clipping oil
Pulling a Horse's Mane
If you're planning on braiding your horse's mane, make sure
you don't pull it too short to braid. It should be no longer
than about five inches long; otherwise the braids will be very
thick and tend to be unruly.
You'll need a mane comb for pulling your horse's mane. This
is a long, narrow comb with teeth close enough together to pull
the horse's hair out. If you just want to thin your horse's
mane, comb the mane with this every few days and it'll thin
it out well enough. To make it even, though, you'll have to
go to the work of pulling it. To do this, comb down one section
of the mane, holding onto the longest strands with the non-combing
hand. Brush upwards, and all the shorter hairs will bunch up
near the crest of the mane, so that you will be left with the
longest hairs still in your hand.
Hold onto those hairs firmly, pull the hairs out with a swift
motion upward. If you try to pull out too much, it'll be really
difficult. Pull out several hairs at a time, and only for short
periods so it doesn't annoy or hurt your horse. It helps to
wear a glove on the hand that you're pulling the hairs out with
so you don't get hairs cutting into your hand. If the horse
you're trimming hates having its mane pulled, cutting it is
acceptable as well. You can use a razor comb and cut the hair
the same way - but make sure you cut the ends of the long hairs
off from underneath to prevent a frazzled look.
Cutting the mane with a pair of scissors is not always the best
way to do it, but if it's all you know how to do, it's not too
bad if you do it the right way. If your horse's mane is very
long, you can cut it to within an inch of the length you want
it, just blunt cut. Then take the mane, starting at the top,
and hold the scissors so that the tips are at the bottom of
the mane, pointing up towards the crest. Grab a small section
of the mane, just a few inches, and clip it from straight up
and down so that it gives the appearance of not being completely
straight and flat. Make sure you get it even all the way down.
Clipping Your Horse
Bridle Path
The bridle path is between the top of the horse's ears where
the top of the bridle goes. Usually it's overgrown and if it's
clipped a couple of inches, it can really snazz up your horse's
appearance. Start trimming right behind the ears and sweep the
clippers back towards the withers. Trim at least an inch, but
about two or three inches looks a lot neater.
Legs
Before attempting this, make sure your horse is properly secured
or being held by a trusted friend. First brush down your horse's
legs to make sure you get all the mud off, and never clip if
your horse's legs are wet. That encourages hairs to get caught
in the clippers and pull them out instead of cutting them. Using
the clippers if your horse will tolerate it, start at the heel
and comb upward, against the hair. Trim slowly so it is not
left ragged. If your horse is really hairy, you can trim all
the way up the leg so it doesn't look like it is clipped in
one place only, like a poodle. :) Trim the hairs above the hoof
as well to finish up the look.
Ears
To trim the ears, hold the entire ear in your hand to absorb
the vibrating of the clippers, which can really tickle the horse
and make them not like clipping. Turn the ear inside out gently
and trim the hairs down towards the base of the ear. Be careful
not to nick the inside of the horse's ear when you're trimming
the hairs at the base, where they grow in all different directions.
Trim the edges of the horse's ear too, and you can even trim
the hair at the top into a point to create a sharper look.
Muzzle
When trimming your horse's muzzle, you have to make sure you
get all the hairs. Clip each hair carefully, as close to the
skin as you can without cutting your horse. To trim under the
chin, pull the floppy skin under the horse's chin forward to
straighten it out so you can get all the hairs. Trim under your
horse's jowls too, so his muzzle isn't neat and clean and then
there are two inch long hairs under the rest of his face. It
creates a very neat appearance when all are trimmed.
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