Mike... You got the cart before the horse! <grin>
First teach your horse to drop his head with pressure on the poll. Once he will readily do that, teach him to do "head huggies". Put your right arm over his head, using your bicep to put pressure on the poll. Don't use your armpit, because he can lift you off the ground if you do that! While you have his head down with your right arm, put your fingers in the corners of his mouth with your left hand. Play around in there a lot till he's comfortable with you doing that. Repeat, reversing the left and right arm. Once he accepts this, start using a syringe with honey in it...just a little..instead of your fingers. Massage it around in his mouth. Pretty soon, he gets used to the syringe, the playing around, and the sweet taste of the honey. He will look forward to that. Then do it WITHOUT the head huggies, but asking him to do it with pressureon the poll. Once he accepts that, you can syringe him with most anything and he won't care. Both my guys, just accept that like picking up feet! <grin> It ain't what you use in the syringe, it's how you do it! Jim, Sun of Dimanche, and Mahada Magic Mike Sofen wrote: > > My attempt to "syringe train" (for electrolytes and wormers) my new horse > failed dismally today, because I attempted to use, of all things, applesauce > as the syringe coating and filler. He didn't like it. > > Huh? What horse in their right mind wouldn't like applesauce? My approach > to this was to be first coating a finger with it, getting him used to and > happy with fingers on his gums and bars and tongue, then switch to a syringe > and just continue desensitizing him with the applesauce coming out of the > syringe. Didn't want anything to do with it. > > Those of you who have actually been through the process of syringe > training - what worked for you? This is a green horse, 3 months under > saddle, broke to a hackamore, definitely not very happy having my fingers in > or near his mouth. He's had recent full dental work, so that isn't an > issue. > > Mike Sofen > > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= > Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. > Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp > =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= -- Richard T. "Jim" Holland Three Creeks Farm 175 Hells Hollow Drive Blue Ridge, GA 30513 (706) 258-2830 FAX (706) 632-1271 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
