Twitch to clip?

Fools Motto

Fools Motto

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Last year a delightful little irish pony came to be part of the herd at work. We knew he was green, but his temperament is heaven around the children so more than makes up for his quirks. He's not very good at being tolerant with the farrier, pretty darn stubborn picking his tootsies up, more stubborn if you don't do it for a day or two - he denies all knowlege of how. Before he came, I asked how he is in many situations, including clipping. I was told he was grand, and came sporting a bib with half a face clip. Never thought anything more, until I go to clip him today!! Little bugger.... To be honest he was scared of the clippers going near his chest, but better with his belly. For the sake if it, I twitched him and got the job done, but he didn't relax.
The 'being grand' thing I now don't believe, there would have been no way his face would have been clipped last year without twitch/sedation but is it the end of the world using a twitch or should I have quit today, opted for sedaline and done another day? Anyone here use a twitch?
 
My friend had to twitch her horse to injection him as he was scared of needles! He took to the twitch much better than trying sedelin
 
I only twitch for as short a time as possible. If your doing a short, wee clip you'll be fine. If your doing the whole lot will he let you do most of him without a twtich and just twitch him for the dodgy bits? It's not worth sedation if it's only going to take 5 mins to twtich and do the bits he doesn't like.
 
Should they relax when twitched? He was still on edge, so I know he doesn't like the clippers. I didn't feel he would have tolerated any clipping without the twitch, but he didn't move when doing his belly, but got very stiff and upright when doing his neck and chest.
 
B isn't scared of the clippers he is just a bit of a prat when he sees them. He drops his head and is totally relaxed as soon as the twitch goes on him but take it off and he tries to leg it. He used to be a show pony and he has the same reaction to being bathed so I think it's a case of being totally fed up with being preened.
 
There's nothing wrong with twitching, if it's done properly and for a short time, or with breaks. My vet carries a twitch round with him. He once sedated one of ours and then twitched, to make sure!
 
I will very occasionally twitch but only for short periods of time, and only if the horse relaxes and settles, unless it was for something like a medical emergency etc. I twitched mine the other day to clip her ears. Once I'd done it once she was fine, but she was gearing up for a huge hysterical fight before that. No she lets me do them stood loose so long as I use the quiet ones and take it slowly
 
The problem with twitching is that the pony will still associate clipping with fear and not get any better at being clipped and will need twitching every time unless some real work is done in between at getting her quiet with the clippers to make life easier in the long run.
 
For years I clipped mine with the trimmers, he hated the clippers. then I bought new clippers run from a belt battery and now he is fine. I always start with the trimmers to warn him what is coming, but he seems absolutely fine. Not sure whether it was the old noisy electric cable clippers he didn't like or if he just grew up!
 
fburton said:
Does anyone have the time to desensitise horses to clippers these days?
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Desensitisation can only do so much - some horses really hate the sensation of being clipped, and it's those ones that (in my experience) are the problematic ones. I absolutely agree that desensitisation is important, and works really well on horses that object to the noise - but a ticklish horse is going to be ticklish, no matter how much time you spend desensitising them
 
Auslander said:
Desensitisation can only do so much - some horses really hate the sensation of being clipped, and it's those ones that (in my experience) are the problematic ones. I absolutely agree that desensitisation is important, and works really well on horses that object to the noise - but a ticklish horse is going to be ticklish, no matter how much time you spend desensitising them
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This.
My boy is fine for 95% of him. He's not scared of clippers and we can do most of him without sedation / twitch. Over the years we've gone from 80% to 95% but he's incredibly ticklish and simply cannot bear them around his armpits, nether regions and the top of his neck. Desnstising is great if the recation is a mental/emotional one but his is purely physical.
Twitching works well, the problem we have with him is getting the twitch on in the first place. As soon as he sees it he turns into some sort of demon. He's not nasty - doesn't kick or bite, he just throws himself around the stable and at a chunky 16.3hh there's not much we can do to stop him!

This is why we sedate him every year for clipping. Even with sedation (tried both sedalin and injected) we used to have to twitch him too (it's much easier to twitch him when he's half asleep!) but last year we tried domosedan and we got him done completely with no twitch!
 
There was a study reported in H&H a few months back where they took two groups of young TBs who had never been clipped. Half were twitched and clipped, the other half just clipped. The heart rate and respiration was monitored to understand stress. A while later they did a second clip with both groups, but the twitched group split again into twitched and not.

They found those twitched first time exhibited less signs of stress on a second clip than those who hadn't been twitched the first time. It seems twitching first time is better for them.

For this reason I wanted E sedated for his first ever clip (twitching has the opposite effect on him!)
 
Auslander said:
Desensitisation can only do so much - some horses really hate the sensation of being clipped, and it's those ones that (in my experience) are the problematic ones. I absolutely agree that desensitisation is important, and works really well on horses that object to the noise - but a ticklish horse is going to be ticklish, no matter how much time you spend desensitising them
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I agree some just don't like it and never will so matter how much exposure they have to clippers they still react, with horses like this they often won't tolerate certain areas so it's easier to put a twitch on for this and get the difficult bits done, then it can come off to do the rest, I am not a fan of leaving a twitch on to do a whole clip in this instance I would sedate, it's not fair leaving a twitch on for more than half an hour in my opinion.
 
If its only a wee clip like a bib&girth area, I'd have no problem using a twitch for this short period of time, the same as I'd have no problem using a twitch for 10 min on a horse who didn't like its head clipped but was fine elsewhere.

I'd do some desensitizing before the next time he needed done though, even if it was only tying him up next to all the other ponies when they were being done...

Fiona
 
Some clipping problems can be sorted with ear plugs. I have a Horse that I won't let anyone else do on the yard. Without earplugs you can't get near him. Pop them in and he falls asleep quite happy! He is a bit funny with noise at the races too but take the noise away and he is fine.

But some that are too ticklish won't cope and need sedated or twitched depending on how much your taking off.
 
Auslander said:
Desensitisation can only do so much - some horses really hate the sensation of being clipped, and it's those ones that (in my experience) are the problematic ones. I absolutely agree that desensitisation is important, and works really well on horses that object to the noise - but a ticklish horse is going to be ticklish, no matter how much time you spend desensitising them
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I know it's possible to desensitise horses to the feel and vibration of the clippers because I have done it myself. Assuming people have a couple of hours to spare (I realise not everyone does!), it's definitely worth a try. What is there to lose?
 
I do think twitching should be reserved for emergency situations. (It's helpful to know which horses are poor responders beforehand, but you can only find that out by using a twitch!)
 
fburton said:
I know it's possible to desensitise horses to the feel and vibration of the clippers because I have done it myself. Assuming people have a couple of hours to spare (I realise not everyone does!), it's definitely worth a try. What is there to lose?
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Limbs at least where my horse is concerned!

I've spent far more than "a couple of hours" in the 13 years I've owned him and while he's improved (in that there are now fewer tickly spots he really can't tolerate) it will never go away completely. We've got as far as we're going to get. With my other one, the only problem you have is him thinking you're grooming him and wanting to return the favour so it's definitely not anything I'm doing!
 
Have to agree with the posters who have indicated that perhaps a bit more time spent desensitising could be well spent. I agree that there are some that are just too ticklish or sensitive, but I didn't think OP had said this was the case, just that he was scared of the clippers. I've had one that has ended up needing sedation when hour upon hour of quiet practice didn't help her clipping phobia but that was a PITA because she sweated up quickly and I had to work really fast.

The others stand in their stables without needing to be tied up, my clippers are big and noisy but they have got used to it quite happily. I personally wouldn't try clipping until i had tried to get the horse to the point where it can be relaxed about the idea, when it's my own horse and I'm not in a mad rush to get it done pronto. If you have the opportunity to do this in a no-pressure environment then I'd make a start if I were you OP, so you might be able to do him more easily when it grows back :)
 
Tiddlypom said:
. Fully agree that ticklish horses may always find clipping challenging and may need twitching/sedation, but those horses are in the minority.
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Until you are faced with a yard of 90 fit tb racehorses to deal with 😂😂😂

I clipped 4 babies this week. 2 didn't even flicker an ear when the clippers were turned in and got a wee trace clip not a problem. One took 5 mins to settle to the noise then was fine. One was fine with the noise but still has her elbows and half her girth on 😂😂😂 I don't have a death wise and she won't be doing enough work to warrant a full clip which I would sedate her for now having done the wee clip and I know she really can't cope.
 
Glad to hear you made some progress at least, annagain.

However, I'm not convinced that everyone knows how to desensitise horses in a really effective, methodical way. I don't think it's necessarily obvious or commonsense. Last time I looked (admittedly at least 10 years ago), the BHS didn't include this in their teaching syllabus or in their books (I would be delighted to hear if that has changed). So where do people learn how to do it?
 
fburton said:
Glad to hear you made some progress at least, annagain.

However, I'm not convinced that everyone knows how to desensitise horses in a really effective, methodical way. I don't think it's necessarily obvious or commonsense. Last time I looked (admittedly at least 10 years ago), the BHS didn't include this in their teaching syllabus or in their books (I would be delighted to hear if that has changed). So where do people learn how to do it?
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Personally? I've read and watched demos and articles about how to get horses accustomed to other things and applied the same kind of approach. I try to go with small manageable steps, over several days, not overfacing the horse so it gets to the point where it can't or won't cope, and equally not removing the negative stimulus until the horse is relaxed (i.e. don't reward the anxiety reaction if you get it).
I can't remember ever having any actual formal training on it, no. But I find quite often the horses that have been frightened of clippers have been afraid of other things which are easier/safer to train them on e.g. hosepipes so I've been fortunate to gauge their likely reactions before actually needing to put the clippers on them.
 
We've spent a long time desensitising the mare over the last 14 years, she is better but you still wouldn't be able to do more than a small clip (thankfully all she needs) without sedation. We have mostly got her ok with her belly being done and you can take the clippers any which way you like around her neck other than actually clipping the hair which results in an immediate change in her, a lot of head flicking and threatening to rear. As we only need a bit we go with the lots of stroking around the area with clippers then a quick whip off before she has time to through a total paddy. Some times I get excellent lines, other times, not so much!
 
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