Welcome to the Needle Shyness Online Course. This video introduces the course, how it will work and how to access all the content.

In this lesson we examine outcome expectations, including expectations we may not be fully aware of, and the role these play in how we approach needle shyness, both in terms of strategy and mindset.

This lesson sets out prerequisites to successful use of needles, in terms of how your horse currently feels about all the ingredients and about training steps in helping them with these ingredients.

Your task for this module is to reflect on your outcome expectations for this course. Do you have structured goals or are you looking more for a change of feeling around needles? Can you start to uncover any stealth expectations? Are your expectations focused on your horse, yourself, or others involved? Either reflect on this privately or, if you are happy to, please do share on the Facebook discussion group or with me via email.

In this lesson we examine concepts in pain physiology that are relevant to needle shyness that can help to explain why needles are painful and why some horses genuinely find them more painful than others. We also explore concepts around the emotional and relational aspects of pain and how our actions are pivotal in how much the horse experiences discomfort and fear.

In this lesson we examine restraint and relationship with pressure and how this may have contributed to fear and trauma and ways we can start to establish agency and choice on the part of the horse to change their relationship with restraint and pressure.

In this lesson we look at possible underlying reasons for why some horses find needles truly very painful. We look at the neck, feet, teeth and jaw, and internal state in some detail. Please do contact me if you are concerned your horse may have an underlying health condition contributing to needle shyness and we can work out together how best to investigate this, especially when needle shyness often hampers veterinary diagnostic work-ups.

In this lesson we look at the role of trauma from both the horse and the human sides. If horses, owners, handlers or vets have had a previous experience that has resulted in trauma, this can cause needle shyness. If trauma is a factor, we will need to use a particularly tailored approach to helping with needle shyness.

In this lesson we look at how my approach for investigating what is going on physically, mentally and emotionally for horses can be used in the specific context of needle shyness. This involves distance observations, noticing aspects of our interactions with them, and exploring the horse’s body using two-way communication.

Your task for this module is to introduce yours and your horse’s background and share photos of your horse’s body and feet and a video of you examining their body. Please share in the Facebook discussion group or, if you would prefer not to there, share directly with me via email, Whatsapp, or a file sharing site like WeTransfer or MailBigFile.

In this lesson we look at the use of routine vaccinations in horses and why they are chosen. We explore how to make decisions about giving vaccinations, such as the differences between various types of vaccines, the frequency of administration, and options to make the process less aversive for your horse.

In this lesson we look at how microchips can be implanted to minimise the discomfort of the large-bore needle. We also cover handling aspects that are particularly pertinent to microchipping because these horses are most commonly youngsters.

In this lesson we look at blood sampling and giving medications intravenously, such as sedatives or lethal injection, and the placement of indwelling intravenous cannulas. We discuss the process of doing this, when this might be necessary, specific aspects of why horses might have had a bad experience with this in the past, and how to ensure this goes as smoothly as possible.

In this lesson we examine the use of nerve and joint blocks. These are usually done for diagnostic purposes in cases of lameness or poor performance. We discuss the process and requirements for this to go smoothly, and whether they are even always necessary for reaching a diagnosis or making a treatment plan.

In this lesson we cover some injectable medications that might be prescribed either for an acute problem for a short time, or more long term. We discuss how needle shyness might arise as a result of this, how this can be minimised, and some alternative plans of action.

Your task for this module is to share which type of needle use you are preparing for, or whether you are just preparing for needles generally. Also share whether you and your horse have had any previous bad experiences with needles and if so, what type of needle use this happened with.

This lesson covers anatomy of injection sites especially for intramuscular and intravenous injections, and covers microchip implantation considerations. Knowledge of injection site anatomy can help us to plan procedures in different individuals and figure out why needle shyness has developed in the first place.

In this lesson I show some aspects of injection technique that will help you to better prepare for injections or blood samples, to know what is involved to help the vet, or to give an intramuscular vaccine under veterinary supervision if this is needed. I also talk through some of the risks of giving injections and how to avoid these.

This short video shows you where to locate the jugular groove and vein and how to raise the vein. It demonstrates various differences in different horses including how a hypertonic brachiocephalicus muscle makes the groove and therefore the vein harder to see, and how clipped hair or fluffy hair makes a difference to the vet being able to easily locate the vein with a single needle attempt.

This video shows how to prepare a horse for using clippers, which will allow the vein to be visualised more clearly for intravenous needle use, the application of local anaesthetic cream before intravenous needle use, and makes the process cleaner and lower risk.

What is ethical behaviour modification? It is not quite the same as “training”. In this lesson I explain what I mean by ethical behaviour modification, foundational aspects of getting started with it, and the cooperative care techniques I have learned and developed to help needle shy horses.

This lesson introduces the learning quadrant and what constitutes R- or negative reinforcement training, sometimes also referred to as pressure and release training. We consider deeply the meaning of pressure and of release, and the level of motivation different horses have around these things. Then we examine how it applies to needle shyness in different unique horse-human combinations.

This lesson continues with the learning quadrant and what constitutes R+ or positive reinforcement training. Most often the form of this that is used is called clicker training. We look at motivation and some barriers that can sometimes seem to be in the way of starting or succeeding using positive reinforcement. Then we examine how it applies to needle shyness in different unique horse-human combinations.

This lesson looks deeper at horses’ relationship with pressure in general and then specifically in the context of using needles. It considers how horses perceive restraint and how we can reframe using pressure to communicate.

Your first task for this module is to practice achieving a head lower with your horse using pressure in perhaps a different way to how you have previously. The aim is to achieve the head lower with true learning and relaxation, and with the horse exploring the sensation of lowering their head, not as an evasion from pressure. This requires far more release than pressure.

This video shows you my start and end of session signals for training sessions involving hand feeding, empty hand signal, and some of the foundation R+ behaviours.

Your second task for this module is to explore your horse’s emotions around eating, and your emotions around your horse’s emotions around eating! This is an essential first step towards, and ongoing practice within, using food in training. Use food stations for distance observations of your horse and then introduce hand feeding using start and end of session signals.

In this lesson I introduce the concepts of resolving fear and trauma and of formal and informal start and end signals, which are the bases for my approach of Compassionate Implementation towards cooperative care procedures.

In this lesson I show a collection of short videos demonstrating various ways of using start and end signals to establish two-way communication.

This lesson sets out how to build and use a start button using positive reinforcement for giving an intramuscular injection, such as a vaccination.

Your first task for this module is to start building a cone touch behaviour using positive reinforcement. This video sets out some useful principles to follow in building this behaviour and preparing for it to be used in a cooperative care context.

In this lesson we recap the concept of formal and informal start and end buttons or signals (buttons and signals being interchangeable here, I sometimes use one and sometimes the other for some unknown reason!), then we look at how to increase criteria of the cone touch start button using positive reinforcement, both increasing duration and introducing novel sensation.

Your second task for this module is to add to your cone touch behaviour distraction and then touch, followed by novel sensation.

This lesson sets out how to build and use an anchor behaviour using positive reinforcement for intravenous needle use.

Your first task for this module is to start building a chin rest behaviour using positive reinforcement. This video sets out some useful principles to follow in building this behaviour and preparing for it to be used in a cooperative care context.

In this lesson we look at building a formal end signal in the form of ringing a bell (cute!), capturing a behaviour offered as a formal end signal, and responding to natural end signals. For a recap of the concepts of formal and informal start and end signals, see Methods for two-way communication from Module Four.

Your second task for this module is to add to your chin rest behaviour distraction and then touch, followed by novel sensation.

In this lesson we look at various things that may have come up if you have started to explore where your horse's needle shyness is coming from and tried implementing changes and perhaps hit some new things that need work.

In this lesson we go through some case examples of how you could go about addressing various stuck points in positive reinforcement scenarios of building cooperative care behaviours.

In this lesson we go through some case examples of how you could go about addressing various stuck points in negative reinforcement scenarios, including helping out by using positive reinforcement, and exploring relationship towards pressure.

This video shows how the start buttons and anchor behaviours we can build for cooperative care procedures can need to be rebuilt after needle use.

In this lesson we look at what we can do if there is a need for emergency or urgent needle use where we may not have had enough time to address deep rooted causes of needle shyness or establish a robust cooperative care basis.

This lesson looks at some options for preparing horses for containment, for example in stocks, for situations where restraint is needed. Preparation for this helps to reduce the possibility of trauma developing. Containment is needed in some cases to make the process safe and can ensure horses can have procedures done that are needed for their welfare.

This lesson goes through the use of different oral sedative options before a needle is used, and injectable sedation. It sets out the physical, behavioural, and emotional effects of the different options both at the time of administration and that last after their use.

In this lesson we look at relationship repair, a much-needed aspect of all relationships. We explore the possibility of needing to use needles where your horse still is not a willing participant and therefore the only option is to repair things afterwards. We explore cooperative care behaviours or related behaviours breaking down as a result of an aversive experience. And we look at forgiving ourselves for the experiences our horses have under our care.