December 20, 2011

Achievement Unlocked: Body Clipping

Assistant trainer Jen, helping us get started!
Not a fan of the sound of the masking tape on his body.

It's a Monet: it looks great, but only from far away.
 Success!  No more wooly mammoth or hour-long cooling out sessions!  I'd say he looks pretty decent for this being my first body clipping job, wouldn't you?  The edges were hard to blend, but other than that, no clipper marks.  I was definitely grateful for Assistant Trainer Jen helping me get started.

Would you believe the only thing he got nervous about was the sound of the masking tape being applied to his furry body?

Best conformation photo I have, actually.













I'm relieved both to have it done, and also to have a heavyweight blanket now that it is done.  Assistant Trainer Jen's really well put together Dutch Harness/Arab gelding outgrew his 70" Schnieder's StormShield, and it fit Contender perfectly.  Big relief on the "keeping the horse cheap enough not to alarm the husband" front.


I decided on a partial trace for now, in the interest of keeping as much hair as possible on him.  If he needs a full later on, we can go there, but for now, he stays (mostly) hairy.

I love this little guy.
"Boooooooring!"

2 comments:

  1. Cute title... :-)

    Hooray for getting the little furry beastie clipped. Funny how the tape was more of a concern than the actual clipping! I've never clipped a horse - I imagine it is trickier than it looks.

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  2. Thanks! Clipping honestly wasn't as hard as it looks. I've only done ears/muzzles/feet/fetlocks/bridle paths before, and as long as you know what length blade to use where, use short strokes, and remember to keep the blades clean and cool, it's not as bad as people make it out to be. With a slick coat and Irideon breeches on, I didn't even get that hairy. It is such a relief to have it done!

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