Does any one still use a twitch?

[KBC]

Back in the good old days, shortly after the ark landed, I remember that every yard had a twitch…if a horse was giving issues over any procedure, someone would grab a twitch and apply it…Now yes that was a lifetime, and the remains of the great flood ago, on the other side of the Atlantic…

I rarely see one suggested for behavior issues now, is that because everyone is scared to suggest its use online, in case the less than skilled think it’s a great idea to try, or has their use died out, much like the Dodo?

I know my, now retired, vet here had one, he left it here one time, a well worn, well used thing, I was so tempted to keep it, but took it back. I have only ever seen lip twitching done, although I believe there are also ear twitches…

It came up in conversation this morning and I was curious…

[SuzieQNutter]

I don’t have a twitch. I simply put baling twine on a stick and use that. My horses are well trained but at times if injured they may need it.

I tried to put one on Dodge the other day. We had to put olive oil down his ear. He is head shy. He will now allow us to rub with our hand. A brush is out of the question. The wax had gone too far down his ear.

I tried. I twisted it as much as I could. As tight as I could. He just wiggled his muzzle and it fell off, so in the end I grabbed and held his muzzle as hard as I could just with my hand and put a towel over his eyes with the other. Hubby squirted in the olive oil and it was all over in a couple of seconds.

I would say that sedatives have taken over a lot from twitches for some vets.

[demidq]

I own and have used a “humane” twitch, one of those aluminum jobs which you can clip to the halter to leave hands free- useful for treating a wound or changing a dressing. I wrapped Vet Wrap around the part which grabs the lip so it doesn’t slip off.

[Cat_Tap]

I have a chain twitch in the barn but it has become rusty from lack of use. I find that sedatives have taken its place in most cases. Even though the twitch results in the production of endorphines I never liked using one.

[findeight]

Think the easier availability of sedatives has likely reduced the need but most barns still have at least the humane type if not the old stick and loop. I’ve never used or seen a twitch used on an ear…it’s pretty easy to just use your hand to twist an ear if the need suddenly arises and you can’t just leave the scene to find a twitch or some Ace. That I have seen and done, in my younger days anyway.

I think those old stick and loop twitches were awkward to apply and often hurt whoever was trying to apply them more then any horse- pinch fingers in the chain loop or have the horse flip it’s head just as you are twisting it, lose hold of the stick and get conked in the head…don’t ask…

[Scribbler]

The vets still use a twitch in combination with tranquilizers to tube a horse for colic, while the tube is going in. I can’t see needing a twitch on my own horse for any routine care but in fact would like one in my first aid kits barn and trailer because you just never know when it might be useful.

[Hunter_s_Rest]

The vet has a big long stick with loop that he uses for palping mares, un-tranq’ed procedures etc. (but it takes two to use it effectively) and I have a chain one (rusty from non-use), and a humane one I never use b/c it slips off (thanks for the vetwrap idea above!)
I was clipping several of my veteran foxhunters today and one was wiggly when I got behind his ears. I just grabbed his nose and twisted while I completed the job. A mare got nasty with the belly the other day and her owner, holding her, took a shoulder twitch and that worked well. An Irish horse I have takes an ear twitch (gentle but firm, slight twist but not torture) to get behind his cheekbone; he definitely ‘gets it’ and leans into it. Very effective.
The young horse, first time body clipped? He was dozing on the crossties. Not a twitch anywhere (pun intended.

[tinah]

I don’t have a twitch, although I probably should. All the vets I’ve seen carry and use one. Most of the things I need a twitch for I’m pretty skilled with using a chain for, and will use a shoulder “twitch” as necessary. Everyone in my household has been shown how to do an ear twitch, and understands it is only for use when treatment is not optional.

[The_Crone_of_Cottonmouth_Count]

Have had a nutcracker-type twitch lying around unused for years, but just the other day my vet used it when my touchy, sedated Arabian wouldn’t stand still for a stem cell injection into her fetlock. They’re good to have around as a just-in-case. Rub the nose, give a peppermint, all is forgiven.

[Simkie]

I have the looong hickory twitch and the short hickory twitch with snap at the end (I HOPE it’s still around, may have gotten lost in the move, sob) for one person use. Love them both. Far easier, IMO, to twitch for something quick versus chemical sedation.

[Highflyer]

I use the humane/ single person ones all the time for mane and tail pulling, clipping, etc. and often use the chain ones when holding a horse for the vet. I honestly don’t know how people manage without them.

[saddleup]

I have a wood clamp that will put on my horse’s chin when I need him to stand for some reason. Works like a charm and I can do it when I’m alone, which is always since I live alone.

[demidq]

Agree with Simkie. By the time you find out horsie won’t tolerate a procedure, give a shot of tranquiliser, wait and find it’s not enough and give a second dose and wait, you could be over and done with a properly applied twitch. Don’t wait til pony is upset before applying, all that adrenaline will counteract the soothing effect. Apply twitch gently and quietly while horse is still calm.

[Halt_Near_X]

@KBC

I rarely see one suggested for behavior issues now, is that because everyone is scared to suggest its use online, in case the less than skilled think it’s a great idea to try, or has their use died out, much like the Dodo?

Twitching is great to help in the moment, but if someone is asking online about a behavioral issue, they are generally asking how to fix the behavior permanently, so no restraint (twitching or sedation) is needed. So most advice is going to be aimed at that, and sedation tends to be a little easier to manipulate in that sense (e.g. you can change the amount of sedation as they horse improves, until the sedation isn’t needed–twitching is a little more all or nothing).

It doesn’t mean twitching isn’t useful or that no one uses it; it’s just the type of issues people tend to ask about online are ones where other methods may lead to better long-term solutions.

[cutter99]

I have a twitch, but have not used it in years. I will go to a chain over the gums if I have a horse who is fractious, because I feel like I can handle that better than the twitch.

[roseymare]

A good hickory or ax handle twitch with clothesline is still a very good tool to have in one’s toolbox

[csaper58]

Anyone not familiar with the ‘humane’ ‘one man’ or ‘scissor type’ twitches designed for one person use should take great care not to use it for extended periods of time, or become distracted away from the horse wearing it.

Any twitch, but especially the one person type, can cut off circulation to the flesh of the horse’s nose and cause disfiguring injuries.

It happened to a friend’s horse when she had to stop body clipping him to go into the house and tend to her child’s bloody nose.

When she finally came back out to the barn, her horse…standing twitched and cross tied…had a purple, dead nose/upper lip…

[joiedevie99]

I have the big long handle with the little rope kind. I rarely pull it out, as the only time I ever need it is when the vet is there - and they bring their own.

[equiniphile]

The biggest benefit of the twitch, for me, is that you don’t need to wait for sedation to wear off before feeding/turning out after the procedure. We use twitches a fair amount and often pair sedation with twitching for procedures such as x-ray guided navicular bursa injections, where any small movement can have disastrous effects.

[IronwoodFarm]

I guess I didn’t stray too far from the ark when it came to rest on dry land. I have a twitch and will use one if needed. It’s not very often, but it’s a tool in the tool kit.