Do you twitch?

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Keltic

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I use a twitch on both my mares when necessary, ive got a humaine one but its bloody useless!! it just falls off. Yesterday i needed to twitch my mare so i could treat her poorly leg and i couldnt keep the twitch on! In the end i got my wooden spoon from the feed room it has a piece of bailer twine on it to hang it up, i used that and it worked a treat ok so i got a few funny looks but hey who cares, it only took me 5 mins to sort her leg out with twitch on, if i hadnt used it id have probably been kicked and taken 30 mins!
So do you use one?
 
I do twitch when necessary & I agree that the twitches you buy from Robinsons etc are poor & don't really work. I cannot agree with using bailing twine though, it's too sharp & can cause injury. I use a piece of sash cord. You can apply the amount of pressure you need but because it has a round cross section it can't cause any injury to the horse.
 
Well i had to use what was to hand and a spoon with twine was all i had!, my oh is going to make me one and ill use a piece of cord, and tbh all the ones ive come across for years have used plaited twine and I have never seen any injuries from them.
 
only as a last resort.Mine is a DIY made out of a bit of wide cane and a bit of soft cord. Its very light and is less likely to take someones head off if the horse manages to rip it out of twitchers hand. If on my own, I tie it to the headcollar but I prefer to have someone trustworthy to hold it. M.
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Like Mairi, only as and when, but have no arguments with the use of one. A useful piece of equipment in certain situations.

Better to use a twitch for a few minutes than (for example) have a horse bleeding all over the place and a cross Vet because it can't be treated safely.

Mine is a bit of broom handle with yachting cord.
 
I twitch when needed and dont use a human twitch as they are dangerous (Fall off and swing into you when horse shakes hea) and bloody useless.

I use a pair of metal tongues if i can and if not i use a spoon with string.

Lou x
 
My twitch is about 100 years old and is a stick with thick twine on the end. Some horses are great with it - and others can become V agressive and I once had a pony who threw itself to the ground - so you do have to be careful. A more humane way for short-term immobility i.e. cleaning a wound is to get a handler to grab a large chunk of skin on the neck - that can work very well.
 
Yes if needs must. I prefer to try to do everything without the use of one, however some treatments need the horse to be twitched/sedated etc.

I have a few twitches; humane one (totally agree with everyone else; damn thing is a danger!), a wooden spoon with sisal baler twine (works brilliantly) and an axe handle with rope (works okay, but not as good as the sisal one).

I rarely have use for twitches; but I have no qualms about using them in necessary. I am very careful about times and tightness though - would never leave any twitch on for longer than 15 minutes.
 
have one twitch - A wooden stick with baler twine on the end and it works fantastically!

except for my horse's strange reaction - he always sweats up when its on between his front legs - very odd!!

had to twitch today as he was being a pain when i was clipping his head
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I have to twitch my mare for mane pulling and clipping, but am always careful not to leave it on for long. I use a large key ring (without the keys) and baler twine, as it means I can loop the lead rein through the ring so the twitch doesn't come undone.
 
A vet has used one on my horse following a nasty barbed wire cut and a problem with his ears and I used to use one for clipping with a sedative. I prefer alternatives such as using food as a distraction or 'neck twitching'. I have since got my horse over his fear of clipping and dont twitch him at all.

I would recommend using something other than baler twine for twitching as it can cause a loss of circulation or worse permanent nerve damage.
 
Nope, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

We prep all our horses for being handled, clipped,injected, teeth rasped etc using "approach and retreat" (desensitization) and teaching the horse to yield to pressure anywhere on its body- for example lowering its head, holding legs up, turning its neck for injection and giving the tongue for teeth rasping.

Last week my vet comented on "how nice it is to handle a safe, sensible horse instead of those f***ig idiotic ones he normally has to wrestle with"!

He couldn't believe it when I told him that he horse is a 4yr old and has only been backed for 18 mths.

I see it as my duty to prep my horses for life-makes them easier to handle and more saleable too.
 
with my gelding i do for safetys sake, but i have neve needed to with my mare, she is excellant for the vet, good to clip, worm shoe ect. if i felt the situation required then i would.
 
Yes I do use a twitch when necessary. I think it is alot safer than trying to fight with my boy - last time I used it he had an abcsess which he wouldn't let me poultice. It took less than 5 mins with the twitch and it was alot safer for both of us!!

Jazzelle29 - it's all well and good if you can get them from youngsters but unless you train them like that from babies it's not always so easy! Not criticising - just stating that your approach is great - just not always a viable option!
 
Last time I used a twitch Jazzelle, it was to make the task (of pushing half a foot of sopping gauze down into down there \/) far less painful for the horse. I personally think it would have been incredibly cruel to expect the horse to stand quietly whilst I pushed the gauze through the fractured skull and down into the inner workings of the head. I also know for a fact that your horses (or even my own, who have excellent manners), prepared or not, would most definitely not stand nice and quietly for you to do this without some form of relaxant.
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In the real world, sometimes other measures have to be taken for the greater good.


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Yes, but I use a a piece of hose pipe (flexible one - about 10-12") and thread some cord through and then tie knot in, so you have a circle... half hosepipe, half cord, when it is on you can thread the leadrope through the small loop left in the hosepipe (if you are on your own) .. plus if the horse does suddenly object you have not got a piece of wood flying around your head... the hosepipe only stings a bit :-)
 
My hoof picks hang up on plaited bailer twine and they double up nicely as twitches where necessary, which is not very often. As with most things I don't see any problem if used correctly - really gets on my nerves when people get on their 'high horse' about methods of restraint etc. - I also use a chiffney when necessary - I would rather be in control thanks!
Also ditto to comments on the 'humane twitch'- useless!!!
 
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