When to tranquilize a horse

I thought I would address this one after a couple questions regarding tranquilizing horses was put to me by a friend. So, when should you tranq? Whenever your safety or that of your horse is compromised. Simple as that. However, I am of the belief that tranq'ing a horse should always be a temporary measure (whenever possible). Obviously, there is the odd situation (such as having your horse's teeth floated with electric tools at the vet's office) where tranq'ing a horse is necessary at all times. On that note, I don't think it is always necessary to sedate every horse to have its teeth done, but most vets won't do your horse's teeth, particularly with electric tools, without sedating your horse first (or at least that's how it goes up here in Alberta, Canada, anyways). And for good reason. How do they know how your horse is going to react when they power up those dental tools? Their safety has to come first.

So what are some situations where sedating your horse could be okay as a temporary measure?

Farrier work if your farrier's well-being is going to be jeopardized by a fearful or disrespectful horse, it might be time to sedate your horse to have his feet done before they get into really bad shape. Keep in mind though that it should be a temporary measure - in the mean time, you can work directly on having your horse pick up his feet or indirectly on his general attitude.

Clipping there's the odd time it might be absolutely necessary to clip a horse but your horse won't allow it. Whilst working on desensitization and earning your horse's trust enough to clip him the next time, you can sedate him so as to clip him safely.

These are just a couple examples; I am sure there are many more. In my experiences with tranq'ing horses thus far, it does not solve the specific "issue" with the horse on a permanent basis, but it can make your work with said horse safer so as to successfully accomplish a particular task. I have never had a horse tranquilized myself, however we used to do it on a few specific horses at the track; one of which was Link, the Thoroughbred we purchased last fall. He absolutely refused to stand for the farrier and so would be sedated each time the farrier came around to work on him. At that time, while holding Link, I usually played with his ears in the hopes of desensitizing his ears to being touched (he refused to allow his ears to be touched, which could make for a lot of trouble while trying to trim him a bridle path!). It never worked. Not only did he remain a terrible actor with his feet (he would allow me to pick them or pack them, but that was it), he still wouldn't let you to so much as brush his ears when he wasn't sedated.

Sedating a horse does not work (in my experiences) long-term because you are neglecting the root of the issue. There is perhaps the odd situation I can think of off hand where sedating a horse and then working on them could actually progress their training (such as in "sacking out" or such perhaps), but that's just a theory to consider as a last resort. Anyways, it works on a temporary basis obviously because the horse is too dopey to react negatively. However the reason the horse did not want to be clipped/trimmed/shod/etc in the first place (usually) persists and thus when the horse awakes he will still be just as head-shy, clipper-shy, itchy with his feet, etc as he was prior to being sedated. On the other hand, it does not affect a horse adversely to sedate them to perform a task on them, then allow them to wake up. Thus far, when done properly, I have yet to see it destroy a horse's trust in a person or set a horse back in its training...because it really - in itself - isn't doing anything (either negatively or positively) in the first place. In the mean time though, work on the "trouble spot" from another direction. To be honest, after we purchased Link and brought him home, I never actually worked on his feet, nor on his ears, directly. Instead, I worked hard at earning his trust and respect. He now stands good for the farrier 90 percent of the time, and we're working on the other 10 percent by further "unwinding" him emotionally. I can touch his ears almost anytime (or spend a second or two before he gives me permission to touch his ears the times he doesn't allow me to immediately) and he will allow anyone he trusts to touch his ears (those he does not yet trust, he'll raise his head out of reach)...and I never have any problem clipping his bridlepath.

I would definitely consider tranq'ing a horse if yours or the horse's safety could be compromised during a procedure vital to the horse. No, the actual tranquilizing itself should not set your horse's training back, but neither will it likely help you on a permanent basis. So don't consider it a permanent solution, work on a more permanent solution in the mean time and seek professional help if you're stumped! Any experiences out there with sedating horses where it did or did not help?

Deworming

Ah, deworming has got to be everyone's favourite activity. *ahem* just kidding. But it doesn't have to be as hard as it often is. We've got two horses over sixteen hands and there's no way I want to struggle with getting some stupid tube into their mouths. Oh yea, then hold their chins up all those 16++ hands of neck to make sure they don't spit out the paste (our Quarab holds the paste in his mouth, very purposely, then tries to wipe it on you afterwards if you're not careful). So, this is going to be a brief post with one suggestion: molasses. Or some other type of dense liquid you find your horse likes. Put some molasses in empty, previously-used dewormer tubes and "deworm" your horse as usual (just use a little bit at first, so that it doesn't get all over you). It usually takes a try or two, but before long your horse is grabbing for the tube. Then - oops, one day there is actually dewormer in there! Make sure to put some molasses in a time or two afterwards though so he's back to remembering the dewormer as a good thing.

Handling feet

This summer I was contacted by an individual who had recently purchased a 3yo TB/Appy sporthorse gelding. Among some of the dangerous behaviours the owner was having trouble managing in this horse, she couldn't handle his feet. When she tried handling his hinds, he would kick out violently, almost nailing her in the head during one occasion. With anyone tried to pick up his fronts, he reared.

Now, this horse had a lot of issues stemming from a strong lack of respect and thus that had to be addressed as well. Many issues, in fact, stem from something underlying rather than the issue itself - often an insufficient level of trust or respect. A horse who lacks sufficient trust in her handler will refuse to pick up her feet as well and may even defensively kick out with her hinds; she's not going to let a predator take away her only mode of escape! We had 2yo Thoroughbreds fresh off the farm arrive at the track who were skittish to begin with - getting them to pick their feet up off the ground was sometimes like climbing Everest! While it is always important to address the root issue, there is also a lot that one can do specifically with a horse's feet to accustom their feet to being handled or to work on a foot issue, directly and specifically. Keep in mind though that there often is more to it, more that can be done in addition to just handling the horse's feet, even if the horse's only "issue" seems to be with allowing its feet to be handled - it can be less about the feet than it is about the horse's overall state of mind toward you. I highly recommend the Parelli 7 games and Patterns of course, though there are other methods that also address respect and trust while building a partnership with a horse.

Desensitize your horse
Work on your horse until she allows you to touch her anywhere. Use approach and retreat, and reward the slightest "try" (if I have a horse who does particularly well at something, say accepting a tarp for example, I'll walk away to give them a break before continuing - I might do this several times in a session even). Use all sorts of materials once she is relaxed when you use your hand - it's not that if you play with a tarp your horse will now accept tarps forever more, but it builds trust in your leadership and exposes your horse to various situations.

Use ropes first
With a young horse I often will just get down and dirty - get right in there under their feet. However if they are particularly violent with their feet, if they're older, or if I'm unsure of the horse and how they will react, I will use ropes. If you're unsure, use ropes - it never hurts and it could keep you safe! You can take a long leadrope - something soft and thick (Parelli's 12' line works great) and loop it around your horse's pasterns, attaching it back on itself (close the snap over the rope once it is passed around the horse's pastern). Make sure the rope can come loose if it needs to, or that it won't stay tight after you remove pressure, and make sure that your horse is comfortable with having ropes touch her first. Start with the front feet, as horses tend to be more comfortable having their front feet handled than their hinds. Standing out of the way, gently apply pressure. If your horse starts fidgeting nervously, use approach and retreat to accustom your horse to the pressure. Otherwise, apply gentle pressure and increase the tension in the rope until your horse releases - reward the slightest try (even the thought or weight shift) by releasing tension in the rope immediately. Ask for more of a "try" each time (not rewarding until you get the "increased" try) until your horse will hold its foot up. End when she releases (lifts her foot) and relaxes. If you're having a lot of trouble though, it is ok to end without as much progress - just make sure to always end with relaxation (if possible). Once your horse is relaxed with the rope, you can get underneath her to ask her to pick up her feet. I teach all my horses the 7 games, including the Porcupine game; when I ask for feet to be raised I use the Porcupine game, pinching the chestnuts on the front legs and the caps of the hocks on the hinds to ask for a horse to lift its feet. You can use your own method/cue, but I really find this one to be effective.

Sometimes it is a combination of issues that give reason for a horse not lifting her feet or acting badly when her feet are worked with, but sometimes simple work such as above is what is needed :)

Vaccinations

There are always a number of horses that, at that time of year, are nearly impossible to vaccinate, who are needle-shy. Though some might never get over their fear of needles (in which case you might want to consider a sedative paste or, reluctantly, a twitch), there is also much one can do to desensitize a horse to needles or otherwise get the job done in a manner that is not harmful to the horse.

One way to start the process of desensitizing your horse to needles is to get your horse very accustomed to having your hands on his neck, occasionally pinching skin between your thumb and pointer finger. Progress to pinching in areas where you will be vaccinating, and harder pinches held for longer periods of time, with smaller amounts of skin. Reward or even distract to start, with sugar cubes, cookies, carrots - whatever works. Next you can progress to using toothpicks to simulate a needle, poking your horse. Do this at random and often times to the point where it becomes a non-event to your horse.

Some other ideas might be: to blindfold the horse (only do this if you are very experienced) - make sure the blindfold may be easily removed or can come off if the horse were to get loose. If you gently pull the horse's nose toward you, you will find the tension in their neck is released a little, in which case they might not react so violently to a needle sliding into muscle on that side. A last tip is to ice the area you intend to prick with the needle; numb the area and the horse might not notice the needle.

Make sure that whatever roundabout ways you might use to vaccinate your horse, that you always have correct technique in applying the needle: the actual application should be quick. Personally, I often stick the needle in the horse's neck then attach the vaccination syringe to the needle. Before you do this, practice removing and re-attaching the syringe to the needle a few times, to get the right feeling. Once the needle is in the neck and the syringe is attached, draw back on the plunger to ensure you have not hit a vein or artery, then assertively (but not too quickly) inject the vaccine. Ensure you know where to place the needle in the horse: the hindquarters are the best muscle to inject because they are large however the neck is usually the safest with most horses. The pectoral muscles, though also appropriate as a vaccination site, can become sore if injected because they are a smaller muscle group. This site clearly outlines appropriate vaccination sites.

For information pertaining to what vaccines are appropriate to your horse in your specific area, consult your veterinarian. You can also ask your vet about performing blood titres to assess immunity and thus the necessity (or lack thereof) for vaccinating your horse.