Gerald Hughes at work sharpening clipper blades
At the Bluegrass Miniature Horse and Shetland Area III National Show held this year at the
Central Kentucky Agricultural Center in Liberty, Kentucky we made a great find! Gerald Hughes a retired teacher travels the mini/Shetland show circuit with 2 small equines of his own with his Blade Sharpening service, and he was working non-stop. Hughes taught school shop for years, specializing in teaching his students to make knives. “I had a boy once tell me he needed a car, so I told him to auction off the knife he made in class, and it went for $750, enough to get him his first car!” That was of course many years ago, and now that Hughes is “retired” he has been sharpening clipper blades for seven years, traveling to Miniature and Shetland shows with his own ponies. “Miniatures don’t shed out like horses do, “ said Hughes, which was evidenced by the freshly clipped mini’s entering the competition ring. Hughes does a lot of his work by mail order too and you won’t believe the price!
Minis don't shed like most horses and ponies and require clipping for show and comfort.
Gerald enjoys doing about 6 shows a year traveling with his wife and ponies, “So I can see all my friends.” He does a lot of his work by mail, and promises despite his show schedule he is usually home on Sunday nights and stays on top of his orders, and longtime happy clients.
With his sharpening machine he is able to fine-tune clipper blades by .0015 of an inch using a fine grit honing powder. He guarantees and tests every blade before shipping it back and the cost: $5 per blade plus a $5 postage and handling fee. The flat rate service boxes at the post office can fit 18-20 blades, and if you send him enough work and ask nicely he might even send them back free shipping. He’s working on getting a Facebook page, but is easy to reach.
Nice meeting you Gerald!
Gerald Hughes
Show Time Clipper
2745 County Road 4306
DeKalb, Texas 75559
porterdek@aol.com903-733-6984
903-733-6985
