Where Does It Stop

[AmyMay]

Oooo GT's interesting topic (as ever!!). I am very happy to sedate my horse if the need arises. This in the past has included to clip because she was so naughty she was donwright bloody dangerous.

However, what I failed to realise (plain ignorance and stupidity) was that she was actually very frightened. She had no idea who these people were that were clipping her and used to freak. It was only when I decided that I could no longer afford sedation and someone to clip her and then bought my own clippers that the penny actually dropped. She is an angel for me to clip - because she knows and trust me. So my point here is that I resorted to sedation without fully appreciating the problem. Guilty as charged.

She has on two ocassions been sedated for medical reasons - no problem.

Like others, I can't get my head round sedation for turnout - even really after a period of box rest. After all a competition horse regularly turned out is no more likely to damage itself than my common old cob.

 

[Agent XXX999]

And if your horse panicked went colicky, sweated up, cantered round his stable, eyes rolling and genuinely appeared completely terrified once (OK twice) a year, when the major fireworks were on, and you knew that if you turned him out he would probably jump over the fence in panic…in fact you knew he would - and you wanted to do (what you considered) the best for your horse - what would you do?
What I did, when two years ago he did exactly that, was call my vet out late at night – who sedated him. Now I prepare, consult with my vet, sedate my horse for his wellbeing and by the time he comes round he is absolutely fine and the fireworks are over.
To form an opinion when you have not been in the situation is completely ridiculous and I don’t think it is fair. I have had horses for twenty years, don’t ‘just sedate’ and it is a thought out option for the benefit of my horse.
The fact that I said he is a competition horse is indicative of the level of fitness he is at and therefore being off for a considerable period of time for an accident that I deem preventable is not and option and would be unfair on him as he actually enjoys his work, is very fit – I know the horse on box rest and he gets thoroughly depressed and actually looks ‘down’. It is not something I am willing to go through with him for the sake of a few hours of preventative measures.
I would also suggest that if it was anything to do with the way I handled or treated my horses in general I would have a collection of horses with issues, who were unhappy and sedated often. Is the fact that this is the only horse that gets sedated not an indication that my decision was not a light one but one that I, my trainer and my vet consider to be the safest option?

 

[AmyMay]

Was that quick reply - or to me?? Confused.

 

[Agent XXX999]

No not to you! x

 

[Dogbetty141]

I have to sedate my horse when he is being clipped otherwise he would lye on the floor and not move. People tell me not to clipp him then what good would that do when he is sweating in a dressage comp. Not very good really. I agree sedation is used to freely and the only ever time I use sedation is to clipp him as he is very dangerous and I have tried doing it myself and just twitching him but have to do that aswell once sedated. He will not get over his fear of clippers.

Using sedation for fireworks is rubbish but i would not throw him out in the field as he could seriously injure himself. In his stable what harm could he actually do? Do you not have a top part of your stable that you could shut?

 

[Agent XXX999]

Trust me we tried everything – he just gets into a blind panic, and not just when he knows we are there either. He kicks out, jumps up and down, goes mad enough for me to consider him a danger to himself. Its not nice and sedation helps him remain calm, and the Psychological effects are less so than if I left him to get on with it...it takes him a while to get over things

 

[AmyMay]

[ QUOTE ]
Using sedation for fireworks is rubbish but i would not throw him out in the field as he could seriously injure himself. In his stable what harm could he actually do? Do you not have a top part of your stable that you could shut?

[/ QUOTE ]
Now there's a sweeping statement if ever I heard one. Horses can do tremendous damage to themselves in the stable. And remember with fireworks it's very rarely the 'show' that frightens the horse - rather the noise. So shutting the top door would make no difference at all to the frightened horse - rather it would probably make it worse.

I think that the interesting point about this posting is to make us think about why we do things - not necessarily should we .

Who are any of us to say that someone shouldn't sedate their horses in a particular circumstance? We all have to make that judgement call about certain situations sometimes. We simply won't all agree as to whether it's necessarily right or not.

 

[Agent XXX999]

Thank you amymay. I was starting to go a bit mad then….

 

[SSM]

I actually like being sedated

I have spent months with clippers near her, bought the Avalon ones as you and many others recommended and yet she still goes bonkers - her last owner warned us, am not sure what has happened in the past as her last owner was her only one since being broken and she worshiped her like I do

 

[the watcher]

I have sedated for the dentist, he refused to do mine when they started standing up so had no choice. I have sedated for veterinary stuff to treat injuries.
I have tried it once or twice over the years for other reasons but have never found that it really works so would alway try to desensitise as an alternative. I have never sedated for clipping or fireworks..if you make enough noise around your horses every day, they soon learn not to spook, and if else fails I would just stuff their ears with cotton wool!

 

[sallyf]

Surely at the end of the day there is no right or wrong whether to sedate horses or not.
But as it is a free country we are all entitled to our own opinions on what is right or wrong.

 

[MillionDollar]

That is right everyone has their own opinion and have the right, but IMO i think its wrong for something like clipping.

 

[Dogbetty141]

I foyu think it is wrong for clipping can I suggest you tell me otherwise what the solution would be to clip my 16.1hh TB who is petrified of being clipped. Desensitising him is rubbish as I have tried it lots of time and he will not be clipped unless he is sedated and twitched. Would fancy clipping a horse who is that big and dangerous to himslef and the person clipping? Id like to see you tey without sedation.

 

[Dogbetty141]

God my spelling is bad. you know what I mean though.

 

[Tia]

Done it many, many, MANY times over the past few decades on horses "who can't be clipped without sedation".

Don't want to keep this topic going as it seems it really has been over-done, but it CAN be done, no matter how much you all try to say it can't. I and MANY others have been there and have the T-shirt.......on not one occasion but countless occasions.

Make the time, have the patience; it may take a few years to totally perfect, but the excuses that are being made and just that.....


....*edited to add* I don't care if you sedate; sedate all you like it really doesn't bother me.......all I take issue with is this "can't" nonsense.

 

[racingdemon]

PLEASE tell me i have not just read that people SEDATE their horses because of fireworks, our neighbours had a fireworks party in the next feild to some of my horses, the horses were fine, watched the fireworks, ate grass & not so much as a missing shoe the next day,

ALL these are FIT thoroughbreds, so not hairy 'nags' (no offence to hairy nags)

its a HORSE, please god, no wonder people think i'm cruel, leaving all my fully clipped TB's out at night, and even worse not putting rugs on the unclipped ones, i mean ...................

going now, before my head explodes, i really CANNOT get my head around this, what the blazes happened to common sense!

 

[MillionDollar]

Too right!!!!!

 

[Agent XXX999]

grrrr

thats all i have to say on the matter.