Quote:
(Donna Pattee) writes:
>>>> >Ooooh this is going to make me look realll dull, but what exactly
is a
>>>> >'switch'? That's all.
>>>> Are you sure you don't mean twitch >?
>>>> Petra
>>>Well if I do mean twitch, and I'm not really sure of that either,
>>>perhaps somebody could tell me? I'm talking about them things they
use
>>>on horses muzzles to calm them, or something like that.
>>>You could have told me Petra. Saved me and somebody else a post?
>>Twitch: wooden rod with a loop of chain or rope at one end. Place
over
>>the horse's upper lip, twist it to a snug loop, apply light to medium
>>pressure, jiggle once in a while.
>>Or, Human/nutcracker/one-person twitch: hinged metal pair of
>>arms--looks kind like tongs, only joined at the tong end. You pull
>>horse's upper lip through the tong-looking end, close the arms
>>together, and tie it at a proper snugness to stay put. Clip arm ends
>>to the halter.
>Alternatively: one's hand, used to grab the end of the nose or a hunk
of
>shoulder. Don't know why it works, but when we first got the QH, it
was the
>only way to get his head clipped for a show. It didn't hurt him, but
the
>minute one of us got a hand on his nose, he'd keep his head still.
>Hand-twitching my mare was how we kept her still for freeze-branding.
I have one mare that didn't stand well for the farrier when we first
got her. Since she had been abused, I didn't want to twitch her. So I
used a technique I'd been taught. Grasp horse's upper lip between
thumb and fingers with thumb inside at the gum line. Rub back and
forth between thumb and fingers. You can rub hard or soft, depending
on how the horse is acting. You can clamp down hard if they are
struggling.
Sue
Quote:
>>Why it works: cause for great debate. no one is really sure why. My
>>favorite position: this is not a pain device. My horses act sleepy,
>>not pain restrained. I think there is supposed to be an acupuncture
>>sight in the nose, right where the twitch would sit. One thing is
>>pretty certain--endopmorphins (natual pain killers) get released in
>>the body at a higher than normal rate for the amount of "pain" which
>>*might* be getting caused by a twitch.
>>eileen morgan
>>The Mare's Nest