sedation for clipping

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sue_ellen

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Hi, I am quite new to this forum and think its fab! I asked for advice a little while ago when I needed to clip my new cob out. There was no way he was going to let me do it and I ended up having him sedated by the vet. It was such a big job that he woke up before we had finished and I had to twitch him to do one front leg and his head and ears. My problem is now that his mane and feathers are growing back and could do with a trim. My question is, do you think I should try just using the twitch? Does anyone know of anything I could use to sedate him just a little bit without getting the vet out so that its not too stressful for him? Also because I want to do his legs, I'd rather not risk a hoof in my face! Thanks for reading this, sorry its a bit long!
 
I would have a go at desensitising him to the sound and feel of the clippers over the next few weeks. Just run them near him to start with and let him accept that.

In the meantime, if is just the mane and feathers I would trim them with good blunt/round end scissors (get them at the chemists) and a comb.

If you are going to be hogging and trimming all year round far better to get him slowly used to being clipped rather than have to pay for the vet each time he needs a tidy up.
 
You might find that de-sensetising him to clipping makes life easier for both of you.

My friends horse hated clipping. She swore she could not go through another winter like it! So, she worked on him over the summer. She bought a cheap electric toothbrush and got him used to the sound of it running when he was being fed. Then got him used to being touched by the handle part, holding it against him so he got used to the vibrations and the noise. She progressd to moving it over him, like you would a grooming brush.

Then she bought the quietest clippers she could find and he was angelic!
 
I agree with the above about de-sensitising him. But drug wise have you thought about giving ACP tablets, it helped with my youngster because his main issue was his head. The ACP just took the edge of him. Good Luck
 
theres a head coller used for calming horses called a commanche.
theres a rope piece which fits under the top lip and works similar to a twitch but is kinder.
my friends horse was impossible to shoe and with the commanche on, she was an angel. my horse resists it, but tbh shes always been naughty lol, but different horses respond to different things
you can buy them for roughly 15 quid, possibly worth a shot and cheaper than sedation when ever you want to clip
 
Agree with the desensitsing.

I had a little horse that had to be sedated to clip. That, coupled with the fact I had to pay someone to clip her meant that it was costing me £50 for every clip. Expensive.

I went out and bought a pair of quiet clippers (Lister Neon) and just started using them on her on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis. Trim feathers, beard, cat hairs, or just run them on parts of her body.

We never looked back.

However, do remember that some horses will never be happy about having ears and faces clipped - and I personally never clip these areas out.
 
When i first got my cob he was terrified of the clippers. He would break out into a sweat and lash out with his feet when we went near him, He needs his feathers done and his mane hogged every 4-6 weeks to keep him nice and neat, I have no idea how they clipped him before as he was bought out a dealers yard.. I have just stood beside him with the clippers running every day untill he got used to them.. hes so much better now, however still can have days where hes finds it a bit much,, we have cordless clippers too which are much quieter and he prefers them. Hes a bit head shy too so there is no way in the world i could ever clip his ears so we just dont even try but i do manage to get his mane clipped.. Just every day stand beside him with the clippers and once they realise and get used to the noise put the clippers against them so they can feel it.. Cordless ones are best if they are going to jump about. Its taken me about a year but now i can tie my guy up and just clip him myself and hes not too bad.. Never ever lose your temper.. After all you dont know why hes scared of them.. Good luck
 
Another vote for desensitising to the clippers. My gelding used to be downright dangerous to clip, tried to kill three of us the first time. I had him sedated by the vet, then used Sedalin the next time. Was gradually able to reduce the amount of sedalin I used, then moved onto ACP tablets (which generally are a bit rubbish anyway!). In between clips just play around with having the clippers on near him etc to get him used to them. I used to feed mine (he was so greedy, would do anything for food) while running the clippers and things like that. He's fine now, a bit twitchy sometimes still but doesn't bother really.

Friend has hers sedated by the vet once a month
shocked.gif
to fully clip out as her horse is a nightmare. I would hate that as that much sedation really can't be good for them!
 
Thanks for the advice everyone. I did think about using sedalin and maybe reducing the sedation a bit more each time. Do I need to get sedalin from the vet? Never used it before, does it come with instructions?! Will try the de-sensitizing as well. Thanks a lot, I will let you all know how I get on!
 
Yes get it from the vet. Mine used to send it out to me as he knew me, but I think it depends on the vet.

It does come with instructions but they're rubbish....they tell you to use 2 ml which doesn't even touch the sides. PM me and I'll tell you how much I use but I'm not putting it on here as the HHO Thought Police will jump on me and tell me I'm a bad owner...
 
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