clipping naughty neddy!!

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Vicki_Krystal

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right, ive put it off long enough and i finally need to clip my naughty horse!
i say he is naughty but he is actually scared as he got the poo beaten out of him the first time he got clipped as a 4yr old.
(i found out this when i started working where i brought him from)
anyway, he is 11 now and still petrified. he has been sedated every year up til now and then kept very warm so i only clip him once.
last year he had to be sedated 3 times, year before that twice.
not only is it very expensive but the effects of sedation are still not known in full and i dont want him to go through the stress of being injected 4 times!
anyone know of natural calmers that ACTUALLY work or any other ideas?
 
dont clip?!?
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I had a very naughty horse to clip and I tried everything including the route of try to desensitize him but the last tim ei clipped him he reared and planted his front feet on my hips.
I really believe, for safetys sake, if they are THAT bad then you should always have them sedated.
I also know of a lady who has ended up in a wheelchair getting booted by a difficult horse unsedated.
Once you have clipped him once keep him well rugged then hopefully it will last that much longer.
 
At what point does he get terrified - when you turn the clippers on - or when you start to clip?

My husband's HW hunter ALWAYS had to be tranquilised by the vet for clipping when he was at hunter livery yard. When we had him home, I started desensitising him to very quiet clippers (Moser Avalons). I also didn't tie him up - allowing him to move away when he got too stressed. Now we can clip him all over without sedation!

Although being knocked around will not have helped, it is probably the noise that sets him off - and quiet clippers are a must! Not tying him up also makes him feel more 'in control' - he can 'escape' (within the confines of a stable) - and that helps too. Then loads of patience!
 
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ive been over rugging the poor thing since october to stop his coat from growing!

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lol ive done this too and thank god it worked (horse looks like a pig when clipped)
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ive tried putting him in and turning little trimmers on. ive left them in his stable running and he stood at the back snorting!
also if he sees an extension lead near his box he runs to the back as he associates it with clipping
 
naf tempralax is good for nervous behaviour like this.

otherwise, spend some time with him, running the clippers from the otherside of the stable and only turning them off when he stands still and you've rewarded him. then move closer and try again., repeat until you are stood next to him.

then run them and put your other hand on him (so he feels the vibrations thru you) and turn off when he stand still. then try moving your hand over him with them running.

once you can get your hand everywhere with them running without him moving, the next stage is to get the clippers running against his coat turned so they don't clip when you move them. same process as with your hand.

once he's happy with that, start clipping. if he fidgets, re-assure him and turn the clippers off for a moment or two once he stands again. keep them well oiled and sharp, don't rush.

what you're doing is re-conditioning his brain so that he realises that the way to make the nasty noisy clippers go away is to stand still and let you get on with it, and that there's nothing to be frightened of.

time consuming yes, but it works. my horse had put his head thru a stable roof when being clipped (long story) and the first year i had him couldn't touch his ears nevermind clip them. this year (3years on, 1 year since doing this with him) i clipped him, his ears and face with the big clippers.
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I find that simply using a humane twitch is almost as good as vet sedation and less traumatic for the horse and wallet! I've been clipping a load of first-timers and ex-racers over the past couple of days and I had three horses today which were very nervous. As usual I spent a few minutes just holding the clippers near to them and then holding them on the shoulder but these few horses were plainly nervous. Popped the twitch on for 3-5 minute sessions and clipped them all out including half-heads with no problem and more importantly no stress to the horses.
 
I dont believe in sedating a horse to clip,or shoe for that matter as they dont ever get used to be clipped/shod when they are coherent(never with it)At least if you use a twitch they are fully aware of what is going on and get used to it.My new horse used to be sedated to be clipped before i had him.I used the twitch on him twice to hog him and when i came to clipping him right out he stood like a baby.I dont need to use a twitch anymore,i dont even have to tie him up!
 
Michael Peace has a marvellous DVD out on clipping clipper-phobic horses. No magic, just quiet common sense and immaculate timing. I'd recommend it to anyone. I got mine from the BHS website.
 
Twitches are not always the way to go!!My lad usually has to be sedated for teeth(after being so good,took a major dislike to the gag???)!My vet agreed to try without sedation,got gag on and boy panicked,calmed him down but he then decided he didnt want the rasp in his mouth!Twitch came out
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he fell asleep for about a minute and then proceeded to strike out violently with both front legs until we took it off!!NEVER again he hated it!!He is an angel for everything else(silly bugger will have a combine taking up all the road and stand on a grass verge till it has gone past within an inch of his nose,lol),but for his and ours safety he has a shot!!!I would rather he didnt have it but it saves him gettin upset!!
 
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