DIY clipping goes wrong

Harry is looking a bit rough at the moment. Back in autumn he had a ‘go-faster’ clip (otherwise known as a chaser clip – my husband says it reminds him of Starsky’s car).

Now he’s growing his new summer coat and casting his old winter one, and between times has really long cat hairs all over his once-clipped areas, plus what looks like an outgrown beard. He also sports massive feathers harbouring goodness knows what, and a lot of girly, curly mane. However, his tail is a bit thin, thanks (or no thanks) to vigorous and frequent scratching on the stile in the field.

Time for a trim – well, that’s what I thought.

Harry is usually clipped by our friend Nicky with her ancient but quiet batter-powered clippers. I try to do it myself with Ali’s new ones, which seem noisier and more vibrant – or should that be vibrational? Whatever, they’re different, I’m not the world’s most dextrous clipper, and Harry doesn’t like it. I get most of his body hair off, although he waggles his hindlegs, pulls faces and swishes his tail. I even get the hair off his cheeks, but he hates his chin being clipped at the best of times. “With those new, buzzy clippers, by this amateur – no way!” Harry breaks the baler twine his lead rope is attached to as if it was cotton, and departs post haste, taking a little canter around the paddock and ending up climbing the muck heap.

We catch him and try again. No way, again. So I cut my losses and take Harry out hacking before I run out of time. At least he’s cooler – less fluff on his undersides, and a cute, goatee beard.