It's clipping time! My favorite time of the year :)

[wingnut]

On the advice of a friend who is a professional groomer, I bought a pair of Andis horse/cattle clippers. Getting that fuzzy layer of hair off has never been so easy! Without having to bath first!!! It takes me about 20 minutes to get the body clipped. It's a rough clip to be sure, but it will make bathing and the finesse clipping a breeze.

Here's my yearling. She's angled uphill here, but I've never had a yearling with such a straight topline like hers. I was worried she would be a bit underweight but I think she's looking really good.

Our first show is next Sunday, so we'll be doing the finesse clipping this week. I'd love to hear how you folks who have been in the showing world for some time on what you would do with her mane? It's sun bleached. I know I could use some dye of sorts, but her mane isn't really black. So what should I do?

 

[lucky seven]

I wish I could find someone to clip both my horses. They are wooly bears and it's a hassle shedding them out. Yours looks great!

 

[Marty]

She's in very good condition! She is very cute.

For the mane I would bring that bridle path way back and probably shorten it up. The less mane you have to deal with the better. AS for the color, that's a hard one if her mane isn't naturally black. You could try a dye the closest to what it really is which would make it more "uniform" for lack of a better word and get rid of the sunbleach. I always leave my dye on a whole lot longer than it says on the directions too. Don't forget the forelock and tail. You might try dark ash brown.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

The sun bleaching might not be that big of an issue of you get the mane conditioned and shiney. Sometimes dyeing is too artificial looking because it is too uniform.

I'm planning to try and dye my mare's mane, tail, and forelock this week before I clip. She is supposed to be black. I'm going to use Just For Men for the first time.

One of mine is shedding out well, but my mare looks a lot like yours. I rake a bucketful off her every day. I have a plastic child's rake I use to pick up poop and it makes a great "back scratcher" for them. I rake with all my strength down their sides, buttocks and rump and even the stomach. They just about fall over in ecstasy.

I'm not doing a show, so I'm not under the pressure you are. But I'm looking forward to getting rid of that yak fur.

Your pretty girl appears to be in lovely condition. Good luck at your show!

 

[wingnut]

Thanks ladies! Her tail, oddly enough, is not as sun bleached. It's also a multi-color tail including some cream tail hairs, so it won't be dyed. I'll work on her mane over the next couple of days to see if I can improve it without dyeing it. I figure it goes with the territory. Each horse has it's own unique grooming issue. My silver bay? Keeping her mane and tail clean from bathing to show time. My sorrel and mostly white pinto? Those darn white legs! So Ginger must have something that makes grooming her not a straight forward proposition