If you own horses and pay for a professional groomer for part or all of your horse grooming needs, you know how expensive it can get. A viable option is to purchase your own clippers and do it yourself. There are training guides and videos available that will have going quickly and saving money. If you decide to purchase your own horse clippers the following suggestions will help you:
Establish your horse grooming goals – The type of horse clippers you buy will be determined by your grooming goals. Your goal should be based on whether you plan to do trimming only (around ears, bridle path and hooves), trimming and some whole body grooming (you may decide to do all the trimming and have a professional groomer do every other grooming) or do all of the trimming and grooming for 1 or more horses.
Select clippers based on standard set of criteria – All clippers and trimmers preventive maintenance pdf are measured on a fairly standard set of design and usage criteria including:
1. Speed – Clipper speed is measured by strokes per minute (spm) while operating. The rule of thumb is higher speed for thicker hair like manes, tails and some longer hair breeds like Shetlands or Welsh. There are single speed, variable speed and 2 or 3 speed clippers depending on your goals.
2. Just Trimming – If you are only trimming around the ears, eyes, bridle path and hooves then look at purchasing small inexpensive trimmers. Each of the major lines of horse clippers offers them. They are ideal for trimming between visits from your professional groomer.
3. Overall Grooming – If you are going to do full body grooming in thicker hair like the manes, you should look at the higher speed clippers. If you are going to do 1 or more horses consistently, then you should consider a variable speed clipper that will adjust to your needs whether trimming or doing whole body clipping. If you are going to do 1 horse intermittently, the n we suggest buying a lower cost single speed clipper that operates above 2,500 spm.
4. Cord vs. Cordless – There are clippers with cords convertible to a power pack that they can operate as cordless and clippers that are totally cordless. The positive with cordless is that the cord is not getting in the way while manufacturing machines list working and you do not need long extension cords for remote clipping jobs. The negative with cordless is that they generally operate at slower speeds and you have a set time of operation before they need to be recharged.
5. Professional – Professional grade clippers typically have a more heavy duty design and power draw to withstand long periods of operation without heating up or breaking down. Ergonomics is a prime consideration in the design and assembly of professional grade clippers because of the long periods of expected continuous use.
OK, with our goal established and selection criteria determined we can decide on which clippers are best suited for you.
– Trimming only on an intermittent basis – buy low cost corded or cordless trimmers. All the major brands offer them.
– Trimming continuously with whole body grooming intermittently – Buy medium priced single speed or variable speed clipper either corded or cordless.
– Do all the grooming for 1 or more horses – For one horse a good variable speed clipper, corded or cordless will work fine. For cutting and trimming multiple horses consider the higher end professional grade clippers built for continuous operations and ergonomic benefits.
