Best Horse Clippers for Nervous Horses and Ponies

Choosing a set of horse clippers suitable for nervous horses and ponies is key to giving them a much more relaxed and stress-free clipper experience.

What to consider when choosing horse clippers for Nervous horses and Ponies?

Horses that have been badly clipped with blunt clipper blades or have been roughly handled and rushed during a horse clipping session, may well then be understandably wary of being clipped again.

If the horse is sensitive to the noise, choosing a set of quiet horse clippers or trimmers will help with this.

We would recommend light duty clippers as being the most suitable horse clipper range to look at. Light Duty horse clippers are smaller to hold and quieter to use than the larger horse clippers found in the medium or heavy-duty range of clippers. 

It may take some time to gain the horse’s confidence, particularly when they have had a bad experience, but patience and the right horse clipping equipment will make the job safer and more achievable.

Our choice of horse clippers is shortlisted from the Light Duty Clipper range. They have a different blade system to the larger clippers and take the snap on, tension free, blade system. For body clipping there is a wider snap on blade and for trimming and tidying and for doing the fiddly areas there is a wide choice of narrower blades to choose from.

Light Duty horse clippers are quiet to use with minimal vibration. Both of these attributes are worth considering when choosing a horse clipper for any purpose but particularly when the horse is sensitive to noise, nervous, young, or flighty.

The Best Horse Clippers for Nervous Horses and Ponies

Heiniger Saphir Horse Clipper

The Heiniger Saphir Clipper is completely cordless with a battery integrated into the handpiece. The main grip circumference measures 13cm and the weight is 425g. They are available to buy here. 

Why do we think these are the best horse clippers for nervous horses or ponies?

• Quiet horse clipper with minimal vibration.
•  Smooth running staying cool even when clipping for a long period of time.
•  Good selection of snap on blades in varying grades
•  Can be used as a trimmer as well as a clipper (with a narrow blade)
•  Measures: 21cm from the tip of the blade to the base.

Liveryman Harmony Plus

The Liveryman Harmony Plus is completely cordless with a battery integrated into the handpiece. The main grip circumference measures 15cm and the weight is 490g. They are available to buy here. 

What to consider when choosing horse clippers for Nervous horses and Ponies?

• Very quiet clippers with minimum vibration
•  Cordless with additional battery pack giving 4 hours clipping time.
•  Cool-running technology
•  Extensive range of snap on blades (A5 system) available, including a   narrow blade for trimming
•  The hand piece measures 14cm from the tip of the blade to the base of the   clipper

Liveryman Bruno Horse

The Liveryman Bruno Horse is a mains clipper that can also fit on the Liveryman Lithium ion battery pack that the larger Liveryman Black Beauty operates from. The weight is 400g. They are available to buy here.

Why do we think these are the best horse clippers for nervous horses or ponies?

• Quiet running and almost silent when on the lower speed.
• Two speed horse clipper that alternates between 2800rpm and 3500rpm, allowing you to slowly transition to the higher speed as your horse gains confidence.
• The Liveryman Bruno uses the snap on A5 blade system which gives flexibility in choice of blades for trimming and tidying.  A wider blade is also available and can be purchased separately for body clipping and larger areas of tidying.
• 4.9m power cord
• Weight: 400g

Aesculap Durati

The Aesculap Durati has a fantastic price / performance ratio. It is a lightweight cordless clipper that uses the A5 snap on blade system Their weight is 400g. They are available to buy here

Why do we think these are the best horse clippers for nervous horses and ponies?

• Very light to hold and quiet to run
• Exceptional runtime of 4 hours
•  A high cutting speed via a high stroke rate of 3500 strokes per minute for optimal cutting results
• A quiet horse clipper with only a little vibration

Light Duty Clippers Vs Heavy Duty Clippers for Nervous Horses and Ponies

Light duty horse clippers are more suited for fine, softer coated horses and ponies, and medium and heavy duty clippers are usually best for thick or coarse coats. However, medium and heavy duty clippers typically have higher vibration and noise and may not be tolerated by nervous horses. If your horse has a thick or coarse coat but you can only use quiet clippers on them, then we recommend to factor in clipping the horse or pony towards the end of summer before the coat develops and then continue clipping on a regular basis to keep on top of it.

Using quiet horse clippers on a regular basis will help with gaining their confidence, if each session becomes easier and less stressful.

Top Tips for Clipping Nervous Horses and Ponies

• Run the clippers daily near the horse whilst grooming.
• Have a radio or music playing during grooming sessions.
• De-sensitive with small horse trimmers, before moving on to body clipping.
• Have a handler to hold the horse, and to distract with food/hay as necessary.Choose a quiet time in the yard to clip, avoid feed and turnout times.