Tonight is the scheduled worming of Barb’s horses. This is an interesting experience for me, as I’ve not participated in worming before, although I have read about it.

The ivermectin gel wormer is packaged in a syringe. To administer the wormer, the syringe (without a needle) is inserted through the dental space, and the gel is squirt onto the tongue at the back of the horse’s mouth. The horse’s head is then held in an elevated position so the gel can’t be spat out, while gently stroking the throat to encourage swallowing.

All of Barb’s horses cooperate without a problem – except for Xena.

Administering the wormer requires that Barb control the horse’s head by holding the halter quite firmly. Barb has learned from experience that Xena has an exteme reaction to being restrained in this way. Instead, Barb mixes Xena’s ivermectin with a handful of sweet feed and enough molassas to soak the mixture. A few carrots are thown in for good measure. 20 minutes later Xena has licked the surface of the grain but eaten only about 50%, so more molasses is added.

Feeding the ivermectin gets the job done, but requires supervision and there’s a risk of wasting medication and under-medicating Xena. If she refuses to eat the sweet feed, there are few other options.

At Barb’s suggestion, I’ve added worming to Xena’s growing list of basic handling skills.

“Isolate, Separate and Recombine” – Pat Parelli

Teaching Xena to Accept Worming by Syringe

• Break the procedure down to it’s simplest parts.

• Teach Xena each part in isolation, and then slowly add parts together.

• Use the magic of 7 sessions for each part if necessary, knowing that repetition and consistency are meaningful for her.

• Use approach & retreat, patience and love, with the understanding that worming may take a while for her to accept.

• Note to Self:  Don’t Get Bit!