Low blend
High blend
Black out
Black shine
Razoring
the Miniature
✓Noisy or louder clippers- check the
blade drive. Purchase blade drives for
your clippers to prolong the life of your
blades. These are plastic, inexpensive and
are easy to replace- approx every 10 to
20 clips.
✓Don’t let your clippers get hot- If the
clippers feel too warm, it’s uncomfortable for your horse and hard on your
clippers. Stop and let them cool.
✓Show Clip the body with #10 or #30
blade. Use a #40 or #50 blade for face
only
Mane and Tail
✓There is no right or wrong length for bri-
dle path. As a general guideline, use the
length of the horse’s ear folded back, plus
two inches.
✓Leave body hair at the withers. This might
influence the height measurement at the
“last hairs of the mane”.
✓Mane should be shortened and thinned
by pulling from underneath- You can clip
the mane from underneath, this makes the
mane thinner and allows the longer hair
to lie flat over that area.
✓Personal preference to leave a “V” at the
top of the tail. Perceived as a lift to the
croup area. If you do leave the “V”, blend
the hair and flatten the hair right before
the tail.
To razor or not to razor, that IS the question. Some feel the very close shaving done
on a Mini’s face with a razor leans toward the
cruel side. Bare skin may not be perceived
as extreme to some, but if you feel uneasy
about it, rest assured AMHA judges across
the board say razoring is not necessary for
them to see your horse’s features. So the
decision is yours, but it is the perceived way
to groom the Miniature’s head for the show
ring, so here are Brooke’s suggestions:
✓Less is more when razoring. Clip the
muzzle to the blend point where the
halter sits, and just over the eyes, about
3/4 blade length. Start by clipping the
head with a #50 blade. Be careful not to
clip the horse’s eyelashes, only the longer
“feelers”.
✓For a Performance horse a full facial
is not necessary. Use a #10 blade and
razor only to the top of the nostrils or to
the noseband.
✓Stop and wet the horse’s muzzle to
check your work. Blending is the name
of the game when razoring. You can
always go back over the areas if you miss
a spot.
✓Stretch the skin as you razor and
blend.
✓Always use a two blade razor that
doesn’t pivot. The cheap, disposable razors work the best, and use just medium
pressure.
J U N E / J U LY 2016
Miniature Horse World 17