Clipping a horse that doesn’t want to be clipped!

[Pineapple1020]

Hiya everyone!

just after some advice and to see if anyone else has been in a similar situation.

I’m really needing to remove my cobs feathers- he has mallenders and is in quite a lot of work so I feel he will be much more comfortable with them all off. However he doesn’t like being clipped and has previously only been done after being sedated by the vet. I’ve been doing lots of ‘desensitising’ work with him and can run a pair of small animal clippers all over his body whilst they are running without him moving but he seems to get really ticklish almost whenever I try and clip a small bit of his leg with them.

I can’t tie him up to do it as he pulls back and will break whatever he is tied to and he seems to be lots more comfortable when he’s not tied up. I managed to clip the front of his knee in the ménage yesterday without him moving which was a massive achievement!

i think even if I get him comfortable with my ‘proper’ heavy duty corded ones he will still be funny about his legs and how it feels. I understand the backs of his knees will be difficult due to the mallenders which are currently mild as they are being treated daily but I am considering either twitching for those areas or just cutting the hair there right down instead.

is there any way I can stop him being so funny and sensitive over actually clipping his legs? I can run the trimmers all over them and he doesn’t move once I’ve worked a bit with him that day but as soon as I try and clip hair off he backs up and stamps his feet round lots and realistically, there’s no chance of me clipping them off with him doing that!
I’m not willing to use vet sedation again as I want to sort the problem out rather than block it out! Any tips or advice will be really appreciated.

 

[SOS]

I think that sedation gives them a positive experience whilst clipping... makes it a sleepy time rather than a stressful time. Have you tried oral sedation alone?

That said I’ve known some very serious injuries from people that have been clipping and the horse has freaked out. It’s no joke especially with legs. I’d just sedate fully to make life easier, especially whilst you get the original lot off which will be uncomfortable anyway. Then work on desensitisation to keep them trimmed. Whatever you do please please wear a hat and stick very close to the horse (against them).

 

[FFAQ]

Does he like having his legs scratched? It can help if you give the leg a really good scratch while you clip. Not easy though!

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Ohhh dear!! I could have written the original post!!

My mare is itchy around her feathers and we've always had to sedate her; usually we've waited till the vet is here anyway to do teeth, but now our vet is retiring we're not sure what we'll do for teeth in the future, may use an EDT.

We did have a professional clipping lady to try and do her legs backalong, but Madam decided "no" and her behaviour became dangerous so we had to leave off doing her legs.

Have registered with a new vet practice which is equine-centred. My clippers I suspect have had it, they've packed up and I rather think they'll be given a terminal diagnosis if I take them in for repair........... and I've also had a really bad experience when I hired a set of clippers (don't ask, how long have you got!) so I'm wondering whether the new vet practice might humour me if I asked if they could sedate AND clip mare's legs for me if I dropped the Witch over to them..........

Feel for your dilemma OP. I'm not wanting to take feathers off for anything other reason than for welfare basically.

 

[Parrotperson]

ok. maybe sedate him and clip them back really well the first time. then use scissors frequently afterwards. Maybe that way you'd only need to sedate once a year? Personally I think if he's fine with the motor and movement of the clippers but hates it when you actually touch his skin you're better off not risking it. Especially legs.

 

[Skib]

I watched Michael Peace do this at a demo with a Police Horse which hated to have its face clipped and I seem to remember there is a video on line, may be You Tube. I think I own the video but my copy may be VHS and I listed the title as, Think Equus Approach to Clipping, 2004.
However when I wanted to try this with a mare I shared, I was not allowed. It was health and safety that she had to be sedated. And yes, I always wear a hard hat when doing anything with horses, grooming etc, not just when riding.

 

[ihatework]

I think that if you are seeing progress on the desensitisation, which it sounds like you are if you can get small battery trimmers on him (trust me, I’ve had ones where even those were a near death experience), then continuing with sedation is worth it.

If he is reacting strongly to the legs then you probably have an ongoing mix of current discomfort and remembered discomfort. If you need to get those legs clipped in order to effectively treat them, then get the vet in for IV, scalp them and get on top of them.

Continue the desensitising work, it doesn’t happen overnight, but the less sore his legs are and the more frequent positive experience then you will get there. In the interim period oral sedatives can be used, domo to start then sedalin, on a decreasing dosage.

 

[chaps89]

Mines impossible to clip below the knee/hock. Great to clip anywhere else!
After she broke my foot we just don't do it anymore, however she will tolerate scissors and a comb.
It takes bleeding ages so I tend to leave her legs and just cut the hair off behind her knee with scissors so I can get to the mallenders, but I also don't mind that the cosmetics are a bit off.

 

[Roxylola]

Invest in steel toe caps. After 2 recent incidents I now have a big toe that looks like it belongs to Freddie Kreuger- I'd supply pics but nobody needs to see that ?
Also, liveryman classic trimmers are brilliant, quiet, small, low vibration and cordless. I'd highly recommend them

 

[Griffin]

Mine hated being clipped but has slowly got better to the point where she can be clipped without sedation. We can't clip her all in one go but over a couple of days of just doing what she is happy with, we get it done.

We started with oral sedation and made sure every experience was a good one (quiet yard, no stress except the clippers). Gradually, we reduced how much sedation we gave until we were only using a small amount to take the edge off.

With legs, it takes ages but you can just thin with scissors if necessary.

 

[Elno]

Try Domosedan! ?

Awesome stuff! Start with a full dose and then gradually use less and less. It sedates them and takes the edge off without knocking them out completely.

 

[J&S]

I second the Liveryman cordless clippers. I have the ones with the red body, you can also fit a much larger blade than a trimmer. They are very quiet and light and I can now clip my companion pony loose in the yard where I couldn't get near her with the Wahl clippers.

 

[Rosie'smum]

Mine used to be really good with clipping her feathers but over time for no reason that i can think of she got worse and worse. To the point of kicking out and breaking a pair of clippers.
The only way i have managed to get them done is to use a clicker and treat. I just treat now but I still have a slight issue with her left fore. I think now it is in her head that they will tickle because the clippers dont even need to be near her and she twitches her legs.
Its just patience. Have the clippers on and touch her with them, if no reaction move them away and treat. Slowly do a bit further each time. Mine is worse on front of canon bones, i tend to do one quick sweep and then treat. I can also see when she is about to move.
I also use liveryman harmony clippers as they are nice and quiet and less vibrations.

 

[HollyWoozle]

Silly question but have you tried distracting him with something like a mini horselyx? I actually have very, very little experience of clipping but just suggested it as they are little pots of magic and would help to make it all a jolly experience.

 

[Enfys]

Try Domosedan! ?

Awesome stuff! Start with a full dose and then gradually use less and less. It sedates them and takes the edge off without knocking them out completely.

I love that stuff, thankfully l can get it over the counter, and always have a syringe knocking about the place. l would rather sedate to do something that needs to be done than fight.

 

[Pineapple1020]

Quick update!

I haven’t fully tried to give it a proper go yet with the clippers but the other day he stood perfectly whilst I clipped the front of one of his knees. The only reason I stopped was because I was using the cheap dog trimmers!
I have just got the Liveryman harmony plus clippers which he seems fine with and they are very quiet with low vibrations so I’m hoping if I give him a mild calmer and take my time I might be able to give it a real go!