Horses Flashcards
Halter and lead
Horse halters are usually made of leather or heavy nylon. The halter encircles the head with a noseband and a throat latch. Most have rings along the side of the nosepiece that take a lead. The lead is a guide leash often made of rope or leather that attaches to the halter and allows you to hold an animal.
A horse accustomed to regular handling may need only to be held by a lead during a veterinary examination. Chain leads provide more forceful restraint. You can often distract a horse during technical procedures by passing a chain lead through the rings of its nosepiece or along its gum line.
Cradle
A series of bars tied together like a non rigid fence. Tied around the neck of a horse like a loose splint. It prevents the horse from biting or licking itself.
Lip twitch
The lip twitch, usually composed of a long wooden handle with a loop of rope or stainless-steel chain at one end, is one of the oldest and simplest horse restraints. The lip twitch is designed to stimulate a horse’s nerves. The small amount of pain administered by a lip twitch distracts a horse undergoing veterinary procedures. Used correctly, the twitch is a humane, brief restraint for minor technical procedures. Incorrect lip twitch use can injure the horse. You’ll learn about correct lip twitch use later on.
Hobble.
A hobble is a leather strap fastened around a horse’s legs to restrict their movement. Hobbles can keep a horse from kicking, but most veterinarians prefer chemical restraint for a particularly aggressive horse or one requiring significantly painful treatment. There are several types of hobbles, some commercially available. Hobbles can also be improvised out of a length of heavy rope. One common type of hobble consists of a thick, wide leather band with a buckle at one end. This device can be used to keep the horse’s foreleg in a flexed position.
Stock
A narrow enclosure that partially immobilizes a horse for treatment is called a stock. Stocks may be made of metal bars or wooden planks. There’s usually a front and a rear gate. Lead the horse into the stock with both gates open. Don’t enter the stock with the horse. Pass the lead rope along the top of the stock as the horse enters, then close both gates.Using a long-handled lip twitch gives a handler more control and allows the handler to stand at a safer distance.
Blindfold
A blindfold may calm a particularly frightened or otherwise unmanageable horse. A blindfolded horse is easy to lead. Simply place a cloth, such as a towel, over the animal’s head. Blindfolding will also help you lead a nervous horse into a horse trailer.
Approaching a Horse
Always approach a horse at the shoulder or near the neck so that it can see you. Never approach from behind if you can help it.
Speak softly to the horse. Your voice will put it at ease. Also, the horse may be asleep, and talking to it will waken it.
Don’t make sudden noises or movements that might frighten the horse.
Once near the horse, pat it on the neck or shoulder and continue to speak softly to it.
Capturing a Horse
If the horse is loose in a field or pen, approach slowly. Be sure the horse can hear and see you coming. The sight of someone approaching with a lead rope makes some horses uncooperative, so you may want to hide the rope as you approach. If the horse allows your approach and shows no signs of fear or aggression, simply place the lead rope over the horse’s neck, put on a halter, and lead it away.
If the horse is skittish on your approach, speak softly and move slowly. When you get close to the horse, patting firmly on its neck area or scratching behind its ears may calm it sufficiently. Slowly slip a rope over its neck. If the horse remains calm, place the lead rope over the horse’s neck. If the horse becomes frightened, a quick tug on the rope may help you regain control. If the tug fails to calm the horse, release the rope. Better to let go and try again than to risk injuring yourself or the horse. Horses that resist capture may need to be lured into a smaller pen, a feat often accomplished by a bucket of oats.
Horse Restraint Techniques
horses tend to kick about six to eight feet straight back. If you have less than twelve feet of clearance, pass behind the horse as close to it as possible while keeping one hand gently on the horse’s rump so it knows you’re there. A horse kick causes less injury at close range.
Because a horse attempting escape will tend to move away from its handlers, stand on the same side as the veterinarian or veterinary technician. This technique keeps everyone out of the horse’s way, because some horses will simply knock you over as they try to escape. Always stand to the animal’s side. The front of a horse can be as dangerous as its back; the horse may rear up and come down on top of you.
Most procedures require only that the horse remain firmly in position, which usually means head restraint. Most other horse-restraint techniques amount to distracting the horse from the procedure. While a horse not frightened or in pain may remain in position if you simply stand and hold its lead, most horses need some additional distraction during examination and treatment.
Halter and lead rope.
Step 1: Hold the neck strap and buckle end of the halter in your left hand.
Step 2: Stand on the horse’s left side and reach over its neck with your right hand.
Step 3: Grasp the neck strap from your left hand and pass the entire halter back over the horse’s neck.
Step 4: Gently slide the nose band of the halter up over the nose, then buckle the halter to the neck strap. The rings of a correctly applied halter don’t press tightly against the horse’s face; its straps are away from the eyes.
Step 5: Once you’ve properly applied the halter, attach the lead rope to the center ring just beneath the horse’s nose.
Leading a horse.
Step 1: Stand on the horse’s left, holding the lead rope in your right hand about 8-10 inches from the horse’s head.
Step 2: Hold the remainder of the lead rope in loose loops in your left hand. Make sure that the lead rope passes in front of your body and isn’t wrapped around your hand; otherwise, it could seriously injure you if the horse bolts.
Step 3: Walk on the horse’s left. Keep your body in the zone between the animal’s head and left shoulder.
Twitches.
Twitches. Two assistants and one twitch can distract a horse long enough to complete a procedure. One assistant holds the lead rope, the second applies the twitch to the horse’s upper lip. To play the second assistant’s role, do the following:
Step 1: Hold the twitch handle in your right hand. Be sure to hold it firmly so that you won’t lose control of it if the horse pulls back or strikes. It can easily become a flying weapon and seriously injure someone.
Step 2: With your left hand, place the ends of your fingers through the loop of a chain or rope.
Step 3: Grasp the horse’s upper lip with your left hand and slide the rope or chain high up around the lip.
Step 4: Tighten the twitch by twisting the handle.
Step 5: Slightly tighten the chain or rope, loosen it, and then tighten again. Repeat tightening and loosening throughout the procedure.
You want to change the pressure because steady pressure numbs the horse’s lip, making the twitch ineffective. If this happens, you can, only as a last resort, apply the twitch to the lower lip. This technique is a last resort because the lower lip is very delicate. You must take extreme care to avoid injuring it. Never apply a twitch to the horse’s ear, which hurts the horse and can severely damage the ear.
Other types of twitches are also available; some can be attached to the halter. This type is an advantage if you don’t have a second person to assist in restraint, but the halter-type twitch can slip off and strike you if the horse throws its head.
Chain shank.
A chain shank is a long leather lead or rope with about a two-foot length of chain and a snap hook at one end. The chain shank is a distraction device you may use in several ways. The first is to pass the chain through the cheek ring on the halter and then across the bridge of the nose. Attach the snap hook to the opposite cheek ring. A second method is to attach the chain to the same cheek rings but pass the chain across the horse’s upper lip, between the lip and gum. To do this, first, slip the chain shank over the nose. Then, with your thumb and forefinger, slip it over the horse’s top teeth. Slide the chain shank over the teeth to the gum. Keep some tension on the shank by pulling on the lead. Some horses will object strongly to this method and injure their lip and gums, so be careful. Both of these methods keep the horse’s attention on its nose during procedures performed elsewhere.
Cross-tying
The cross-tying restraint method restricts a horse’s side-to-side head movements and helps prevent the horse from turning around or rearing up. Attach two ropes to the halter and tie them to the cross-tie rings, which are normally securely in place in the barn or stall area. If rings aren’t available, two securely placed poles on either side of the horse can be used. Ensure the ropes are placed sufficiently high so that the horse can’t rear up and entangle itself. Always tie the ropes so that they can be released quickly should the horse start to resist. Horses that are being shipped may be cross-tied in their trailers.
Tail tying.
Horses’ tails are quite strong, and tail ties can be used to move the animal. It may also be necessary to tie the tail out of the way for some procedures. Never tie the end of a tail rope to a fixed object. The tail tie is used only to attach the tail to the animal’s own body. To attach the tail rope,
Step 1: Locate the end of the last vertebra in the tail.
Step 2: Lay a piece of rope across the tail at that site and fold the rest of the tail up and over the rope.
Step 3: Pass one end of the rope behind the tail. Make a long, sharp loop in the rope as you go.
Step 4: Bring the loop over the folded tail and pull it tight through the rope that’s looped around the tail. You can then use the other end of the rope to tie the tail to the horse’s front leg or neck.
