Worming a right moody mare!

horselady said:
Hi all,
My mare needs worming and I sense trouble on the horizon. How do would you worm a difficult horse?
Click to expand...

If you think it will be tricky ask your instructor or someone less involved to do it, most are fine if you don't expect trouble, get on with it without faffing and if they are not given time to become suspicious, once they "know" something is happening a novice owner will probably have lost the chance to do it so best left to the experienced person in the first place.

If they prove really difficult some will happily eat it in a tasty feed but I would always try to syringe it first.
 
Have the correct dose measured and take the cap off the syringe. Put it in your pocket. Put your mare's head collar on and then don't faff. Put the syringe into the corner of her mouth and push the plunger. Hold her head up with your hand under her jaw.
 
eggs said:
Have the correct dose measured and take the cap off the syringe. Put it in your pocket. Put your mare's head collar on and then don't faff. Put the syringe into the corner of her mouth and push the plunger. Hold her head up with your hand under her jaw.
Click to expand...
the second most things go in her mouth it is bitten to pieces and swallowed. Including but not limited to: Tape measure, bailing twine she found and part of a haynet.
 
I prepare them for a few days by shoving a thumb in the corner of the mouth then rewarding with something like a polo. On W day, have the syringe ready as above, do the thumb a couple of times and next time make it the syringe. Right to the back and shove the plunger very quickly before they have time to realise it is different.
You will get the Death Stare afterwards lol
Or you could use the tablets - mine accepted them quite well
 
Tried all of the desensitisation suggested above with my wb mare but she used to box your ears with her front hooves so is went in feed. No stress and she was non the wiser.
 
I've tried adding it to feed, mainly successful but now and again it didn't go too well so I fed a few polos in the corner of my boys mouth as he used to chuck his front legs up, as soon as he realised that was ok I could put the syringe in without any problem as long as I was quick.
 
Slightlyconfused said:
Tried all of the desensitisation suggested above with my wb mare but she used to box your ears with her front hooves so is went in feed.
Click to expand...

It isn't so much desensitisation as reinforcement training, hence the treat as soon as it is accepted. I reckoned if staff at a zoo could train a chimp in this way to stick his arm out through the bars for his daily injection wormer into a horse should be easy peasy.

Depends on the wormer (Pramox is very bitter tasting so the manufacturers tell me, no, I haven't tasted it lol) but I have given some slightly more palatable ones in between two slices of bread
 
Slightlyconfused said:
Tried all of the desensitisation suggested above with my wb mare but she used to box your ears with her front hooves so is went in feed. No stress and she was non the wiser.
Click to expand...

She is a really good doer so has no other feed apart from hay as the grass is very good quality. Could I inject it into an apple or something?
 
If you haven't even tried yet, you're setting yourself up for failure by expecting her to be difficult! It's all very well us telling you to just get it done though, as your previous threads do suggest that she isn't the most mannerly of creatures - I'd recommend getting someone experienced and quick to do it for you, so you can see how she is going to react, and how best to tackle her!
 
We use an easiwormer with our tricky mare, you'd think after 13 years she would have worked it out by now :p.
 
Auslander said:
If you haven't even tried yet, you're setting yourself up for failure by expecting her to be difficult! It's all very well us telling you to just get it done though, as your previous threads do suggest that she isn't the most mannerly of creatures - I'd recommend getting someone experienced and quick to do it for you, so you can see how she is going to react, and how best to tackle her!
Click to expand...
Maybe that's a good idea! Her manners have actually got loads better as I got a trainer out after she nearly broke my farrier into pieces when he tried to trim her feet.
 
There's a post going around Facebook at the moment, where you hollow out a carrot or parsnip and insert the syringe into one end. Offer it to the horse and press the plunger. I'm not sure how effective it is though, or how much wormer would be left in the vegetable afterwards.
 
Try worming her from the opposite side to what you would normally, this has worked well for me as my very feisty pony doesn't expect it!
 
teddypops said:
Try worming her from the opposite side to what you would normally, this has worked well for me as my very feisty pony doesn't expect it!
Click to expand...

It can be this simple! My friend's pony has been wormed from the right for the last 5 years LMAO ... From the left no chance. From the right pony doesn't seem to notice until it's too late.

I should add that wormer flavours have improved so much in recent years. For a horse that isn't fed, a handful of chaff can come across as the most amazing treat, even when it's laced with wormer.
 
I have semi-feral ponies to worm. Element of surprise works well at times. I have one that is very mouthy and stupidly easy to worm, she literally sucks it out (mind you she is a bit daft anyway). The easiest way to avoid stress or injury is just to give a small feed of chaff with apple/carrot added as a treat with wormer mixed in. Best to water it as it will "blob" up so that bit may get left!

Anyone else find that the demise of Strongid granules was irritating?
 
Last edited:
I once had an awful one to worm. I got a couple of carrots and put them in the side of his mouth (where you would put the wormer), let him eat in them in turn then poked the wormer in...done! If you know what I mean? He thought it was another carrot.
 
Wormer sandwich has worked for one or two of mine in the past, as long as it isn't Pramox (tastes bitter I am told). Get her used to eating a little bread for a day or two first. Or Equest tablets are usually readily accepted.
And for future times, get her used to having a syringe of apple puree from time to tie, until she is almost asking you to syringe her
 
I woudn't recommend hiding it in a carrot or apple, I tried this with one of mine and she ate the apple then spat out the wormer a good few minutes later, all over the floor, bit of a waste. I would go with the element of surprise approach. I also worm mine after riding when they are just settling down for a snooze after working. I give them a couple of treats then pretend I am packing up to leave, then a quick move to get the syringe in the mouth before they have time to react. Another couple of treats so all is forgiven and all done. Whatever you do, don't start hesitating or overthinking it, that's when the shenanigans begin.
 
I've found I'm best off just getting on with it. The more I fussed the sillier they acted. Last time, I pre-set the amount, popped the cap off out of sight, then wandered up with it behind my back, smoothly wrapped my spare hand around their muzzles and went straight in with the wormer, stuck half my arm in their gobs as far back as I could, squirted it and removed it, with a pat afterwards. This was loose in the field, so they barely had time to register what was going on to protest it!
 
Mine's terrible to worm with a syringe so I just dump the contents into a small feed. He eats it every time. In the fairly recent past I have blindfolded him so he couldn't see what was coming, and it worked, but I really can't be bothered any more when he will just eat it in a feed. In the distant past I got hold of a spent worming syringe and coated it in lick (the molassed type) and just got him licking it off and then progressing to shoving the whole thing in the corner of his mouth. Then when I was going to worm for real I coated the real syringe in lick and whacked it in his chops. I did find that I lapsed somewhat in the maintenance of this training so he became difficult again, so I would be sure to keep going with it if I were to do it again. Although like I said, nowadays it goes straight in his food. I like a stress-free existence.

If you want to do some "proper" training Warwick Davis on Youtube has a good video on training the difficult horse to worm nicely. Hope you find something that works for you, there are some good suggestions on this thread.
 
Hubby's ID mare once spat her wormer into my eye :( :( so on a safety first basis, I normally try to put the wormer into their feed. Wormed four this way a fortnight ago, three ate it immediately, one initially nibbled at her feed, but had finished it by the next morning. The fifth is at grass so got it via syringe.

Fiona
 
I get my friend to do it; she just matches up pops the syringe in and presses before the horse has chance to realise what's happening. I faff about to much and miss the surprise window of opportunity. I think the key is prepare and pounce :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top