For all of you that do body clipping....

[grandprixjump]

- Most of my body clipping has been in barn where I worked, I have currently put out a few feelers to try to make a little extra. I'm quite capable of giving shots, but if a horse needed to be, lights on but nobody home, do you have the owner give the shot, the BO, or make the vet come out (problem with this is timing, giving the shot and getting started, having to wait for the vet).
- My question is if you can give the shot, I would assume you have the owner get the meds from the vet themselves, and then sign a release. That way the owner knows EXACTLY what the horse is being given and the vet who knows the horse can give correct dosage.
- So how does your release read, if you don't mind sharing.

[Jumphigh83]

If I were you I would make them give the shot themselves. The first one to spin on its eye, YOU will get sued for....Can't practice medicine without a license!;);)

[grandprixjump]

If I were you I would make them give the shot themselves. The first one to spin on its eye, YOU will get sued for....Can't practice medicine without a license!;);)
-
- But you know there is always a chicken, afraid of blood, owner that can't do it themselves.... So yes in a perfect world the owner or barn owner would always do this.

[Wigwag]

If they wouldn't give the shot, I wouldn't do the clip.

[Lucassb]

If they owner didn't want/couldn't sedate the horse... I'd do the job with a twitch, or pass on the job altogether.

There are very few horses that I couldn't clip without drugs. Some take a lot more time than others - and for those, there was always a surcharge (agreed to with the owner in advance.)

[LuvMyNSH]

If they wouldn't give the shot, I wouldn't do the clip.

Ditto! Anyone besides the owner or vet giving the shot is just asking for a lawsuit. And in accordance with Murphy's Law, the one time the horse has a reaction to anything in its entire life will be when you tranq it.

[Jumphigh83]

IF you tq and the horse flops YOU ARE IN TROUBLE. Have the vet or the trainer authorized by the vet do it or dont clip...believe me, the money you might make will never cover the attorneys' fee. As for twitching and tying etc if that's what you like, but there is nothing worse than chasing a horse around trying to clip it while it is skin twitching and it is bolting forward and back in the grooming area. Drugs are better than hugs AND the job goes MUCH faster when the clippee is cooperative!;)

[Flying Hearts]

Here's another question. How much do you charge? I've been thinking about offering up clipping services as well.

[spacehorse]

I also pick up odd jobs clipping here and there. All of them have been word of mouth referral, so horses I don't know, owners I don't know. They were all horses showing at Washington.

I absolutely would NOT drug anything that I am not ultimately responsible for. Not worth it. If the owner can't drug it, or restrain it in some other manner, they can find someone else to clip it. It is also not worth it getting hurt trying to get the job done with the horse acting like a jerk. Clip ends up looking bad anyway! :)

[JSwan]

Hopefully none of the horses will need a shot.

If one did, I'd require the owner (or vet) administer it and the owner be present while the horse is being clipped.

Guess I'm paranoid, but if something happened to Pookums you'd be the first person to get blamed.

I was amazed to find out how many people pay to have their horses clipped. I mean, I understand that people are horribly pressed for time, or know how to but dislike it, and there is a value in hiring people for certain things.

But there are a lot of people that are either afraid or just don't know how. I learned all that stuff when I was a kid, but maybe some people just aren't really taught anymore?

In which case - go for it and make some extra cash!! I know folks that make quite a nice little side income from braiding and clipping. Good luck!

[chai]

Last year, I paid $150 for a full body clip and $75 for a trace clip for our horse that was showing. I know how to clip, but I am not very good at it, and it was worth the $$ to have a professional do a nice job. The trainer tranqued our mare for the body clip, and I had no problem with that because she is very experienced and I knew the mare could handle a tranq, having seen the vet tranq her in the past.
I would never hire a traveling clipper who would come in and tranq. my horse. It would seem too dangerous to me because they didn't know my horse and how would I know if they knew what they were doing with a tranq?

[flypony74]

I used to do a few horses here and there for extra $$. No way in the world would I give someone else's horse an injection. I'm not a vet! My policy was that either the horse would stand quietly for the job, or if the owner expected that might not happen, then they needed to be prepared to administer (or have someone available to do so) a cocktail. If that wasn't an option and the horse was acting silly to the point where it took me longer to complete the job, then they needed to be prepared to pay extra, although I never had an instance where this happened. Most horses that I have done know the deal and have been pretty good.

I charged $150 for a full clip, $125 for a hunter clip, and $100 for a trace. Basically, I won't show up and get hair in my bra for less than $100, especially considering how much I have invested in good clippers and blades.

[deltawave]

Make it your policy that sedation is the responsibility of the owner. However they want to handle it, it's not for you to say and certainly not to do.