What time of year...?

[Taxi]

I dont know if this is a dumb question

:, but this will be my first time clipping my mini. So I was just wondering what time of year would be best, and what kind of clippers work good?

Thanks, Chelsey

 

[yankee_minis]

Depends on your weather. In Maine we don't clip until late April or May.

 

[MiniHoofBeats]

Boy it really does depend on weather, i've never clipped either so this year i'm really anxious to get out there and practice lol but in WI weather here is tough to guestimate around! We used to have warm weather and rain starting in early April, now it seems our winter has worked its way almost up to May so this year we may not get to clip until middle/late May....what a bummer!

You just want to make sure the weather is warm enough that your horse wont get the chills. If you feel it's going to be a cold night, put a warm blanket on your horse until it gets warm enough outside for them to be comfortable, or until their natural coat fully grows back in. =)

 

[FFFoxyGal]

This will be my first time clipping as well!!

but,...it is really cold here on the prairies,...I dont really know for sure,...but,...i am guessing that most folks around here dont do anything like that till at least the end of April?

My poor Foxy looks like she has a beard with a goatee!!!

Today,..it is a humid,...minus 45 below,..with the wind chill!!!!!! :new_shocked:

:

 

[Karin - NaKar Miniatures]

Even though I am in the deep South I usually don't like to clip much before May 1. I find if you clip too early the hair that grows back is rather course and dull.

 

[Kim]

but,...it is really cold here on the prairies,...I dont really know for sure,...but,...i am guessing that most folks around here dont do anything like that till at least the end of April?

I am in Calgary, and it's really hard to time clipping so that it coincides with our 3 weeks of summer! :bgrin

Seriously, though, clipping in April is still too early. Unless I have to because of a show (and I have a heated barn to put the horses in if I need to) I don't clip until the end of May at the absolute earliest, and preferably even later than that. You would be surprised at how easily minis get cold when clipped--a good rule to go by is that if you can comfortably be outside in shorts and a t-shirt at all hours of the day (even the middle of the night), then it's okay to clip.

 

[FFFoxyGal]

ok,..Thanks for that info Kim

I really wasnt quite sure,..it was just a guess,.LOL ,....Foxy and I really appreciate it,..The end of May,.....sounds super good to us!!!!

:

 

[BFS_Simon_Says]

I'm patiently (not really) waiting to clip my boys. I would usually clip around the end of March since that's when the days are usually really warm but the nights are cold (I blanket at night and on cold days) that way I can start drivng them harder then usual. Ever since my vet slipped part of Spirit's neck and I got a preview of what he's hiding under all that fur I've had to get my mom to hide my clippers so I wouldn't do anything stupid. Like clip them when our temperature is supposed to drop to -17 (it's +15 right now).

 

[foalfan]

I generally plan on clipping on Mother's Day weekend.

I live in NM and by that time the lows are in the mid 50's.

I have found by waiting for the night temps to stay in the 50's I don't need to blanket

I use a variety of clippers, I have the jumbo livestock clippers to get thru the winter coat,

I use the A5 size clippers for finish work and have a tiny battery powered clipper for the tight spots.

I use a 10 blade for the majority of the work.

While it is still cold, I just do light clean up clips around the face to remove the beards.

The horses are shedding now so between now and May it's a lot of brushing!!

 

[lyn_j]

[SIZE=14pt]I only clip the ones I show, the rest shed on their own except the weaners, I clip them so they dont get too hot in summer... but our first show has been end of april so that week. This year it may be the last of march.... not sure about that show yet.[/SIZE]

Lyn

 

[mininik]

"The horses are shedding now so between now and May it's a lot of brushing!!" foalfan

Karen, you could cut down on a lot of that brushing this year with a shop vac set on 'blow'.

: Just a thought!

 

[foalfan]

Nikki,

The barn vac and extension cord stay under the feed table!

:

I will be using it tomorrow, we have a group comming by that has friends that have never seen a mini

The first time my hubby came home and saw me using it on a horse he just shook his head. Now he pulls it out more than I do.

 

[sedeh]

I only body clip the show horses. Otherwise lots of brushing and shedding blade. I will trim heads just so they look cute! The other part of your question was what clipper do we use.....I have Double K's and love them and then I have cordless Oster's for small trim work. Good luck, have fun....it is fun to see what's under all that hair!

 

[nicole]

I would like to clip end of March but the way the weather is I just can't see myself doing that. We have a heated barn and lots of winter blankets but I just don't like the thoughts of leaving them in and putting blankets on. Why when they have a natural one.

I just can't wait to see my horses underneath all that coat. So I may just start in April.

 

[Sterling]

I don't ususally clip out until May. They start shedding sooner than that but our evenings still are not consistant. We get warm/cool days but the nights can be cooler and I don't like to take my chances.

I use Andis body clippers and Andis regular clippers for the face and legs.

 

[Southern_Heart]

Depends on weather and where you are!

I live in south Texas and I won't clip till the nights stay warm.

I use the 501K though, when I clip.

Joyce

 

[Miniv]

I generally plan on clipping on Mother's Day weekend.

I live in NM and by that time the lows are in the mid 50's.

I have found by waiting for the night temps to stay in the 50's I don't need to blanket

I use a variety of clippers, I have the jumbo livestock clippers to get thru the winter coat,

I use the A5 size clippers for finish work and have a tiny battery powered clipper for the tight spots.

I use a 10 blade for the majority of the work.

While it is still cold, I just do light clean up clips around the face to remove the beards.

The horses are shedding now so between now and May it's a lot of brushing!!

With those that we clip, we follow much of what " Foalfan" posted. We do not clip all of our horses, mostly just our show and sales ones. The primary thing we go by is how cold it's getting AT NIGHT.

MA