Clipping horses

I'm trying to clip Pistol for his show this weekend and he's being a big brat! All I really want to get is his muzzle and bridle path because we clipped his legs ans jowls last week and we clipped his ears while he was drugged to clean his sheath and I'm not even attempting that again for awhile! The only thing he minds is his bridle path anf muzzle(and obviously his ears) He is extrememly headshy and putting on the bridle is also a challenge. We have beeen desensitizing him all winter but it's slow going. Some days are better than other. He has apparently been beaten at some point. He is also afraid of whips. Since we couldn't get him clipped we tried to embarass him by going into my Arab's stall and clipping her without a halter on. She even lets us do the ears and our other horse is equally good, but of course this didn't convince him LOL!! Anybody have any tips? By the way twitches are just aa hard to get near him a the clippers. Worming is also a challenge.

just razor his muzzle don't use clippers they will usually stand for the razor for the bridle path no suggestions here sorry...

I've learned as I get older not to fight these huge beasts. On the bridle path, twitch him, and just get the job done. Use a razor, maybe not a brand new one, as Lynn suggested.

Give you a little suggestion on the ears and muzzle. On my big clippers, it's the devil trying to get the ears done, so I always run in the house and get Rick's little moustache clipper things. You can get them at Dollar Store or Wal-Mart for about $10. They're very quiet, and do the job nicely.

If he's shy about his ears, that's why he's giving you the buggers up on his bridle path. I'm sure you've already tried, rubbing the clippers around him head, up and down his neck and sort of sneaking up to the bridle path. Also, I'd get a vet to check his ears, just in case he has ear mites or a tick in there - happened to a mare of mine one time.

Well he wont let us twitch him either !! It's just as biga fight to twitch him as it is to clip him. I think we are going to have to get the vet out to check his ears but he will have to be sedated first. When she came out earlier we had her check his teeth because that's what we thought was the problem but she didn't see any major problems there. She was not very successful at floating his teeth though but she thinks she got some sharp edges off. She said he would need an equine dentist with stronger drugs to really do a good job but from what she could see she said don't worry about it this year. Yeah some people have mentioned ear mites or warts in his ear as a possibility but I think he's just a big brat! He got away with everything with his previous owner and he definitely has the strength to back up all his bluster! We have been really consistent with him lots of praise for everything he does right but this is one bad habit we haven't changed yet. We will win eventually. But in the meantime I think I will just razor his muzzle which he let us do last week when the clippers didn't work. I will forget about his ears for now but I will buy a pair of those small trimmers like you suggested 7Cedars and see if that helps Thanks for your suggeations, guys! Keep 'em coming!

The only other thing I can think of to try, short of drugs is, first let the vet look at him as far as his ears - make sure there's nothing funky going on there. And if the vet gives him a good bill of health, me and that sucker would hit the round pen, period! I'd have me a set of battery operated clippers, and one way or another, that sucker would get clipped... We could stay out there 30 minutes or 2 hours, wouldn't make me any difference.

I am tolerable of a horse being scared; however, I am NOT tolerable of the I DON'T WANT TO SYNDROME... ain't even in my book!

Just a suggestion there, though... and if you try this, you make DANGED sure you've got somebody around, just in case that sucker tries to come up, and if tries to come up, I've got another fix for that... that's a big no/no in my book!

Have you tried a lip chain?? I think it works way better than a twitch. No fight, no trauma. I had a mare that would just zone out when she saw it coming.

How do you use a lip chain? That might be easier to do than using a twitch. We have a 18" chain with a clasp on one side that we clip on the end of our longe line. Is that what you use?

Use a lead rope with a stud chain....Put it on just as you normally would, except you put the chain up under his/her top lip. Tap it lightly, just to let him/her know it's there....Then bring up the slack smoothly....Then put some muscle into it.....hard!!!!!!!!!!!! (at least it seems hard to me) If he/she fights....PULL HARDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DON"T JERK!!!!!!!! Hold the pressure solid til he/she starts to relax.....Then you can ease-up on it. If the horse starts to fuss...Tighten up on the chain again. I've never seen a horse that this didn't work on. It puts pressure on nerves that cause them to get real zone-y....almost go to sleep.

Ragdoll, you haven't met some of these mares I'm breeding! WHEW! Yep, she's right. This is something, however, that you need to get somebody to do that's experienced with doing it. You need a "stop" on the other side so it'll hold the lip chain in place, either that, or you'll be holding it with your finger, and if I'm guessing right, you might get in a way of a fit throwing, and you don't need to get hurt.

I will tell you this, though... the easiest way to put a lip chain on - figured this out with Kid, is when you attach to the other side, come down that side to where on the outside of their mouth is, where the top and bottom jaw come together, put your thumb right there, and hold it there, firmly, if you have to, and then put the lip chain on. If they bite down, they bite the inside of their mouth - works every time.

But I totally suggest that if you've never done this before or handled a horse with a lip chain, that you get somebody there to help you, and let them show you how to do it. And I'll tell you one thing... by GAWD if I put a lip chain on a horse for acting stupid, as soon as I get that sucker on, I'm not playing, and something's fixing to feel a whirlwind.....that's why I say get somebody there that knows what they're doing. Have you put him in a set of stocks to do this clipping, or are you just tying him up somewhere?

We don't have stocks so I"ve just been either cross tying which makes him nervous or letting someone hold him which he prefers. Actually we realized he feels safest in his stall so we are going to begin bridling (which is also a challenge) and clipping in his stall. He gets panicky sometimes when tied so sometimes I would just rather hold him. I will get someone to help me before I put a chain in but it sounds like something which might work for him. He just ned something to refocus on and it sounds easier to aply than a twitch. I still don't quite picture how to put it on. Do you attach to one side, under the chin and through the other side and then through his mouth or instead of going under the chin do you go through the mouth and then bach through the other side of the halter? We can't usetoo much force with him because hehas been hit before and I think that just sets him off worse but somehow we have to get him to submit. If he wasn't so good under saddle, I"d be ready to dump him, but he's coming along so nicely and I think we can get him through this. I'm really getting tired of this though . He makes the littlest tasks 100 times harder!!!

patience and time will be your friend too don't forget that- I have a daughter of Rooster I boughter last fall that I couldn't even touch for 6 weeks in a small pen I would stand by her feed bucket each day then eventually put my hand on her neck etc... now I can actually catch her in a large pen with other horses w/o having to take every other horse out of the pen 1st... if you like him the time will eventually pay off horses are creatures of habit and I swear they hold a grudge for the bad things other people have done to them...

We really do like the horse. He has a great personality and is great under saddle and he picks up everything else very quickly. He is excellent at showmanship but my daughter has had to prepare him way differntly for showmanship than her other two horses. If you use too angry a voice or slap him on the shoulder to get him to yield, he just loses focus and falls apart. His only real drawback is this headshyness. We are giving him lots of time and patience but we do need to see some progress. I can't deal with this as a lifelong problem.

I guess I forgot to say that you need someone with experience on the lead rope/lip chain. I can't imagine trying to use it alone. As the horse starts to "zone-out", the pressure is eased on thhe chain. Tighten it only if he/she starts to fuss again. I've never seen it fail...Even on BLM mustangs straight off the truck. The pressure on the nerves has a calming effect. Anyway....It's always worked for us.

Stockman, on the lip chain, the best way to do it is... look and see how we have the chain on halter or showmanship horses. Do it that way. Now, when you clip it up to the top there, come straight down with your hand at that angle of the halter, put your thumb in the corner of their mouth, grab ahold of the chain that's under the chin and pull it up over their gums. Don't get it too tight or too loose. If you don't have a stopper on it, to stop it from coming off, somebody's going to have to hold the chain right at the buckle there of the halter - which is a bugger. Whatever you do, DO NOT PUT YOURSELF IN FRONT OF THE HORSE! Always off to the side. A set of stocks might make him feel better, but you'll just have to try different methods. But for sure get the vet to check out ear issues, etc.

I'm really bad at visualizing written directions. I think I picture how you are describing it and it makes sense but sometimes I am wrong! I'll defintiely have someone with experience help me but it sounds like this might be the ticket. Thanks everyone for your help and guidance. Someone always has the answer!

7 Ceders is right. LORD LORD, some of these mare, Ive had them twitched, Hobbled, and a chain over the lip, tied to the wall and they still are NOT NICE! I have to beg Tucker to get close to them. So out come the drugs. Its just not worth getting anyone or the horses hurt.

I have used Quietex on some of my bad clippers I give the dose then give them 10 and then lip chain them. The really quiet clippers work to and after you get him mostly out, on the bad ones I will careful use scissors first the then just just the small quiet ones to finish it off just brush them off more often.

In my house lip chain means knock it off or you will be in next week.

ive got the same problem with my black filly,we tried cutting the bridlepath with scissors and she didnt like the cutting sound,fine with it by the ears but as soon as you cut,boy she threw herself around.Guess what im doing 2 days before the show,getting the vet out and sedate her.I can do a proper job that way and in the meantime keep practicing with the clippers.

Drugs are good, mkay?

They definitely are if you're going to fight something that's going to get you killed or going to the hospital. The older I get, the less and less I'll put up with this mess!

Shazegoff, on your filly, I'd just twitch her and then you start clipping away. Had to do that last year with Scamp and even his sister - no biggy, two head tosses and that's it, where's the twitch! HA! Course now Scamp could care less... figures!

The vet costs 45 dollars just to show up though and her clinic is just two miles down the road. I can't drug him every time I need to clip!! Do you guys give your own shots?

Yep.

Do like Kay told me... stick it in the mouth. HA!

Me, I go for the vein, But shoot it in the mouth, it does take alittle longer. About 40 mins or so for full effect.

Sheesh - I have all ends of the spectrum...
My old show gelding is a hoot! I walk up with clippers and he just stands there...I can trim anything and everything!

My race horses - HAHAHA - they don't like it so much...some are okay and just need a twitch - others need some happy drugs...I guess it helps that we get all of our meds by the bottle so we never pay the vet for shots...I'll give my own thanks!