Clipping a worried horse: what the experts change first

The facts

Published

6 October 2026, Your Horse

Who is quoted

Groom Daniel Tarpey and clipping specialist Lisa Edmed

First rule

Choose the quietest clippers available

Tying up

Edmed prefers horses loose-held rather than tied, so they can move away

First clip

Keep it small - a bib and belly, or a modest Irish

The starting point in the piece is equipment, not technique: pick the quietest machine you can get hold of. Tarpey's advice is to settle the horse somewhere he is already comfortable before anything is switched on, hang a haynet, and have a second person present in case something goes wrong.

The introduction is done in stages. Run the clippers over the body while they are still off, so the horse feels the shape of them. Step away, switch on, and let the sound sit in the air. Then off and on again, several times over. Only when the horse has settled do you begin, and you begin somewhere unsensitive and easy to step back from, such as the shoulder. It may well take more than one session, and the article is clear that doing a little each day is a legitimate way to get there.

Edmed's point about tying is the one most likely to change what you do tomorrow. She would rather a horse could walk away within reason than feel trapped, and she regards a secure area outdoors as safer than a stable with a horse tied in it. A person at the head means that a horse running backwards does not hit the end of a tight lead rein and frighten himself further. She also warns against trying to hold and clip at the same time.

Two further details are worth noting. Breaks are not only for the horse: they stop the clippers getting hot against the skin. And on a first-timer, Edmed leaves hair over the back for the first few clips, because horses can be sharp to ride once clipped and bare skin there can make that worse.

What this means for you

Owners of a horse who has never been clipped

Say hello with no kit in your hands first. Start with trimmers, on and off, then stroke the horse with them before any hair comes off.

Anyone who normally ties up to clip

Reconsider. Edmed's preference is a held horse in a secure area outside rather than one tied in a stable.

Owners of young horses

Paula, quoted in the piece, starts young horses on cordless larger trimmers, which she considers safer than corded clippers, before moving to full-size machines.

Anyone nervous about doing it themselves

The advice is to get an experienced person to do the first clip. Even if you are confident, have a helper.

What to do

1. Check which of your clippers is quietest, and plan to use that one on a worried horse

   Before the next clip

2. Arrange a second person to stand at the head, so you are not holding and clipping at once

   Before you start

3. Set up somewhere the horse already settles, with a haynet

   On the day

4. Decide on a small clip for a first-timer and leave hair on the back

   Before you switch on

5. Build in breaks, both for the horse and to stop the blades heating up

   Throughout