How to Introduce a Nervous Horse to Clippers, Presented by Wahl
There are two main sensations that horses have to become comfortable with when they’re being clipped – whether it’s on the legs, face, or body: the sound of the clippers, and the vibrations of the clippers.
But how the clippers sound and feel on one part of their body isn’t necessarily how they sound and feel on another part. For instance, when you’re clipping around the head, the noise is very loud for the horse, and when you’re crossing an area of the body that isn’t covered by much muscle, like the back of the hocks or the delicate bony facial structures, the vibrations can be a bit uncomfortable for the horse.
This video from Horse and Rider Mag does a great job of demonstrating how to introduce clippers to a horse that is nervous or has never seen/heard them before. Notice that her session with this young horse is very short — as soon as the horse relaxes a bit, that’s it for the day. Small bits of repetitive introduction, day after day, doesn’t overwhelm the horse or give them a reason to worry about the clippers. Instead, clippers become a part of their day just like a saddle or bridle!
