Giving Shots To A Horse That Would Just As Soon Shoot You

One step at a time, every time, and over time. Horses hate the pain of the needle. They quickly learn to associate a series of sights, sounds and smells with that pain. When a shot is administered quickly enough the pain is minimal. The catch is to get past the terror induced by the sounds, sights, and smells that come first.

The vet very rarely comes to our horse lot, mainly for innoculations and once every year or two for a call involving injury or illness. Even that being the case I have a few horses that tense up at the sound of the vet's truck, get wired at the sight of the truck and become pumped with fear when they smell the medications kept aboard the truck.

A horse that cannot be given a shot safely is a danger to himself. A medical emergency might require a shot and a terrified horse who is already injured can make the situation much worse by flailing and fighting.

The best thing that I have found to teach a horse to relax to be given a shot is to give the horse daily, needle free, injections until it does not react at all.

First acclimate the horse to eating from your hand. (Don't buy expensive "treats". Use black oil sunflower seeds.)Get a syringe from your local feed store. Remove the needle. Let the horse smell the syringe. He likely will blow up at this point. Expose him to the syringe and give him sunflowers as he settles down, just a few at a time. Use the syringe as a small brush and rub it on the area where the shot will be given. Continue desensitizing with the syringe every day until you work up a routine of being able to approach the horse and give a simulated, needle free shot to the area to be actually injected one day. Every time the horse relaxes give a few more sunflowers.

Of course, this will never work if one approaches the hoses in tiny, shuffling fear filled steps. The trainer must relax first. Then the horse can relax. Make the syringe and simulated injections regular part of grooming. Keep a syringe in with your brushes.

Keep in mind that a needle phobic horse can be dangerous during this training. Be alert. Be prepared to move and protect yourself. One can be alert without showing fear.

In fact, safety demands it.