It’s not all about preparing your horse to be clipped, thought must also go into pre-clipping preparation of clipping equipment.
Clippers and trimmers, both the mains and battery options do need to be checked before the clipping season starts. There is nothing worse than being all ready to clip, horse, groomed and ready to go, and then the clippers or blades either don’t work or are blunt.
Avoid the frustrations and stress by checking everything well before you will need. Clipper companies are always exceptionally busy during the autumn clipping season, and the wait time can be several weeks, but quite often a month or two prior to September, turnaround is so much quicker and sometimes there are good offers on too!
Prior to clipping, turn the machine on away from the horse, and check that it appears to be running smoothly. Check the filters on the side of the machine if it has them. Remove and brush out and clean the filter with soapy hot water, dry and replace. This is something that is recommended to do after clipping two or three horses, as they get blocked up quite quickly and will then contribute to the machine over heating and causing strain on the motor.
If the machine doesn’t work at all, it’s worth checking the overload button if the clipper has one. Sometimes it pops out if the clipper if working at a high temperature or if there is sign of the motor failing. By pushing it back in with a biro or match stick, this will immediately start the machine again if it is in a workable condition. If it continues to pop out, then seek a clipper specialist for further advice.
Make sure blades are clean, and well oiled and packed in plastic or similar so that they are kept clean and dry. For storage or in transit, it may be worth investing in a storage tin or plastic box for safe keeping.
Check the tension set, if there is one on the clipper, the tension set comprises, bolt, nut and spring. This does need replacing on a reasonably regular basis, as the spring will distort over time and effect the tensioning. Sometimes this can be the reason the blades are not working as efficiently even though they are being tensioned the same way as usual. This is something that we replace as part of a service, when a clipper comes in for repair or servicing.
Check the cable for any wear and tear and look at the connection going into the clipper as this is the usual place for breaking other than if the horse treads on the cable. We also recommend fitting a circuit breaker for mains machines.
Keep all clippers and accessories in a dry warm place, and not in a damp outbuilding or tack room. The reason for this is that when damp finds its way into a clipper, the dampness generally affects the capacitor inside the motor, and then this leaks causing the machine to go “pop” when it is started up. Blades will also go rusty.
Ensure that clippers are cleaned and packed away carefully after each use including removing blades and brushing off and re-oiling ready for their next use.
If you do lend your machine to a friend, ensure they know exactly how to tension the machine and how to use it. Most problems come from incorrect use or tensioning and this will over time affect the performance and well being of the clipper.
30th August 2019