Clipping your horse can be a bit of an art form, but with the right techniques and a little know-how, you too can achieve that sleek, professional finish.
Whether you’re clipping for the first time or looking to refine your skills, these ten top horse clipping tips will help you get the best results while keeping your horse comfortable.
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1. Clip Against The Hair—But Not Directly
When clipping the body, clip against the direction of hair growth, but rather than going straight against it, angle the clippers slightly. This reduces clip lines and prevents those pesky blade teeth marks from showing up. A little tilt can make a big difference to the finish—check out Jillian Scotts video for a great demonstration!
2. Hot Cloth After Clipping
Once you've finished clipping, grab a bucket of hand hot water with a diluted mild disinfectant or a dash of oil of your choice and give your horse a good wipe-down with a clean cloth to remove any stray clipped hairs.
- Hot clothing helps to calm the skin, relax the muscles and leaves a beautiful shine without stripping away the natural oils the skin.
- Hot clothing with a diluted solution of dettol or hibiscrub will also reduce the risk of irritating sensitive skin or the development of demographic lines (dermatographia). This helps soothe the skin, removes leftover hair clippings plus any remaining clipper oil residue and reduces the risk of post-clip irritation.
Find more hot clothing tips on our blog here.
3. Avoid Fleece Blankets
Fleece rugs are great for warmth, but after clipping, they can stick to the short hair like velcro and cause skin irritation—especially if layered under another rug for left on for long periods such as overnight. Instead, opt for a smooth breathable cotton or nylon lined rug to keep your horse warm and comfy. Reserve fleece coolers for drying off a damp horse, for a short period of time.
4. Use Medium Cut Blades for Greys
Greys and light coated horses with pink skin can look a little too clipped if you go too short! Medium blades that cut to 2.5mm or longer will leave a good covering to ensure the pink colouration doesn't show through the coat and their skin isn’t left exposed. This is especially important if you clip in summer when their skin needs extra protection from the sun.
5. Use Your Trimmer Upside Down
Trimmers are a fantastic accompaniment to any heavy duty clipper. Their handy size and easy manoeuvrability make them to perfect tool for a delivering a professional looking finish to your groom.
- For blending and creating those super neat edges to your clip, flip your trimmer upside down and lightly brush over the areas to fade clipped hair into the natural lengths. Watch our video here.
- To create professional sharp lines to your clip, turn the trimmer over and place the edge of the blade along the line of your clip and drag it gently down a short way to create a crisp edge, repeating along the line. Perfect for half faces, leg lines, saddle patches and partial clips.
6. Comb Guards for Tidy Legs
Want to neaten up your horse’s legs but don’t want them looking overly clipped? A5 comb guards are your best friend when you want your horse to look natural but just a bit tidier!.
- These handy snap-on attachments are a versatile gadget to provide an instant choice of clip lengths from just one clipper blade longer length clip options,
- Comb guards are brilliant for tidying up fluffy legs, keeping on top of a hogged mane and trimming the long guard hairs on the back of the legs, under the neck, belly, face and jaw.
7. Creating a Straight Line On The Neck
If you’re doing a trace, Irish clip, chaser or any other partial clip that requires a neat mid-line on the neck, get a helper to turn your horse’s head gently away from you as you clip upwards. This naturally stretches the skin and helps you achieve a sweeping straight line.
8. Clip Lines? Try the Hoovering Trick
Even the most experienced clippers sometimes leave lines! If you spot some, don’t panic—just go back over the area with short, light, ‘hoovering’ movements in slightly different angles. This technique blends the hair and evens out any missed patches leaving your horse’s coat looking smooth and polished.
9. Use an RCD with Mains-Powered Clippers
If you’re using heavy-duty mains clippers, always plug them into a Residual Current Device (RCD). This little gadget cuts the power if the cable gets damaged or if your horse accidentally steps on it, keeping both of you safe.
10. Always Have Spare Blades Ready
There’s nothing worse than starting a clip only to find your blade has gone blunt halfway through. Keep at least two or three of the same blade type on hand so you can switch them out when needed. A dull blade won’t just slow you down—it can also cause tugging and irritation, making the clipping experience less pleasant for your horse.
Professional Horse Clipping Tips With Masterclip
With these horse clipping tips in your grooming toolkit, you’re well on your way to a stress-free, beautifully clipped horse.
For more expert horse care advice, browse our other blogs or get in touch with us for personalised horse clipper recommendations.
