Re: [RC] Horse Won't Accept Syringe - Sisu West Ranch
What you need is some Apple Sauce and a John Lyons
approach.
1. Catch him
2. Holding on to the lead rope or better yet
halter, produce the syringe from a back pocket. When he reacts immediately
hide it again.
3. Repeat until he will not jump at just seeing
the syringe appear. This should take less than 10
minutes.
4. The next night do the same thing, but bring the
syringe a little closer. Again stop when you have made a bit of progress
(even an inch is enough).
5. When you can bring the syringe up and touch the
horse on the neck, work slowly towards the lips.
6. When you can touch the horse on the lips with
no reaction (this may take as long as a week or two), smear applesauce on the
syringe and quickly deposit a bit between the lips.
7, In a day or so you will be able to get the tip
of the syringe between the lips and squirt applesauce.
8. Then don't squirt until he opens his
mouth. Every day insist he open more to get the treat. In a few days
he will be running over to get his treat.
The key is to stop the scary/hated stimulus before
he panics or starts to fight. Every day you do just a little bit
more. If a horse is really upset with a syringe, you may have to have a
friend approach with it and stop at the distance (10 feet or whatever) where the
agitation starts.
I personally believe that part of the key is a
short (less than 10 minutes, even 5 minutes is enough) lesson, repeated every
day. Note if you have the time you can do short sessions separated by a
few hours, but I find that once a day is easier to do
consistently.
I was told of this method in an informal clinic by
John Lyons when he happened to be visiting my vet in MN.
Ed
Ed & Wendy Hauser 2994 Mittower
Road Victor, MT 59875
