ThreeCFarm
Well-Known Member
I do as Becky does (she gave me the idea, LOL) and it works great!! Yes Jill, it does look like a nutcracker.
Miniature Twitches?
- Thread starter Jill
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gatorbait4sure
Well-Known Member
Here we have "MR. WONDERFUL" who will stand for almost anything....BUT he licks everything too, INCLUDING the safty razors while I'm doing his facial! ( I've treid doing it with the shaving cream, w/o the shaving cream, with hair conditioner, with the whipped up stuff from a cup.......) After he is done, I have a lapful of clotted blood! Nose, tongue. lips, everything is cut.....He really does love the endorphins and Mr. Pinchy, and it is the only way to keep me looking like a butcher...................
Nathan Luszcz
Well-Known Member
I'm all for twitches... I couldn't do my job without them. It's not my job to train other people's mares! It's my job to get them in foal.
Anyways, I've found that I absolutely possitively DESPISE "self twitches", aka "one person twitches". They ALWAYS fall off in the most inconvienent times. I'm a BIG fan of the larger, two handed, rope or chain twitches. Never (until yesterday) had one fail on me. (I'm in severe pain at the moment after being trampled by that mare.) You can make one pretty easily... I bet you could make one in minature sizes that would fit the job nicely.
Anyways, I've found that I absolutely possitively DESPISE "self twitches", aka "one person twitches". They ALWAYS fall off in the most inconvienent times. I'm a BIG fan of the larger, two handed, rope or chain twitches. Never (until yesterday) had one fail on me. (I'm in severe pain at the moment after being trampled by that mare.) You can make one pretty easily... I bet you could make one in minature sizes that would fit the job nicely.
L
Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis
Guest
I agree Nathan but like Jill most of the time I am alone, and no way I can clip, and hold a twitch at the same time
Jill
Aspiring Cowgirl
Thanks everyone!
Yeah, we are going to make a rope and wood one, probably this weekend, for other occassions. Our vet has one like that vs. a chain and I think it's great. Just hoping for something I can affix and go on and get this clipping job over it. Been dreading it truly since last year and her rough body clip a few weeks ago didn't do anything to make me less enthusiastic about the task. She's a great little filly and is smart. Coming a long in leaps and bounds as to her manners and her leading / setting up skills for halter but I do not expect her to be very cooperative when I clip those legs of hers sometime this week. Hopefully these Home Depot clips / clamps will pan out and I will try my one man nut cracker twitch, too, with lots of purple vet wrap.
Yeah, we are going to make a rope and wood one, probably this weekend, for other occassions. Our vet has one like that vs. a chain and I think it's great. Just hoping for something I can affix and go on and get this clipping job over it. Been dreading it truly since last year and her rough body clip a few weeks ago didn't do anything to make me less enthusiastic about the task. She's a great little filly and is smart. Coming a long in leaps and bounds as to her manners and her leading / setting up skills for halter but I do not expect her to be very cooperative when I clip those legs of hers sometime this week. Hopefully these Home Depot clips / clamps will pan out and I will try my one man nut cracker twitch, too, with lots of purple vet wrap.
hi Jill, great topic!
i tried everything last year ,as im usually alone doing the clipping, and i resorted to using a hairbrush lol , i put baler twine through the hole in the handle, and twisted it on his nose and when the right pressure was found i tucked the brush through his halter, it worked a treat,
this year though ive found something brilliant! its called "crows feet" and plumbers use them for tightening pipes it looks like liers, but ther are gages on it that you can tighten, and then you tuck the horses nose into the soft coated handles that come together,and then voila! a mini twitch the only cost about $4
everyone is raving about the clamps you can buy at the diy stores, ive used them also but i feel i cant gage the grip enough and im too scared of hurting them.....goodluck!!!!
i tried everything last year ,as im usually alone doing the clipping, and i resorted to using a hairbrush lol , i put baler twine through the hole in the handle, and twisted it on his nose and when the right pressure was found i tucked the brush through his halter, it worked a treat,
this year though ive found something brilliant! its called "crows feet" and plumbers use them for tightening pipes it looks like liers, but ther are gages on it that you can tighten, and then you tuck the horses nose into the soft coated handles that come together,and then voila! a mini twitch the only cost about $4
everyone is raving about the clamps you can buy at the diy stores, ive used them also but i feel i cant gage the grip enough and im too scared of hurting them.....goodluck!!!!
Floridachick
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Jill said:
And, Floridachick, check out my website -- www.whinny4me.com -- and get a clue about the time I take with my horses, the level of accomplishment, and horsewomanship I possess. I'm not new to horses, new to minis, nor an uninformed or lazy horsewoman. I take the time to train my horses. They all have manners and many are very well trained in hand and in driving. You may want to educate yourself on the proper use and reasons to employ a tool such as a twitch.
Thanks I have a clue about horses, standard size and minis. I don't care how many ribbons and trophies your horses have won. If horses are very well trained then they will stand still to be clipped, groomed or anything else that needs to be done. Its clear you have your head so far into your own world your not open to others opinions about natural horsemanship. BTW I know how to use a twitch, I CHOOSE to propperly train my horses from minis up to our Percherons. They ALL stand to be clipped or anything else we choose to do with them. I didn't mean for this to lead to a personal attack on myself. I merely was asking why not train a horse instead of RESTRAIN a horse!
I have over 25 yrs of training, riding and horsemanship skills behind me. I am fairly new to minis and have found a wealth of knowledge on this board, however more people have been rude and unkind than kind. Its very dissapointing to have such knowledgable people yet be so nasty to anyone outside the "group." I have met a few people that are kind but the majority has not been so nice.
And, Floridachick, check out my website -- www.whinny4me.com -- and get a clue about the time I take with my horses, the level of accomplishment, and horsewomanship I possess. I'm not new to horses, new to minis, nor an uninformed or lazy horsewoman. I take the time to train my horses. They all have manners and many are very well trained in hand and in driving. You may want to educate yourself on the proper use and reasons to employ a tool such as a twitch.
Thanks I have a clue about horses, standard size and minis. I don't care how many ribbons and trophies your horses have won. If horses are very well trained then they will stand still to be clipped, groomed or anything else that needs to be done. Its clear you have your head so far into your own world your not open to others opinions about natural horsemanship. BTW I know how to use a twitch, I CHOOSE to propperly train my horses from minis up to our Percherons. They ALL stand to be clipped or anything else we choose to do with them. I didn't mean for this to lead to a personal attack on myself. I merely was asking why not train a horse instead of RESTRAIN a horse!
I have over 25 yrs of training, riding and horsemanship skills behind me. I am fairly new to minis and have found a wealth of knowledge on this board, however more people have been rude and unkind than kind. Its very dissapointing to have such knowledgable people yet be so nasty to anyone outside the "group." I have met a few people that are kind but the majority has not been so nice.
Matt73
Well-Known Member
When in doubt, I've used twine and some sort of stick/small pole to twist it. Maybe not one string, but two or three even (pressure etc.). Loop it and pull the lip through
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Nathan Luszcz
Well-Known Member
Sorry Floridachick... I think you are asking an unfair question. It'd be nice to train every horse in the world to let you do anything you want to them, but unfortunately that's not going to happen! You will meet horses that have issues and aren't perfect. Its possible to be a wonderful horse with a wonderful owner/trainer, and have to use restraint. It may be a MORE humane thing to do compared to many trainer's choices!
The best twitch I've ever used for minis is the one I made out of the handle of an OLD -style toilet bowl brush(wooden dowel, with a hole drilled through one end), and a piece of medium lay sash cord, tied in a square knot. It can even be used by one person-if the halter fits well(closely), it is possible to tuck the end under the cheek piece of the halter, and it will stay, at least unless the horse is really slinging its head around!
When I was showing, I would do ALL the clipping except the ears on most(have had a couple over the years who would allow their ears to be clipped w/o ANY restraining device)-then could do most of them by myself w/ the above-described twitch; if not, I would wait until we go to the show, would get someone-usually my daughter, who would come to the local shows to help me-to hold the twitch, and quickly get the ears done. A tiny and not-too-noisy clipper is a real help; I have a set of corded Osters I used.
I tried the clips; since I almost could not even OPEN them with two hands, I thought they would be TOO tight and very probably painful-with or without vet wrap. I have had the best results with the type of twitch I've described above for all sizes of horses, over the years. Never used a twitch much; only when it was absolutely necessary. I agree w/ Floridachick that it would be most preferable to train horses to accept ear clipping instead of 'having' to use a twitch; I just don't think most people feel they are in a position to take the time and make the effort to do so(myself included). We'd probably qualify as better horsemen if we did....
I also have an idea that a lot of horses, perhaps ESPECIALLY miniatures, are 'made' ear-shy by being 'eared down'...I personally know of a young mare who came off of a big farm, BIG historic miniature breeder family-- son actually told the now-owner of this mare how they handled her when she was FIRST handled as a weanling, and it included earring her down. UGH. This kind of thing can ONLY contribute to an extreme degree of 'ear-shy', and no wonder!! Such a bad experience for a horse can be VERY hard to overcome....
Margo
When I was showing, I would do ALL the clipping except the ears on most(have had a couple over the years who would allow their ears to be clipped w/o ANY restraining device)-then could do most of them by myself w/ the above-described twitch; if not, I would wait until we go to the show, would get someone-usually my daughter, who would come to the local shows to help me-to hold the twitch, and quickly get the ears done. A tiny and not-too-noisy clipper is a real help; I have a set of corded Osters I used.
I tried the clips; since I almost could not even OPEN them with two hands, I thought they would be TOO tight and very probably painful-with or without vet wrap. I have had the best results with the type of twitch I've described above for all sizes of horses, over the years. Never used a twitch much; only when it was absolutely necessary. I agree w/ Floridachick that it would be most preferable to train horses to accept ear clipping instead of 'having' to use a twitch; I just don't think most people feel they are in a position to take the time and make the effort to do so(myself included). We'd probably qualify as better horsemen if we did....
I also have an idea that a lot of horses, perhaps ESPECIALLY miniatures, are 'made' ear-shy by being 'eared down'...I personally know of a young mare who came off of a big farm, BIG historic miniature breeder family-- son actually told the now-owner of this mare how they handled her when she was FIRST handled as a weanling, and it included earring her down. UGH. This kind of thing can ONLY contribute to an extreme degree of 'ear-shy', and no wonder!! Such a bad experience for a horse can be VERY hard to overcome....
Margo
Matt73
Well-Known Member
Totally agree; a twitch isn't necessarily an inhumane method of restraint.
L
Lisa-Ruff N Tuff Minis
Guest
While this is getting a big off topic I totally agree and that most people seem to think they can and ok I guess the really can bully and manhandle minis into doing what we want them to do instead of having to take time to ease them into it..
although I still stand by some can have all the training in the world and still have a horrible aversion to ear clipping I have one who is wonderful for everything except his private area then... all heck breaks loose although go figure you can clean him with no issues at all
Jill
Aspiring Cowgirl
Just a tip, in case it helps someone having trouble clipping ears. What I do and it does help over time, is to take horses w/ ear issues and with a halter on them, stick my finger in their ear (not like down in it, but on the flesh part and down a little). I fool with the ear until the horse stops shaking its head and trying to get me to stop. As soon as they hold still, I stop fooling with the ear. It makes a big difference when it comes time to clip the ears but takes time to desensitize them to it. And, boy, can they SCOWL when you are fooling with their ears. Almost looks like a few of them would growl if they could, but they get used to it eventually and stop fighting it.
Matt73
Well-Known Member
Great tip, Jill. Thanks!
tagalong
Well-Known Member
Florida Chick - I am not sure that it is fair to lecture others when you do not know the horses involved...
I have worked in the horse industry full-time for 17 years now in a variety of disciplines - and with horses for over 25 years - and a twitch - applied correctly - is not painful. And often a necessary tool - whether for clipping or veterinary practices. It can prevent injury to the horse - and you.
I have also clipped many horses in that time - and some do not care - some fuss a bit - and occasionally you get one who says...EEEEEEEEEEEEEK! Why not help him with that? You can twitch for a few minutes as you work - then let if off and see how it goes....
Not all horses are cookie cutter copies of each other... not all horses react or respond to something in the same way. That is just basic horse sense. If one horse needs to be twitched for a few minutes to get a cut stitched, get shots, get clipped etc. why not make it easier for him?
Sometimes - all the training in the world will not ease such a situation... natural horsemanship techniques are great - I practice them as well - and when the principle is to make the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard - sometimes a twitch will make it easier for that horse to stop panicking... you apply it, soothe him, do a bit of work... take it off, try again. And eventually you may not even need it anymore. He realizes that he lived through It (It being whatever you needed to get done)... and all was well...
One needs to consider the individual horse... his personality and his reactions to the situation at hand.
And ribbons etc. have nothing to with this... why would that make a difference? *puzzled*
:
I am not part of The "Group". Or any Group, for that matter. You suggest that people are ignorant and cruel.... scoff at what they say and belittle them - and then get annoyed when they are not "nice"? That kind of an In Your Face approach would not work with horses - as I am sure your experience has shown you. Just a suggestion - it does not work with people, either....
:
I have worked in the horse industry full-time for 17 years now in a variety of disciplines - and with horses for over 25 years - and a twitch - applied correctly - is not painful. And often a necessary tool - whether for clipping or veterinary practices. It can prevent injury to the horse - and you.
I have also clipped many horses in that time - and some do not care - some fuss a bit - and occasionally you get one who says...EEEEEEEEEEEEEK! Why not help him with that? You can twitch for a few minutes as you work - then let if off and see how it goes....
Not all horses are cookie cutter copies of each other... not all horses react or respond to something in the same way. That is just basic horse sense. If one horse needs to be twitched for a few minutes to get a cut stitched, get shots, get clipped etc. why not make it easier for him?
Sometimes - all the training in the world will not ease such a situation... natural horsemanship techniques are great - I practice them as well - and when the principle is to make the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard - sometimes a twitch will make it easier for that horse to stop panicking... you apply it, soothe him, do a bit of work... take it off, try again. And eventually you may not even need it anymore. He realizes that he lived through It (It being whatever you needed to get done)... and all was well...
No - that is not always true. Assuming it is always true could get someone (human or equine) hurt....
One needs to consider the individual horse... his personality and his reactions to the situation at hand.
And ribbons etc. have nothing to with this... why would that make a difference? *puzzled*
Again - what the HORSE chooses in a incident that he may not care for is when a twitch can help.
Heads up!!
I am not part of The "Group". Or any Group, for that matter. You suggest that people are ignorant and cruel.... scoff at what they say and belittle them - and then get annoyed when they are not "nice"? That kind of an In Your Face approach would not work with horses - as I am sure your experience has shown you. Just a suggestion - it does not work with people, either....
Very true, Nathan :bgrin - but as others have said - I am often the only human involved... maybe I need to grow an extra set of arms...
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Matt73
Well-Known Member
:new_argue:
Jill
Aspiring Cowgirl
Oh my gosh!
This is ridiculous however I just now had a mental break through regarding why one my nut cracker looking one man twitch maybe didn't work on Sunny and fell off..........................
I was not tucking the twitch into the halter, but letting it stay "free" expecting it to stay put.
:bgrin
: :no: 
: :bgrin
This is ridiculous however I just now had a mental break through regarding why one my nut cracker looking one man twitch maybe didn't work on Sunny and fell off..........................
I was not tucking the twitch into the halter, but letting it stay "free" expecting it to stay put.
:bgrin
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I use the home depot clips on some horses. HOwever I dont like them. I cant pick how tight I want it and it dont stay on well.
WE have a one hand twich. IT has a metal loop that is on the hand peice and the farther down you slide it the tighter it is on the nose.
I am another that tends to fight with the horse to get things done. HOwever after getting a knee between the eyes and nose twice from my mare, I know when its no longer safe for myself of my horse.
I have yet to see one of my horses harmed by the twitch.
WE have a one hand twich. IT has a metal loop that is on the hand peice and the farther down you slide it the tighter it is on the nose.
I am another that tends to fight with the horse to get things done. HOwever after getting a knee between the eyes and nose twice from my mare, I know when its no longer safe for myself of my horse.
I have yet to see one of my horses harmed by the twitch.
Sun Runner Stables
Well-Known Member
:lol: LoL I love you Carol!
: No mam, no trolls here!
:
Tagalong
:
: ... I always find you making the level headed and well spoken replies, thank you! I tend to not be as elegant in certain situations! :saludando:
I've got a one man twitch as well, which I use on the big horses, but have never used well on the minis. (Mine's also a nutcracker type) Though, even with the one man twitch, I tend to have two people. If the situation recommends a twitch in the big guys, two people will most likely be needed as well for all's safety.
Tagalong
I've got a one man twitch as well, which I use on the big horses, but have never used well on the minis. (Mine's also a nutcracker type) Though, even with the one man twitch, I tend to have two people. If the situation recommends a twitch in the big guys, two people will most likely be needed as well for all's safety.
wiccanz
Well-Known Member
The easiest "one man twitch" I have found, is using an old bit. Put a loop of 'rope'(sash cord type or bailing twine) through one ring, use this to twitch the nose, then clip the other bit ring to the halter via the lead rope clip! Voila!! Hands-free twitch! :bgrin
