This is a fun and easy way to show some creative flair on your horse. You don’t have to be particularly creative, there are lots of simple designs that you can do. It’s also perfectly fine to clip a design any time of the year, with any length of your horse’s hair coat.
There are two basic ways to clip a design. One, you can clip away the hair inside your design and the design will be shorter than your horse’s coat. This is the usual way when your horse has a summer coat. Two, you can clip away your horse’s coat and leave a fuzzy design. This is easy in the winter if you are body clipping or trace clipping and want to leave a design in the clipped area of your horse.
Just as with any type of clipping, you want your horse and your clippers to be prepped. This makes for easy clipping, no pulling or yanking on your horse, and a clean finish.
Start with a clean horse. Dirt and dust on your horse’s skin and coat slow down your clippers, create that uncomfortable tug on your horse, and damage your clipper blades. Ideally, you should thoroughly groom your horse and follow up with a shampoo. This assures that all of the dust and dirt is gone. To make things even easier, use a grooming oil after bathing to add some luster and lubrication back to your horse’s coat. Shine sprays sometimes have a lot of alcohol, which is drying and not as helpful as oil before a clip.
Start with clean clippers and clean clipper blades, too. Ideally, your clippers and blades are cleaned, disinfected, and oiled after each use. This extends the life of your clippers and blades. Before you use your clippers, add some oil to the blades and then get started. Sharp blades are also best, so if you are unsure, switch to a new blade.
As you are clipping, you will want to oil your clipper blades every five to ten minutes or so to keep things moving smoothly.
It’s only three easy steps to create a design on your horse!
It’s totally fine to use a marker or piece of chalk to outline your design. You may also find some stick-on patterns that you can follow.
The next best thing to do is outline your design with clippers. Use a trimmer with a 5-in-1 blade so you can adjust the blade length as you work. Start with your clipper blades set to #40. This takes off maximum hair. Hold the trimmers as you would a pencil, and use the corner of the blade to draw over your outline. Doing this gives you a visible border as you clip out the design.
Now you can change your clipper blades to a #9 or #10, the other end of the spectrum. Use this setting to clip away the design. You have the borders you already created in the second step to tell you where to stop. You can throw the old rule about clipping against the hair growth, it’s just a matter of coloring in the lines at this point.
You can clean up any marker or chalk lines with a damp rag.
Some things to remember about clipping your horse, even if it’s just a design.
If you mess up, it’s not a big deal! A horse’s coat is always growing and shedding, it will even out over time.
If you are clipping in the summer, be aware of your horse’s skin tone and the sun. True white horses have pink skin, and clipping away the hair can expose him to sunburn. You can always use sunscreen and a fly sheet, or you can wait until winter when the sun isn’t as harsh.
Keep your horse’s coat and skin healthy and shiny with lots of grooming and a good diet. This will keep your horse’s design looking great.
If you need some practice, start with simple designs. Straight lines are sometimes easier than wavy lines. Initials, hearts, and other easy shapes are a great place to start. You may also find that larger designs are easier to clip, as more of your clipper blade will fit into the design. A heart or start the size of your palm is harder than the size of you hand with outstretched fingers.
Have fun with this!
For more great tips and tutorials from Liv, check out her website Pro Equine Grooms.
