Horse's ear grab

[FredPuli43]

Before the first race at Ascot, a filly was reluctant to go into the stalls. Her jockey's answer was to grab her ear. Can any horsey person on here explain how and why holding her ear was supposed to make her go forwards, or more obedient to the handlers? (It didn't work, by the way, and she was withdrawn)

[Kiki-frog]

Yes, it's a technique for calming horses, part of a technique called T-touch, devised by an animal behaviourist called Linda Tellington. It actually works really well to calm a stressed horse, as does scratching its chest. But evidently not on this occasion.

[Kiki-frog]

And he shouldn't really just grab it, so much as tug on it gently.

[divegirl]

It's called twitching!

It can be done in two ways from memory, by holding the ear or....my old blacksmith when faced with a horse that hated attention to the feet would put a bit of string around the soft skin at the and of the nose and twist it...

http://en.wikipedia.o...i/Twitch_%28device%29

Lisa x

[divegirl]

cross posted Kiki, though I didn't see the race, I would have though it was more likely to be twitching than TT....just my opinion though :0/

Lisa x

[FredPuli43]

Interesting. New one to me, but I last rode fast before they had starting stalls, I think, so many things are new. LOL Is it a new technique, or has been around for decades?

[FredPuli43]

No, I know about a twitch and twitching! That is an old trick, and not always very pleasant.

[Kiki-frog]

lisa, I was told about it by Linda Tellington when she was consultant on a book I was working on, so I just assumed it was one of hers. But maybe she just nicked it from an older technique.

Fred, I think Ttouch has been around since the 70s or 80s, but it was regarded as a bit 'new agey' at first. But I've tried it out on horses and it does work. One in particular was a notorious biter, but he'd get all soppy and just lean against me peacefully when having his ears stroked and pulled.

[divegirl]

Well I'm going back 30 odd years and I always thought that it was a used technique.... not pleasant to watch but effective none the less.
TT is a far more gentle technique but rarely works with in seconds.... I would have thought that if they wanted the horse in the stall it would have been twitched.

Lisa x

[Bambiagain]

I think they'd be reluctant to use a twitch in such a public place because there would be bound to be complaints about cruelty. As I was taught, using a twitch is a bit like using acupressure in that it is applied on a point that uses a natural method of mild sedation. I've seen it work and fail to work with different horses. Never seen the ear thing before though and some horses hate having their ears touched.

[FredPuli43]

I remember that handlers in Australian racing were forbidden from using the twitch, years ago. As Bambi says, it's not good in public. Never seen it on a British course, but what goes on off it is another question.

[divegirl]

I still to this day, when faced with a new horse do a Barbara Wood house and breath through my nose up their nose.... works every time to say hello! The old ones sometimes really are the best!

Lisa

[Bambiagain]

I find blowing up the nose helps too. I just wish I could get it through to my horse that farriers are not out to hurt her - had her back shoes take off today and what a performance!

[Kiki-frog]

LOL, lisa, that's so funny. I do that as well. Works with cows too. Although when they snort back at you, you end up being covered in moo-cow mucus!

[Brinjal]

Dive is also right. It is a method of twitching. We had a horse who wouldn't load into a box. We would put a twitch on her ear and she would practically fatal asleep then we would shove her onto the box as soon as the twitch was removed she would wake up. It is more usual to put the twitch on the nose. It needs to bedone with some force.

[FredPuli43]

Yes, the 'nose breathing' certainly works. Does anyone do that soft hissing through the teeth when grooming or working in a loose box? The old stable hands here always did, and the story that it was just to stop them swallowing dust seemed unlikely.

[Kiki-frog]

I was always told it was to avoid dust, but now you come to mention it, it does sound a bit implausible. It's certainly a non-threatening sound, so horses may well be soothed by it

[divegirl]

My old riding instructor was a total horse whisperer.... he talked total scrollocks to the horses and always said it was all in the tone... I was always in awe of him... he could calm a petrified horse in seconds, it really was a sight to see....

God rest ya soul Tom!

Lisa x

[wolf63]

What about trying this method with horses - maybe best to try it on little horses. :-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqKBJaLp8Hg

[lankeela]

Using a twitch pn a horse has been around for centuries. You can also use one on the tongue, although its more common just to pull the tongue out and hold it with your hand to keep the horse still while having anything done to it. It isn't harmful, it just renders them all sort of unnecessary!

[lankeela]