Help - leg hair clipping nightmare!

[cobstar]

I have a 15.1hh cob gelding who will tolerate having his mane and tail clipped and will also have his back legs clipped when he is sedated with Sedalin Gel. I can clip him completely with a IV sedation but that involves an expensive vets call out. He needs to be clipped about once per month as he is so hairy.

My problem is that he lets me do the above but when it gets to around pastern height on his front legs he snatches them up and won't let me get near them. I know he is not scared of the sound as he will let me hog his mane and even clip the bits between his ears! What should I do? He tolerates them on the pastern area when they are turned off but no way will he left me clip this last little bit! Had enough today after clipping the rest of him and it isn't because he gets fidgety as I can start with the problem area, do it in the middle or at the end and its still the same result. Have also tried twitching. Help please!!

 

[Shipley]

Have you tries while usong the sedaline gel some one feeds him? also what about a friend holding the other front leg up? good luck I know it can be very difficult

 

[cobstar]

Hi, yes we tried both of those today. He is so strong though it gets difficult to hold him. I am just so frustrated with him.

 

[saz5083]

Would little finishing trimmers get through his hair? My lad doesnt have a lot to take off but used to ba an absolute nightmare with his front legs (but back ones were fine!) and I found he tolerated the little trimmers better than full blown clippers. Think they vibrate less so maybe less annoying?!
Two years on and I can now use big clippers (so much quicker) but it took ages to get him used to the feel of them on his legs.

 

[cobstar]

Hi, I wish I could get finishing trimmers through his hair but its that coarse. I can't work out why the front legs are a problem but not the back either.

 

[Tegan]

Hi

My cob is also really difficult to clip when it comes to his lower legs. We put it down to the fact that he is prone to feather mites and finds it uncomfortable. However we have to clip the legs to manage the feather mites so we twitch him.

This is the easiest way to get the hair off quickly and without getting kicked!

It seems a shame to sedate him as he is fine to clip everywhere else.

Tegan

 

[Skhosu]

Does he need clipped? If it causes him so much distress I wouldn't do it .

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

My gipsy cob mare is exactly the same - ultra hairy and has to have her legs clipped or she suffers terrible feather mites. She will now stand quietly to be clipped but the minute the clippers edge below the knee she does exactly what cobstar's ned does. She snatches the leg up over and over and over again. It's enough to make you lose the will to live. Take care with holding another leg up! We tried that one and she STILL snatched the leg that we were trying to clip up. Outcome? She fell over. Blithering idiot horse.

The trick is to grit your teeth and NEVER lose your temper. Easier said than done I know! When he starts the snatching up, keep the clippers pressed against his leg (not clipping, just pressed there) and follow the leg wherever it goes. The usual sequence is: start clipping low on the leg, ned snatches leg away, person clipping snatches clippers away, ned puts leg back down having achieved exactly what he wanted. The new sequence goes: start clipping on lower leg, ned snatches leg away, person clipping follows leg wherever it goes, ned tries even harder, person clipping is resolute and calm, ned eventually puts leg down for 5 seconds, person clipping clips off half a millimtere of hair. After an hour, trust me you will have clipped off maybe a quarter of one leg. And when you repeat the exercise the next day, it will seem as if you are back to square 1 again. But it will only take 45 mins to do the next bit of leg. And so on. You have to be careful if you know your horse might strike out but quiet persistance WILL work eventually.

If you're feeling flush, Michael Peace has a fabulous, no-nonsense dvd guide to clipping clipper-phobic horses.

 

[cobstar]

Thank you Box_of_Frogs, its nice to know I am not the only one having this nightmare. He does suffer with mites too which is why I must keep him clipped. I did try to follow his leg with the clippers yesterday but I really didn't stay calm enough I don't think, but I will give it another try knowing that it will eventually work. Many thanks

 

[Tnavas]

Have you tried holding the leg up and trying to clip it while you hold it?

It sounds very much like he is more tender around the pastern area.

For the mites.
Have you tried worming him with an Ivermectin based wormer? If you bomb drench him - worm weekly for three weeks with an Ivermectin based product (Eqvalan) it may get the mites under control. Vet can also inject Ivomec intravenously.

Other wormer that may deal with the mites have Avermectin or Moxidectin as a base. Moxidectin is the strongest of all these and has to be administered with great are.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

During one of Angel's famous tantrums cobstar, I totally lost my rag with her. Me and her are big mates and when big mates have a bust up it's usually toweringly huge for 2 mins and then you start shaking with the emotion and hug each other tightly. Well, after the usual stamping, farting about and executing MANY faultless Turns On The Tie Up Ring ( a difficult dressage movement) she struck out in temper and I lost the plot. I whacked her with the Harmony cordless clippers I was holding {{hangs head in shame}}. Naturally, they fell to bits all around me and Angel stood there looking smug. Moral of this? Don't lose your temper no matter what lol. After that I re-assembled the clippers, gave Angel a hug, took a deep breath and started again as if it hadn't happened. We actually made significant progress and got one whole front leg done. I think Angel's outburst and my response outburst frightened both of us!