Clipping goats can be a difficult process, especially for those who are new to the industry. Whether you’re showing at an American Boer Goat Association-sanctioned event or at a smaller show, getting your breeding goats clipped up can make a large difference in how they look in the showring. You can see how our Boer goats look clipped up by visiting our herd.

We’ve developed a simple guide, which is available for download, on clipping goats for those confused by the tools and processes.

While everyone has their own unique preferences on clipping goats, we prefer to break it down into simple categories. For our guide, you’ll only need to remember four clipping categories:

• trimming with a 4FC blade (3/8 inch)
• trimming with a C blade guard (7/8 inch)
• tightly trimming w/ a blending blade
• blending (or loosely trimming with a blending blade).

Clipping goats with a 4FC blade

Used on the goat’s neck and legs, the 4FC blade clips at 3/8 inch. Clipping a doe’s front third will help give her a more feminine look, which is something judges will look for in breeding does. Further, using this blade on the inside of the legs will help create more width. You can also create butt definition by carving out the hock with the 4FC blade.

Harsh lines are likely when you clip with the 4FC blade. However, you can solve this by picking up the blending blade and backdragging it with the grain of the hair until a softer transition is accomplished will help create a more appealing and complete look.

Clipping goats with a blending blade

A blending blade isn’t only good for blending. It can also act as a useful tool for smoothly and tightly trimming areas of a goat, including the chest floor and tail. Clipping goats’ chest floor from the “V” back to the navel continues to create more width when looking at the animal from the front. It also begins to create the desired wedge when looking at a doe on the profile. Additionally, tightly trimming the back of the tail with a blending blade helps clean up the doe’s silhouette.

You can also use the blending blade to trim down the top of the hip, which creates more correct lines on the doe. This is especially useful if your animal looks high-hipped from the profile.

Using a 7/8″ guard

Breeding doe judges often look for clean lines. Trimming up a doe’s topline at 7/8 inch can help make is smoother from the profile view while also creating a squarer, more correct look when studying them over the top.

Blending and loosely trimming

Blending will set you apart from the competition. Anyone can clip with a blade and guard on, but getting rid of the harsh lines from those blades and guards will immediately put you into the pro category. You will find the most blending success by backdragging the blending blade with the growth direction of the hair. Blending is the most difficult part, so practice is key. You’ll likely need to blend the neck, legs, hocks, bottomline and topline.

It’s also important to loosely trim the butt and bottomline from the navel back. Loosely trimming the butt creates more definition and ensures the animal looks clean in their lines. Trimming the bottomline from the navel back can create a more correct wedge on the profile.