At 13:05:20 on 05.11.09, spotty boy wrote:
Help. Smokey is petrified of the clippers. When I bought him last year I spent some time getting him used to the sound of the clippers and he now allows me to run them over his neck, chest, shoulders, back and belly with the clippers running, so long as I run them with the lye of his coat. However, he will not tolerate it as soon as I try to start going against the lye of his coat and actually start removing any coat. I have managed to remove some from the shoulder and neck, more on the off side.He genuinely appears to be scared, it seams like he doesn't like the feel of it because I had missed a small amount between lines the other day and even just removing this small amount was enough to upset him. I am being very tolerant but need some advise.

At 13:33:53 on 05.11.09, Flicka wrote:
I wonder if it's mainly because he hates the feel of his coat being moved against the way it lies? just a thought-what's he like when you do it with your hands? Try and see if he reacts when you have your hand on him and push quite firmly with your fingers against the way it grows. Note his reaction on different parts of his body. If it is this that he hates then you could de-sensitize him to that first and then do it while the clippers are running nearby. And make sure when he does react you don't hold your breath as that will make him even more scared. Another thing I do when I pull the mane of a horse that doesn't like it-apart from not pulling out huge chunks!-is I pull a bit, then rub where I've pulled it from, praising them with my voice at the same time. This method really worked with my husbands mare who I was told wouldn't allow me to pull her mane at all.

At 06:58:28 on 11.11.09, spotty boy wrote:
Hi Flicka, he likes this, it's like having a massage. I had a friend help me at the weekend and we still haven't managed to do any serious amount of coat removal. We've got half his neck out on both sides but not his chest. We tried the massage along side the clippers, we also tried running the clippers in the same direction as the coat but as soon as any hair is cut he has a dicky fit and throws his dummy out the pram (he does a lovely piaffe in hand). We might try using Oxyshot this weekend. I have no experience of it but my friend has used it successfully on her poor traveller. Apparently there are no drugs in it, just oxygen, it's like taking a deep breath.

At 07:33:15 on 11.11.09, Flicka wrote:
Well good luck, wish I had some better ideas!!! it's a response to the sensation of losing his coat by the sound of things. Hopefully some other members might be able to help you. Think I might try a shot of Oxyshot myself!

At 08:13:55 on 11.11.09, Angelalain wrote:
You are not alone!My friend bought a new lad last week, he's 11 and only done WH and hunted (at one point as field master.) The last thing we expected was that he'd do the wall of death at the sight and sound of the clippers! He's obviously HAD to be clipped it the past, so the only conclusion is he was twitched, and probably quite severely. My friend really doesnt want to do this, but since she's got him for her son to hunt, and he's getting hot hacking, he needs to lose some coat. She's going down the avenue of getting him sedated as it will be less stressful(for everyone). We did have one who was afraid of the hair falling, you could clip her ifyou did it in a stable and let her put her head over the door. Perseverance may help, but we did have one pony who never would be clipped, and we tried for about 10 years

At 09:28:28 on 11.11.09, Flicka wrote:
That's really interesting that she was ok as long as she couldn't see her hair falling. That's why it's so important we try and think outside the box!!

At 09:36:56 on 11.11.09, Horse Listening wrote:
If he was mine, I would go through my zoopharmacognosy kit with him (essential oils) as there is very likely to be something that would help him cope enabling him to change the behavioral pattern. I am qualified to use essential oils, so I recommend you find someone near you who is qualified and can bring their kit over. Flicka's point about watching your breath is very relevent too. Breathe out as you run the clippers over his hair. Does he react when you run the clippers over him when they are not on?
http://www.rose-therapy.co.uk

At 09:38:38 on 11.11.09, spotty boy wrote:
It's interesting that you say about the hair falling because we did make that comment to ourselves. Don't know if I dare risk letting him have his head over the door, I think he would squash one of us. He's a big lad. I only put the twitch on him once a couple of weeks ago and as soon as I got near him with the clippers he went straight up in the air, this is the only time he has reared so I immediately gave up on that one. He is obviously stressed and also showing a temper. Don't really want to sedate him. Will keep persevering and hopefully with a bit more time and growing up he will realise that it isn't going to hurt him. To add to all this my clippers have packed up, blown the fuse twice. Got someone looking at them and hope it isn't terminal.

At 09:47:00 on 11.11.09, Flicka wrote:
Yes I used essential oils with my mare when she was on box rest and being difficult to bandage and they really helped. I know it might sound far fetched but it can really help them let go of their anxiety. It certainly did the trick with her. If you don't want to be up against the door you could try some blinkers I suppose.

At 10:23:49 on 11.11.09, Chezage wrote:
I think you should try the Oxyshot, it won't do him any harm, that way he won't get so stressed and stroppy, he needs to learn to trust you and know that you're not going to hurt him, perhaps you could cover his eyes so he can't see the hair falling off, it'll be trial and error with hin at the moment, but the Oxyshot should take some of the anxiety out of the situation.