Clipping before a show

Start by getting your clippers and assorted equipment ready before you get the goat in the room. On many breeds, it's advisable to do the initial clip a few weeks prior to the first show so they can grow out a little and regain their natural color and oils. I know it's wise to have given the goat a bath before the haircut, but when the clippers and the goat and I are all in the same desired 'mode', I rarely wait to get a clean one to work on. Bathing will loosen dead hair and take the dirt out of the coat, preserving the clippers somewhat longer.

Assuming you're going to start with a milker, put her on the stand and give her some grain to occupy her. Have on hand some lube spray and a small sewing machine brush. If you can't have 2 sets of clippers, then plan on letting the ones you use have a cooling down cycle. The bottom blade gets hot enough to actually burn the goat. The most widely used is the Shearmaster Variable Speed clippers. We like to use the plucker blade when clipping for shows, especially on the color breeds like Oberhasli.

Start the clippers and if they're the variable speed, run them at the lowest setting that doesn't actually pull the hair. The first cut is usually down either sides of the spine, moving the skin around to get all the hair from the top. Working from the rear to the front, is usually against the hair growth, and best for a smooth cut. Hip bones usually protrude and you'll leave a ridge of 'prickles' if you don't move this skin a little. Stretch it taut to get into the pocket in front of the hips.

Work on to the head from this point, as the clippers aren't too hot and the goat probably still has some grain. With a headstall stanchion, it's hard to get a good clip over the whole head. With a helper, cut as much off her face and ears as you can get. The bony portions of the face usually aren't trimmed since the hair is thin here. Cut up the neck and chin, taking off any long hairs as you go. If you trim the cheek on one side, be sure to imitate the same cut on the opposite side. Trim the poll and try to get a clean cut across the neckline.

From here, it's just basic long strokes to remove the hair from tail to head all down the body. You'll have to keep one hand stroking the skin to move it across the rib cage and other bony areas. Look at the direction the hair grows across the belly and follow the natural breaks. Be sure to cut the stomach hair up to the udder to show good definition, and so no long loose hairs can float in the milk. Feel the milk veins on the stomach, and trim these lightly, again, moving the skin to get all creased areas exposed to the clippers. (Be careful trimming the belly hair on young bucks! They are ticklish!)

The chest floor is somewhat tricky, but manageable with some pointers: Pick up the foreleg closest to you, curling it back along the body and trim the breastbone (armpit), clipping forward to the head. Repeat the process but hold the foreleg forward as far as the goat will allow comfortably. (They hate this.) But, you want to get a smooth blend and take as much hair off the entire goat as you can. The hair here grows in a 'seam', and you may have to try the clippers fore to aft or viceversa before you can get the blend you are looking for. Repeat the same process on the other side. You'll have to turn the clippers upside down to trim between the forelegs but you can run them either front to rear or rear to front to get the desired results.

On the rear flanks, you want to show off the udder attachment on milkers or escutcheon on bucks and kids and trimming the 'ham' string inside and outside the flank and leg will really sharpen up that leg definition. Be sure to completely trim inside the rear leg, even taking your free hand and pushing the skin at the elbow out so that hollow can be trimmed, too. Usually feet and legs up to the knee/hock break point are done with the smaller Oster A5 trimmers, but they can be managed with the large clippers as well. Make sure the hair that hangs over the hoof is trimmed up as well as that in the pastern area and between the toe separation.

Tail: From about midpoint on the tail, start trimming forward to the body. Cut all the hair off all around the tailhead. Trim any stray long hairs on the brush, leaving about 2" of full brush on the very end of the tail. Cut this straight across sharply. Actually, the tail is where some people will use a little deviation. Some cut baby goats and yearlings into a pompom brush. I like to cut a modified "3 bell" on all of my Experimentals. Cut lightly to get all the hair the same length, then divide the tail into thirds, cutting inward all around the hair at each third. This produces a 'reverse Christmas Tree' look. It is the same style of brush used on trail ride competition mules, and I've always felt it appropriate for crossbreds.

Some will get a little creative with the hair on the top of the head as well. I usually feel lucky if I can get this far without a fight. You need to check the clippers often to make sure the metal touching the now-exposed skin is not too hot. If so, let the animal have a rest while the clippers cool off. Use the small brush to brush the air vent (located near the ele end of the handle) and the intake vent (port above the clipper head). Brush as much of the hair out of the clipper head as you can get without taking it apart. Spray with cool lube frequently during the course of the trim, and soak it well between use. You also can make up a bath of keroscene and alcohol which cleans and lightly coats the clippers to prevent rust forming on the blades. (Have a shallow container and dip the clipper blades in the solution while running from time to time during the clipping.) There are a few oil ports on the clipper head and body, find these and use a lightweight sewing machine oil injected into them.

Before you put the clippers away, loosen the top screw that holds the blades together and remove the blades. Brush the hair from all the ports and pockets here. Reattach the blades loosely, never tightening the key screw very tight until you're actually ready to clip, and then only as much as needed to produce the quality of cut you desire. When completely cooled off, roll the electric cord up into a figure eight pattern around the body of the clippers and insert them into a felt bag or other form of protection to keep away from moisture.

You might want to finish the clip by rubbing a bit of oil or lotion into the goat's skin to prevent sunburn. Buff her with a soft cloth to get all the extra hair off, and use a conditioning spray if you've purchased one for this use. (I always forget, and am so relieved to get the hair off the goat and onto myself, can't wait to get to a shower.)

To trim a buck the same method is used, but you need to be particularly careful around the stomach and testicles. Most react violently when these as well as the ears and head are trimmed, so a helper is almost a necessity when trimming a full grown buck. Baby goats have little attention spans and will object strongly to being held for long periods at a time. Luckily, there's less goat to clip, and one can usually be completed before the clippers get too warm. The more a baby is handled and clipped, the easier it will be when they're grown.

On all goats, finish by trimming the stiff hairs along the inside of the ear. If this is a show clip, the animal must be handled by a judge and ring steward should it place Grand Champion or Reserve. Check tattoos before you pack for the first show, if they're barely visible, plan on retattooing the goat and sending ADGA the papers stating this was done. Articles on tattooing are on Caprine Supply's web site.

Text and images copyright 1998 Martha Wells