I saw a nature show about starving lions that were salivating over a herd of Cape buffaloes. When the poor hungry lions finally impounded the buffalo-to-become-dinner, one lion grabbed the buffalo by the nose till the beast succumbed.

This made me think of how the occasionally recalcitrant horse at the barn would be quieted by grabbing hold of its nostrils with a tool that I cannot remember the name of for the life of me.

Can anyone supply here the name of the tool?

Beast regards,
WildWind

....realized my response under ostrich belonged here......

It's a "twitch".

A loop of leather or heavy twine/light rope attached to a length of heavy dowel (or a sawn off bit of broom handle).

The poor nag's top lip is caught in the loop and the whole device is rotated - as one does with a tourniquet. It must be very painful - the horse freezes and will do whatever you want.

stales

Ah, Stales, thank you, thank you for reviving with accuracy my memory! I saw that lion grasp the cape buffalo by the nose and remembered, inaccruately the twitch at the horse's nose--but it was the lower lip. Yes!

Twitch at the lip--short 'i'--think I've got it cemented now in a firm place in my brain.

Beast regards,
WellWired

Got this from http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nasd/docs/as15300.html

"If at any time the horse needs to be restrained, and tying is not enough, there are different methods to choose from. If the chain from the lead shank, over the nose, does not work, then a twitch is most commonly used. A twitch may be applied to the upper lip, the ear, or even the lower lip. Many different types of twitches are available, the most popular being a long handle with a loop of chain or rope at one end. To apply the twitch, place fingers through the loop at the end of the twitch, grasp the upper lip with your fingers, pull it through the loop, and twist the handle until you get a firm but gentle hold on the lip. Do not place it too high, because it will interfere with breathing or too low which will cause pain. Tighten it only if the horse acts up and loosen it as soon as it becomes manageable.

Do not use the twitch to move the horse around. A twitch should not be left on for more than 15 minutes at a time. If left on longer, numbness, or in extreme cases, permanent nerve damage may occur.

Assuming the twitches are placed and used correctly, they provide an effective and harmless method of restraint."

Me 'n' the nags of the world still reckon they are instruments of torture - why else would such bloody great animals instantly become meek and mild?

stales

Stales...

Instrument of torture? Mebbe not. Mebbe it's more like acupunchorseture... You hit a pressure point that the horse ain't used to thinkin' about--it surprises the horse--and, yeah, leave it on too long, you've got problems. I mean, horses think food is supposed to go into that place--and the horse, he's thinkin', "This shore am strange food. I cain't taste it, and it's not comin' in. What izz this food doin' there kinda stingin' me like Vietnamese hot pot?" And the horse, he jes' keeps on thinkin' about this immovable feast, wonderin' when it's gonna come in, jes' plain pushed past his horse sense treshhold...and you, you git done what needs gittin' done.

That's my take on it.

Buffaloed regards no more,
WeirdWind