Clipping advice needed please.

M

Myhorseeatsmoney

Well-Known Member
Joined
3 December 2011
Messages
141
Location
West Berkshire
Visit site
I've had my 4 year old a couple of months now and he is usually extremely well behaved. My trainer persuaded me to have him twitched, sedated and his front leg held up so that she could clip him quickly for a show and at the time because he was so stressed it seemed the safest way to do it. Having spoken to someone who clips professionally she said she would not consider doing him unless a vet intravenously sedated him.

So for several days I spent about half an hour each evening getting him used to the clippers. Two days ago I managed to clip his belly, chest and neck by myself with out anything to calm him except for a large hay net. He isn't happy about me trying to clip his legs, head or ears yet and as he will not let anyone else near him whilst I am doing it I am not sure how to continue.

Do I keep trying every couple of days or should I just let him have a sedative to help him? I know that a twitch can calm horses but I can no longer get one on him.

So it is a very steep learning curve for both of us and having got this far I would have left the rest but he does sweat up very quickly and I don't want to keep his feathers but I am also terrified of cutting him as I have never clipped before.
 
I would have him sedated and get the professional in to do him. Often once they have been done they settle and accept it without dope.

To save on expense, see if you can hold off as long as possible as their coats are not fully in yet.
 
Wildrider, you are aptly named, with a possible cracked pelvis, I wouldnt even try to ride. I'd be tempted, but i've learned the hard way, just because it doesn't hurt, doesn't mean it's not doing damage. Rest yourself for at least 4 weeks, and really rest, not just not riding. I did huge damage to my knee 12 years ago, it hurt like hell for a few weeks, but when it didnt, i went back riding, still suffering for it. I can be walking down the street and bang, I'll fall, as my knee will go. Please be patient with your injury, if you dont, you'll pay for it in the long run. xx :p
 
Sedation is the easiest way but sounds to me like you are spending a lot of time getting him used to the clippers and doing a really good job - You could always get some sedaline off your vet (call them and pop in for it) - this will take the edge off his nerves and might help you finish off the rest.

IMO, if the horse is heavily sedated they never learn but with sedaline they are not completely out of it if you know what I mean.
 
angileena said:
Wildrider, you are aptly named, with a possible cracked pelvis, I wouldnt even try to ride. I'd be tempted, but i've learned the hard way, just because it doesn't hurt, doesn't mean it's not doing damage. Rest yourself for at least 4 weeks, and really rest, not just not riding. I did huge damage to my knee 12 years ago, it hurt like hell for a few weeks, but when it didnt, i went back riding, still suffering for it. I can be walking down the street and bang, I'll fall, as my knee will go. Please be patient with your injury, if you dont, you'll pay for it in the long run. xx :p
Click to expand...

Oh and no idea what this is! I assume the posts have got mixed up!
 
mcnaughty said:
Sedation is the easiest way but sounds to me like you are spending a lot of time getting him used to the clippers and doing a really good job - You could always get some sedaline off your vet (call them and pop in for it) - this will take the edge off his nerves and might help you finish off the rest.

IMO, if the horse is heavily sedated they never learn but with sedaline they are not completely out of it if you know what I mean.
Click to expand...

agree with this, a sedative does not stop the horse being fearful it stops the body being able to respond to that fear (or thats my understanding of it), so they dont improve.

do you have trimmers you can use on the face?

we have one at work that you can clip head to toe with the normal clippers but she has to be twitched to do her ears after having had an electric shock on them from the clippers yrs ago-I would rather not twitch but she gets dangerous. one of the others has taken a yr but I can now clip all over including her face
 
Sorry fort the late reply.

I have tried sedalin and ACP and he was very dangerous on both. We only had 10 minutes of total calm and then my very quiet boy turned into the horse from hell.

I have lister star clippers and a rechargeable trimmer that came with them but I have to say that the I would only use the trimmers on the face as they are not up to his thick coat.
 
In that case I woulod just do 5 or 10 mins each day so its always positive, he may look like a patchwok pony for a while but if it means he gets better and you can clip without fuss at some oint in the future its worth it
 
Sedalin and ACP are the same thing and about as much use as a chocolate teapot! If the horse had been sedated properly day one there would have been no need for twitch and holding leg up so if that was his first experience of being clipped I'm not surprised he is not tolerating it now. In my experience doing little patches every night does not work as they never learn that for clipping they have to stand for an hour and get on with it. For the next clip I would book vet for iv sedation, do him fully and then keep working on desensitising and most definitely as EKW said use ear plugs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top