Don’t forget to start with a clean horse! And clean and sharp tools! For more on clipping prep, read this. For more on post-clipping shine tips read this.
- If you find that your horse has some colored marker lines remaining, grab a damp cloth and you should be able to wipe them away.
How to use a stencil to create designs
6 Easy tip for clipping
Somewhere in this video there is a glaringly obvious mistake because I’m human and the loose hair obviously infiltrated my train of thought.
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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!