How does everyone else manage to do it but i cant?

Dogbetty141

Dogbetty141

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I keep seeing pics of everyones clipped horses and its bugging me because i just cannot get my horse to be clipped with paying a fortune in vets bills to get him sedated! Even then he is a little monster. I know this is only because he is scared but i end up getting mad! I need to find a way of getting him used to it but who is gonna wanna clip my little monster?? and also he is 15 now so do you think i can get him used to it now??
 
I get Bloss fully sedated 3 times a year and thats all she needs. She'l be having her last clip around the middle of february. i know how you feel, it is really frustrating.
 
Yes with a slow progresive introduction, he could learn to accept it. Start by leaving the clippers on outside his stable while he's eating, to bringing them out everytime you groom him and to start with just turning them on at a distance he is comfortable with. Build it up slowly so he accepts they aren't going to hurt him, it'll take him some time to overcome his fear, it'll be worse if he's had some sort of bad experience in the past aswell. He may well be clippable next year, but it's going to take a lot of patience. Hope he gets over his fear, good luck.

EC
 
I helped clip my friends horse this winter who is 25ish and hasn't been done for at least 15 years as was terrified. e's got a scar on his ear where he was twitched and hurt as a youngster.
We did it in really slow stages, and I recommend getting yourself some cordless trimmers (or even human beard trimmers) and cordless clippers so you can move quickly without worrying about electricity and wires.
My friend spent time getting the horse used to the trimmers, firstly off, then on but not touching him. Once he was accepting that she lay them on him, again not cutting anything.
Then we did the same thing with the clippers, and eventually managed to do a sort of trace clip and did his neck and face with trimmers. It took about 6 weeks in total, so you might need to start this over summer for next winter!

It takes a lot of patience, and wear your riding hat at all times.

Good luck, and let me know if you want any more tips!
 
My boy hated getting clipped he was only young though and the reason was I paid the yard manager to do him and 5 mins in to it he went mental, so she left him and i done my mare myself using the same clippers after a few minutes I had to drop the clippers because they were so hot hence why my boy went mental, what we done was filled the feed bucket up with carrots and apples his stomach was the most important thing to him, I went and bought the quieyest clippers on the market and clipped just bits of him over a period of two weeks till eventually he had a full clip. It took 2 years of this and he began to settle till he was great.
 
where abouts in derbyshire, you don't sound too far from me, i would have a go at clipping him if you like. im in rotherham. once hes been clipped without anything bad happening to him he will soon come around to the idea.
i've got some cordless clippers that are not that noisey pm me if your interested.
 
My friends horse reacted violently when we tried to clip him - had hooves whistling past our ears at one point. Another friend tried her Lister Showman battery clippers on him and he was a bit worried but fine.

The electric clippers have a much higher noise - maybe yours would cope better with battery ones.
 
Try to get quiet ones and cordless ones (my ones tend to spook at the cable!). Then Id just start by turning them on nearby wherever the horse is like if he's in the stable, turn them on next door so he can hear it. As he gets more settled slowly begin bringing them closer each day (leaving them running for maybe just 5 / 10 mins), until eventually their in his stable. Then put them on nearish him while you groom. Then just bring them closer each time again until eventually you can put them on him.
 
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