Sedating yearling for trim

[Loulou88]

Hi all, wasn't sure which section to put this in so hope it's the right one.
I have a yearling who I have owned for 2 months now. I'm making slow but steady progress, he hadn't had much handling but I was assured he was ok with the farrier.
One month in I felt it was time for a trim, his feet getting a bit on the long side. He completely freaked out. Small rears, trying to get away and attempting to jump over us which was the final straw and we called it quits for everyone's safety.
Now I know it's still early days but I'm getting worried about the length of his feet. They're not alarmingly long, he's not lame, and the hard ground is doing a good job of chipping away some of the edges but I'd feel a lot more relaxed with a proper trim so I can continue working on picking up feet without feeling under pressure.
I've got a sedative gel from the vet but realistically how likely would the farrier be able to trim his feet under sedation? I've only ever sedated for travelling so unsure what to expect.
Thanks for reading

 

[Equi]

They will do it without issue, but assuming the gel is dermosedan be very careful not to overdose. literally 1mil can make a difference. With a youngster it is all about practice and patience. You can't "hold" them and force them to accept it, you have to reassure them this is ok and normal. At home i would practice picking up his feet and cleaning them somewhat with an eletric tooth brush or something, something that makes a bit of a sensation but its not actually doing anything. It will come in time. Another thing you need to do is teach him that humans are not to be bolshed over so some good ground work should be established. Make sure your farrier is actually experienced in young horses because that makes all the difference...

 

[FFAQ]

I've trimmed a few under sedation and found that 50% were fine under sedation and 50% were even more dangerous. Personally, I prefer it when the vet Is there and can top up the sedation if necessary.
Good luck!

 

[MissTyc]

We had a yearling who was trimming from early - he was good boy. Then one day he slipped on wet ground during a trim and injured himself. From then on all hell broke loose. It took us 6 months of patient handling to get back to where we were before; he just didn't trust he could stand on three legs anymore; don't blame him, he'd hurt himself! We did sedate him a few times just for his welfare to get feet done in that time period and that worked OK, but the goal has got to be a confident horse. picking up feet several times a day, clicker training, buzzing trimmers, etc ... we only did him without sedation once the handler could do anything she wanted with the feet ... and for a while it was just the one handler who could!

 

[TheMule]

You can sedate, it usually works ok but the farrier still needs to be very quiet and patient- one of mine was trimmed roughly once sedated and it took her a long time to forgive and offer feet nicely again!
Longer term try experimenting with different locations, some just hate feeling boxed in so are better in an enclosed yard/ small paddock, let the horse watch other horses with the farrier and use food bribery as a friend. It may also be worth you investing in a Rider's Rasp so you can work on the theme yourself

 

[SEL]

Both of my horses came to me needing sedation for a trim. In both instances I got them to where I thought someone else could safely handle their feet (one was fear and the other was pain) and then I paid for sessions with the experts to start to trim their feet without sedation.

For various reasons I have a different person do each horse - mainly because each one has done a fantastic job and I don't like to change what works! I have always paid for their time even in the early days when success was getting a farrier to feed treats to the one who is terrified. I think sedate to keep on top of the feet, do what you can to de-sensitise at home and then find someone who time and patience to introduce your youngster to farriers.

 

[YasandCrystal]

I have a youngster, she is 3 now and I got her at weaning. Best advice from my hubby who is a farrier it to never hold onto the leg. Pick the foot up and hold the hoof not the fetlock. It makes a world of difference and the youngster is not fearful. Apparently if you hold the fetlock it triggers a flight response in a youngster but a hoof hold doesn’t.

 

[Andalucian]

I have a youngster, she is 3 now and I got her at weaning. Best advice from my hubby who is a farrier it to never hold onto the leg. Pick the foot up and hold the hoof not the fetlock. It makes a world of difference and the youngster is not fearful. Apparently if you hold the fetlock it triggers a flight response in a youngster but a hoof hold doesn’t.

Never heard that before, I'll give it a try, thanks.

 

[Loulou88]

Thank you for your replies, some very helpful tips there.
His reaction was pure fear so it's going to be a time and patience job which I'm fine with its just the trims before we reach that end goal I'm worried about.
I already have a gel (domosedan if that helps) but would I be better off with having the vet out to inject instead? Just for this first trim. I'm not sure if theres a difference between the two. Im just concerned about everyone's safety and keeping it as trauma free as I can.