clipping

Question
My horse is terrified of clippers,nothing else, is there anyway I could help him so I do not have to use scissors?
He is not headshy or anything, he is a completely calm, curious horse. He is 7 and a breeding stock paint

Answer
Kelly,

You're going to have to spend some time working with this horse.  First off I would suggest getting some Bach's Rescue Remedy, a homeopathic preparation.  It helps enormously with fear as well as being helpful in a number of other ways.  I've watched it bring horses and people out of shock, get kids with ADD to settle down and focus. Anyhow, put a dropperful on your fingers and rub it on his gums about 20 min. before you start working with him.  This might be a good time to use treats.  You can buy a lot of cooperation with goodies.  Don't tie him up, don't make him feel trapped.  I would first rub the clippers, not running but off, all over his body.  He's gonna move around, let him just follow with him.  Talk to him and get him to realize that they are nothing to be afraid of.  Encourage him to smell them and check them out.  Once he's OK with them off, stand a little away from him and turn them on.  Watch his reactions.  You want to get him to let you come up and do the same thing with them running that you did with them off.  This could take some time, maybe several hours or more.  You have to outpatience him.  Don't worry about trying to clip anything until you have him letting you run the clippers all over him with them running.  Do the same routine every day, it won't take as long the subsequent days, until he is quiet and then you should be able to clip his halterpath with no problem.  I make it a point to run the clippers on their nose and head, at times I body clip my horses, so that is important.

The main thing you have to practise is patience.  Horses can be very determined at times and you have to outpatience them.   There's no knowing why a horse decides to take exception to something but they do.  You just have to work, with lots of positive reinforcement when they accept a little step in the training.  No negatives when working with an issue like this.  He's very young and has a lot of growing and maturing both physically and mentally to do yet.  So just remember he's young yet when you are working with him.  OK?

To get nice, quiet horses take a while.  I figure a week, with work everyday, to get the basics down pat.  Then I try to do something with clippers once a week for a while.  Once the lesson in learned you won't have anymore issues.  

Lyn