If horse was otherwise “perfect”? Said horse is a proven fox hunter who had a bad experience years ago with a crappy owner and farrier so current owner just gives him dorm gel for farrier and he’s perfect. I have no experience with dorm gel so curious what say you, Cothers? Does Dorm have same side effects like ace as far as the penile issue with geldings?
Dorm doesn’t have the same side effects as Ace. I’ve worked at barns that had horses that needed Dorm and/or Ace for the farrier visit. Wasn’t a big deal since they were in training and had so many other positives.
How does your farrier feel about working under a horse that’s been medicated?
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My farrier wouldn’t work under a sedated horse. So check with your farrier first!
Also on another thread recently I learned that dormosedan oral is very dangerous to humans if it gets on your skin. Can kill you! I had just bought a tube for emergencies so I was rather impressed.
If everything else was amazing, yes.
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I would if everything else was wonderful, but I would prioritize re-conditioning the horse so that it could be trimmed without meds.
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I would, and have had, horses that initially had to have dorm gel to keep everyone safe during the farrier’s visit. However, I worked and worked with them to the point we were able to wean off the dorm. It takes hard work, but pays off in the end. Only one was I not able to get her over her phobia. Last I heard they still have to give her dorm anytime her feet are worked on.
ETA: I also have a farrier who is extremely patient, calm, and understanding of the horse with these phobias.
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I’d be leery. I owned a Han gelding who needed Dorm for farrier visits - because he had Shivers. Only showed up (in the early years) when he had to stand on three legs.
Make sure there’s not a physical reason the Dorm is needed.
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No, you deserve a horse you can trust in ALL scenarios.
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I would be willing to entertain purchasing a horse in a situation like this, although I would definitely make sure to consult with vet (could I have ready access to what I need to make sure feet can be done safely) and farrier (are they willing to work under these conditions). I also would be curious to talk with a trainer and a farrier together to see if we could create a long-term plan to try to alleviate the behavior (IE: get a trainer on-hand to work on slowly making handling feet in a “shoeing way” more comfortable - I assume the horse will let someone pick up/handle/pick feet? Perhaps erroneous of me but I assume daily grooming is included in “otherwise perfect” - so see if it’s the banging/sound/whatever that’s setting him off and work on it).
Ultimately, I wouldn’t consider it a dealbreaker but I would need to make sure that my assorted professionals would be on-board with it before I sprung for the horse.
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One of my horses got Dorm for the farrier when I first bought him. Over time he got better and now he is fine with the farrier. I did spend some time once he left the training barn to hold him for the farrier several times without Dorm and he did well.
This horse was laid up at a point and I gave him ace and he came out of it within minutes in a panic. I had a OTTB that did the same thing. My Vet was just explaining people at my barn that horses can have this kind of reaction to ace the other day.
I don’t think they have the same issues with Dorm as they do with Ace.
Talk to your vet and farrier see what their thoughts are and make your choice… good luck and I hope it works out wonderful for you!!!
I was pretty sure that the little mini mule I got last year would need Dorm for the farrier. He was little, so former owners had just snubbed him up and trimmed him while he struggled. My farrier agreed and I got some Dorm from my vet.
That stuff has extreme warnings on it. Yikes. Considering that to be effective I’d have had to have put the Dorm under Gunther’s tongue I decided not to try to give it. He was pretty feral.
Took me 8 months but I worked with him and he stands for the farrier like a gentleman. It helped that my farrier was willing to just sit and talk to him after she’d finished trimming my other three minis.
I might take a chance on a horse if it was what I wanted in every other way, but I’d have a talk with my farrier first, as others have stated, to be sure that she would be agreeable to the Dorm.
Yes. I know several draft cross fox hunters that have to be sedated for farrier. (Not sure why–I would guess more of an handling issue that a breed issue). My guy was terrible for the farrier, but has gotten a lot better with patient handling.
I’d be ok with it if I could be there for every farrier appointment…not sure I’d do it if someone else were handling my horse. I’m fairly comfortable handling a fractious horse and have worked with a few horses that were able to be weaned off sedation for trimming/shoeing. It really would depend on the situation. I used one farrier that very rarely had issues with a horse, even horses who were terrible with other farriers. So perhaps different people working on the horse will have different results.
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Yes. I’ve used Dorm gel a few times with my farrier’s permission. It got my mare through some bad behaviors that were probably initiated by pain and then became a defensive response.
I would be sure to do a good PPE on a horse like this. And I’d start working with a patient farrier asap. It’s possible that the current (previous) farrier isn’t patient or gentle, and that a better farrier might have no issues.
This^^^^. No reason why a horse needs to be sedated for the farrier, other than incompetent handlers.
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I have one of those and he gets dorm gel for his hind feet. No big deal.
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Thank you all for your quick responses! Horse does allow owner to pick hooves, and said he just gets nervous when the farrier “cradles” the foot with his legs. Said the dorm has worked well.
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For an upper level horse (or an experienced fox hunter, in this case) or for a horse you don’t plan to resell, absolutely. For a lower level resale project? No. Too tough of a sell for a horse without upper level potential/training.
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I’ve had farriers who doped my horses and farriers who did not dope the very same horses.
So yes, I’d buy a horse that “needed” to be doped for farrier work. I cater to farriers who do good shoeing even when it is their own sore backs that are the reason for doping. (I don’t believe in doping for riding or shows, and have resisted BOs who wanted to do that to my horses.)
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