Worming a difficult horse

Ask a calm, experienced someone else who has no emotional attachment to your horse or bung it in an extra tasty feed. If adding it to feed, keep dogs away and wash the bowl straight afterwards.
 
It is possible to get it into most but I have put it in the feed for a couple of very tricky ones, I was surprised they were happy to eat it but it never got left although I did add a bit extra to tempt them, it is easier than having a battle and as long as they eat it you have no need to try anything else, as already said be careful dogs do not have access, ivermectin is very high risk for border collies, even a tiny amount can kill them .
 
I've started to give it to my tricky horse in his feed. It's made life a lot easier.
 
Buy a plastic syringe fill it with something your horse likes, I just used water with a bit of peppermint essence or custard or Apple sauce usually works, both of mine love the Lincoln cough syrup as well it's cheap enough and just keep giving it to your horse a few times a week, then pretend its a wormer put it in there mouth like one and keep doing it, both of mine see a syringe now and can't wait to get it in there mouth, then occasionally they get a nice syringe just so they don't forget.
 
Our first pony refused point blank to have anything put in her mouth, I never bothered to argue about it some battles aren't worth it. I bought a cooking apple, stewed it and mixed it in that, no issues at all.
 
I'm another one who puts it in a feed. As Millikins said, some battles aren't worth it. It's the only thing I can't do with H.

In the past I used a spent worming syringe and coated it with treacle. I would let him lick it and I would eventually be able to get it in his mouth, and then to the corner of his mouth. It worked but I didn't keep it up, and then just decided life's too short so dump it in feed.
 
easi wormer, cost £11 16 years ago and she still hasn't worked it out. Goes from reversing and trying to rear to completley oblivious.
 
I had a TB that was a git to worm ,but he had a weakness Chock ices , I would give him one ,which he lovingly licked and nibbled and went into raptures over , At the optimum moment I would squirt the wormer in. He couldnt spit out his choc ice ,no that would have been too much so he eat it . I will probably spend several millennia in hell for this crime.
 
Bob notacob said:
I had a TB that was a git to worm ,but he had a weakness Chock ices , I would give him one ,which he lovingly licked and nibbled and went into raptures over , At the optimum moment I would squirt the wormer in. He couldnt spit out his choc ice ,no that would have been too much so he eat it . I will probably spend several millennia in hell for this crime.
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??????
 
My old horse was difficult to worm. So we used to reverse him into a little area which has 3 sides and only enough room for him and me. There was no way for him to go backwards so he just accepted the wormer. If you ever tried to worm him in an open area he was impossible he would reverse at speed. Fortunately reversing to get away was his only resistance so once that wasn't possible he was wormable. Gosh I miss that old boy and his antics.
 
One of my ponies was impossible to worm, so I tried it from the offside and as she wasn’t expecting it, I managed fine. I have also just put it into feed as long as you know horse will eat.
 
Do most horses eat it in their usual feed or do you feed something different to disguise the taste?

This sounds much easier than desensitising with a syringe, the look of betrayal when you switch to the real wormer then starting all over again
 
I had a big 17hh who refused syringes near mouth, would lift me off floor attempting it and wouldn’t eat in feed even disguised. The only thing I found that worked for him was hot cross buns :oops:. Used to do one without wormer and one with, cut into 4’s so would give plain bit followed by wormer bit. Think the slightly sticky outer and nice smell helped.

Probably not good for him but worked.
 
Thankyou everyone for your help and suggestions . Managed to get wormer into him - two people one wielding treats, distracted him long enough to get the job done.
 
I used an empty wormer syringe and put pureed baby food inside and began to get the horse used to being "wormed" with the baby food. I now have a horse who will quite happily have syringes in his mouth
 
Bob notacob said:
Easy for you to laugh , I have had to live with the reproachful look of someone betrayed by a friend.
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I've just had this today with my old mare. She's pretty good to worm (helps that she's quite small) but she will then act like I've just tried to murder her for the next 30 minutes. I know she gets over it eventually and forgets but I hate her being cross with me, I was traipsing around after her trying to persuade her to take a piece of apple afterwards (she loves them normally) but she kept looking at it, looking at me, then sighing and walking away. I felt like the devil incarnate!!
 
Ha ha ha, one of my wee ones won’t come near me if I’m present when the vet does vaccinations, he’ll snatch a treat from a great distance stretching as far as he can to get it but really shows he is displeased with his horse slave. I always like to get hubby to hold him for vaccinations if I can then he hates hubby for a few days and comes to me for comfort ?
 
I see teddypops has already suggested it but try worming from the offside. It works like a charm on the few I’ve tried it on!
 
The Worming bit has been a god send for me.

One of my mares flat refuses
To comply with worming and won’t touch any food no matter how delicious with worming paste, graduals or liquid in it.
 
Only one of mine is an arse. Thankfully he is only 12.2hh so he gets rammed into a corner in the stable and put in a headlock. Then I can't catch him for a weel after ??? I have spent too many years worming all the horses at work, I know every trick in the book!

I also do it from the off side as I am not very well co-ordinated to do it from the near side.
 
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