clipping problems...

[AJB]

Hi I need some help or suggestions please...back ground I have a 6 year old rising 7 ID XTB who has hunted and done nothing much else-we are learning together-he is great to handle and a complete angel in and out of the stable-last year a friend at the yard clipped him in November and he was fine and I bought clippers at Christmas and clipped again then and he was fine. This autumn I clipped him in October and a friend helped and he was a bit fidgety but ok and then two weeks ago I re-clipped him on my own-he was a bit jumpy at the start and I put a bridle on to give me more control of him and although he walked about a bit and jumped when the clippers started up he was eventually ok-I am doing blankets and am very careful under his tum etc and have not caught him and the clippers are sharp-I used new blades two weeks ago-anyway today I went to re-clip-hes not really in need but I am busy with others for the next few weeks and wont have time to clip him until the end of the month-he was a nightmare-first he rear and pulled back a few times, i put a bridle on and although he calmed as soon as the clippers got near-not even turned on he spun and tried to rear up-a friend held him and I managed to run the clippers over him not turned on and even managed to switch them on and clip a small bit of shoulder-then wham he rears again pulls back and snaps the rope-fortuantly he and my friend were ok and after allowing me near him again with the clippers running I quit-I feel confused and worried-why this reaction-I have been consistant in my handling and the clippers are always sharp and are not getting hot-I will have to re-clip in a few weeks having managed nothing today and dont know which way to go-a friend suggested ACP's but having been ok why should he suddenly be like this-anyone experienced this before??? any suggestions...incidentally once the clippers were off he was usual calm self and even fell asleep on my arm when I masaged his ears!!!...Help please

[cvb]

and the clippers gave a decent clip ? ie no sign of pulling or nicking or anything ?

Its difficult to come up with a reason without being there, so the obvious way of getting rid of the original cause is not possible. Just one thought about whether you yourself were tense or worried at all (or in a rush ?). How often do you take the clippers off and oil ? It is actually amazing how quickly they get hot - try it against your own skin if you want to check.

In terms of 'remedial' action, it seems to be the noise that is a cue to problems so one thing you can do is tape the clippers then play the tape eg when you are grooming.

Its really worth giving yourself a tonne of time to work on this. ie don't aim to get a whole clip done next time you do it.

(I'm introducing clippers to a previously unclipped horse and have started just with a strip down her throat/neck).

[AJB]

cvb-did all that-I had only started the clippers-hadnt even got to clip-I ran them on my hand to make sure they are not getting hot and the blades were new last clip....it seems the noise is not so much an issue as the clippers?...will perserve as dont want to go along the lines of ACP's just yet...

[anuvb]

Michael Peace is very good at dealing with this and I think he has got a bit on it in his book "Think like your horse". It's a while since I've read though. I know a few people that have quite a bit of success using his method.

[AJB]

thanks I think I will do a bit of reading and maybe try some flower remedys next time-just really worried by his behaviour-cant think hes in pain and it was more than just being bloody minded cos he didnt want me to do it if that makes sense:(

[cvb]

had only started the clippers-hadnt even got to clip

sure but the problem was probably created last time you clipped. So how often do you normally break to let the clippers cool off and re-oil them ?

Now you have a problem, you need to deal with it slowly and rebuild confidence. But you need to make sure that you don't carry on doing whatever caused the problem in the first place !

The only other thing I can think of as a root cause is some change in environment ie where you are clipping, what time, conditions etc. eg last time there were other horses but this time they were all out, etc etc

[AJB]

well I thought I had been really careful but now I assume from what your saying I ve probably caused him this problem-:( last time I stopped lots and re-oiled and regulary tested them against my hand for heat but obviously not enough-guess its just back to the beginning...feel like a lousy owner now-still have made a start by getting him to let me rub the clippers on him and then run them by him so will just gradually build from there I suppose-

[Tootsie4U]

If you think its just the sight of the clippers, then have them around more often, just sitting idle. Hang them near his stall, but on the outside of course ;)

Then, after a bit, turn them on and just leave them hang/lie about for a few minutes each day.

Then, trim him up with some scissors, but have the clippers close to the scissors while you work. Have you tried trimming him up with scissors? Perhaps he is a bit chlostrophobic and just doesnt like being held there with all the fussing? You can maybe sort out what the problem is if he allows or doesnt allow you to trim him up with scissors too.

The cause is in the past. Its almost impossible to determine the cause at this point anyway. Only focus on remediation. :)

[cvb]

Originally posted by AJB
well I thought I had been really careful but now I assume from what your saying I ve probably caused him this problem-:(
...feel like a lousy owner now
noooooo - don't feel like that. A lousy owner would not have cared about the problem, and probably wouldn't have been fussed about doing the kind of stuff that creates problems !

In the absence of any obvious reason for this behaviour, we all end up clasping at straws. You end up going through every step of the process trying to eliminate any issues - even if you're not really sure that there was any issue there in the first place :(

Something's riled him up and you may never find out what it is/was, but you can take the right action to try and get him sorted again.

For example, maybe he could see or hear something different and it spooked him ? or smell something different ? you used a differently coloured power lead ?

My mare is new to clippers so I have no previous good behaviour to 'rely' on. She jumped when I started the clippers. She's a bit concerned about seeing them, but gets used to it. I can bring the clippers up against her on one side easier than on the other. So I have lots to work on before we get to 'good to clip' standard ;)

(first session was over 30 mins just playing the friendly game with the clippers, off then on - ending up with just a sttrip of fur clipped off the throat of her neck. By the way she was happier being held than being tied up.)

[Esther.D]

Funnily enough, I don't know whether this will help, but Rupert far prefers being tied up than held - he gets claustrophobic with too many people around him - could something like this be the problem? Possibly the other way about as cvb suggests - as you were on your own she was tied up and didn't like it?

[AJB]

thanks for the suggestions-funny about the tying up-the last time he was tied and wasnt happy but previously my mate held him and fed him treats when he was a good boy so maybe he prefers that, also lots of others in that day and not a soul today-which is why I chose today-dur that could have been an issue-also been thinking could it have been too soon to clip after only 10 days or so-maybe his skin was super sensitive-he is a tad like that-whip shy and easy to upset with a harsh word-thanks though you have made me feel a bit better-I could have cryed earlier was feeling very bad about it-but now im positive and going to work through this and if it takes all winter then so be it-thanks!

[Esther.D]

Sorry 'he' not 'she' oops :o Maybe the treat supply helped him settle too;)

[anuvb]

Your're not a lousy owner - just a concerned parent. A lousy owner wouldn't have even been posting this thread.

[AJB]

yes sorry just read it back and realised how corny that sounded!-guess I just wanted to have a nice morning with my horse (on a half day today so had to be at work at 1) and his behaviour caught me unawares-on the plus side I worked him in the school after this and he was a really good boy and did some nice canter transitions which hes only just learnt , pole work and some free jumping so its not all bad-however I now feel totally shattered and am looking forward to just poo picking his paddock and getting him in and then home for a nice bath!!!!-my sad Friday night eh!