We are leaving for a show tonight and I'd like to have all my horses bathed and clipped before we get there so I can relax, watch some of the show and have the time to school. Anyways, my mare will NOT allow me to clip her ears. I can't get a twitch on her and I cannot get a gum chain in her mouth. I have only had her for less than 2 months, so this is the first time that I am trying to clip her ears. Any suggestions? I need them clipped--she's a halter horse. We have tried tranq. her for various things included floating her teeth. The vet double tranqed her and still she was throwing her head. I now realize she has an issue with her face and mouth, etc..and it's something that will take time. I will begin slowly working with her until she learns to trust me and trust whats about to go on. But I'm in a pickle. I need a quick fix just for this show.
Answers:
I did this one time with a friends mare that you could not give enough tranq to to even get a twitch on, much less clip her ears. I used Nair for the bikini line (so it is not as harsh). It was not the best thing (I admit) to do, but it worked and then we worked on being able to clip her from there. When you get home, work with her everyday on this. Hopefully she will come around. And this is the best advice I ever got on clipping. In a John Lyons video about headshyness, he stated that if you clip your horse like you have all the time in the world, it will take you 15 minutes. If you clip like you only have 15 minutes, it will take you all night. And that has always been true around my barn. Good Luck at your show.
Its possible she could have a tick in her ear! One thing you might try is putting baby oil in her ear, when you do that, they will sometimes shake it out.
my mare wouldnt let me touch her ears with clippers or scissors. i got a solo comb ( for manes) and chopped her ear tufts off while scratching her ears...she suspected nothing lol. and no scary noise is made. U cud also get real sharp disosable shavers (4 legs) and cut with that(make sure it is sharp or it will pull the hair) its safer and more discreet dan scissors.
use a human razor, like u use to shave ur legs its what we had to do with our mare
Rompun is the way to go and then have one person hold the other ear while you clip the other side. Ace is useless, much prefer Rompun. I understand what you are saying and need to get them done and then work on issues later. that's how I did all ours including weanlings and yearlings which are not very compliant. The only other way is to get a lighter and singe them but that can be rather alarming when you see all that fluff go up in smoke. I've never done but seen people do it and I'd rather take the rompun route.
You are in a pickle. If you bully up on her, that will usually make a lasting impression. Only it will be a very BAD lasting impression unless you are very lucky and have a very forgiving horse. My suggestion would be to use hair removal cream. It takes longer, but it is better than nothing. Good luck. Stay safe in what you attempt to do with her.
This sounds like a big issue, mostly because you are pressed for time.
I would suggest just using scissors to clean up the outer part of the ear, like the guard hairs. And not try to clip them clean. The Baby oil trick is nice but you don't want to create more issues by adding moisture to her ear.
Don't twitch or gum chain her, it isn't necessary. If you can't clip her tonight, you can't! Maybe you can find someone at the show that would be willing to help you out.
If she has a problem with her face and head being touched i wouldn't twitch or gum chain her, this is going to make her even more head shy.
A quick fix my be in the form of a pair of scissors (rounded tip) have someone else have her head and feed her treats and you just pat and fuss in a calm manner for as long as it takes to get her settled, then i would slowly cut the hair , other than that get lots of cheap disposable razors and try that instead of scissors, i don't see how you can have a quick fix but i wish you luck :-)
hide the tools and take some apples with you.
In the future I suggest not trying to clip for a show on the day of the show...when you are under the gun...things will always go wrong.
Placing cotton balls in her ears to cut down the sound helps a lot of horses. Twitching is a good way to go, but you need the type that a single person can use to free up your hands. Go slowly...as you did..and she will get used to it.
When you are not clipping, play with her ears, pull on them and desensitize them, that way when clipping time comes, that part won't be an issue.
Try finishing clippers, they are smaller and easier to handle, plus they are quieter.
Twitching releases natural endorphins that actually calm the horse, naturally. Tranq-ing should be a last resort as far as I'm concerned.I have had horses I needed to tranq, so I'm not completely against it, just wait to the last to do it. Patience.
if you need a fix quickly, use scissors. be extra x10 careful, and make sure none of the hair falls in her ear. then you can do the work with clippers( her getting used to them over time)
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