Back to Basics forward when he does well . It can make the horses ’ neck sore to keep it to the side too long so give him breaks , switch sides , and practice the same lessons on the other side . Rub his cheeks , nose , mouth , etc . and when he is comfortable with that start rubbing the sides of his lips where the wormer will be going .
Use extreme caution when working around the horses ’ mouth that you do not place your fingers where they could be easily bitten . There is a gap between the incisors and molars that has no teeth . It is also where the bit rests . This is the only place you should put your fingers actually into their horses ’ mouth . If you choose to do so , the horse will try to spit your finger / hand out with his tongue . Use extreme caution that you do not allow him to draw your finger / hand into his teeth where he could mistakenly bite them .
Place your right arm under the horses ’ head and bring your right hand to the spot your left hand had been on the bridge of the horses ’ nose . Now with your left hand carefully rub the insides of the lips and while lifting the lip out of the way with your right had , rub the outsides of his bars and gums until he is comfortable . Take small steps and if you meet a lot of resistance go back to a point the horse is comfortable and start back at that point and move forward slower .
When the horse is comfortable with one finger , move to two , then three , and so on until the horse will allow you to place your entire hand in his mouth at his bars , staying relaxed and calm . Your horse should also allow you to hold his tongue to the side of his mouth as well . When you place your hand , at the bars , into his mouth , he will try to spit it out , gently take his tongue and pull it out to the side .
We have now taught the horse to accept us working around and in his mouth and we are ready to introduce the worming tools . We will start with an empty wormer syringe . Bring the horses head into position in front of you and take the empty syringe and begin by rubbing it all over the horses ’ face , mouth and lips . When he is quiet for that , rub the syringe along the inside of the lips where it will be used later . When the horse is calm with that , insert the syringe into the horse ’ s mouth as if you were going to administer the wormer and push the plunger . Continue with this until the horse accepts the empty wormer .
Now find a paste substitute that your horse likes such as syrup , applesauce , baby food , etc . Place a small amount into the wormer syringe and administer it to the horse . Do this daily until the horse looks forward to the wormer . Now we are ready to pull a fast one on them . Take your wormer and without hesitation , administer it to the horse . Later that day dose him again with the substitute that he likes . If he is hesitant back up until he is calm and administer the substitute until he looks forward to it again . The next time you are ready to worm him , go in with the wormer and administer with out hesitation .
Jodi Wilson is a recognized authority on the subject of horse training and has spent almost 30 years developing training techniques and solutions for horse owners no matter the discipline or breed .
Jodi is an Accredited Josh Lyons trainer , and is Certified in John Lyons training techniques . Her website , [
http :// Jodi-Wilson . com ], provides a wealth of information to improve the relationship between horse and rider . Jodi is also available for clinics and demonstrations as well as lessons , apprenticeships , and horse training .
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