Clipping question

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Washago, Ontario Canada
Hi! I've lurked on the board on and off for about a year now, and finally decided it was time to ask a question. Some of us don't like rushing into things apparently!

We have two mini's, both black "B" geldings. Diesel has an incredibly thick coat and with the recent heat wave in Central Ontario he has been absolutely roasting under all that hair.

We body clipped him last year with no problems, and sent all the clipper blades out for sharpening this spring. The problem is that now the blades are only cutting for a matter of minutes before it seems like they are almost binding and really lose their power.

We discussed trying to wash him so he was cleaner to clip, but it's not really possible to wash him with all this mass of hair -- he'd never dry! We have been lubing the blades frequently with an aerosol "lube & cool", and frequently stopping the clipper and blowing out between the blades in case hair is getting stuck. My daughter took the blades apart and didn't find anything suspicious in there.

Right now the portions that are clipped look like a really BAD patchwork quilt -- the poor little guy looks awful!!

I know you're going to ask me what number the blades are, but frankly I don't know. They're all for Wahl clippers -- we have a Stable Pro clipper, and a Home Pro clipper and then picked up a great pair of old Oster clippers at a garage sale last summer.

Please help my partially shorn mini-sheep-gelding to look like a beautiful, sleek, shiny black gelding again!

Carol
 
Wash him good with a good sudsing shampoo and work a brush into his coat especially on his back, withers and hips. This helps immensely! Its fine to clip a damp horse and I do it. Keeps the hair from flying. Also, WD40 your clipper blades often when trimming to keep them running good. I spray mine every five or so minutes. Might have to clip him in smaller strokes at first to get the mass of hair off. Good luck!
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I may not be much help because I am fairly new at this too. I was told and found it to be true that lube and kool is not good enough. You also have to oil them after you use that stuff. We use the blade wash and then wipe it off then oil and wipe it off. They work much better when you do that.

I suppose you have been told not to clip a dirty horse, That will dull the blades quickly. The say you can blow the dirt off with a shop vac. and good brushing. That will help some with clipping. The clippers will not go through dirt. You can try cowboy magic to help get any mats out and i use a dog flea comb. It won't take all the dirt out, but those things should help. You might need to buy a couple more blades just in case those have gotten really dull really fast.

Shelia B.
 
There could be a number of things wrong...... Are your clippers in good condition and/or are they powerful enough to get through the thick hair. When It comes to clipping, I have found that you get what you pay for, and I have yet to find any pair of clippers worth using that you don't pay at least $120-$150 for.

Also if the blades are a cheap brand they maybe just be crappy blades that dull easily. I am not suggesting you have crappy blades, but just throwing all the possibilities out there. It's a good idea to rotate between two blades, so when one gets hot, you can use the other.

It also helps to saturate them with show sheen, and then let the show sheen dry, then clip. It makes the hair slippery and easy for the clippers to cut through.

I just got my Double K's in the mail the other day and clipped Pogo today. Very expensive clippers, but so worth it. I will never clip with anything but these again. For the first time ever I didn't once have to stop because the clippers and/or blades were dieing.
 
Sheila is correct.... I usually blow the dirt off first, then bath really, really well, then clip them when they are wet/damp. A dirty horse will dull the blades very fast. If you have a shop vac or air compressor, that should do the trick, just be careful around the eyes. Good luck!!!!
 
Is your clipper sounding funny, as though it is not running smoothly? It could be simple, such as a loose screw on the tang. That will keep your blades from cutting properly.

I would be careful using too much oil. Some clippers, the oil can run down into the motor and ruin it. I did that to my Andis.

I am anxious to clip mine also, but I am waiting one more week--just to be sure.
 
Thanks guys! I think we'll try a bath with some Super Poo shampoo from Absorbine, some Show Sheen, clipping him damp and digging out the Stable Pro clippers which should be a little stronger.

I have realized that we have a "standard" blade, with an adjuster which gives us a couple of different blade clipping lengths. I think we'll clip the rest of him longer, and then go back and do the short one again.

There was a great article on the MHCO website from a clinic they had. It has the pre-clipping bath, and the post-clipping bath detailed, so I printed it out for my daughter who has a PA day today. Maybe when I get home the "clipper fairies" will have been!!
 
Hi,

Welcome to the forum! I had the same problem this spring clipping my mini. The clippers basically stopped clipping and just grabbed at the hair. I had them sharpened last spring (after clipping) by volunteers of a Mini Horse club and I think they were not set up properly. Out of desperation I unscrewed the blades and blew out the hair (after trying the lube bath). I did this several times and each time it would only clip (very badly) for 3-4 strokes before stopping again. I took the blades in to be sharpened and the store told me that I should NOT unscrew the blades to clean out the hair as they are set very precisely when sharpened and I obviously did not reset them correctly after each cleaning. I was told that if they clog with hair I should just slide the top blade sideways until it is released and then blow the hair out and then slide it back in so I don't disturb the screws. I have a very old Oster Animal Clipper (left over from my Cocker Spaniel) and was using a #10 blade.

Hope this helps!

Joanne

Hi! I've lurked on the board on and off for about a year now, and finally decided it was time to ask a question. Some of us don't like rushing into things apparently!

We have two mini's, both black "B" geldings. Diesel has an incredibly thick coat and with the recent heat wave in Central Ontario he has been absolutely roasting under all that hair.

We body clipped him last year with no problems, and sent all the clipper blades out for sharpening this spring. The problem is that now the blades are only cutting for a matter of minutes before it seems like they are almost binding and really lose their power.

We discussed trying to wash him so he was cleaner to clip, but it's not really possible to wash him with all this mass of hair -- he'd never dry! We have been lubing the blades frequently with an aerosol "lube & cool", and frequently stopping the clipper and blowing out between the blades in case hair is getting stuck. My daughter took the blades apart and didn't find anything suspicious in there.

Right now the portions that are clipped look like a really BAD patchwork quilt -- the poor little guy looks awful!!

I know you're going to ask me what number the blades are, but frankly I don't know. They're all for Wahl clippers -- we have a Stable Pro clipper, and a Home Pro clipper and then picked up a great pair of old Oster clippers at a garage sale last summer.

Please help my partially shorn mini-sheep-gelding to look like a beautiful, sleek, shiny black gelding again!

Carol
 
Not sure if this helps or not. I am an experienced dog groomer and I use Oster A5 clippers. One is to cut on clean hair which will not dull your blades as fast and I like to alternate blades to keep them from getting too hot. If you use the Kwik Kool make sure the you lubricate the blades. If the blades are getting too hot too fast that could mean they are screwed on too tight. The other thing to check is the little plastic piece on the clipper that actually makes the blade move, sometimes the bearings wear out and that would definitely contribute to poor cutting. I know on the Oster the bearings are located on the side of the housing. Sometimes the plastic piece wears out too and that is a cheap part to replace and you should be able to do that yourself.
 

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