By popular request following my recent injection training post, I’m sharing a video below of a live demonstration showing how I use positive reinforcement to teach a horse to stand cooperatively for injections.

I often perform both IM and IV injections on my own horses without a halter or lead — so yes, this really does work.

In this clip, I’m demonstrating IM only. IV is simply a small variation on the same thoughtful process.

Please forgive the camera angle — it isn’t ideal — but what you can clearly see is a simple and brilliant protocol (credit to Dr. Lore Haug, DVM).

The horse in this video is owned by Dr. Jessica Loyd, DVM.

I reinforce him through three distinct steps:

1️⃣ Hand on neck
(You’ll hear me say both “neck” and “hand” in the video — that was my error. I was definitely nervous in front of the crowd. Choose one cue and stay consistent.)

2️⃣ Pinch the skin

3️⃣ Poke

At first, “poke” is barely a touch — sometimes not even that. Over time, it becomes more realistic, ...