How To: Clip the Ears & Whiskers

   Clipping the ears and whiskers are the simplest forms of clipping that can really make your horse look sharp and show ready. Also, have clipped ears helps a horse be more accepting of earplugs because the hair isn't irritating. There are many different types of clippers that you could use for this. I recommend a pair of clippers meant for horses! These clippers have removable blades that allow for fresh new blades that offer a smoother shave and also allow the blades to be sharpened. A good starter set of clippers are the Andis or an advanced set that I love are the Wahl clippers.

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Ears

   Clipping ears can be done one of two ways. You can either trim just the edges and hair that sticks outside of the ear, or you can remove everything from the inside of the ear as well. Normally, for horse shows you would clip out all of the hair. This just looks the sharpest, as you can see in the image below. To do this you want to use a #30 blade. This length is WAY too short to use anywhere else on your horse!

   Trimming the ears can be disliked by many horses. It is important that you move slowly, gently and take your time. However, you also need to stay determined and wait your horse out if they object. Once they realize you aren't going to hurt them most horses give in and let you clip their ears without argument. Sometimes a horse can have had a bad experience that you are unaware of that will make clipping their ears a real struggle. This is definitely where patience and fairness come in to play. Never get frustrated with your horse and act out emotionally. This will only make them afraid and tell them that clipping is a bad thing. In the video watch how gently I handle my horse's ears. And like with anything for horses, the more you do it the more they get better at accepting what you are doing. 

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Whiskers

   Clipping whiskers is probably the easiest thing to clip and the most accepted area by horses. Make sure you are using the same #30 blades you used to trim up the ears. Again, this length of blade should only ever be used on the ears and whiskers! It is way too short for the whole body.

   When clipping the nose, make sure to clip under the bottom lip and the insides of the nostrils. There also can be some long stray hairs that go pretty high up the nose. Getting all of these little hairs helps your horse look their best. Even though most horses are well behaved for getting their whiskers trimmed I will always use my non clipping hand to hold on to their halter to help steady any sudden movements.