The Ozzy Diaries

I do genuinely believe that there's nothing you can't achieve or at least significantly improve with positive reinforcement. It sounds like you're doing a great job with everything else and this is just one other piece of a puzzle that needs to be worked on.

My horse's diet is 90% treats as reward for doing XYZ. I think it's easy for us to get disheartened about things but when you think about things from their POV... why WOULD they let us go near them with a loud, vibrating machine and do things to them that they don't understand? I would start working on it straight away, 10 minutes twice a day every day. You can start with really really small wins, like just giving him big praise for letting you touch his shoulder with your hand and the clippers in the other. Then his knee, etc. I've done this method with a horse who did the exact same as Ozzy and after a couple of months I could clip him loose.
 
I am also all for clicker training. My youngster is funny with her feet being picked and this helps. After coming back from holiday I found thrush in a hoof nd she was not going to let me pick it or clean it. Took 20 minutes first day, 10 yesterday and about 2 today as she only pulled away twice but didnt get away from me. it is obviously very sore still but she knows now if she sticks it out she gets a treat.

Even if it works just to gain back some trust around the legs and not necessarily to be able to clip them.

You are doing an amazing job with him.
 
I'd suggest taking a step back. This pony has only just landed with you. If there are no wounds or painful sores identified yet, I would slow down. Pause and think - how much past his comfort zone did I go? It's clear from this post that you are aware of building up confidence in tasks. Think about breaking it down into tiny chunks and only doing one part of the procedure , then not proceeding until there is no reaction, no change in body tension. This will not be quick.
I would not twitch him and break the trust you have built unless absoloutely necessary.
Sedate him if you need to.
A nose twitch response is the equine body's own natural sedative. There is nothing about it which will 'break the trust'. I used to have a tricky mare who switched off if you so much as drew circles on her muzzle with your finger, she responded well to a twitch but got so that she didn't need it. She was quite able to switch off without it, so long as someone was drawing on her nose.
 
A nose twitch response is the equine body's own natural sedative. There is nothing about it which will 'break the trust'. I used to have a tricky mare who switched off if you so much as drew circles on her muzzle with your finger, she responded well to a twitch but got so that she didn't need it. She was quite able to switch off without it, so long as someone was drawing on her nose.

That hasn't been my experience. The one time I had a horse twitched, they rubbed their face on the wall for ages afterwards and then cowered in the corner of the stable. I felt terrible about it for days. Horse was twitched by an experienced vet who knew what they were doing.

It might be the lesser of two evils in some situations, but imo co-operative care training is always preferable to any kind of restraint. For the horse to feel that they are consenting and participating rather than being coerced into doing something which frightens them is much nicer for everyone involved. It does take a lot of training and trust-building though.
 
I think even cpl aside clipping legs can be quite a scary new step for them. We'd owned a new forest for years. Good as gold to handle in all ways apart from the usual pony tendancy to tow towards food. A friend tried to clip her legs she was so freaked out . when our farrier who hadn't met her yet tried to pick up her foot to trim her afterwards she actually reared which was completely out of of character.

She did with patience realise it felt odd but wasn't nearly as scary as she'd thought!
 
I think even cpl aside clipping legs can be quite a scary new step for them. We'd owned a new forest for years. Good as gold to handle in all ways apart from the usual pony tendancy to tow towards food. A friend tried to clip her legs she was so freaked out . when our farrier who hadn't met her yet tried to pick up her foot to trim her afterwards she actually reared which was completely out of of character.

She did with patience realise it felt odd but wasn't nearly as scary as she'd thought!
I clipped the legs of a cob so that he could be shown. I had tied his tail up before starting and when it was let down he set off round the yard doing bunny bucks. He had never felt his tail close to his legs before. The owner had insisted before I started that the tail was to be left long. After five minutes of his panic she agreed that I could lop a fair whack off the bottom of it, to proper show cob length.
 
That hasn't been my experience. The one time I had a horse twitched, they rubbed their face on the wall for ages afterwards and then cowered in the corner of the stable. I felt terrible about it for days. Horse was twitched by an experienced vet who knew what they were doing.

It might be the lesser of two evils in some situations, but imo co-operative care training is always preferable to any kind of restraint. For the horse to feel that they are consenting and participating rather than being coerced into doing something which frightens them is much nicer for everyone involved. It does take a lot of training and trust-building though.
You will get occasional horses don’t respond as well, in the same way some respond very badly to all sorts of drugs. Cue, I suppose, for multiple, twitch-terror tales....
Yes, lengthily acclimatising horses to every single worrying thing so they are never likely to be stressed sounds good, likewise ‘full consent’, ‘partnership’ etc - but in some cases it is necessary to get a bloody move on for the safety of the animal and handlers.
sometimes the ‘consent’ of the creature is completely secondary to the necessity of vet treatment - it is happening, whether the horse wants to participate or not.
I’m not anti sedative, eg. a susceptible horse facing up to fireworks, one that won’t settle on box rest - I’m dishing out like smarties.
However, I dislike causing unnecessary ‘Valium hangover’, and if there’s a less invasive restraint with good chance of success - well worth trying.
(PS none of our horses, ever; quite a list over the years; that have ever been twitched for any reason that I can ever remember, have subsequently shown nervousness about their noses or heads, or even having it applied again has that ever been necessary. Of course, we may have been quite exceptionally lucky)
Hope OP gets sorted, however!
 
A nose twitch response is the equine body's own natural sedative. There is nothing about it which will 'break the trust'. I used to have a tricky mare who switched off if you so much as drew circles on her muzzle with your finger, she responded well to a twitch but got so that she didn't need it. She was quite able to switch off without it, so long as someone was drawing on her nose.
Absolutely.
not at all unusual to have a nose twitch completely drop off yet the horse continues to stand quietly, handler rubbing his nose or ears
 
A nose twitch response is the equine body's own natural sedative. There is nothing about it which will 'break the trust'. I used to have a tricky mare who switched off if you so much as drew circles on her muzzle with your finger, she responded well to a twitch but got so that she didn't need it. She was quite able to switch off without it, so long as someone was drawing on her nose.
Sadly this hasn't been my experience with twitching either, I've seen some horses react so violently that one knocked out the handler with the twitch handle.
To keep everyone safe OP, please use a sedative for the first few clipping attempts.
 
19 July
A landmark day - Ozzy's first ridden outing since arriving!

Ozzy has been a bit strange with us since Thursday when we tried to clip his legs. He walks away from the headcollar when we go up to him; he doesn't run off but does move about a bit before eventually deciding to stand still and grant us permission. This is all part of Ozzy's personality. He can be ultra-compliant, but there are times when he likes to make his point.

We'd decided to have a go at riding him out this weekend so after a few minutes of halter negotiation OH did some groundwork and then brought Ozzy out of the field to be tacked up (with AJ).

Ozzy loves having his body groomed and he was fine having his feet picked out. Tacking up, he really is a dream. Doesn't move a muscle and is so laid back he nearly falls over.
He was also very good at the mounting block (step ladder). Stood very still and didn't move off until asked.

We did the same thing as the other day, down the lane to the lochside, bit of a graze, stroll back.
Ozzy was relaxed but quite slow going out. He has had a lot taken off his hooves and his soles are very flat so he was probably feeling things a bit more than last time.
He enjoyed his grass and was not in the least bit bothered by cars, people washing their driveways, a speedboat on the loch, geese suddenly appearing out of the grass in the field, etc.
The only blip was that when OH lifted his head and asked him to move on, he threw a small fly buck - not much and certainly not anything to unseat the rider, but a bit of a bump at the back.
Possible reasons:
- he could have a long overdue dental (we have asked vet to come over and do all three horses)
- it's been months and months since he's been regularly ridden, he acts like a young horse (he was backed at 6) and just couldn't quite get his legs sorted out. (AJ did this as a 4 year old)
- it could just be Ozzy being a little defiant. He wasn't punished and he did then listen to OH.
On the way back he was happy to go in front and looked absolutely great!
So all in all, a success. OH likes him very much!
(And I admit that I was sucked in to the Le Mieux palomino-coordinated mimosa coloured saddlecloth...)

The CPL is unlikely to progress quickly at this stage. I wouldn't even worry about it at the moment. You are doing a great job, don't let the CPL rush you or him x
Thank you! And thanks to everyone who has advised on the clipping.
Today Ozzy let me feel his legs and the lumps near the pasterns do feel like the characteristic CPL folds. However, these are not extensive and there's not really any sores or signs of fluid in the legs.
We have decided to do his first clip under sedation as he could have painful legs. Once we are on top of the mites/CPL, we will start to work on clipper desensitisation.
Hopefully the vet will be visiting over the next couple of weeks!

Here he is, Ozymandias the tyrant, admiring the loch view from the patch where we stopped to graze:

1752936121396.png
 
19 July
A landmark day - Ozzy's first ridden outing since arriving!

Ozzy has been a bit strange with us since Thursday when we tried to clip his legs. He walks away from the headcollar when we go up to him; he doesn't run off but does move about a bit before eventually deciding to stand still and grant us permission. This is all part of Ozzy's personality. He can be ultra-compliant, but there are times when he likes to make his point.

We'd decided to have a go at riding him out this weekend so after a few minutes of halter negotiation OH did some groundwork and then brought Ozzy out of the field to be tacked up (with AJ).

Ozzy loves having his body groomed and he was fine having his feet picked out. Tacking up, he really is a dream. Doesn't move a muscle and is so laid back he nearly falls over.
He was also very good at the mounting block (step ladder). Stood very still and didn't move off until asked.

We did the same thing as the other day, down the lane to the lochside, bit of a graze, stroll back.
Ozzy was relaxed but quite slow going out. He has had a lot taken off his hooves and his soles are very flat so he was probably feeling things a bit more than last time.
He enjoyed his grass and was not in the least bit bothered by cars, people washing their driveways, a speedboat on the loch, geese suddenly appearing out of the grass in the field, etc.
The only blip was that when OH lifted his head and asked him to move on, he threw a small fly buck - not much and certainly not anything to unseat the rider, but a bit of a bump at the back.
Possible reasons:
- he could have a long overdue dental (we have asked vet to come over and do all three horses)
- it's been months and months since he's been regularly ridden, he acts like a young horse (he was backed at 6) and just couldn't quite get his legs sorted out. (AJ did this as a 4 year old)
- it could just be Ozzy being a little defiant. He wasn't punished and he did then listen to OH.
On the way back he was happy to go in front and looked absolutely great!
So all in all, a success. OH likes him very much!
(And I admit that I was sucked in to the Le Mieux palomino-coordinated mimosa coloured saddlecloth...)


Thank you! And thanks to everyone who has advised on the clipping.
Today Ozzy let me feel his legs and the lumps near the pasterns do feel like the characteristic CPL folds. However, these are not extensive and there's not really any sores or signs of fluid in the legs.
We have decided to do his first clip under sedation as he could have painful legs. Once we are on top of the mites/CPL, we will start to work on clipper desensitisation.
Hopefully the vet will be visiting over the next couple of weeks!

Here he is, Ozymandias the tyrant, admiring the loch view from the patch where we stopped to graze:

View attachment 163551
Another Milestone Day and that photo is wonderful- Ozzie looks so happy (so does your OH and I bet you were smiling when you took the pic 😃).
 
Unfortunately, the one who throws tantrums over excessive snacking on rides is me. Hermosa completely blows off quieter corrections. And not so quiet ones. We are getting somewhere after me losing my sh1t but she always tests to see how much I’m going to lose it *that* time.
 
19 July
A landmark day - Ozzy's first ridden outing since arriving!

Ozzy has been a bit strange with us since Thursday when we tried to clip his legs. He walks away from the headcollar when we go up to him; he doesn't run off but does move about a bit before eventually deciding to stand still and grant us permission. This is all part of Ozzy's personality. He can be ultra-compliant, but there are times when he likes to make his point.

We'd decided to have a go at riding him out this weekend so after a few minutes of halter negotiation OH did some groundwork and then brought Ozzy out of the field to be tacked up (with AJ).

Ozzy loves having his body groomed and he was fine having his feet picked out. Tacking up, he really is a dream. Doesn't move a muscle and is so laid back he nearly falls over.
He was also very good at the mounting block (step ladder). Stood very still and didn't move off until asked.

We did the same thing as the other day, down the lane to the lochside, bit of a graze, stroll back.
Ozzy was relaxed but quite slow going out. He has had a lot taken off his hooves and his soles are very flat so he was probably feeling things a bit more than last time.
He enjoyed his grass and was not in the least bit bothered by cars, people washing their driveways, a speedboat on the loch, geese suddenly appearing out of the grass in the field, etc.
The only blip was that when OH lifted his head and asked him to move on, he threw a small fly buck - not much and certainly not anything to unseat the rider, but a bit of a bump at the back.
Possible reasons:
- he could have a long overdue dental (we have asked vet to come over and do all three horses)
- it's been months and months since he's been regularly ridden, he acts like a young horse (he was backed at 6) and just couldn't quite get his legs sorted out. (AJ did this as a 4 year old)
- it could just be Ozzy being a little defiant. He wasn't punished and he did then listen to OH.
On the way back he was happy to go in front and looked absolutely great!
So all in all, a success. OH likes him very much!
(And I admit that I was sucked in to the Le Mieux palomino-coordinated mimosa coloured saddlecloth...)


Thank you! And thanks to everyone who has advised on the clipping.
Today Ozzy let me feel his legs and the lumps near the pasterns do feel like the characteristic CPL folds. However, these are not extensive and there's not really any sores or signs of fluid in the legs.
We have decided to do his first clip under sedation as he could have painful legs. Once we are on top of the mites/CPL, we will start to work on clipper desensitisation.
Hopefully the vet will be visiting over the next couple of weeks!

Here he is, Ozymandias the tyrant, admiring the loch view from the patch where we stopped to graze:

View attachment 163551
Brilliant! This is what you bought him for!
 
19 July
A landmark day - Ozzy's first ridden outing since arriving!

Ozzy has been a bit strange with us since Thursday when we tried to clip his legs. He walks away from the headcollar when we go up to him; he doesn't run off but does move about a bit before eventually deciding to stand still and grant us permission. This is all part of Ozzy's personality. He can be ultra-compliant, but there are times when he likes to make his point.

We'd decided to have a go at riding him out this weekend so after a few minutes of halter negotiation OH did some groundwork and then brought Ozzy out of the field to be tacked up (with AJ).

Ozzy loves having his body groomed and he was fine having his feet picked out. Tacking up, he really is a dream. Doesn't move a muscle and is so laid back he nearly falls over.
He was also very good at the mounting block (step ladder). Stood very still and didn't move off until asked.

We did the same thing as the other day, down the lane to the lochside, bit of a graze, stroll back.
Ozzy was relaxed but quite slow going out. He has had a lot taken off his hooves and his soles are very flat so he was probably feeling things a bit more than last time.
He enjoyed his grass and was not in the least bit bothered by cars, people washing their driveways, a speedboat on the loch, geese suddenly appearing out of the grass in the field, etc.
The only blip was that when OH lifted his head and asked him to move on, he threw a small fly buck - not much and certainly not anything to unseat the rider, but a bit of a bump at the back.
Possible reasons:
- he could have a long overdue dental (we have asked vet to come over and do all three horses)
- it's been months and months since he's been regularly ridden, he acts like a young horse (he was backed at 6) and just couldn't quite get his legs sorted out. (AJ did this as a 4 year old)
- it could just be Ozzy being a little defiant. He wasn't punished and he did then listen to OH.
On the way back he was happy to go in front and looked absolutely great!
So all in all, a success. OH likes him very much!
(And I admit that I was sucked in to the Le Mieux palomino-coordinated mimosa coloured saddlecloth...)


Thank you! And thanks to everyone who has advised on the clipping.
Today Ozzy let me feel his legs and the lumps near the pasterns do feel like the characteristic CPL folds. However, these are not extensive and there's not really any sores or signs of fluid in the legs.
We have decided to do his first clip under sedation as he could have painful legs. Once we are on top of the mites/CPL, we will start to work on clipper desensitisation.
Hopefully the vet will be visiting over the next couple of weeks!

Here he is, Ozymandias the tyrant, admiring the loch view from the patch where we stopped to graze:

View attachment 163551

Love this pic. ❤️ They look great together!
 
That photo has literally brought tears to my eyes. I am so pleased that Ozzy was good for your hubby apart from the minor buck. He looks more relaxed and happy. The one ride I did in an indoor arena he was very good but there were no open doors and he couldn't have gone running off. After that and his behaviour since my riding him I didn't feel safe enough to go outside on him for fear he would do his famous running off routine. I think with time and desensitising he will soon let you clip his legs unsedated. He seems to be willing to learn. But I agree with the other person that said it's too dangerous to attempt without sedation at the moment.
 
I’m probably stating the obvious (so apols) but clipping below the knee (ditto skull) you’re not clipping skin lying over a deep bed of muscle. So will probably feel very different.
 
So so so pleased Ozzy is doing so well! Ozzy sounds like he has a bit of personality similar to mine...unless it is officially "in" time and/or the weather is horrific, then we play "catch me if you can" 3 times before he allows me to put his boots on and lead him off. He just walks away just ever so slightly faster than my pace 😂 (it is almost like a shared understanding of the game).

What's more, is I am so pleased to see @Jasmine2023 following the thread and checking in on Ozzy. What a great person you are!!
 
So so so pleased Ozzy is doing so well! Ozzy sounds like he has a bit of personality similar to mine...unless it is officially "in" time and/or the weather is horrific, then we play "catch me if you can" 3 times before he allows me to put his boots on and lead him off. He just walks away just ever so slightly faster than my pace 😂 (it is almost like a shared understanding of the game).

What's more, is I am so pleased to see @Jasmine2023 following the thread and checking in on Ozzy. What a great person you are!!

Thank you for your kind words. Once I got over my initial upset and got my mental health more on track I just wanted the best home for him which he has. I would never have sent him back to that dealer.
 
A nose twitch response is the equine body's own natural sedative. There is nothing about it which will 'break the trust'. I used to have a tricky mare who switched off if you so much as drew circles on her muzzle with your finger, she responded well to a twitch but got so that she didn't need it. She was quite able to switch off without it, so long as someone was drawing on her nose.
In my experience it depends on use of the twitch. Without going into lengthy background details, our pony was twitched by a vet for a serious leg injury to be treated. I wasn't there (pony was out on loan) but believe the twitch was left on for 40 minutes plus, when I saw her next day her muzzle and top lip were still swollen and she didn't seem to have proper feeling in it. She ended up with a scar which remained for years and any time you tried to touch her muzzle she panicked, twitching definitely broke her trust in everyone for quite a while, though admittedly she was a very nervy pony.
 
I worked at a riding school / livery yard for a few years before I went to uni.

There were several horses that were twitched for clipping (either 1 body part or whole thing) and sometimes for vet stuff.

Our twitch was a glorified bit of broom handle with some baling twine.

We used to be very careful about how long it got left on for (I believe we took it off every 20 minutes for a break / to get circulation back) and aimed to have it tight enough to have an effect but no tighter.

In those circumstances on those horses it seemed on the whole well tolerated.

When I had the Welsh D we twitched him a few times for clipping (he sweated profusely under sedation) and for a few vet things. Although it worked well he HATED it and refused to allow it to be put on.

After my experiences with him I would now only use it as a last resort in a situation where sedation is inappropriate.
 
19 July
A landmark day - Ozzy's first ridden outing since arriving!

Ozzy has been a bit strange with us since Thursday when we tried to clip his legs. He walks away from the headcollar when we go up to him; he doesn't run off but does move about a bit before eventually deciding to stand still and grant us permission. This is all part of Ozzy's personality. He can be ultra-compliant, but there are times when he likes to make his point.

We'd decided to have a go at riding him out this weekend so after a few minutes of halter negotiation OH did some groundwork and then brought Ozzy out of the field to be tacked up (with AJ).

Ozzy loves having his body groomed and he was fine having his feet picked out. Tacking up, he really is a dream. Doesn't move a muscle and is so laid back he nearly falls over.
He was also very good at the mounting block (step ladder). Stood very still and didn't move off until asked.

We did the same thing as the other day, down the lane to the lochside, bit of a graze, stroll back.
Ozzy was relaxed but quite slow going out. He has had a lot taken off his hooves and his soles are very flat so he was probably feeling things a bit more than last time.
He enjoyed his grass and was not in the least bit bothered by cars, people washing their driveways, a speedboat on the loch, geese suddenly appearing out of the grass in the field, etc.
The only blip was that when OH lifted his head and asked him to move on, he threw a small fly buck - not much and certainly not anything to unseat the rider, but a bit of a bump at the back.
Possible reasons:
- he could have a long overdue dental (we have asked vet to come over and do all three horses)
- it's been months and months since he's been regularly ridden, he acts like a young horse (he was backed at 6) and just couldn't quite get his legs sorted out. (AJ did this as a 4 year old)
- it could just be Ozzy being a little defiant. He wasn't punished and he did then listen to OH.
On the way back he was happy to go in front and looked absolutely great!
So all in all, a success. OH likes him very much!
(And I admit that I was sucked in to the Le Mieux palomino-coordinated mimosa coloured saddlecloth...)


Thank you! And thanks to everyone who has advised on the clipping.
Today Ozzy let me feel his legs and the lumps near the pasterns do feel like the characteristic CPL folds. However, these are not extensive and there's not really any sores or signs of fluid in the legs.
We have decided to do his first clip under sedation as he could have painful legs. Once we are on top of the mites/CPL, we will start to work on clipper desensitisation.
Hopefully the vet will be visiting over the next couple of weeks!

Here he is, Ozymandias the tyrant, admiring the loch view from the patch where we stopped to graze:

View attachment 163551
Lovely update and I’m very jealous of your views. Will Ozzie be yours or your hubbys or both ? What a good boy given he’s not done much of late . My boy does bottom boops (not really impressive enough to call bucks) at this time of year, often flies. X
 
Lovely update and I’m very jealous of your views. Will Ozzie be yours or your hubbys or both ? What a good boy given he’s not done much of late . My boy does bottom boops (not really impressive enough to call bucks) at this time of year, often flies. X

The original plan was that he would be OH's cob - he's a bit bigger than my pony and a better weight carrier. Having said that, OH has been nine and a half stone for all his adult life, so is actually lighter than me (in spite of the fact that he is 9 inches taller than me!). But if he carries on being good, I will definitely be getting on board!

Ohhh I brought the most fantastic clipper , used today , recommended on CPL group and what a difference , no kicking out , no continual snatching …. Was a dream
Is this the Wahl KMC+? It does look good...
 
The original plan was that he would be OH's cob - he's a bit bigger than my pony and a better weight carrier. Having said that, OH has been nine and a half stone for all his adult life, so is actually lighter than me (in spite of the fact that he is 9 inches taller than me!). But if he carries on being good, I will definitely be getting on board!


Is this the Wahl KMC+? It does look good...
Yes it was the Wahl , did all 4 legs with 0 snatching or drama, in a record time. Definitely worth it.

I wish I was 9.5 stone !
 
In my experience it depends on use of the twitch. Without going into lengthy background details, our pony was twitched by a vet for a serious leg injury to be treated. I wasn't there (pony was out on loan) but believe the twitch was left on for 40 minutes plus, when I saw her next day her muzzle and top lip were still swollen and she didn't seem to have proper feeling in it. She ended up with a scar which remained for years and any time you tried to touch her muzzle she panicked, twitching definitely broke her trust in everyone for quite a while, though admittedly she was a very nervy pony.
Well of course it does. Almost every bit of equestrian kit could be abused, potentially, whether intentional or inadvertent.
That would have been an obvious case for the vet to sedate: 40+ mins with nosetwitch on tight is obviously not a good idea. Once the expected / desired sedation effect is taking place, the handler untwists to loosen, obviously.
Sometimes it will drop off entirely, or might keep sufficient purchase to tighten up again if the horse gets restless, but you’ve described a deprived blood supply for three quarters of an hour! Which doesn’t reflect too well on handler or vet.
 
Yep, me too. And the really annoying thing is that he can eat pretty much anything, any amount of chocs, biscuits etc and still not put on an ounce.
Ggggrrrrr.

Very annoying , I can eat loads or nothing I remain the same weight
Yep, me too. And the really annoying thing is that he can eat pretty much anything, any amount of chocs, biscuits etc and still not put on an ounce.
Ggggrrrrr.
i used to be like that …. I miss it
 
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