Getting the Summer Coat Finish

Getting the summer coat finish with the right choice of blade.

If you are looking to get a smooth finish during the changes of the coat growth in the Spring and Autumn, as well as maintain the natural colour, there are now blades that can help you achieve this.

Clipping horses always used to be an autumn and winter job, but more recently, with the progression and design of clippers and blades, this has given us more choice and confidence to clip whenever we feel we would like to.

We are now able to use specialist blades that will help with seasonal clipping, and these include the Covercote blade, originated by Lister Clipping. The Lister Covercote blade fits all Lister’s full-size clipper range, including the re-chargeable Lister Eclipse.  The design and profile of the teeth enable this to be used effectively as a “skimming blade”.  Cutting to a 5mm finish, it skims across a coat.  In the Spring and Autumn when the coat is on the change, and cat hairs and similar appear, this is the perfect blade to clip all over, leaving a smooth, tidy finish but still allowing the new coat underneath to come through.

As it skims, it doesn’t cut right down to the skin, this also means that the colour of the coat doesn’t change, which often happens when clipping with a medium or fine blade, and then the colour takes a while to come back.

Liveryman have similar skimming blades, including their new A2 Covercoat blade, leaving 4.8mm of hair and is perfect when clipping pink-skinned and grey horses in the summer, as well as for all types of summer and show clipping.  This blade can be used with all the following full-size clippers:

• Liveryman
• Wolseley
• Liscop
•  Kerbl
• Clippersharp Hauptner 3000

Another recent design from Liveryman is their skimming  “snap-on” Covercoat blade.  This blade leaves 4.8mm of hair which is, again perfect for seasonal clipping, show clipping, clipping pink-skinned and grey horses as well as being the starting point for blending.  This will give a natural summer coat finish, and being a snap-on blade is pre-tensioned.

This blade is compatible with the Liveryman Harmony Plus, as well as being able to be used on the following light-duty clippers:

• Heiniger Saphir Horse
• Heiniger Saphir Style
• Wahl Avalon
• Wahl Max 45
• Aesculap Durati
• Oster A5

With the continued growth in the equestrian leisure industry, enabling riders, to own and look after their horses, grooming, clipping and turnout techniques, have seen a sharp rise in interest and demand for products to achieve the best finish.

The hair and coat types of horses and ponies will vary, depending on breed, age, and type.  As such, there are now many horse owners that ride and compete with heavier coated breeds, including cobs and native ponies, and a desire to keep them tidy all year round is very evident, especially if competing regularly.

More recently, social media has driven the visuality of equestrianism, and this has seen a positive impact within the horse clipping world.  With so many experienced grooms and horse owners worldwide, good practice, and techniques can now be learnt, as well as finding the right types of clippers, trimmers, and blades to give the result that is best suited for both the horse and the owner’s needs.