Twitch...... Cruel or better than fighting?

B

bensonthewonderhorse

Well-Known Member
Joined
24 September 2010
Messages
120
Visit site
Just wondered what peoples opinions were on using a twitch. My horse is petrified of the vet and will do anything to get away, so even just for a vaccination I have to put the twitch on him, which does work well. I have tried sedalin etc but as soon as he sees the vet he fights it.

The twitch seems so horrid but does it cause them alot of pain?
 
We use one when we clip their heads (and am very careful that it doesn't pinch and isn't on for long at all). They both stand still, but we just can't take the risk that one of them decides they have had enough and wriggles half way through when the clippers are so close to their eyes. There is no negative reaction or struggle when we put it on so I don't think it can be that uncomfortable for them - they are both very good at getting their opinions across so I'm sure they would let us know! To ensure stillness for something quick then I must admit I don't see the harm. If it is just for a quick jab then I would rather that than sedating a horse. The sedation has a longer lasting effect so I would rather the twitch. The jab can be done, then the horse turned back out with no ill effects. I think if the horse didn't settle while in a twitch then I would revise my views, but it works well for us.
 
I used one on my youngster when he needed dressings changed on a leg wound. I would rather twitch him for 5 mins than have to have him sedated again. Poor lamb was really sore and I was having to clean the wound as well. It was a back leg and it was safer from my perspective as I didn't want kicked in the head! Done correctly and sensitively I don't see a problem.
 
Nose-twitching if done properly and for a limited length of time I think its a great tool - obviously by people who know what they're doing. However I do not agree with ear-twitching, even more so after having a horse that you couldn't bridle the conventional way due to her being ear-twitched at a previous home.
 
glosgirl said:
We use one when we clip their heads (and am very careful that it doesn't pinch and isn't on for long at all). They both stand still, but we just can't take the risk that one of them decides they have had enough and wriggles half way through when the clippers are so close to their eyes. There is no negative reaction or struggle when we put it on so I don't think it can be that uncomfortable for them - they are both very good at getting their opinions across so I'm sure they would let us know! To ensure stillness for something quick then I must admit I don't see the harm. If it is just for a quick jab then I would rather that than sedating a horse. The sedation has a longer lasting effect so I would rather the twitch. The jab can be done, then the horse turned back out with no ill effects. I think if the horse didn't settle while in a twitch then I would revise my views, but it works well for us.
Click to expand...

Why do people insist on clipping heads? I now tidy up under the jaw and do a straight line up the side of the cheek. They look just as smart and no one is upset or hurt in the process. A sweaty forehead wont kill.
I use a twitch when nec but often find it being over-used. I like to give the benefit of the doubt and its rare that I have to wipe the cobwebs off it.
 
Agree with Katikins. Ear twitching NEVER. Nose twitching I don't mind, although unpleasant it does serve a purpose. By twitching whilst clipping, my horse has now accepted having her head clipped without a twitch as it just helped break the cycle of "gerroff me!" It's not something I would ever do as the first resort, but it definitely serves a purpose :)
 
I've never understood why horses (and other animals) have endorphins so that if grabbed by the nose they relax. You can see it when lions go for zebras on the various programs. I just don't understand why they would have evolved to do that??

Anyway back to the twitch, if done well with either a metal twitch or one with good rope (not baler twine), then the discomfort is minimal and there should be no lasting ill effects.

The twitch should be applied for the minimum amount of time - again left on for hours whilst being shod is not really acceptable. I had seen horses with scars from baler twine twitching (or other inferior materials), so do avoid that!
 
I am not against twitching (nose, neck; ear twitching is banned) in certain situations e.g. vet. I twitched my horse when the vet had to inject him and also had to when he was clipped last year, will try sedalin this year if he absolutely needs doing.

That being said it isn't nice and obviously if you can manage without doing it all the better. It must hurt & if you do it for too long it can completely damage the nerves. The horse also gets wise to it if you twitch too often.
 
Fairynuff said:
Why do people insist on clipping heads? I now tidy up under the jaw and do a straight line up the side of the cheek. They look just as smart and no one is upset or hurt in the process. A sweaty forehead wont kill.
I use a twitch when nec but often find it being over-used. I like to give the benefit of the doubt and its rare that I have to wipe the cobwebs off it.
Click to expand...

We clip half heads - brings the clippers far too close to their eyes for my liking. No one is upset or hurt. If it caused upset or pain we wouldn't do it. It is used to ensure absolute stillness - doesn't happen otherwise on a busy yard when our girls always want to know what's going on!! Doesn't matter if we only clipped to the jaw, we would use a twitch for the final top ticklish bits anyway. It is the only thing they are twitched for and they are clipped max of twice a year so it hardly makes us cruel owners!

(would also never ear twitch, my irish mare has been ear twitched in the past and she is still v unahappy with anyone touching her ears or around the top of her head)
 
king_of_diamonds said:
Please click one of the Quick Reply icons in the posts above to activate Quick Reply.
Click to expand...

^ I don't know how or why my phone decided to reply with this, so I wanted to say sorry!

Twitching of the nose, I don't see it as a bad thing, I personally don't like it but am open to it if needs be.

My mares in foal and the vet insisted on twitching her nose the 2 times he scanned her, she hateed it. I just don't like it because it causes distress to the horse but ultimately it calms them down, so it's almost like a bad and a good in one.

In saying that though, I don't feel it worked on Jasmine, but I'd rather be safe than sorry!
 
king_of_diamonds said:
^ I don't know how or why my phone decided to reply with this, so I wanted to say sorry!
Click to expand...
Ha Ha! Lol! I just thought WTF is she on :D :D :D

king_of_diamonds said:
^
My mares in foal and the vet insisted on twitching her nose the 2 times he scanned her, she hateed it. I just don't like it because it causes distress to the horse but ultimately it calms them down, so it's almost like a bad and a good in one.

In saying that though, I don't feel it worked on Jasmine, but I'd rather be safe than sorry!
Click to expand...

When my mare was scanned (although she never ended up going in foal) she was better without the twitch, she didn't seem to mind his hand up there! Flusey!!!

With regards to twitching, I would do it everytime if it creates a safer less confrontational environment. But I would also be giving the horse a chance to behave before wacking a twitch on, be very vigilant re: blood supply and let the horse have regular rests from it. But it can break the cycle of behaviour and used correctly can be the best thing.

P.S King of diamonds, have posted back to you on my 'geldings' thread with piccys of my Friesian x and update on Ben :p
 
Last edited:
Thanks evryone for your replies, I feel much happier about this now, I should hopefully only have to do this twice a year for a couple of minutes for the vet so hopefully it will continue to work for my boy, I do dread the day I might need a vet to look at him in an emergency situation though, hopefully he may have the sense to know the vet is going to help him! Gulp!

I didn't even know ear twitching was something that went on, that sounds terrible!
 
please don't use a twitch! they are just horrible! :( the twitch causes the horse pain so it releases the endorphins, which are natural painkillers. so to all the people saying it releases endorphins which relax the horse, it's only because you caused it pain to begin with.
I totally get that safety comes first and that some horses can be difficult- I have a stubborn cob and she can be so frustrating to deal with. but when I first got her, she was totally head shy- but I took the time every day to just spend five minutes getting her used to getting stroked and getting a carrot or something while she was getting stroked and she now let's me put sun protecter on her nose in the summer!
I understand it can be different with vets as they do tend to come and do injections etc but just try and do other distraction techniques as simple as a bit of food or grooming- these are still bad habits for the horse to assosiate the vet with food but it's better than assosiating them with not only injections but a big metal clamp attatched to their face!
I know it might take a while to see a difference but I hope it helped
 
For some reason every horse I've ever seen/had twitched has gone all sulky and 'dead eyed' or behaved even worse, whacking their heads around and completely forgetting to look after themselves and putting people in more danger than they were before, so I don't find much reason to use them personally. I suppose it all depends on your experience of them to choose whether to use them or not.
 
I had to twitch R to get his jags done this year. He kept lashing out when the vet came near so we didn't have another choice. He fought the twitch the whole time and since then (5 months ago) still won't let me touch his nose :( Personally I've seen a lot of vets who are far too quick to try and twitch a horse; wasn't in this case but with my other horses it was done as a first measure rather than a last resort
 
Personally, I don't agree with twitching. Having said that I don't know what it's like to be in the situation where I really had tried everything and felt that I had no other option.

My Irish mare was very headshy and nervy when she came and after a year of trying to overcome it, I could never use a twitch on her or any of my others. I must say that I do hate it when some people say "oh, just stick a twitch on!" as if it was nothing worth thinking twice about.
 
When my mums shettie was being castrated we couldn't get near him with the injection so we had to twitch.
Not really what we wanted to do but it got the job done safely.
 
I didn't see the harm in twitching when necessary until I saw it done with baler twine and heard the pony scream. It will haunt me for the rest of time.

My horse has never been twitched and since hearing that pony, never will be.
 
I don't use a twitch... I just hold my boys nose and he is as good as gold :confused: don't even have to hold it tight... I swear he convinces himself that it's really tight and relaxes lol
 
A twitch wen done correctly on the nose is no problem at all.

But I don't understand why so many horses are afraid of the 'vet'..... What sort of people are you having to treat your horses - monsters???
 
amymay said:
A twitch wen done correctly on the nose is no problem at all.

But I don't understand why so many horses are afraid of the 'vet'..... What sort of people are you having to treat your horses - monsters???
Click to expand...

lol very true... didn't think of that one.
 
A twitch used properly is fine imo, we used to have to use one for various things on my daughters pony who is a bit of a psycho. However, whilst on loan she was kicked and fractured a bone in her leg, and the vet twitched her and left the twitch on for 40 minutes whilst treating, applying a Robert Jones etc.:eek: It left the poor pony with a very swollen muzzle that obviously felt strange as she kept rubbing it, she had a scar line on it for many months. Our own vet went absolutely mad when he saw it.

Amymay, I do take your point, in our girls case we don't totally know her past, but what we do know isn't pretty, and anything different used to cause her to totally freak out. She is miles better now, but then again she is 22 so should have calmed down a bit.
 
Last edited:
amymay said:
A twitch wen done correctly on the nose is no problem at all.

But I don't understand why so many horses are afraid of the 'vet'..... What sort of people are you having to treat your horses - monsters???
Click to expand...

my boy is twitched for jabs as he will strike out and do anything to get the vet away- at 18hh that is not an option.

i have had him from 5 months and he has always been awful with vets; he will now permit them to examine him so has improved a lot but jabs are still a huge no-no in his world.
 
Amymay, I do take your point, in our girls case we don't totally know her past, but what we do know isn't pretty, and anything different used to cause her to totally freak out. She is miles better now, but then again she is 22 so should have calmed down a bit.
Click to expand...

Yes - I absolutely accept that there is an exception to every rule. And of course not every horse has had the luxury of being treated the way in which we would wish.

But you do read on here quite often that a horse is afraid of the vet - and I just wonder really if this is the norm? Certainly my experience is that it isn't. And can only suppose that either the vets are incompetent or the owners are in dealing with their horses (problem horses aside).
 
be VERY careful when twitching. I worked at a sales yard where we regularly had to clip/tidy up ears etc...most horses were tried without restraint..but then progressively more retraint was applied depending on the animals reaction.

ie -
started with just the person using his/her hand to steady the horse by placing a hand on the nose etc whilst the other hand performed the function,

if that did not work, a headcollar or rope loosely around the neck

if that did not work -> then a twitch

if that did not work -> then sedated

....so, why is twitching dangerous? I have seen animals fight it so much/suddenly realise they are twitched/some weird reaction that they go bezerk, usually striking out with the front leg at it. I have seen two shod horses takes a CHUNK, and I mean a chunk out of a plastered concrete stable wall, at lightening speed...and how can I put this, I am not a "pink welly" brigade, used to seeing horses kicking etc. I am really glad I was aware this happens and was working from the side of the animal.


Also if sedating, be aware that an animal can "wake" suddenly from the sedation, and brick itself, freaking out and hurting itself/you/anyone in the process

sorry for the essay!


oh, not tho mention the handle of the twitch hitting you and knocking out your teeth (not me, but saw it happen) if a horse resists twitching!
 
millitiger said:
my boy is twitched for jabs as he will strike out and do anything to get the vet away- at 18hh that is not an option.

i have had him from 5 months and he has always been awful with vets; he will now permit them to examine him so has improved a lot but jabs are still a huge no-no in his world.
Click to expand...

My gelding hates the vet. The vet isn't a monster Amymay. My horse had only met the vet twice before he came to me, once to be gelded, once to be microchipped. He very bright and is highly suspicious of strangers, although improving. Maybe your gelding has similar memories of the vet MT.

When I first had him, the vet couldn't get near for vacinations etc, which was a real concern.

He is now ok with the vet, (doesn't try to kill him) but has to be sedated for treatment.

The farrier is another story altogether and that is due to him being twitched for the farrier as a baby. He hates the farrier and will not tolerate him doing more than a quick tidy up. He's fine with us - just a shame I can't shoe.

I think twitching again would be hughely counterproductive for him, and so have to continue with a shoeless horse and give him more time I think.

I would only twitch as an absolute last resort, and have never owned one.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top