Help, clipping head

[Fanch]

My gelding is being clipped tomorrow and my mom usually does the clipping. This time, I'm doing it and I want to know how to solve this problem.

When my mom clips around the eyes (hes just a showmanship man, so no balding for him; and I also don't like the look of balding on greys, IMO) she tends to leave a ring around the eye that is a bit noticeable for a few days, but after a week or so, the ring is VERY noticeable. Heres a picture of what I'm talking about

http://s218.photobucket.com/albums/cc111/S...nt=HPIM1151.jpg

SO, how do you clip around the eye without taking off the eyelashes?? What eyelashes do I need to keep on??

And any other tips of the use of a 30 blade would be nice, this will be my 1st time using a close blade (usually I just do the body clip, mom the piky stuff)

Any help or adice is great, doing this tomorrow morning

 

[Rebecca]

I use my thumb to cover the eyelashes/edge of the eye lid, then I just clip right over the 'top' of the eye. I do the same thing for the bottom of the eye. Sorry if that sounds confusing, that's the best I can explain it!

I too hate clipping off eyelashes and wince whenever I accidently nip a few off.

Rebecca

 

[hobbyhorse23]

My general rule as someone who also does not show halter is to leave all eye-lashes and clip all the long eye-whiskers. I'm still not real great at clipping those small spaces above and below mini eyes (I can do an Arab quite nicely!

) but typically do as Rebecca does and clip from the back of the eye forward over the lid while holding it stretched down with gentle pressure from my finger. On the underside of the orbital socket there's just no choice on my horse but to clip straight up toward the eye but I try very hard never to clip any lashes if I can help it.

A 30 blade will blend in better if you clip with the longer blades first. For instance do the whole horse in a 10, then reclip the belly, throat, and entire head from the ears or cheeks forward in a 15, then go over the eyes and muzzle with your 30 rather than going directly from "hairy" to clipping with a 30. The more recently you've clipped, the less this matters although I would always do that on the eyes and muzzle. If you were going to razor I'd say to clip those areas with a 50 before doing so as Laura of Ten-L recommends to make the razor slide smoother. Heck, go to her website! She's got some nice diagrams of facial clipping.

Good luck, I remember what a rite of passage it was the first time I got to do all my own fine-clipping.

Leia

 

[mydaddysjag]

Im for sure no pro, but for heads I clip the entire head in a 30, from the cheek bone down in a 40, and above the eye, and the muzzle in a 50. I do this whether or not I am going to razor. If I decide to razor (which I usually do, I like it on my geldings) I just razor over the area where I clipped with the 50. From the pictures it looks like mom isnt getting close enough to the eye lashes, which is causing the ring. I think this because the eye whiskers are still there. You want to take off those long black whiskers around the eyes, and leave his little blonde lashes.

What I do it hold my finger to the eyelashes on whatever side I am clipping on, and run my clippers toward the eye. I'll hit my finger before I take off the lashes.