Twitches

[JodiUlyssa]

<font color="black"> </font> Recently I had my horses teeth checked and the guy did a fantastic job but he used a rope that went over the top gum. To start with it was ok but my mare started to become fidgety. When I got her home I noticed she had a nasty rope burn on her gum. Does anyone know what kind of restraint this is and whether it is legal??

 

[hadfos]

it is similar to a twitch,my farrier has had to use it once on my lad...he only needed it once...i was sceptical and not happy but hell did he behave and has never messed about again

yes they are legal believe you can buy them on rideaway???
Sounds like it may have been used a little hard for her to get a rope burn!!
(My lad goes nuts with a twitch and will kill anything in front or side of him with his front feet....however was as good as gold with the above)

 

[Ravenwood]

Its called a camanche calmer and is supposed to work the same way as a twitch..... would hope its not going to leave a rope burn!!

 

[Ezme]

wow sounds nasty. That cataloge that was with H&amp;H this week had a twitch made of chain which i though was horrendus...

Our farrier slapped Jaked on the willy (he did have it out, nearly touching the floor, i'm not even joking its gross and a bit spectacular at the same time) with a rasp! He was good after that. Not sure whats worse tho...

 

[TarrSteps]

It's a "lip rope" and supposed to act on pressure points, not to be used with force. It is possible, even if used correctly to leave a TEMPORARY mark right after it's removed, like a pinch, but it should not leave a mark that can still be seen later. There are specially made ones of very thin, soft material that attach to the halter and others that are a full "bridle" as it were, that have plastic or leather coverings to protect the fine skin of the lip and special friction set ups to prevent over or uneven tightening. Some have covered chains (I can hear you all screaming) which sounds worse but actually spread out the pressure over a flat surface and "holds" to lessen the chance of over/sudden tightening. When they are used properly the horse gets noticeably "dopey" and compliant from endorphin release.

They can be very useful for restraining horses for treatment and occasionally for trailer loading and leading issues, used tactfully. Certainly a lot more humane than hauling on the horse and/or risking damage to the sensitive bars of the mouth.

They're quite commonly used in North American in situations where it would be more likely to use a chiffney in the UK and for more or less the same reasons. Don't kid yourself, pulling on a chiffney would produce similar damage to the bars of a horse's mouth they just would not be obvious. This is NOT correct use of a lip rope but it is, alas, quite a common one, particularly with race horses.

It's a little like the "big bit" discussion - is it better to use a stronger tool more lightly to get the desired response? If "standard methods" are not working to a dangerous degree should one just continue and hope not to die or try something else? Or is it better just to not do whatever is upsetting the horse, even if it's necessary at the time? And does the potential for abuse invalidate the tool completely?

 

[archie1]

i hate the chain twitches but my horse had one applied at the vets for a joint injection and our dentist may use one briefly if he needs to. really i can't argue as they are the ones taking the risk. that twitch sounds like an indian slip twitch which is supposed to be better than a lip twitch as you can move horses around with one on

 

[Ezme]

I think i've seen a lip rope before.... can't remember where. I do think tho, everything has its place. I mean with our boys thier shear size means we really can't take any chances with them messing about and theres no way in hell you could hold up a leg when they really want to put it down! But I always try to use the least sevear option. They do get twitched when its needed without much questioning but after the event, i.e. when theres time to work through until their settled, we always go back to de-sensitizing and schooling and eventualy, ok sometimes it takes a while, they settle. We seem to have a bit of a knack with horses that are trouble for the farrier or to clip so somthing we're doing must be working!

 

[JodiUlyssa]

thanks everyone... just wanted to know that it wasnt just a home-made thing.... in a way im glad that it is known. My mare is usually not too bad for the dentist but she was only putting her head a tad too high for him a this is why he used th rope... not to worry.. had a look today and her gum seems to be on the mend.