clipping my horses legs!

Question
I know that this is more of a behavioural question.  My Irish cob, 7 years old and 14.3 hh has had his feathers removed but still needs further clipping.  He is turned out most of the time but is very prone to mud fever.  The vet advised me not to let the feathers grow back.  I hibiscrub his legs and feet and coat them with a mud guard.  My problem is that he will not let me near his legs/feet to keep the hair growth down.  We have tried the twitch with him but this does not work and he will not stand to have the work done.  Surely I do not have to resort to sedation and vets' fees all the time.  I have tried rewarding at the appropriate moments but this does not work either.  I feel that we are caught in a cycle of events at the moment.  Any suggestions would be very welcome.

Answer
Hi Lynda,

This one is very hard to answer without a) knowing the history of the horse and b)without seeing him react.

There are two options:  

1. He has had a bad experience in the past and is reacting out of fear.

2. He has developed a bad habit that has been allowed to continue and is now part of his everyday personality.

Both problems are difficult to fix.  Do you know if he's ever been injured or scared during a clipping?  Did his previous owner experience problems?   Does he seem to be genuinely scared or nervous or does it seem like he's just being naughty?

A twitch isn't the answer to either option.  Twitches in my opinion should only be used as last resorts and even then only in special circumstances.  They tend to cement the bad behaviour by making the experience even more distasteful.

Is it just electric clippers that he reacts to?  Have you tried just scissors and a comb?  How is he to pick his feet out?  

Some horses just don't like the sound and vibrations of electric clippers and it's a very difficult habit to break once it's established.  Without seeing him in person it's hard to advise what to do.

My suggestion is to try scissor clipping him.  You can cut the hair close enough  to prevent mud fever while still leaving hair to protect the legs (the thing with mud fever is establishing the essential medium of enough hair to protect, but not enough to allow the mud to gather).  You may need to scissor clip a bit more often, but it will be less stressful for both you and the horse.

Good luck!