Clipping a horse can be a challenging task and always carries a degree of risk. Whilst some horses can manage without clipping, for many, partial or full clipping of their coat is necessary and essential for their wellbeing. If your equine friend is unused to the clipping process, is anxious, reactive or fidgety, sedating them to clip is a sensible choice to ensure the experience is safe and stress free for both horse and handler.
Top equine vet Gregor Hepburn shares his tips with us to ensure your horse is properly prepared for sedation. Gregor has extensive veterinary expertise with top racehorses, delivering first class equine care at Baker McVeigh in Newmarket and is now a partner at Rowley Mile Equine Veterinary Clinic in Scotland.
Horse Sedation
There are two primary types of horse sedation available, which must be prescribed by your vet:
Oral Sedation For Horses
Provides low to moderate sedation and can be administered by the owner without a vet attending. This is a less invasive sedative and can be prescribed by your vet, however it might not be sufficient for very anxious horses. Gels such as Domosedan need to be applied under the tongue to be effective and can be tricky to administer.
Once oral sedation has been administered it’s important to remove your horse’s feed and hay and leave them alone to calm and settle for at least 30 minutes, making sure to allow sufficient time for the sedation to work. Otherwise, you risk making the sedation less effective and shortening it’s duration.
Note: Domosedan Gel is significantly stronger than Relaquine and Sedalin.
Injectable Sedation for Horses
Offers moderate to high levels of sedation through intramuscular or intravenous injection. This type of sedation must by only be delivered by veterinary administration. Your vet will stay in attendance throughout the procedure, ensuring your horse remains calm and safe for the duration of the clip.
However, it comes with an additional cost due to the vet’s time and presence. Injectable sedation for clipping can be carried out with the vet visiting the yard, or some practices may allow you to transport your horse onsite to the clinic to reduce the visit fee - a bonus if you have your own transport.
With intravenous sedation, the effect is usually much faster but a minimum of 10 minutes should be allowed for the horse to settle before clipping. The time allowed to complete a full clip under sedation is completely dependent on the horse, but having a vet present allows the possibility of giving a ‘top-up’ to enable the clip to be finished.
Given the extra expense of having a vet present, it is crucial to be thoroughly prepared. Here are our do’s and don’ts to ensure a smooth and efficient clipping process and how to avoid wasting precious time whilst your horse is under sedation.
Clipping Equipment Checks and Prep
- Service Your Clippers in Advance: Ideally, have your clippers serviced before you plan to clip to ensure they are in optimal working condition. This ensures the inside of the clipper is PAT tested, clean, free of hair and worn parts are replaced.
- Stock Up on Blades: Have more than one of the same type of clipper blade available, ideally three! This allows you to swap blades and continue clipping should a blade become too warm from use or becomes dull mid-clip. Check you also have enough clipper oil and blade coolant spray.
- Sharp Blades: Ensure all your clipper blades are freshly sharpened to give the best finish and give the most comfortable clip experience for your horse.
- Check Equipment the Day Before: Verify that your clippers are fully operational at least a day before clipping. This includes familiarising yourself with the correct tensioning and setting of the blades on the handset, checking the power cable, that the filters are in place and that the blades are complete and not missing any teeth. Take a look at our blog for our clipper prep tips here.
- Pre-Clip Grooming: Your horse should be fully bathed the day before to remove dirt, sand and grease from the coat to ensure your clipper blades remain sharp and effective.
- Charge Batteries: If you use battery-powered clippers, make sure both batteries are fully charged.
Do's
- Time of booking: Book your vet to attend at a suitable day and time when your yard is less likely to be busy to keep your horse in a relaxed frame of mind. It’s important to eliminate all noise and disruption to give the sedative maximum effect. Make sure your horse is stabled and dry or in a safe place on a non-slip floor, ready for when the vet arrives to save time.
- Pre-Health Check: The vet should listen to the horse’s heart to check for arrhythmias or murmurs that might deem the animal unsuitable for sedation. If there is any indication of ill health or an increased temperature DO NOT sedate your horse.
- Competition Regulations: Extra consideration must be given to drug detection signs and drug withdrawals for horses that may be entering competitions that impose screening limits. E.g. FEI.
- Setting Up: Make sure all your equipment is close at hand within the area you plan to clip. A clean, dry stable is the ideal and secure place. Make sure you have easy access to mains power for electric clippers, an extension cable if required and RCD.
- Inform your vet: Do let your vet know of your horse’s usual behaviour, particular quirks and how they are expected to react to injections and clippers.
- Know Your Plan: Have a clear idea of the clip you intend to do but be prepared to adapt if necessary. It can be beneficial to start with the horse's most sensitive areas while the sedation is at its strongest and leave the easier areas of the body for last.
- Backup Clipper: If possible, it’s a good idea to keep a clipper ready in reserve in the unlikely event that your primary clipper gets damaged (horse standing on the cable/knocked out of your hand) or malfunctions during the clip.
- Extra Help: Having an additional person to help handle your horse can make a significant difference, especially for lifting limbs to access tricky areas, such as the arm pits.
- Other Veterinary Treatment: It may be possible to administer other treatment for your horse (such as dental checks) whilst your horse is sedated. However, this depends on the individual animal on the day and how clipping goes, but care should be taken not to have your horse sedated for an extended period due to the increased risk of inducing colic.
- Aftercare: Be patient and ensure that your horse has recovered sufficiently from the sedative before traveling and turnout.
Don'ts
- Ignore Safety Precautions: Even a sedated horse can react unexpectedly. Always ensure your body is positioned safely in relation to your horse, with the greatest danger zones being directly in front of the horse, clipping low to reach the legs and close to the hindlimbs. Avoid sitting on the floor as this will prevent you from a quick escape if you need to move out of the way in a hurry. Wearing steel toe capped boots and a helmet may feel extreme, but you’ll be thankful of them should your horse react unexpectedly.
- Rush the Preparation: Give yourself ample time to prepare and send your clippers for servicing. Rushing can lead to mistakes and equipment failures. There is nothing more frustrating than having to abandon a clip mid-way through, especially when your horse is sedated!
- Feed: Don’t feed your horse for at least one hour after sedation.
- Neglect Equipment Checks: Skipping the equipment check can result in delays and additional stress if something goes wrong at the last minute. Take the time to remind yourself how to tension and set the blades on your handset before clipping day to save you feeling flustered on the day.
- Underestimate the pre clip grooming: Poor preparation of the coat and inadequate grooming can lead to dull blades and an uneven finish to the clip. If it’s not possible to bath the horse beforehand, good thorough grooming daily a week beforehand and hot clothing can help to lift the worse of the dirt from the coat. Clipping a dirty coat can cause the blades to pull at the hair, creating a negative experience for your horse and further leaving them resenting the clipping process.
Summary
Remember, the old proverb of “the best-laid plans often go awry” holds true, especially when dealing with animals. Being prepared and flexible is key. Even with sedation, your horse can still react, so always prioritise safety. With careful planning and the right approach, you can ensure a smooth and efficient clipping process, keeping your horse comfortable and stress-free.
Contact Rowley Mile Equine for further information and to book your horse in for clipping sedation here.
