Twitch Cruel or ok???

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poiuytrewq

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My TB is in need of a new hair do but refuses to let me pull his mane, I have also tried a solo comb- as soon as 2 hands get near he just knows
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I don't want to fight with him and he just dosen't seem bothered by his look
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would it be mean to use a twitch? its just they seem a bit frowned upon now
 
sorry yes i have asked before about the mane thing and a few people said twitch him then a friend said OMG thats so babaric and old fashioned-- so am double checking
 
Mine is a complete pain to have his mane pulled so I use a razor comb. I tend to just resort to wrapping the leadrope round his nose and having someone hold him, I find it less hassle than twitching as he fits the twitch a lot more.
 
i have got a coloured that does not like his main pulled
the same as your mare as soon as you go to take any thing out he turns himself in side out
untill last week i have always twitched him and got it done with
i discovered the smart tails comb i did his main by myself and just tied up all you do is put thye main on the wrong side and comb the main best thing i have ever bought
 
I think if used properly and safely and obviously in the right place (Not ears!!) then they can have their uses. So go ahead! Or try other ways, I use thinning scissors and then 'trim' (frowned upon much more than twiched probs! But I don't care!!!!!)
 
My horse doesn't like having his mane pulled but he still doesn't behave with a twitch so he has a mild sedative now and it makes the process much easier on everyone.

I'd try the twitch first. As long as you get it done quick I don't think it's that mean.
 
I've got no problems with twitching a horse......I do have problems when people twitch using the wrong rope to do it.

Would you believe a young vet was asked to leave our yard by the YO when he produce a twitch that was using bailing string!
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The practise was contacted regarding this young idiot as well.
 
Twitches work in a way which releases 'feel good' endorphins in to the brain, although it may seem cruel it actually calms them easily, it is a strong acupressure point, which when horses were brought down by wolves etc years ago, they would grab the nose to make it in a trance like state before killing it! Not cruel!
 
I twitch my mare with she is having her jabs, she is VEY needle shy, and its safer for all, but she also HATES having her mane pulled, and is just as bad when using a solo comb!!! BUT if I back comb her mane, then just comb it with a fine toothed comb (still pulled the hair out) she will quite happily stand for that???

but on saying that, now we are in Spain she has a nice long mane, and if I wanted it plaited, I would just do a running plait
 
I'm with Sooty. I have used it before and will twitch if necessary for medical reasons but not to pull a mane. Why not try a trimming knife or solocomb? A pulled mane is not a necessity for a horse it is about humans needing a horse to look pretty. Thus i wouldnt twitch for this as i have seen the damage caused by a twitch.
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I have a horse who would kill rather than have his mane pulled so know where you are coming from.
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I used a knife for many years and now use scissors! He's happy and I'm alive! LOL!!! (He is 32 now which is why I am happy to use scissors!!!)
 
IMO a twitch is for emergency use only...... and a bad hair day doesn't count as an emergency
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There are lots of other ways to do a mane as suggested above; and you don 't have to do it all in one go, it doesn't matter if it takes a week to get it looking good with a solo comb or whatever
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Twitch him.
But be careful - it will take one or two minutes to take effect (the endorphins), and you can't leave it on for very long, or you can cut off the circulation and cause sores.
Some horses (very few) have the opposite reaction and 'fight' the twich - if yours is one of these twitching can be really dangerous - avoid like the plague (and yes, I speak from experience as my TB will try to kill if you twitch her) but is a lamb otherwise.
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My TB mare was twitched once sucessfully last summer for her jabs. Second time around she resorted to rearing and lashing out the minute the twitch was tightened by the vet. He got kicked as I had to let go of twitch as my arms aren't 6ft long lol ! I don;t think she'd even allow anything resembling that near her again! I tend to agree that twitching for a mane pulling is a bit OTT.

Getting your horse hot makes the pulling easier. Why is he silly with the razor comb, you can see they dont hurt ?

My mare proves that her silliness is often in her mind. If I sing loudly enough and I make sure she can't see I can get away with all sorts she thinks she cant deal with lol !
 
Well, I don't think that twitching is cruel and have no issue with it being used for mane pulling, but I do think that it will be a huge hassle as you will have to keep stopping and starting in order to ensure that you don't cut off the blood supply. If he's not a complete mentalist you could perhaps try cross-tying him while you do it?
 
I personally hate twitches. Had vets use them in the past and would refuse to have it done again to any of my horses. Maybe they did it wrong, but either way two of my horses flipped out with them.

And TBH having to twitch for something as unecessary as pulling his mane... well IMO you need to teach him to accept a solo comb! Solo combs do NOT hurt (as long as the blade isnt blunt obviously) so he has no excuse. It just takes them some time to get used to it and realising you arent yanking chunks of hair out.
 
The one thing that my horse objects to is having his mane pulled - I now trim it with scissors, and it looks great actually.

He's the second horse I've had who objected to mane pulling - and I used to cut his mane too.

I'm not opposed to twitching if the situation calls for it - just don't think that mane pulling is one of those situations.......
 
We used to twitch our pony to pull her mane, it is far better than battling with them for hours. However, be careful not to keep it tight for too long. The same pony had her muzzle damaged by a vet! This person put a twitch on her and kept it on whilst she took several x rays and then applied a Robert Jones to her leg. The end result was a pony with a hugely swollen muzzle for a couple of days and she still bears a scar some 4 years later. She also panics if you put your hand anywhere her nose. When my own vet say the scar he was speechless, and has used our pony to show students the damage twitches can do.
ETS. We now pull her mane little bit at a time, over several days, which she is fine with.
 
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i think twitches are a great tool when u know how to use them, as wi anythin to do wi horses

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This is the problem I have with them. Many people don't know the principles behind them and misuse them terribly. Like anything, really.
 
Our cob was twitched when clipped and then freezemarked 2 years ago. He may be perfectly fine now but then he was very wary, particularly of strangers and the lady who freezemarked my lad recommended it as the area to be marked was in a delicate area on his shoulder and she said that one or two marks may be uncomfortable, hence the twitch.
It worked and the result was a horse that stood mainly still for the procedure which was far better than having half a ton of horse trying to stamp us both to death lol.
Incidentally we had him freezemarked a few weeks after we got him and he was green to handle as well so safety came first.
Horse suffered no ill effects as a result and I was shown how to correctly twitch and how the process worked which was a bonus as I now know what to do in a case of an emergency.
We did twitch the lad on two occasions afterwards when spraying his legs with frontline ( mites) to stop him from jumping around as he disliked it.
I do have reservations of using it to pull manes though.
For medical procedures yes fine. In the case of Mcfly we had him marked so as to try and prevent theft as he is a type which can be targeted so I don't feel bad about twitching for that.
But in my own opinion I would try and find a better alternative when pulling manes because after all the act of pulling is only really for aesthetical reasons isn't it?
Also I too would be worried about the twitch being applied incorrectly or for too long in the same place because it can cause problems. I would suggest anyone who is reading this thread and has not twitched before gets someone who is experienced in doing it to show them how it is done.
 
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