[lpalomino]

I am trying to teach my palomino yearling that clippers are not awful. It is teaching me to be very patient. We were doing pretty good and she was letting me clip a little and then she started ducking and trying to get away. Just by chance I felt the blades and realized that during our lesson they had heated up and were kinda hot to the touch. So of course that meant lesson over for now. Just goes to show ya that usually horses have reasons for being resistent. Anyone else going thru clipper trainging?

[Moostang]

I am starting it slowly with my horse. I first got him used to the sight of them being off and moving around different parts of his body. My next step is I turn the clippers on near his tie rack then go get him and let him walk up to the rack and tie him up with them on, then slowing start bring them closer. That is the step I am on right now. The next step is to start on the legs, then chin, then muzzle, this is where they usually love it, then I go to the bridle path and then finally ears. Depending on the horses reaction this could take an hour or spread out over a couple days.
A friend of mine also spreads out her training, however she starts always by putting honey on the clippers and letting the horse lick it off so he looks foward to clipping.

[cassidy]

my horse doenst like it!! much especially round the ears my clipper suggested to try an electric toothbrush to get him used to it

this wintert though i am hoping to learn to clip myself!

[Sandra-A1]

Lots of great tips can be found on sites like Oster's:

Clipping Horses - Tips

Also here is something from the Horse Info.com site:

Clipping. Get a battery operated unit. First massage the horse over its whole body with the clipper off. Then go across the room and turn it on for a split second and build till you can leave it run for a bit. Next walk toward the horse messing with the clipper with no intention of touching the horse. Remember, if this is as close as you can get with the clipper running fine, build on this OR back up. But if you've done every step well…you will be massaging your horse in no time turning the clipper on and off. The first time "don't plan to get your horse clipped"! Just massage, clip some hair, massage and then clip some more hair. Continue each day with the same sequence. Your horse will begin to enjoy the massaging. You can also get a little battery operated hand massager that will not only feel good, but add a new element of noise. Be sure to frequently clean and oil your clipper….don't let it get hot…and make sure those blades are sharp. Nothing worse than dull blades that snatch and jerk each hair out by the root!

[mtroika]

I have a yealing who I bought as a 6 month old she was never worked with, so I work with her all the time now. But she DOES NOT CLIP, she will not let me near her she goes nuts I mean nuts, she is very dangerous kicks, pulls, lunges, rears I have never worked with a horse that was this scared of the clippers, I'm afraid for my life sometimes!!! I am still wondering how to go about this I have tried almost everything anyone has told me to try. I have worked with her slowly for months and we are not moving forward. I have tried all the stuff that sandra-A1 has said except the battery massager. Does anyone have an ideas of how to attempt to get a clipper near her, she even hates them when there off. Thats my story!

[Moostang]

Have you tried putting honey on them, or some other treat your horse like. My friend does that and her run love the sight of the clippers.

[Sandra-A1]

mtroika, what I would do in that case is forget the clippers for a bit and go back to some basics...I would work on reestablishing the command WHOA and make sure the horse knows that it means stop and not to move.
Then I would next move on to the old fashion "sacking out" process. I would get this youngster where I could rub all sorts on noisy objects and items near it and all over it's body. Saddle pads, paper sacks, a small plastic soda pop bottle with rocks in it..then on to spray bottles with water ...just be creative and come up with as many different items as you can to use to get the fear/spook out of this youngster and establish trust. The horse needs to know that while the object might be noisy and scarey that as long as you are there nothing will hurt it.
Then, when you feel the horse is ready I would move on to the motor noises and that can be your clippers, blow dryers and vacuums.
Please check out the articles on the following site: TRAINING ARTICLES
I believe you will find the Approach & Retreat, Expectations, Feel, Focus & Time, and Trust articles most helpful when working with your youngster...

[mtroika]

That is really helpfull. I will start and do all that stuff, start with the basics. That is really great advice I never thought of all that!

thanks!!!