Minis and Quietex paste

[MiniThymeAcres]

I was thinking about feeding a 31" mare Quiet ex paste because she is very nervous while clipping. I'm just confused as to how much I would give her. On the back of the box, it says to give the horse a full dosage (the whole tube), but it doesn't seem right for a mini. How much do I give her?

 

[Jill]

Ooooh, what timing! Here I sit with two tubes H picked up for me at TSC and wondering the same exact thing!!! maybe someone can fill us in.

My hunch is about 1/4 a tube, but I don't know.

This weekend, I did have some good luck clipping previously difficult horses using some clamps (small) from Home Depot that look like clothespins in their construction (made of plastic though), Put one on the nose as where a twitch would go and one on that chin bump horses have.

 

[wade3504]

I've used half a tube before to try and cliip and waited for it to take effect. The mare wasn't any better after than shw was before.

Is there a number that you can call?

Amanda

 

[Jill]

Probably some will roll their eyes or cluck their tongues, but for one horse where my clamp-twitches didn't help enough, I gave her a shot of dormosedan (tranquilizer from the vet). It chilled the horse out just fine and let me clip her legs and face w/o a fight or either of us getting hurt. The clamp twitches let me clip her body and neck pretty easily (where as prior, it would have been impossible to do it and do a halfway decent job from all the jumping around). But, she still wouldn't let me do her head or legs so -- dormosedan....

I'd gotten the Quietex to help calm a couple down for a trailer ride, now not sure I will even bother to give it.

 

[Leeana]

I am a believer in the twitch, if i can get Chief's ears and legs done with him just twitched you can get ANY horse done that is just twitched. I too use the clamps, just bought 3 last week (because i WILL loose the first two lol) but i have found my fathers hand works best for twitching

.

I've never bought any quietex, but have seen it before at TSC and tack shops and thought about buying some for two of my horses who are completely nutty in the trailer. From what it sounds like and what i have heard, i dont think it works well lol.

 

[MiniHoofBeats]

Ohh no no no Quietex doesn't work at ALL! I bought it for the same reason, to calm down my mare so I could clip her lower legs and her ears. NO WAY! It says to wait 2 hours (aka feed it to the horse 2 hours before a show, or hauling, etc.) so I did, went back outside and she was still just as antsy and worked up as 2 hours before! I couldn't get near her with a 10' pole. Of course, treats on the other hand get her right away lol but...I tried again the next day and same thing, no effect. I ended up needing to buy a shot of low-dose sedation just so she would stand still long enough for me to do her legs, but the sedation was too mild for her to let me do her ears. The vets use a stronger sedation when they come out, than what they sell over the counter.

=) I keep hearing the twitch is the thing...do you need a person to hold the twitch or can you just let it hang there? My problem is I never have help, i'm always by myself so buying a twitch if someone needs to hold it is well, pointless....

 

[Jill]

Just my experience on using those Home Depot clothespin looking clamps. Put them on the horse in question to do his lower legs (my super star, DunIT). I'd already clipped his body, he wanted NO parts of holding still for his lower legs. So, clip on his nose and clip on his chin bump (and I did try these on my own lip first!). Waited a couple minutes................ big sleep doe eyes, a yawn... And he was a very good boy for the rest of the clipping. It did not hurt him at all.

It is exactly that, Stephanie, that I needed my hands to clip and I got a package of 4 red and black clothespin looking plastic clamps for like $2 at Home Depot and that was exactly what did the trick! I tried a "one man twitch" and an "easy twitch" from two different miniature tack vendors with NO LUCK at all. Those cheap clamps are the ticket and easy to come by.

The filly, Flirt, who got dormosedan is also doing just fine and dandy. It won't surprise me if next time, she'll be okay with only clamps (as twitchs) and no tranquilizer but if not, I got some more dormosedan. I see no reason in the situation not to use it and neither does my vet. Had a little job to get done and I don't need to be getting hurt, or dealing with horse who flips herself or any other thing they can do to hurt themselves resisting being clipped.

 

[dangerranger]

Ive used Quietex with very checkered results some it works some it doesnt. Be Calm on the other hand works. it uses "trictaphane" [ not shure of the spelling ] thats the same ingredent that makes you tired after a big turkey dinner. I mostly use it when hauling hard to load horses for others. or to calm a nervous horse during a parade. DR.

 

[Casnos Minis]

[SIZE=14pt]My gelding will not let me clip him for the life of me. He rears and strikes out at me. I'm goin to have the vet come sedate him in the next few weeks. He's an appy and just keeps getting whiter and whiter and I want to see how handsome he is clipped. He'll stand there and watch me clip my little mare and stand close to me to boot, but don't get those things near him. I had tried quietex also it did not work at all.[/SIZE]

Christy

 

[hhpminis]

I use Quietex when hauling nervous horses or while at a show to calm them slightly and ease nervousness. It in know way in my opinion will calm enough to make a difficult horse easy to clip. It is like taking B vitamins for your nerves. It also needs to be given when the horse is calm, not already muscled up and ready for a fight.

I give it the night before we load and again in the morning before we leave. Again, it is no way a form of sedation and will not take them to la la land or work for the purpose of accomplishing something the horse fights you over.

But in answer to your question, 1/4 to 1/2 tube depending on the size of your horse. If you figure a full size horse is 1000-1200 pounds just do the math and estimate your horses weight.

Good luck and dont get hurt.

 

[outlawridge]

I try to have my horses ingest the least amount of chemicals and non natural things as possible. When we had an Arab mare come to the ranch she suddenly went ballistic the second night she was here. Had been happy and perfectly calm up to then and she ran and screamed as if she couldn't find the herd even though she was passing them left and right. Took out 1/4 mile of electric fence posts and all. Thankfully she was unharmed and we were able to get her confined. I thought of Quietex right away to settle her down for a bit but really didn't want to use it. I went to my Holistic and Traditional veterinary guide and looked for natural sedatives. Hops. What a great option! Yes, hops, just like what is used to make beer. And it worked fantastic, used one dose, never had another problem, she was not "out of it" in any way, and you can pick it up at a health food store. A friend of mine and her husband periodically make themselves a cup of hops tea in the evening if they've had a particularly stressful day. She has a brick of it and it keeps just about forever in your freezer. Here's what the book says...

Hops: Hops, an herb best known as an ingredient used in making beer, can be very relaxing when used in tiny amounts. I have seen hops used successfully when the dosage was as little as 1/2 teaspoon and as much as one tablespoon. Just mix the herb in a small amount of grain and feed it to the horse. As a general rule, for a horse under 1000 pounds, start with 1/2 teaspoon and increase the dose to one teaspoon if relaxation is not achieved. If your horse is larger you can start with a teaspoon. Overdosing is not harmful. Hops also works well when used as aromatherapy.

 

[hhpminis]

WOW! Very good to know, thanks for sharing!

 

[Triggy&Blue&Daisy Too]

Quietex is made with homeopathic remedies. It contains Ignatia amara and Valerian root which is the main calmative ingredient. The only extra in the powder is lactose so it's a very natural product. The paste has more junk in it so I went with the powder.

I've been using on my wild boy Alfie and while it doesn't sedate him, it makes him able to think things through instead of blowing up and only being reactive. His training is progressing for the first time in ages thanks to it and I think it's good stuff if used correctly. I don't give him a full dose even though the directions say one ounce, regardless of the size of the horse. He gets about a third of an ounce per day and it's working wonders.

I should add that he will only be on it for a week or two as it can have side effects if used too long. I will have to look into the hops to see if that is something I can give him long-term.

 

[Jill]

I just posted this on "the thread" I started awhile back looking for help / advice on twitching. Pasting it here, too, in case it is of help to anyone. I'm not exactly recommending "everyone" do any of what I did, just letting folks know what worked for me and my horses

:

-----------------

OKAY...

I have used the twiches (well, tried to... couldn't get either kind ot stay on) and I used the clamps. The clamps were very effective (see picture below)

One horse I had to give dormosedan to last year got upset when I tried to do his legs. I put a clamp (see pictures) on his nose and on his chin bump and waited a few minutes to see his big eyes go all soft and sleepy and from there, I was able to do his legs and his head and ears w/o any tranquilizer.

The filly, I put clamps on her nose and chin bump before clipping her body and they calmed her down a lot. When I rough clipped her a few weeks ago, she was a little rodeo star and I didn't even attempt to touch her legs that day. When I wanted to do her legs this time, she did have a fit but nothing compared to what she'd done weeks ago for the rough clip. However, it was still too much for me to get the legs done, so I did give her dormosedan and finished the job with everyone still loving each other.

I am sure many won't approve of the dormosedan just as many don't approve of twitching. That's fine. Not looking for a debate. I did what worked for my horses and myself and my vet is totally on the same page as I am. It's just not worth getting hurt or extremely frustrated when I can just let the horse chill out a little bit with a shot. I'd used dormosedan last year and asked my vet if there was any reason NOT to give it for a difficult horse and he told me "absolutely not". So, that was good enough for me.

The main reason I wanted to "drag this back up" was to post pictures of the clamps. One of our members emailed me wanting pictures, so I thought the pictures may benefit others who want to twitch a mini as well. I tried these clamps on my own lip and they are not severe but they are not "loose" either (if so, they'd not work). I got them at Home Depot for $2 for a pack of four. My husband also saw them at Walmart.

 

[palsminihorses]

Jill, thank you so much for showing the pictures of the 'clamp!' I am anxious to try these on my yearling stallion that also didn't want his legs and ears clipped for a show!

Pam C.

I just posted this on "the thread" I started awhile back looking for help / advice on twitching. Pasting it here, too, in case it is of help to anyone. I'm not exactly recommending "everyone" do any of what I did, just letting folks know what worked for me and my horses

:

-----------------

OKAY...

I have used the twiches (well, tried to... couldn't get either kind ot stay on) and I used the clamps. The clamps were very effective (see picture below)

One horse I had to give dormosedan to last year got upset when I tried to do his legs. I put a clamp (see pictures) on his nose and on his chin bump and waited a few minutes to see his big eyes go all soft and sleepy and from there, I was able to do his legs and his head and ears w/o any tranquilizer.

The filly, I put clamps on her nose and chin bump before clipping her body and they calmed her down a lot. When I rough clipped her a few weeks ago, she was a little rodeo star and I didn't even attempt to touch her legs that day. When I wanted to do her legs this time, she did have a fit but nothing compared to what she'd done weeks ago for the rough clip. However, it was still too much for me to get the legs done, so I did give her dormosedan and finished the job with everyone still loving each other.

I am sure many won't approve of the dormosedan just as many don't approve of twitching. That's fine. Not looking for a debate. I did what worked for my horses and myself and my vet is totally on the same page as I am. It's just not worth getting hurt or extremely frustrated when I can just let the horse chill out a little bit with a shot. I'd used dormosedan last year and asked my vet if there was any reason NOT to give it for a difficult horse and he told me "absolutely not". So, that was good enough for me.

The main reason I wanted to "drag this back up" was to post pictures of the clamps. One of our members emailed me wanting pictures, so I thought the pictures may benefit others who want to twitch a mini as well. I tried these clamps on my own lip and they are not severe but they are not "loose" either (if so, they'd not work). I got them at Home Depot for $2 for a pack of four. My husband also saw them at Walmart.

 

[MiniHoofBeats]

I too want to try these clips! I am not understanding the chin bump though - you mean right at the bottom of the chin? Is that a pressure point like on the upper lip?

 

[Jill]

Here's a picture of a mare I own and it shows what I mean as the "chin bump"

Harrells Rowdys Reflection of Hope

 

[MiniHoofBeats]

ohhhh yup that is what I was thinking it was =)

 

[Carolyn R]

I don't know if I am the only one out there, but when I used Quietex paste on my stallion, I thought it made him very jittery afterward. I would say if your horse is that on edge about clipping, have the vet sedate him, And in the meantime work with him. I do use twitches, and while some of the clamps work on a large cross section of minis, I do have one that requires a big horse twitch, and she does respect it!

One of my girls bathes much easier if she has a calm horse tied about 10 feet away. It is almost as if the calm horse makes her realize that I am not going to kill her. Getting them use to the sound, running the clippers over the body parts you can touch , and slowly working into the fields you can't touch, even if it is only ten minutes at a time. I know this doesn't help if there is a show around the corner, but it is something to work on long term.

I also wanted to add, eventhough this is oranges vs. apples, my Aunt had a pet elk, a male, she should have had him gelded, or however you refer to clipping a male elk (hind sight is 20/20), she gave him a paste to calm him during rut, either quietex or another similar brand, he died within 24 hours. I know we are not talking about a horse, but none the less, it caused an adverse effect on a very large animal.

 

[MiniThymeAcres]

This thread grew so much since I looked at it last... Wow! Thanks for all your helpful tips.

Turns out, my horses are getting their vaccines today, and we're getting a syringe of this mild tranquilizer called ACE.

I'm still considering using the Quiet ex paste at the show on Saturday, about 2 hours before we go (the show is close by), just to take that edge off.

I also wanted to add, eventhough this is oranges vs. apples, my Aunt had a pet elk, a male, she should have had him gelded, or however you refer to clipping a male elk (hind sight is 20/20), she gave him a paste to calm him during rut, either quietex or another similar brand, he died within 24 hours. I know we are not talking about a horse, but none the less, it caused an adverse effect on a very large animal.

But after that story, I'm not so sure. That's very scary....

I know using a twitch does work with most horses, but I guess my little mare is different than most. Sometimes it makes her more jittery.

Once again, thanks for all the helpful tips.

Oh, and the thing about hops....That's a great idea!