All that shaggy winter coat is gone, so you can rest easy, right? Not necessarily: Andis has a few tips for summer clipping that will help your horse look and feel his best!

Image courtesy of Andis.

1. Desensitize your horse

You should always desensitize your horses first with the clippers. You should have your lead ropes looped around your horse but not securely tied in case he wants to step back. You should rub the horse with the clippers before you clip anything so the horse knows you are not hurting him and he can become familiar with the feel of the clippers.

2. Clip hair short

Use shorter blades in the summer because you want the horse’s hair to be shorter. An ideal blade length is between 10-15 in the summertime, especially on performance horses. The clip job will blend better as well. The number one rule is that you can always take more hair off; you want your horse to be as clean as possible and that means shorter hair. Use the Andis ShowEdge Detachable Blade Equine Clipper to ensure the perfect groom every time.

3. Protect your horse from the sun

Most people might not know this, but horses can suffer sun damage just like humans. It is not so much sunburn, but rather a fade. To protect them from the scorching sun, it is best to place a lightweight sheet over your horses and always keep them in the shade. During the winter, horses should be kept outside during the day and inside at night and in the summer, they should be kept inside during the day and outside at night.

4. Keep your horse bug-free

Protect your horse from fleas, parasites and other unwanted bugs in the summer by spraying your horse regularly with fly spray. A fly mask is always beneficial in keeping your horse clean as well. Another tip for keeping annoying pests at bay is to ensure your horse’s environment and stall are clean. Bugs are drawn to manure, so cleaning it up regularly will prevent them from having somewhere to congregate.

5. Go cordless

My favorite tool to use right now for grooming horses is the Andis Pulse ZR Cordless Detachable Blade Clipper. Its cordless feature lets you go from stall to stall and not worry about running out of power or tripping over a cord. It’s a very mobile clipper and it allows you to be free and non-committal when you are clipping horses. Since this clipper has a detachable blade, you have to be more knowledgeable about the blades and the specific look you are trying to achieve.

Kirk Stierwalt is an official Andis Grooming Educator and owns and operates Stierwalt Show Cattle, which sells champion show cattle across the United States. In addition, Kirk runs Stierwalt Show Cattle Clinics, which help people sharpen their grooming skills. Kirk has judged numerous showmanship contests in the past and enjoys sharing his knowledge and expertise with the grooming world.

Image courtesy of Andis/Kirk Stierwalt