Clipping nightmare

[PLAYBOY]

When i brought my horse he had been clipped ! I came to clipp him the other day he nearly turned himself inside out x people have sudjested acp , sedaline ,velarian ,vet sedation
what do i do ? Any ideas please ...........

 

[*hic*]

Contact the previous owners and ask them how they did it!

 

[wanderersmelody]

If your vet would allow it, I would use sedalin. I use this on any horse that is a nervous clipper and it really does chill them BUT...speak to your vet first about dosages. Best to clip in the morning as the sedalin can last quite a long time and you shouldn't feed them while they're on it in case they choke. If you use vet sedation, it tends to be very expensive and also wears off quick so you have to be quick at clipping. Also it will make your horse sweat which won't help a nice clip for your horse. The sedalin sems to release slow and lasts longer so that you can take your time. Good luck!

 

[kerilli]

i would try clipping with a small pair of hand clippers first... i've managed to do a very difficult horse with those, without sedation. i have the wahl corded ones, about a 1" blade, and they are incredibly quiet and cope very well.
or, get the vet out to sedate the horse properly. it gives you a good hour if they do it right, which is enough if you're a decent clipper. better to do a full hunter clip if you're against the time though, as it's getting the lines to match on blanket and trace clips that takes the longest!
also, if you have stables with grilles between, put him in one next door to a (good, calm) horse being clipped, so he can see and hear that it's fine. or, clip one right outside his stable or something.
i've had horses i had to do piecemeal... a bit of neck, a bit of bum, a bit of tummy, a bit of neck again. i had one mare who was fine from shoulder up but hated anything below that being done... took a lot of patience, but i clipped her out every year.

 

[PLAYBOY]

[ QUOTE ]
Contact the previous owners and ask them how they did it!

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I did they said he was ok to clipp but hated it after and she wouldnt advise i do it again ! he did used to have a fit when u brushed him ect.. ow i wish i didnt have to clipp

 

[PLAYBOY]

[ QUOTE ]
If your vet would allow it, I would use sedalin. I use this on any horse that is a nervous clipper and it really does chill them BUT...speak to your vet first about dosages. Best to clip in the morning as the sedalin can last quite a long time and you shouldn't feed them while they're on it in case they choke. If you use vet sedation, it tends to be very expensive and also wears off quick so you have to be quick at clipping. Also it will make your horse sweat which won't help a nice clip for your horse. The sedalin sems to release slow and lasts longer so that you can take your time. Good luck!

[/ QUOTE ]
Think i will contact the vet about sedaline then where can i get this from ?

 

[PLAYBOY]

[ QUOTE ]
i would try clipping with a small pair of hand clippers first... i've managed to do a very difficult horse with those, without sedation. i have the wahl corded ones, about a 1" blade, and they are incredibly quiet and cope very well.
or, get the vet out to sedate the horse properly. it gives you a good hour if they do it right, which is enough if you're a decent clipper. better to do a full hunter clip if you're against the time though, as it's getting the lines to match on blanket and trace clips that takes the longest!
also, if you have stables with grilles between, put him in one next door to a (good, calm) horse being clipped, so he can see and hear that it's fine. or, clip one right outside his stable or something.
i've had horses i had to do piecemeal... a bit of neck, a bit of bum, a bit of tummy, a bit of neck again. i had one mare who was fine from shoulder up but hated anything below that being done... took a lot of patience, but i clipped her out every year.

[/ QUOTE ]
he not bothered about the noise ect just hates the touch on him

 

[*hic*]

Bother - I hoped perhaps they had a trick. I'd try lots of desensitisation and reward with him and see if you can't get him to accept that you aren't actually going to do anything awful Hopefully he'll trust you more than he did his previous owners!

I have a pair of Wahl Avalon cordless clippers and although they are a little small they don't vibrate very much at all and so seem easier for horse that don't like the feel to get used to.

 

[StaceyTanglewood]

If it turned itself inside out Sedalin wont work - they can over ride it had 2 horses to do one scared of clipping and one scared of shoeing !!!

get the vet down a lot less hassle trust me !!

 

[JACQSZOO]

Agree with Stacey. Sedalin only tends to work to quieten them down, so if you had something that was a bit fidgety then sedalin would be a good choice. If he really is that bad the chances are the sedalin wont touch him.

 

[Ashf]

You can desensitise even the most nervous horse given enough patience and trust. The first time we got a girl to clip jessie, she had to abandon it after 5 minutes as the pony was terrified even with a good dose of sedalin.

I bought my daughter a set of people trimmers from Argos, and she took her time and managed it over a couple of evenings.

It can be done with a bit of patience and they do get used to it, but you need their trust first.

If you have seen the pic of Jessie in the gallery, you will appreciate she needed to stand still for a fair amount of time to put the stars on her, she is totally chilled about them now, and will stand for even the noisiest clippers

 

[ballvicki]

Every horse is different, but both of mine are "Need to be Sedated Before you Go Anywhere Near With Clippers" types! I have found that the following really helped mine, to a stage that they will both be clipped without too much bother at all.

Around August time, every time I feed them in the evening I turn the clippers on (i have battery powered cordless ones - they aren't really the quietest but do the job!). Every evening I move them a little bit closer to where they are eating. Then I turn them off and run them all over their bodies so they can get used to the look of them (this was actually the hardest bit). Sounds a bit of a chore but I do this for about 2 weeks!!

Then I have a pair of cheapy small trimmers and I get them used to the sound these make, and the feel of them vibrating. Once they are OK with this I sort of turn the small trimmers on while holding the big clippers (not turned on) get them used that all over. Then when I feel they are ready I turn the big clippers on and just hold then against my hand on their skin for a day or two, and THEN I clip when I think they are ready.

The whole process takes me about 3 weeks (every year!!), and sounds like SUCH a faff, but saves me alot of money in vets fees

. When I next need to clip I just turn the clippers on for a couple of days before hand and they are fine. Its just the first seasons clip thats the tricky one.

But like I say every horse is diff. this may not work with yours, but does seem to with mine?

 

[StaceyTanglewood]

Tried the little clippers with my horse it still squished me !!!

its much safer to sedate for her and for me !!

then on the other hand my youngster is an angel and i dont need to tie him up !!

 

[_Libby_]

Playboy, my mare is exactly the same, she hates the sensation on her skin- see my post on clipping in NL.
I tried her with sedalin and it didnt even knock the edge off despite being given a high dosage.

At the moment I am trying lots of time and patience, starting out with an electric toothbrush on her for 5 mins a day or stopping if she gets too distressed then I will move onto hand clippers. I would recommend getting another calm horse clipped next to yours so they can see its nothing scary. Also practise when they are eating so they assosciate it with something positive, lots of praise.
I think its just time and doing it bit by bit. If all else fails you could get them sedated- which I have done in the past. I have to say I wasnt keen on it as someone told me the horse knows whats going on but just cant do anything about it- which I am not sure helps long term.
You can also try and radio in the background and putting cotton wool in ears

 

[PLAYBOY]

Thanks for everyones great advice think i will try sedaline see how he goes if not maybe try bit by bit before actually having him sedated ! thanks all xx

 

[Nari]

The very best thing I did with my scared to be clipped horse was swallow my pride & get a good professional in to do it.

I could get bits off if I took it slowly, stopped when he got too stressed, made no attempt to restrain him & picked my time carefully. Even so I was limited to a chaser type clip with a fluffy scarf! No one else on the yard could get near him with clippers, he'd freak so badly that there was a real risk of him hurting himself.

Sedation was a problem. He's needleshy so even getting the sedative into him would wind him up & a heavy sedation was needed. Unfortunately he sweated under the sedation & came out of it far too quickly. As he was starting to come out of it he was dangerous - normally his sole aim is to stay out of reach & he's very careful of where I am but this completely changed & I just had to get out fast & shut the top door!

Finally I tried a man who came very highly recommended. I had my doubts, as did everyone else! I was determined to stay around as I was not going to have him knocked around but my worries were totally unfounded. He spent a few minutes saying hi to him then brought in the clippers & watched him before telling me he was scared stiff, trying very hard to be good & best left loose in the box to do. The first time took a little while but there were frequent breaks, no hassle for him & he only twitched him as he got near his head. The next time he stood for a hunter clip with very little fidgeting, the time after that he looked bored & let him take half his face too! I can now do a small clip myself but too be honest I get John out as it's easier for Jim - he's faster, can concentrate much more on the horse than I can & just has an excellent manner around him. Interestingly he also did a friend's cob that wasn't in the least scared just very rude & anti - his approach was very different (but still not nasty) & the mare learnt a lot about more than just clipping that morning.