Syringe (wormer) shy horses - any tips?

You don't have to use much. `you won't be doing it every day. We got them used to the idea it might be nice a few years ago and they still remember. Can now worm them in two minutes over the stable door without getting showered in wormer.
 
Google Easywormer. It's like a bit which lets you worm with ease. I have used one for my previous horse who was totally anti being wormed and it worked a treat.
 
we use and easiwormer, been worth every penny over the last 10 years :).

ps pure molasses tastes foul IME (imagine me, in a giant cattle trough having it + shavings thrown over my head :p )
 
Talyn said:
I empty the wormer from the syringe straight into a bucket of food - my mare eats it every time!
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Same here.

I've a brood mare who goes up at the slightest provocation and in the past I have had to tie her securely to a strong post to worm her. I was explaining to my latest helper that I'd need to get some feed to put the wormer into for her when she showed me the empty syringe! Sheer speed of delivery didn't give the mare time to react!

But I do usually put it in the feed because I'm a coward.
 
Some wormers come in granule form and some are liquid, so easy to disguise in eg sugarbeet. Mines a bit of a swine to worm but show him a carrot and shove the syringe in quick then carrot and done, or while he's chewing on the carrot, shove syringe in and it all goes down.
 
I use a carrot in place of the syringe and of course my horse was wary at first as he thought I would be shoving the syringe into the side of his mouth. He was pleasantly surprised to find out it was edible. I did this a few times, with a few carrots and then replaced the carrot with the syringe and hey presto - worming done.

I also alternate and try from the other side so there is not time for him to anticipate what I might be doing.
 
I use a worming bit - it is ace. I don't worm very often though - if I was sticking to the outdated 'worm every 6-8 weeks', I would do some work on conditioning them to the syringe. For once per year, it's not worth it.
 
My auntie has a pony who hates being wormed with a passion and will throw himself at the wall or door rather than be dosed, which obviously could get dangerous. Someone once suggested blindfolding him, so now i just put a jumper over his eyes and he'll swallow first time with no problem at all been doing this for ten years and works every time!
 
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