Best Horse Clippers

Last Updated on September 1, 2020

Are you searching for the best horse clippers?

I’ve owned a number of horse clippers over the years for grooming for horse shows to spring trimming. I’ve found investing in a quality pair to be well worth the investment. I’ve reviewed the top models available today and after reading this article you will know my recommendations.

Check the quick list below for links to customer reviews and prices for my best horse clippers picks, or read on for the full review:

1. Wahl Professional Figura Lithium Ion Rechargeable Equine Clipper Kit
2. Wahl Professional Animal Arco Equine 5 in 1 Cordless Horse Clippers
3. Andis Ultra Edge Special Edition AGC Super Horse Clippers
4. Wahl Professional Animal Bravura
5. Wahl Professional Animal Pro Ion Equine Cordless Horse Clippers
6. Wahl Professional Animal MiniArco Horse Clippers
7. Wahl Professional Animal Iron Horse Equine Clipper
8. Wahl Professional Animal Show Pro Plus Equine Clipper
9. Oster Professional Turbo A5 Heavy Duty Grooming Clippers
10. Oster Animal Clippers A5 2 Speed Grooming Clipper
11. Lister Star Clipper Heavy Duty Professional
12. Premier 1 4000c Equine Clipper Package
13. Wahl Professional Animal KM2 Equine Clipper Kit

The best horse clippers on the market aren’t just going to allow you to keep your horses looking neat and clean. They are also going to be easy to operate and won’t bother your horse when they’re in use. I have done all of the research to help you choose the best option.

How to Select the Best Horse Clippers

There are a lot of things to consider when you’re shopping for horse clippers, but one of the most important considerations is if you are going to buy corded or cordless clippers. They both have their distinct advantages and disadvantages, but one thing that I consider is how the horse responds to snakes. Cords can often make a horse very fearful, making any grooming a problem.

If you do opt for cordless clippers, then you need to think about how long the battery life is. If you have more than one horse to clip at a time, then a shorter battery life can really make this process difficult. Additionally, animals with thicker hair will probably do better with corded clippers, as they offer much more power than cordless options.

Consider the strokes per minute of the clippers you want to buy. The higher the strokes per minute of a set of clippers, the faster the blades are going to cut. In addition to considering strokes per minute, you also have to think about the blade quality and size, as this will play a role in how quickly you can cut.

While it can be tempting to choose the clippers that operate the fastest, these aren’t always the best for heavy-duty cutting jobs. Clippers without much torque simply won’t offer you the cutting power that you need. For that reason check out the best horse clippers picks for trimmers with the cutting power needed to get a great clip.

Best Horse Clippers Benefits

Keeping your horses groomed is important, and like anyone else, I find that using a set of the best horse clippers is the fastest and easiest way to do this. It’s important to help not only keep the coat of your horse looking clean and healthy, but also to be able to easily remove any unwanted or longer hair around the face and fetlocks.

Regular grooming is important, but it can get really expensive, which is why it’s such a good idea to invest in high-quality clippers.

Horse Clipper Features

No matter if you are going to be grooming one horse or multiple horses, it’s important to choose clippers that are easy to hold and comfortable. I recommend looking for clippers with an ergonomic body style that won’t cause your hand to cramp when you use them. Otherwise you will likely struggle to use them on a regular basis and may even delay necessary clipping.

It’s also a good idea to consider how easily you can switch between various blade settings on your clippers. When reviewing for the best horse clippers this was an important feature considered. Once you are in the groove of clipping a coat, you don’t want to stop and have to fiddle with your clippers, as this wastes time and can cause your horse to become impatient. I like clippers with multiple blade sizes that can easily be selected.

If you show your horse, then it’s a good idea to look for clippers that are designed for grooming the face and even come with an additional grooming tool. Powerful clippers that are designed primarily for use on the body aren’t a great option for use around the face.

How to Use Your New Horse Clippers

Not all horses love clippers, so it’s important that you know how to best use your clippers to ensure a good response. First, make sure that you brush their coat, which will cut down on the amount of time that you spend clipping and reduce the possibility of the blade overheating.

Remember to be very careful around the ears, especially if your horse is noise sensitive. I recommend using cotton to reduce noise levels of your clippers, if necessary, or even investing in the best horse clippers pick that are quieter and designed for use around the face and ears.

Precautions to Consider

Always make sure that your clippers are fully charged if they are cordless, and that the cord reaches easily around your horse, if they are corded. You don’t want to have to deal with dying clippers that may cut your horse or a cord that can wrap around their feet or legs. Each of the best horse clippers picks were easy to handle and safe around the horses.

By cleaning your clippers regularly using a soft brush you can make sure that hair, dirt, and other debris doesn’t build up in the clippers, which can compromise their effectiveness and cause them to pull the hair of your horse.

If you are working with a skittish horse, then I recommend having someone else with you to help calm them. This can reduce the possibility of them becoming very frightened or acting out, which can cause both you and the horse to become injured. Having another person on hand is never a bad idea and can help the clipping process go much smoother.

Finally, always check to make sure that the clippers and blade aren’t overheating, as this can injure your horse.

13 Best Horse Clippers

Keeping your horse well groomed and trimmed can be much easier with a quality set of clippers. I’ve spent countless hours over the years improving my trimming skill and I always find the job easier when my clippers perform well. I’ve reviewed the top models available for performance, durability, and quality of materials.

Cordless Horse Clippers

Wahl Professional Figura Lithium Ion Rechargeable Equine Clipper Kit

These clippers are incredibly powerful and offer a fast recharge option in case you are not totally finished clipping your horse. The slim body is contoured to fit easily in your hand, making this a great ergonomic option that is easy to hold and to use. The motor offers up to 6,000 strokes per minute, making this a fast and powerful option. Finally, it comes with attachments, a blade, charging stand, and oil and brush to keep the clippers in great condition.

Pros

• Offers up to 90 minutes of runtime
• Charges in 180 minutes, includes optional 10 minute fast charge
• Easily adjusts blade sizes
• Offers one-year limited warranty

Cons

• Not ideal for clipping a lot of larger horses back to back
• May require coolant to keep blade cool

Wahl Professional Animal Arco Equine 5 in 1 Cordless Horse Clippers

With 5,000 strokes per minute, it’s easy for anyone to use these clippers to keep their horses looking and feeling great. Coolants aren’t required, and only blade oil is necessary to keep the clippers working properly and running smoothly. The five in one blade easily handles all coat types without slowing down or failing.

Pros

• Ships with two batteries, each with an 80-minute runtime
• Lightweight and ergonomically designed for easy use
• Incredibly quiet, which is great for use with animals who are noise-sensitive
• Blade is easy to adjust and can be used all over the body and around the ears and muzzle

Cons

• Blade can come loose while clipping
• Blade tends to dull quickly and requires regular sharpening or replacement

Oster Professional Turbo A5 Heavy Duty Grooming Clippers

This is one of my favorite smaller sized cordless equine clippers. It is powerful and the clippers performed well on a single charge. This clipper set comes in a compact size that makes it ideal for taking on the road or at home. I found the clippers to cut even and consistent without being attached to an outlet. I kept them well lubricated during my grooming session and found them the blades did heat up without overheating. An excellent performing set of horse clippers that provide plenty of versatility.

Pros

• Cordless clippers work well on the road or at home
• Powerful motor works on even thick coats
• Long lasting lithium ion battery with charging base
• Clippers are compatible with Oster A5 blades
• Comes with a size 10 blade and battery

Cons

• Will likely need to get more blade sizes

Wahl Professional Animal Bravura

This cordless horse clipper is ideal for trimming while on the road and away from your full grooming tool kit. It has a strong and long life lithium ion battery that makes it ideal for those last minute touch ups on show day. The battery lasts about 90 minutes on a single charge and it trims at near full power even at the end of the 90 minutes. The clippers charge time is about an hour.

It has an adjustable 5 in 1 clipper blade. It adjusts to sizes 9, 10, 15, 30 and 40 for trimming versatility. This horse clipper works great on the ears, face, legs and other fine areas. It is light weight and easy to grip while clipping. These horse clippers are an excellent value and come with six attachments, a clipper blade cleaning brush, and blade oil.

• Ideal horse clippers for trimming legs, face, and other detail areas
• 5 in 1 adjustable blade, sizes 9, 10, 15, 30, and 40
• Long battery life
• Good trimming power
• Lightweight and good grip while clipping
• Comes with attachments, clippers blade brush, and blade oil

Wahl Professional Animal Pro Ion Equine Cordless Horse Clippers

These cordless horse clippers are best suited for those seeking long battery life with consistent trimming power. These horse clippers come with a lithium ion battery that boasts a two hour battery life. The clippers keep their trimming power during the duration of the battery life and they even have a quick charge feature to gain an additional ten minutes of trimming time which comes in very handy. These clippers are best suited for clipping the face, legs and ears but can handle large body parts but may require multiple charges to complete a full body clip.

These horse clippers feature an adjustable blade that handles trim sizes 10, 15, and 30. It is quick and easy to adjust the blade size as well. These horse clippers are also made in the USA and come with a one year manufacturer warranty.

• Ideal for those seeking cordless horse clippers with a long battery life
• 2 hour run time on a single charge
• Maintains trimming power throughout run time
• Adjustable clipper blade, size 10, 15, and 30
• Ideal for ears, legs, and face clipping
• Excellent value

Wahl Professional Animal MiniArco Horse Clippers

These cordless horse clippers are ideal for those looking for a touch up trimmer. These clipper excel at trimming your horse’s face, ears, and legs. I particularly like them for horse shows. They offer a solid 45 minutes of trim time per charge and are lightweight and easy to handle. Some clippers offer a longer battery life but the performance of these clippers is top notch making them efficient and reliable.

These horse clippers offer a size 30 blade with two attachments. The single blade speed is 6,000 strokes per minute which is quite impressive for cordless trimmers. These horse clippers come with two blade attachments, a blade cleaning brush, and clipper blade oil. These are an excellent value set of horse clippers for horse shows and quick touch ups.

• Ideal horse clippers for touch up trims
• Best suited for clipping face, ears, and legs
• 45 minute trim time per charge
• Lightweight and easy to handle
• Size 30 clippers blade
• Comes with two clipper attachments, blade brush, and blade oil

Corded Horse Clippers

Andis Ultra Edge Special Edition AGC Super Horse Clippers

This is a great corded option for anyone looking for the best horse clippers for body clipping. They are a powerful horse clipper that doesn’t require charging or battery changes. The long cord is great for easily maneuvering in a barn and is durable enough to handle being twisted and drug along the ground without any problems. The powerful motor is designed for long life and regular use.

Pros

• Runs quietly and says cool when in use
• Blocking blade is designed to prevent any accidents from occurring
• Two-speed rotary motor is easy to adjust during use
• Heavy-duty cord is 14’ long, making it easy to move around an animal and equipment

Cons

• Not great for use on very coarse winter coats
• Plastic body isn’t very durable and can easily break

Wahl Professional Animal Iron Horse Equine Clipper

The powerful cord on this unit is designed to allow you to easily move around the horse when body clipping their hair, without having to worry about proximity to an outlet. Additionally, the thumb taper level doesn’t require any special adjusting, which means that it can be used when clipping coats on the go. The 7,200 strokes per minute can easily power through most coats without slowing down, making this a great clipper for taking care of multiple horses.

Pros

• Adjustable taper level is fast and easy to use
• Aluminum body is designed to resist any damage or breaking
• Comes with two-year limited warranty
• Three included blade sizes

Cons

• Clippers can easily jam with heavy coats
• Incredibly loud, which can spook or bother some horses

Wahl Professional Animal Show Pro Plus Equine Clipper

These powerful clippers are best for anyone who is going to be entering their horse in a show or needs to perform light body clipping. They ship with an included bonus tool that helps to keep horses looking their best, which is great for shows. Additionally, these clippers are fairly quiet, which means that they won’t easily spook a horse or cause them to become agitated during grooming.

Pros

• Offers 7,200 strokes per minute
• Includes grooming tool to remove dirt, hair, mud, and sweat
• Backed with a two-year limited warranty
• Perfect for light body clipping and around the ears, face, fetlocks, and bridle path

Cons

• Often requires extra lubricant for comfortable cutting
• Can easily get hung up and start to pull instead of cut

Oster Animal Clippers A5 2 Speed Grooming Clipper

If you need the power and consistency of a corded set of equestrian clippers this Oster model is an excellent choice. I found these to clip my horse’s hair very consistently. The motor is powerful and did not overheat during an hour grooming session. I particularly liked the 2 speed versatility as I put them on low for the ears and legs. The blade came out of the box sharp and ready to cut which is not always the case for other brands. This is a great set of clippers for a barn and those who will need to groom multiple horse or for longer grooming sessions.

Pros

• High performance, durable motor
• 2 Speed settings
• Perfect for grooming horses and your dogs and other pets
• Compatible with all A5 Oster blades
• Comes with clippers, a #10 cryoggen x blade, clipper grease, blade oil, a cleaning brush, and replacement carbon brushes
• Easy to change blades

Cons

• Cord length is sufficient but I prefer a longer cord
• Only comes with one blade

Lister Star Clipper Heavy Duty Professional

These horse clippers really surprised me! This was a new brand for me and I really wasn’t sure what to expect. After an hour grooming session with our very fuzzy pony Toby, I was a believer. These clippers were powerful and performed exceptionally well from start to finish. The blade did heat up, which is expected, but the motor did not overheat and the cutting performance did not lag in the least. These clippers really impressed and would likely work just as well with any other livestock. The only issue I had was the different shape took me a little getting used to, but once I did I was off to the races.

Pros

• Powerful motor with a 110 volt permanent magnet motor clip
• Thick and even dirty hair is easily groomed
• Has an overload protection feature preventing damage from jams
• Lightweight and easy to use for extended time
• Comes with a blade, blade oil, and carrying case

Cons

• Nothing big but it took me a minute to get used to the handle shape

Premier 1 4000c Equine Clipper Package

Another brand I was previously unfamiliar with that performed very well. These equine trimmers are well constructed but not overly heavy. They felt well balanced for the duration of the grooming session. They did not slow down much even going through long hair and some light dirt. One of the best features is the fan which pushes air through the clippers head keeping the temperature down even after running them for an hour. According to the manufacturer the motor utilizes a rare earth magnet and the motor was quieter than most other models while not sacrificing cutting power. This is definitely a winner.

Pros

• Perfect for show prep grooming and spring clipping
• Runs cool during extended use
• Trims thick hair with little slow down
• Cooling fan
• Comes with a 3 year warranty
• Comes with blade, blade oil, and carrying case

Cons

• Premium price

Wahl Professional Animal KM2 Equine Clipper Kit

I’ve had this model as a backup for a while now and it has served me well. The motor is strong and doesn’t get too hot when used for extended periods of time. They updated the blade speed making for more consistent cuts even with longer and thicker hair. It works well as a full body clipper or for touch ups. It comes with a #10 wide blade which I supplement with a smaller blade for those more precise trims. It is lightweight for a corded trimmer and is comfortable in the hand. The only reason this is my backup is I generally prefer my cordless. This is a great little horse clipper.

Pros

• Excellent performance works on thick hair
• Comfortable and lightweight
• Doesn’t overheat during extended grooming sessions
• Works for full body trimming
• Made in the USA

Cons

• The cord on mine gets a bit twisted

Here is the quick list with the best horse clippers picks one more time. To view prices and customer reviews see the links below.

1. Wahl Professional Figura Lithium Ion Rechargeable Equine Clipper Kit
2. Wahl Professional Animal Arco Equine 5 in 1 Cordless Horse Clippers
3. Andis Ultra Edge Special Edition AGC Super Horse Clippers
4. Wahl Professional Animal Bravura
5. Wahl Professional Animal Pro Ion Equine Cordless Horse Clippers
6. Wahl Professional Animal MiniArco Horse Clippers
7. Wahl Professional Animal Iron Horse Equine Clipper
8. Wahl Professional Animal Show Pro Plus Equine Clipper
9. Oster Professional Turbo A5 Heavy Duty Grooming Clippers
10. Oster Animal Clippers A5 2 Speed Grooming Clipper
11. Lister Star Clipper Heavy Duty Professional
12. Premier 1 4000c Equine Clipper Package
13. Wahl Professional Animal KM2 Equine Clipper Kit

I think that cordless clippers have a lot of value and are a great choice for most horse owners, especially if you have a skittish horse that is afraid of noises or cords. The Wahl Professional Animal Arco Equine 5-in-1 clippers are a great choice for most people. They are incredibly powerful and offer an impressive run time, as well as the ability to quickly and easily adjust blade size. This means that you don’t have to worry about slowing down to adjust blade size or stopping to deal with a dead or dying battery. Additionally, these clippers are very lightweight and ergonomically designed to prevent any wrist or hand pain when using them.

For more horse guides and tips read these articles:

• Prevent disease and stress with top fly sprays for horses
• Shedding Blade Review: Groom Ninja

Horse Clipper Trim Types

Belly Clip, Strip Clip, and Pony Clip: When performing these clips the clippers should be used to remove hair from under the horse’s chin and then down the underside of the horse’s neck should be trimmed. Then the clippers will be used to clip the insides of the front legs of the horse and along the underside of the horse’s barrel. This is one of the quickest horse clipping types and is excellent for young horses and ponies.

Trace or Chaser Clip: This horse clipper style cut is for horses who perform light and moderate work and require more hair left due to being outside most of the time. First a wide strip of your horse’s hair under the chin is trimmed. Then down along the underside of the neck, the barrel and the horse’s flank is trimmed. You then use the horse clippers to trim the entire belly all the way down. With this clip you do not trim the back, face, and legs.

The Blanket Clip: This clipper style trim is best suited to help horse’s with sore backs as it should assist in keeping the horse’s back muscles warm. It is named, as once clipped, it looks like the horse has a blanket on. Take your horse clippers and trim down all the horse’s hair at the neck, flank, shoulders, belly, and shoulder. With this trim you must leave the hair length at the face and legs.

The Hunter Trim: This clipper style is traditionally used by field hunter horses. With this clip style take your horse clippers and trim all the hair on your horse except the legs and the hair that is directly under the hunter saddle pad position. I like to use a high power horse clippers as it is best suited for the large area that is needed to be trimmed. This clip style helps protect the area directly under saddle and the legs for field work. The trimmed body hair assists the horse stay cool during work.

The Full Body Horse Clipper Style: This is a straight forward trim. Take your horse clippers and trim all of your horse’s hair. Start at the coronet band and work your way trimming the hair to the rump. Then take your horse clippers through the belly and then take the horse trimmers down the horse’s legs.