Tuesday, October 30, 2007

clipped

I got off work early (dental appointment) so was at the yard with plenty of time before it got dark, and wahl pro trimmers - which i rather thought would do the clip I wanted, the girth area & between the legs, up to the wither then neck/face - and they did. Ran out of battery before i got the face done, and some tidying up needed, but considering that's the first time i've ever clipped a horse myself (in the past other people have done it for me - even when it's the clippers I own a share in!) i was very pleased. Molly is very good about being clipped - had a haynet in front of her, and got through two slices of haylage whilst i was doing it - but not bothered in the slightest. unlike her mother, who was a total pain, especially regarding the girth/between the legs. People were amazed i was able to do that clip with those trimmers (which is what they are sold as) but they're pretty substantial compared to many other brands of tiddly trimmers, and whilst not a full width blade, plenty wide enough, and much easier to get to the fiddly bits.

And then she was ridden.

bearing in mind that in the past we've struggled with small circles, i was very pleased that we did one of my favourite warm up/suppling exercises (well as taught by Marji armstrong, actually .. works though) which is round the arena in 10 metre circles - you do 1 1/2 right, then 1 1/2 left, and so on until you get round the arena again. not perfect circles by any means, but no argument about them, no attempts to not go the way i indicated, no stress head..

Oh, and I did leave the schooling whip on top of the wall in the arena, so I was able to get on first time of asking no trouble, so that was good as well. must remember that one!

6 comments:

Nicola said...

Sounds like your making some good progress with Molly at the moment.
I love clipping and usually end up doing everyone on the yards ned's.Polo is totally chilled about it too which always makes life easier!
I got a second hand pair of Heinger(spelling?)clippers off ebay for less than £70 had them serviced and they've never gone wrong.Took me 5mins to take his neck and chest out the other day.

cptrayes said...

Ah, interesting - so she doesn't like you mounting with a whip?

I once told my colleagues that I had had my mare's head taken off and that she looked much smarter. I never did work out why they fell about laughing ;-)

C

Claire said...

it's more that the whip signals move on (just by carrying it) so she does, without my touching her, and why increase the chance of not getting on? plus the mounting block is very close to the wall, you have to get right in next to the wall, which makes it very difficult ot pretend yo haven't got it. easier with the short stick, but no good at all with the schooling whip...

ae said...

When do I get to see Molly and her new hair style??

Jean said...

Nice going with the clip job. Haven't managed to get near Tucker with the clippers yet, but he doesn't get a really heavy coat. Toby is an angel for clipping, but I don't work him hard enough in the winter to warrant it.

That circling exercise is great. It certainly should help Molly get more supple. Good choice for a schooling session.

Muriel said...

Great progress with Molly. Do you think it is because you ride her in the Myler combo?

Clipping aaarrrghhh ... not like in our aprt, because lack of training, horses are either sedated, or twitched or walloped .. it is a nightmarre.

Linda's coat is not thick,. So I hoep to keep her unclipped as long as I can.

I have started desensitizing her with small Superhubby's bear/goaty clippers ...