Body Clipping 101

Unpopular opinion, I find body clipping relaxing. Well, let me clarify: I find body clipping relaxing on horses who do not dis-enjoy being clipped. How about that? The best way to achieve great results is to be consistent and use the same or at least similar approach each time. Below I’ll share my “guide” to body clipping!

Supplies:

• Andis AGC Super 2-Speed Animal Clippers
• Andis UltraEdge Clipper Blades T10: 1 fresh blade for ears, then 2-3 blades for body/legs/face depending on the size of your horse. For example, I utilize 3 blades total for Ocelot and 4 blades total for Enzo. Disclaimer: Blades shouldn’t be a recurrent cost. Find a local services of clippers/blades and get them sharpened as needed. Here it costs me $5-10 a blade.
• Andis Blade Care Plus
• Shampoo – The Tenda Shampoo is a great option that’s super affordable. Another plus to Tenda is you can get the gallon, add a pump and makes it super easy to dispense! It also smells fantastic.
• Conditioner – I like E3 Argan Oil Conditioner for my pre-body clip conditioning (smells amazing!)
• Coat Spray – I gravitate to Vetrolin Shine soley because I like the smell

Steps:

1. Bathe: This step is probably the most important. Without a thorough bath you could have the best clipping technique in the barn but you will end with many lines and uneven patches of hair. A pre-body clip bath includes scrubbing. I recommend using a curry comb or something similar to really get the soap underneath the hair. I like to do one wash with just shampoo then a second wash with shampoo and condition. The conditioning step really softens the hair follicle making the coat silky smooth. This is key for clipping – the softer the hairs the more life you’ll get from your clipper blades.
2. Coat Spray: Do not be sparing here. I honestly use almost an entire bottle on Enzo when I prepare him for a body clip, Oce I’d say I use 2/3 a bottle. I pay special attention to their legs, really spray there you want to make sure to soften up those coarse leg hairs. I prefer to spray the product on a towel and then wipe over the face and ears. I personally do not clip whiskers but I do condition the nose because who doesn’t love an adorable, shinny, boopable nose?!
3. Dry: To have the best results you must wait for the hair to dry. If you don’t your blades will work harder than needed and will dull more quickly. Worst, you may potentially pull some hairs that get stuck in the blade. So go hand graze and let your pony dry off. If you want to speed up the process you can towel dry and then throw on a sheet with moisture wicking properties.
4. Clip: Everyone has their own preferences on how to clip. I find more success with giving your horse a break throughout the process. I find starting with the more sensitive areas first is helpful before your clippers and blades become warmer. I like to start with Ocelot’s face while he still has some patience. I then work on his body/belly and lastly his legs. Sometimes if I can tell Oce, is just over it I’ll wait to clip his face the following day. Disclaimer: Last season I had my trainer do Enzo’s body clip. He is great but he is a baby and learning. I want to make sure he has a great experience and doesn’t develop negative feelings towards things because of an amateur mistake on my part. I have now successfully clipped his ears and legs on my own. When you are clipping there are lots of different methods, I usually start in one direction against the direction of the hair and then after my initial swipe I move my clipper blades in different directions to make sure I get an even clip. Clipping near the mane can also be nerve wracking. I take my hand on the opposite side of the neck and gently push towards myself while holding the mane down tight. This motion will exposure the coat hairs in a different direction (usually straight up) from the mane hairs. This helps you to not chop off pieces of mane accidentally. Pro Tip: Tie the tail up when clipping the back legs. For doing the upside down V at the base of the tail it is super important to have your horse standing quarter. Oce loves to be rebellious at times, so I have gotten quite good at making this upside down V symmetrical while he is not standing square. Oce is a king and we only disturb him if absolutely necessary. For clipping ears, I hold the ear like a taco and gently clip the hair. I personally don’t get a super close clip here, just enough to tidy them up. In addition to aesthetics, I clip ears so that I can at least a couple times a year see the entire inside of the ear and monitor for lesions, fungus, etc.. Like I’ve mentioned earlier I personally do not clip whiskers anymore.
5. Bathe (again): You know how you feel after body clipping? Yea, well so does your horse. I will spray off all of that loose hair and shampoo/condition again.
6. Hot toweling (optional step): I do not hot towel every time I clip but when I do the results are amazing ✨ To hot towel I have two buckets, one with hot water, one with warm water. The bucket with hot water also has an oil in there, I usually just use baby oil. Then make sure to have plenty of towels. You will put your towel in the hot water/oil bucket, massage your horses coat with that towel getting off dirt, dead skin cells, etc., then rinse the towel in the warm water bucket and repeat. Replace the towel as needed.

Well, there you have it my guide to body clipping! Don’t forget you can use code Oxers for 10% off some of the products linked above at FarmVet. Happy Clipping! 🙂