Nervous with Clippers

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thehorsediva

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My cob is pretty nervous with the clippers and we had a horrific experience when i first got him which keeps in my mind everytime! Unfortunately the woman who initially came to me (under recommedation) was so nervous, and as he didnt like it he marched about a bit and she scared the both of us half to death, really fought with him and left him half done. Now i have found someone who is amazing with him and I dont know what i would have done without her! However he is still so so nervous as soon as the clippers turn on and i have to say i get in a state about it as well! he has the habit of panicking and walking round with his back end so u can end up feeling crushed. i usually try distracting him with a haynet and i'll stand with him at his head while he's being done. any tips on how to make him (and me) more relaxed? by the way he's being clipped tmrw!
 
twitch or sedate for tomorrow.

can you borrow some clippers or buy some little trimmers to get him used to the sound?

this is what i do with my youngsters and now working on my clipper shy 15yro!

started by just standing in the stable with them switched on, then moving around mucking out etc with them in my hand, getting closer and closer all of the time but backing off if he got tense.

i am now at the stage where i can rub the clippers over his whole body and half way up his neck with no headcollar needed as he eats his hay.
thats only with 5 or 6 sessions so hoping to have it totally cracked in a few more weeks
 
We used Sedalin this year for the first time, and I don't know why we didn't think of it before, it made the job so easy and the horse was totally chilled out. She has previously been a nightmare to clip and getting any sort of line or doing the face has been impossible! Why get a horse worked up and anxious if you don't need to? We only used 2.5ml about half an hour before the clipping lady arrived and it was perfect. (You need to get it from the vet).
 
hi, the sedalin seems like it may be worth a try if he really objects tmrw i will look into it. we have managed to do it without twitching or sedation in the past 5 years tho so maybe its best to try and get him more used to them. I will get some trimmers so i can try out your ideas millitiger thanks. i'm sure he will be fine and i think the problem may be more mine than his as he is definately improving...She always manages to get him looking great and its over in 20mins she is so speedy! thanks for the reassurance and ideas for future.
haha large brandy may well do the trick in the morning!
will let you know how i get on.
 
I got totally wound up when my rescued mare first had the dentist. I thought she'd end up killing him and I hovered just outside her stable stressing and faffing about and getting everyone wound up and edgy. In the end, after lots of pursed lips and huffing, I was persuaded to just GO AWAY until it was over. So I did. Ned took it all in her stride and she and the dentist parted on excellent terms. Maybe just stay within shouting distance but otherwise leave this competent lady to it. Your vibes will make your horse anxious.
 
Chancer was got used to being clipped by standing next to my old clydesdale with a nice net of hayledge (special treat) from 16 months. I would then turn and run the clippers on him a little. At 2 he was clipped as he was getting so hot just playing in the school in the evenings.

Farra our new clydesdale, I did the same, she stood next to Chancer with a net to see that they were ok and again I ran them over her every so often.

If I have one that is nervous, I like to do this and have also had someone hold a licket whilst clipping to take their mind off the clippers - after a few times of doing this, you can normally do them without the licket.

One was very flightly and this one I used sedatives on to take the edge off and then she was fine with the licket.

I would give some paste, offer a licket and have another horse nearby to clip so they see the horse being fine and get used to the noise - obviously you can't do this with one that really goes nuts. Once they are relaxed, walk over with the clippers running - at no time do you turn them off, firmly and confidently walk round with them going and gently place them on the horse for a few seconds and remove. Keep doing this longer and longer but don't make a fuss with lots of praise, just offer the licket.

When relaxed, then do a tiny bit of clipping and if the horse is ok, just keep going, Don't get upset and yell but make it clear that you will stand with the clippers going and place for a few seconds so put up with it.

If this fails - get the vet out, dope to eyeballs and two people to take the lot off and rug up and then continue to spend the year working on getting them to accept clippers.

Finally - I have found many horses hate the small trimmers - I think it is because they vibrate more and prefer my large and rather noisy old Listers.

I like to clip out neck and shoulders and then give a net when clipping, make sure they are comfortable as possible and if necessary resort to the licket bribe or dope.

Try to be relaxed - if you are not driving, drop of sloe gin is great, if not rescue remedy and sing - honestly singing does help with nerves. If you are unsure, he will pick up on it.
 
OMG i had exactly the same problem with my pony when i first had him clipped!!! Woman came was panicing before she even started.. does he kick or bite? ohh are you sure!! She was soo nervous! Then she started clipping him and she caught him near his ear, so he reared up. Got me cos i was at his head, didnt even touch her! But she refused to do anymore until he was sedated. Then rang up later and said she couldnt do him at all because he was dangerous! Like i'd have let her near him again anyway!

But then he was very very nervous about being clipped after that experience, it got to the point you couldnt turn clippers on near him at all. I ended up getting a tiny set of battery clippers and spent hours in the stable with him, just sat there running them while feeding him carrots. I just carried on practicing, eventually with bigger clippers without the wire.

Before he wouldn't be clipped at all, no way. Now i can fully clip him myself on my own and he doesnt care one bit, just munchs his hay. I've never had to have him sedated, i did try sedaline, but it just made him much worse. Doesnt really help you for tomorrow but i'd recommend just buying a small set getting him used to them and working your way up. It does work, trust me and is soo much less stressful!
 
A mare I ride was clipped two years ago by a self professed natural whisperer. She was a little tense and fidgety but was done, all the same. (didn't see much 'advance and retreat' going on nor much whispering; or listening, for that matter!)

Last year I tried to clip her and she got herself in a right state as soon as I turned the clippers on. Not sure what had happened in her head!!

So this year I'm starting with a hand held battery massager (meant for humans) to help introduce the feel of clipping slowly. A few sessions in and she has gone from freaking out to totally chilling out and loving it!! Next step is to do it with clippers running nearby for the sound effect!!
 
hello all! so good to read some of your experiences and see that i'm not alone! So...Wednesday I went off to get him in and he was SO muddy I couldnt even see his markings (piebald) so i spent 50mins cleaning him left him in and as soon as I got back to mine it started raining, then she rang to stay prob best not to clip him in stable due to noise and the light was fading fast- so clipping did not happen! I was all worked up so its prob a good thing. anyway this morning she came at 830 so i had no chance to get stressed and he was eager for his hay...I stood feedin it to him and apart from the initial fear in his eyes he was a good as gold! didnt move a muscle apart from a few steps back when she was near one ear :-) feeling very happy with my very smart and brave horse- now i'm certain it's just me with the worry. Thank you everyone! i am certainly going to work with some of these techniques so hopefully he will be so good I can give it a try myself one day! :-)
 
if he's that nervous, i'd have a vet out to sedate him properly, it's just not worth getting hurt. or, borrow or buy a pair of Rex Moser clippers, they're very small and very quiet, and i've clipped lots of nervous horses with them without a problem, it just takes longer but it's worth it not to have the battle and the potential danger.
 
Too late to do a great deal now but there really is only one way to fix the problem and that's time and patience.
You need to take the clippers in his box every single day for a few weeks and just stand with them on, eventually once he isn't that bothered, lay your hand flat and allow him to feel the vibrations through your hand, before moving them on to his skin. You don't need to clip with them, just move them over him.
After a few weeks most horses accept they won't harm them and relax.
If he is as difficult as you say due to someone else scaring him I would sedate him this time and work afterwards with desensitising him.
You can buy the old type of Lister/wolsey clippers cheaply which should do the job ok.
When I was freelancing I clipped up to 70 horses a season, and some started off very scared, but with patience many settled down and became good to clip.
The secret with the nervous ones is to make the clippers so familiar they accept the noise without so much as looking round..
 
Hey B man, so glad it all went ok, well done!!

I think you are probably right about getting worked up, but it will still help to make sure you do loads of work throughout the year so that you are both super chilled next year!! This will mean no pressure for the both of you, which always helps pave the way to success!!

Keep going!!
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