Horse question

[FarmGirl01]

I had a hard time worming one of my mules. One day the farrier showed me a little trick.
Before, I would always try to hold the head low so I could reach his mouth. Of course, he would throw his head up when the tube got close to his mouth.
The farrier told me to stand beside him. His neck to my shoulder. With my free arm I would hold his head up as high as I could and put the tube in. He would raise up his head, as usual, but he couldn't go any higher. He never thinks to lower his head to get away from me. It works every time.
I never thought to put the wormer in feed before. Sounds like it works for you.

 

[FunnyFarmer]

My mare is an absolute greedy-guts, so believe me she eats every bit of her feed even with the wormer in it. It's no big deal to stand there and supervise so that she doesn't finish hers and go run the donkey off from his! Thanks for all the suggestions!

 

[Appytaz]

I had a problem with Taz not liking the wormer tube (and he still doesn't) but I usually put his halter on and stand next to him and just hold the tube and halter in the same hand. I then use a finger on the other hand to stick in the corner of his mouth and just "play" with him. Tickle his tongue ect. Then I switch hands with the tube and he has the wormer before he realizes it. Taz is not "bad" about taking it - he is just taller than I am and he knows it. He has no problem lifting his heading and saying "whatcha gonna do about it shorty??"

 

[patandchickens]

For problem horses, really you need to either desensitize them to the whole thing (the idea of dipping the tube in honey, or filling it with applesauce, or wahtever, and doing it *every day*), or if you don't want to do that (or own one of the one in five hundred or so horses who are just too paranoid for it to work) you have to develop the paste-wormer version of how good vets give shots... just handle the horse casually as if nothing is going to happen and then with no notice suddenly there is a tube in his cheek for an instant and then it's over before he knew what happened

Ideally of course every horse would be like my LippX who thinks wormer is a tasty treat and tries to suck the tube itself out of your hand to get the last bits of goodness out of it

Pat

 

[skirbo]

If nothing else anyone has suggested works, they do sell packages of once a month wormer pellets that are flavored. There are also daily wormers that are used as a supplement to the food, but I think you are supposed to worm with paste once or twice a year with those anyway.

Sarah

 

[Rhett&SarahsMom]

remember the "old days" when the vet would come and tube worm the horses? Oh now that was a blast.

did I just really age myself?

 

[patandchickens]

I sure remember it, and I expect there are still a few horses out there who remember it too. Whoever invented paste wormers should have a statue somewhere

Pat

 

[lizardz]

Rhett&SarahsMom :

remember the "old days" when the vet would come and tube worm the horses? Oh now that was a blast.

did I just really age myself?

You made me laugh remembering this. I had an old QH mare that HATED any kind of worming - mix the powder in her feed, she would snort really hard and blow it all out; mix it with molasses, wouldn't eat it. Finally had the vet out to tube her. He started by standing next to her, then he climbed into the bed of the truck, then onto the hood of the truck. She just kept raising her head higher and higher (I guess she was part giraffe, too). He never did get her tubed.

Finally just decided it was too much work and she was never wormed again.
Liz​