Fear that I have put my life at risk....

J

JenHunt

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I have been asked to clip a horse for someone I hunt with. Nothing unusual in that, but since agreeing someone has told me that said horse nearly killed the lady last time she tried to clip is as it went up and caught her head with a hoof....

think I will be wearing hard hat, fire proof gloves, steel toe-caps, hi-is jacket, face guard and gum shield on wednesday!
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I've seen the damage a terrified horse can cause being clipped. The horse in question was just a chunky young skewbald cob. Handler not wearing a helmet, horse went straight up in panic and one hoof sliced down across the handler's head. A&E and a very very narrow escape. I'd ask the owner to be present and to make the first couple of passes with the clippers herself, just so you can judge the risk.
 
If its dangerous don't do it. My daughter has a nice scar on her shoulder where a pony she was clipping went vertical and came down on her. It cut her face and shoulder. Its not worth the risk
 
It might be risky, it might be that last time the person doing it was nervous and did a ham fisted job and caused their own problems. You won't know until you start.

I had a horse on loan and one of the first things I did was to give it a clip, which was fine, a bit fidgety for the face but I did it alone without twitching or any sedation - only to have the owner say to me after the event 'oh you've managed to clip him, I had major problems and couldn't get near doing his head'
 
What happens if you get injured? Or if the horse gets injured throwing itself around? Do you have insurance? To be honest, I wouldn't do it. I think this is similar to preparing a horse for the farrier, the owner should be doing something about getting their horse safe.
 
I have walked away from a few horses that have had pot shots at me in the past ..... leaving them half clipped.......does teach the owner to be more honest I think! At the end of the day if you know your horse is dangerous to clip you should have the sense to ensure it is properly sedated by a vet. I would maybe have a frank chat with her before wednesday so that she can arrange a vet if needs be?
 
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I have walked away from a few horses that have had pot shots at me in the past ..... leaving them half clipped.......does teach the owner to be more honest I think! At the end of the day if you know your horse is dangerous to clip you should have the sense to ensure it is properly sedated by a vet. I would maybe have a frank chat with her before wednesday so that she can arrange a vet if needs be?

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^^ this. I have done the same - life is too short to be risking life and limb with a dangerous horse. She should have been upfront in the first place. Also, if you are using your own clippers, what happens if they get damaged? Don't be afraid to say no, if that is the only option.
 
If you are still considering clipping the horse then I would insist on using a tube of sedalin on it to keep it calm & sedated & even have a twitch handy as back up. There's no point in risking your life. The owner should have told you if the horse had any issues.
 
I was clipping a horse at work that was a nutjob so i refused to continue unless it was sedated. The vet came, heavily sedated the horse and i happily clipped away with no problems for about 20 mins then all of a sudden it flipped out and doublebarrelled me in the chest hard enough to break 2 ribs behind my breast and knocked me out on the wall
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Get the vet to sedate.

Do a run of desentization sessions before you attempt a full clip.

Dizz is fine with the clippers, until they touch her, then she's not so good. Had her sedated for the wee bit of clipping she needed for the freeze marking to be done. She didn't react to the marking, but she did to the clipping and that was with the sedation. There's no way I'd risk clipping her, even fully sedated, until we've done some desensitization work.

Good luck and definately pad up/boot up/and hat, and walk away at the first sign of trouble.
 
I would ask the owner straight- you know how horse stories can get exagerated. However, if the horse is dangerous and she hasn't told you I would be furious.
My horse is a nightmare to clip and no way would I let anyone attempt it unless he was sedated
 
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