Tapering off of Dorm Gel

[Mcl1]

Has anyone who uses dorm gel for things like farrier visits had luck tapering off of it (as in reducing the dose each time) or in your experience is it generally an all or nothing type of thing? Do they remain somewhat aware of what is going on ( if it’s a good experience, do you think they remember that)?

Used it for my mustang to get his feet done and it worked incredibly well (full tube). I obviously don’t want to have to rely on it forever, both cost wise and for his sake. Ideally, I could taper him down so he is increasingly aware (like, give 3/4 of a tube, then half) - but I wasn’t sure if reducing the dose would just mean he would fight through it.

Long story as to why it’s necessary in the first place but short version is that he was on a great track with farriers, got trimmed once with no issue and then got completely traumatized by a vet visit. He has INCREDIBLE retention - great for training but not great when it comes to bad experiences. He has absolutely no issues with me picking up his feet, putting them on buckets, using a sander on them (just to get him used to sounds and tools), etc., he just developed a strong distrust of strange men with tools.

[ClassyJumper]

I am sure it depends on the horse, but a full tube is quite a bit. I would think you could definitely cut back to 1/2 tube.

[rcy]

my mare also had a very bad farrier experience; so when i switched to a new (much kinder and more patient) farrier, we did a tube of dorm. we are VERY slowly weaning down; as in, it has taken a year at a full tube for her to be relaxed enough that we can begin to taper. we’re now down to 1/2 tube after a couple cycles of 2/3 tube.

[Demerara_Stables]

Yes. Had a young (5yo) OTTB mare in my barn that was fearful and wouldn’t stand for the farrier. We started with a full tube, did that twice, then 3/4, then 1/2, then 1/4. I don’t think 1/4 did anything at all tbh. She was completely fine after the taper down and never needed it again.

[Mcl1]

Thanks everyone!

@Demerara_Stables Thank you - that is basically the exact schedule I was envisioning, I am glad to hear it was effective and I’ll give it a shot!

@rcy Poor girl - it is so hard when one bad experience can cause such long lasting problems and it is so hard to train them out of it when they only react in specific situations.

[MorganMaresVT]

Yes, I have a mare who came through a law enforcement seizure after running with a feral herd for several years. Obviously she had no farrier or vet care for that period, and it’s not clear how long things were going downhill with the elderly owner before the herd truly started fending for themselves. She was both terrified and aggressive about her hind legs being handled so we needed some help.

A full tube of dorm nearly knocked her out, that was way too much for her. We used about 1/2 tube for nearly a year of trims, then decided to try tapering down to a 1/4 tube, and she was fine. After a couple of times with 1/4 tube, we took a chance on going to something like 1/5 of a tube, still good, then down to 1/10 of a tube which was probably nothing more than a placebo effect for me

After about a year and half of having dorm on board, we cautiously went for none at all, and she handled it great. She does have the tendency to “grow roots” when our wonderfully patient and accommodating farrier asks her to pick up the first hind leg, but she ultimately complies and it is a safe experience for everyone.