Clipping a filly who hates it!

[griggsmel]

Hi everyone, I'm am new to forums and have already posted under the marestare category but I thought I'd toss another question out there if that's ok. I have a yearling filly that absolutely hates to have the clippers near her legs. I have managed to get three legs clipped mostly, and I can do most of her body without too much fuss, but the last leg and actually doing a good job has been unsuccessful to say the least! I know how to clip, I know methods of training, and usually it works but this girl is so stubborn, I would love to know how others train their minis to clip. I work her, but don't want to overwork her due to age, so she's never really just tired enough to appreciate standing still, I rub her legs with the clippers until she stops rearing/kicking which doesn't seem to make any improvements at all, I've tried letting her eat hay while I clip, etc., etc. Does anyone out there ever sedate their minis? I've done that to larger breeds. I can't twitch her because my twitch doesn't fit so I don't know if that would work, but wanted that to be a last resort. Any ideas?? She's a sweet girl, and quirky, but I'm just at a loss. I'll attach a short video of her undoing her leadrope while I clean my blades just for laughs. Oh, and her name is Jewel. Thanks!

IMG_0238.MOV

 

[Genie]

We use a clip/clamp, to pinch the nose in the same manner as a twitch would work. The clips would likely be meant for keeping something together, like laminate wood, until the glue dries. It isn't "flimsy" but it isn't severe either.

In about 15 seconds the horse is thinking more about the clip than the clippers.

 

[SHANA]

I have had a few young ones that don't like legs done. I usually have a helper hold up the opposite leg. For example if the right hind is the problem leg I have a helper hold the left hind leg up as horses were not meant to stand on 2 legs. It has worked so far for me. Not sure if it works for every mini though.

 

[griggsmel]

I have had a few young ones that don't like legs done. I usually have a helper hold up the opposite leg. For example if the right hind is the problem leg I have a helper hold the left hind leg up as horses were not meant to stand on 2 legs. It has worked so far for me. Not sure if it works for every mini though.

Yeah, I tried that and she just kicks out with both legs.......

 

[JMS Miniatures]

If she doesn't want to stand there then lounge her, or back her up, make her move her feet and she will soon realize that its comfortable to stand still and have her legs clipped then moving her feet. Once you do take her back and try again, if she won't stand still which she probably won't at first then do it again.

 

[griggsmel]

If she doesn't want to stand there then lounge her, or back her up, make her move her feet and she will soon realize that its comfortable to stand still and have her legs clipped then moving her feet. Once you do take her back and try again, if she won't stand still which she probably won't at first then do it again.

I have done that but worry about overwork. How long do you think a mini yearling can lunge before it's too much?

 

[wcr]

Personally I wouldn't try to wear down a yearling with exercise. Too much for a baby and they won't equate the exercise with standing still to be clipped. A friend had a show filly that was far worse to clip than yours sounds and it took both of us to clip her and I can tell you it was a battle. I twitched her nose with my hand and the more she fought the tighter I would twitch. As she relaxed the looser I twitched. It took about 6 months of frequent clipping before she started settling down and soon I just had to put my hand on her muzzle and she would stand still.

 

[Tammy Breckenridge]

I will most likely get flamed for this but after spending a year of trying to train my yearling mini (who is half shetland so he is high strung to start with) I called my vet and got the dormosedan gel. My vet figured out the right dose for him and gave me a bunch of small syringes to pull the smaller amount from the big syringe it comes in. Squirt the gel inside his lower lip and 30 minutes later I can clip his head and legs with no fear of getting a hoof to the head. I did try all the training techniques my trainer and I could think of, heck I even hobbled him after I lunged him and he just would just rear and strike at me with both front feet.

Good luck!

 

[griggsmel]

I will most likely get flamed for this but after spending a year of trying to train my yearling mini (who is half shetland so he is high strung to start with) I called my vet and got the dormosedan gel. My vet figured out the right dose for him and gave me a bunch of small syringes to pull the smaller amount from the big syringe it comes in. Squirt the gel inside his lower lip and 30 minutes later I can clip his head and legs with no fear of getting a hoof to the head. I did try all the training techniques my trainer and I could think of, heck I even hobbled him after I lunged him and he just would just rear and strike at me with both front feet.

Good luck!

That's what I was thinking I would have to do as I don't have six months to work on it....I will continue to train with her and hopefully as she grows older she will get better, but I have to get her to a show.

I have the Dermosedan gel and have used it succesfully on larger horses. what type of dosage did they tell you to use? I am going to ask my vet so don't worry about that, I just want to get a comparison to what he says.

 

[Bonny]

My 5 month old filly is a real toot, In several ways, so I can relate. She is sweet, never bites loves being petted, and human attention. But when she decided she doesnt want to do something, she is a real begger. Stubborn as they come. She is a small sec A welsh, and when I clipped her legs , she kicked me three times. So, I cross tied her, and turned on the clippers, and held her hoof on the leg I wanted. We went several rounds before she learned I wasnt letting go. Once she learned she was fine. Occasionally, she still tries, and its back to square one.

If your not able to hold her hoof during her fits get someone, like a farrier, to work with you.

Best wishes, I know how tough some can be

 

[Marty]

I'm clipping my fillies legs today and I'm wearing a suit of armor. I know I"m about to get killed!

Please listen to Kathi WCR! She's right on!

 

[griggsmel]

I hold the clippers to her leg and she kicks out, rears, does whatever she can to get away. I hold on and just wait, no anger, no emotion, just wait. I'm not a small person, I'm 5'10", so it's not hard to hold on. Then when she stops I pet her, tell her good girl, remove the clippers and we do it again. Unfortunately, I have never had one single ounce of improvement by doing this which means no nicely clipped legs, lol. She can keep it going all day and by then I have reached the end of her patience level and i know it's just a battle so I find a good way to end and stop for the day.

I will keep trying, and will definately try some of the ideas here and look forward to more. The irritating thing is I was with her when she was born and I imprinted her with clippers.....she's the little foal in my profile picture.

I intend on trying every day from now till whenever, so wish me luck!!

 

[targetsmom]

I have had several (or most) that don't like legs clipped. It seems to be the vibration, because once when my cordless clippers were running down I was able to do the most difficult one (the rearer below) by myself!! Then the battery died completely of course, so I had to do something else until it was running down again.

I have tried sedation and found I only needed to do that once for that horse, and then she was fine.

I have a handmade twitch I made out of soft rope about half the thickness of a lead, and tied in a loop though a handle of a brush so it is like a scaled down version of the hammer-handle types for big horses. That usually works when I have a helper, but one mini reared with the twitch on and got BOTH of us on the way down.

Another thing I have tried somewhat successfully is to pick up the leg I am clipping. It is harder to clip the leg but if it keeps my mare from jumping around it is worth it. I have tried desensitizing them to the clippers (not actually clipping) over the winter, and just about everything I can think of, and concluded that no one thing works for all of them.

 

[JMS Miniatures]

Horses love to stand still and relax, they don't like to move. So lounging I don't see it as a way to get her winded and exhausted and want to stand there but honestly probably by the end yes since she sounds pretty bad but it will get easier. I say just lounge her for no more then 5 minutes and then try again. My horses realize if they don't want to stand still then they will be moved so they just stand there and relax and get left alone. They realize its just easier to stand there. Like for example I have one horse that liked to paw when I was just holding the lead and I can't stand a horse when they paw so I put her to work and if she stand relaxed I leave her alone.

 

[palsminihorses]

I will most likely get flamed for this but after spending a year of trying to train my yearling mini (who is half shetland so he is high strung to start with) I called my vet and got the dormosedan gel. My vet figured out the right dose for him and gave me a bunch of small syringes to pull the smaller amount from the big syringe it comes in. Squirt the gel inside his lower lip and 30 minutes later I can clip his head and legs with no fear of getting a hoof to the head. I did try all the training techniques my trainer and I could think of, heck I even hobbled him after I lunged him and he just would just rear and strike at me with both front feet.

Good luck!

I have this product on hand for a mare that is difficult to trim her hooves. But I didn't know about the placement of it in 'the lower lip.' I will try that next time. Thanks for sharing!

 

[Tammy Breckenridge]

I have this product on hand for a mare that is difficult to trim her hooves. But I didn't know about the placement of it in 'the lower lip.' I will try that next time. Thanks for sharing!

Pam according to my vet and what I read on the box it is ment to be absorbed sublingaly (sp?) and not swallowed.

 

[dannigirl]

I know that it seems I use my broom a lot, but then I do--LOL. If I have one that is just so bad that it won't stand no matter what, I will try the broom thing--poking the bristles and sweeping them across her legs till she stands. Try clipping and if she won't stand, repeat. It may take repeat, repeat, repeat, but eventually, she may just get the message that the silly bristly thing will go away if she stands still. Again, like with kicking, be sure to tell her you are using the broom with some sort of word or phrase. Like--"do you want the broom?' followed by the broom and then use that every time. That way if she stands and you don't use it after saying it, she will get the message and when you say it while clipping, she may connect it and stand. Can't hurt to try.

 

[griggsmel]

Pam according to my vet and what I read on the box it is ment to be absorbed sublingaly (sp?) and not swallowed.

It is, I have been told to put it under the tongue. We were also told not to get any on us because it will make us sleepy, too. We've used it twice on a large mare that wouldn't let us touch her ears with clippers no matter what. We were told to wait 45-60 minutes before starting and we ended up having to wait the full 60 min. At 59 minutes she would knock us out, at 60, she was a doll baby, lol. I know it works, just don't know what dose for the minis or if anyone had used it on them before. I'm definately going to try it for the short term, but looks like long term it's going to take time and patience. Who knows, maybe I'll get lucky and only need it once, too.......

I know that it seems I use my broom a lot, but then I do--LOL. If I have one that is just so bad that it won't stand no matter what, I will try the broom thing--poking the bristles and sweeping them across her legs till she stands. Try clipping and if she won't stand, repeat. It may take repeat, repeat, repeat, but eventually, she may just get the message that the silly bristly thing will go away if she stands still. Again, like with kicking, be sure to tell her you are using the broom with some sort of word or phrase. Like--"do you want the broom?' followed by the broom and then use that every time. That way if she stands and you don't use it after saying it, she will get the message and when you say it while clipping, she may connect it and stand. Can't hurt to try.

I think I may just try that. She is so scared of the broom, it's going to be funny I think at first, but if she can get used to that and not kick, who knows!?!

 

[Becky Horat]

The most severe horse that I tried to clip...tried to strike, rear, kick....if I just got near her with the clippers. Twitching (which is usually successful for me) made her strike at me more. This was an 11hh pony. Out of desperation...tried everything....I finally resulted in tying up her hind leg. I used a soft cotton rope so she wouldn't rope burn herself. Once she threw a fit and decided she was not able to rear or strike on 3 legs....I did all the slow, work with clippers getting her used to it. Worked with her over a few days and finally able to successfully clip head, face, feet.

 

[paintcrzy2001]

We had to sedate our filly she did great for the body and about halfway down each leg and then it gets UGLY, rear, bite, stomp, kick, strike and let me tell you she can do all of this on one leg..... The first time it just so happened the Vet was there and he aced her venously, to took two doses! She weighs 198lbs and he had to dose her for double her weight! Then we had Ace tablets we broke in half, 1 half usually is enought to sedate 200lbs of course she had to take the other half and was still giving us a hard time. She is getting better but next time we are using the gel. Each time she gets a little better and hopefully as she ages she will become more tolerant.