Attacked by clippers......

[MiniCooper]

I am a complete newby to the mini horse world (since last Saurday to be exact!). I have never had to deal with the whole body clipping issue.

I got a really sweet 18 yr old 28" stallion from a lady that couldn't afford her horses anymore.

And I am in LOVE!

I saw pics of him and went to see him before taking him. He, of course, had a ton of hair.

She delivered him to me....and she SAYS her 10yr old daughter decided to clip his head and neck so he looks better (you can see how pretty his head is now though..). But he looks like he fought with a weed whacker!

He has blade marks going down his neck, there are spots where obviously the blades were dull/dirty, his bridle path is WAY too short....I'm sure you get the general idea! He is a mess!! I brought out my clippers a little bit to TRY to make him look better.

And he could care less about the clippers at all, so I know it wasn't him wiggling around that caused the mess.

The old owner says that the owners before her used to show him/drive/parades/leadline etc.

And with his temperment, I believe her.

But....how do I fix him??

Or how long will it take for his coat to come back and look "normal"??

Thanks in advance!

 

[Leeana]

Wait for it to grow back in some and then clip him your self ..my clips early on are nothing fancy, but when i sit down to do a show clip that is totally different.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

*giggles*

First of all, hi there and welcome to the world of minis!

I'm sorry your adorable furry guy was attacked by such a vicious pair of clippers (they're fiercer when they awake from hibernation in the spring, you know) but the good news is I think we can fix him.

The trick is going to be to smooth out the original clip job and then simply wait for him to shed out and grow a summer coat to replace it.

The biggest thing is to make sure the horse is clean and dry before clipping. When you get a day that's warm enough, wash his head and neck (and anywhere else you plan to clip) down to the skin and let them dry completely. Spray him with some show sheen and use a good sharp #10 blade against the direction of the hair growth to smooth him out. If you have a variable speed clipper, make sure the speed is set high enough to cut through thick winter hair. Keep your blades oiled as you work and brush the accumulating hair out of them periodically so they stay cool. Try to use long smooth strokes rather than short choppy ones and let the blades "float" along the skin. Use your other hand to pull wrinkly areas tight as you go over them. As you noticed, dull blades or ones that get dirt in them will leave clipper tracks. You can go over those marks again with a sharp blade or at a different angle and hopefully get rid of them but it can be tricky. The first clip of the year is always a little rough-looking anyway, that's why most people clip twice before the first show.

As for the too-long bridle path, well...the good news is minis grow hair so fast it will probably be through the mohawk stage in a year or so!

Again, welcome to LB.

Leia

 

[Reignmaker Miniatures]

Leia, you give great advice

But, I believe she said the bridle path was too short, not to long in which case it is a simple matter to lengthen it. Be warned tho, if you take of too much it will be a while before it grows back and you'll be forced to live with the 'mowhawk' that Leia spoke of. I'd like to add my welcome to LB and the wonderful world of minis too.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

But, I believe she said the bridle path was too short, not to long in which case it is a simple matter to lengthen it.

Heh, good catch!

I guess I assumed since everyone knows how to lengthen a bridle path that she must mean they'd cut it way too far back. My bad!

Leia

 

[Valerie]

Mini cooper.....welcome to the forum!!

Yep, everyone is giving great advice......just have to have clean hair & sharp blades to even it out & then let it grow out........

Depending on where you are located, it's easier said than done to get a horse washed this time of year......haha....atleast in wet, cold WA........

Always nice to see new people joining the forum!!

Can't wait to see pics of you guy....... I love to see the pics of everyone's horses.....

Valerie

 

[MiniCooper]

Thank you all for the advice! I think I figured out how to put him as my avatar......He doesn't look too bad in the head shot I took of him this afternoon!!

 

[REO]

He's adorable! I don't blame you for falling in love!

Welcome to the forum!

 

[The Simple Life Farm]

Welcome to the forum!!!

If it is too cold to bathe him, use a blower/shopvac to blow the dirt off, then recip. You can get alot of dirt off this way, but it will still dull the blade. I did a full body clip last weekend this way, and only went through 1 blade.

 

[sams]

What a cute little old mad you have

Welcome to the forum

 

[wildoak]

Handsome boy you have acquired

I'm sure you will enjoy him, and he will be the first of many LOL.....that seems to be the way it goes with minis! You've gotten great clipping advice already.

Jan