Training helps Jacko combat needle nerves

Sixteen-year-old Jacko, who lives at our Woods Farm in Devon, became panicky and unpredictable in his behaviour whenever our Veterinary team attempted to administer intravenous medication or sedation.

Equine Behaviourist Kerry Layton-Hill was assigned to help Jacko and has spent the last year and a half providing expert guidance to his groom Georgie Ashton.

Kerry says: “Jacko is a very friendly donkey and enjoys human interaction with his grooms, yet became a completely different donkey when faced with the prospect of being injected.”

A tailored plan

To help Jacko battle his fear, Kerry crafted a tailored behaviour shaping plan, primarily focused on Jacko’s nervousness around new people and needles.

This plan focused on a step-by-step behaviour shaping method that builds confidence through rewards and reassurance.

Kerry adds: “Our end goal was for Jacko to stand quietly and allowing an intravenous (IV) injection; a procedure that requires precision to locate the vein in the donkey’s neck and calmness from the donkey.

“Before that could happen, he needed to feel comfortable with smaller steps – such as having two people near him (the vet and a groom holding him) and being approached with a syringe.

“Each time Jacko stood calmly for a stage, no matter how small, he was rewarded with something he loved – ginger biscuits.

“By reinforcing these positive experiences, Jacko began to learn that the presence of multiple people and veterinary handling didn’t need to be scary.”

Taking small steps

Jacko’s training began in October 2023, with Georgie spending a few weeks getting to know him as she was new to the team at Woods.

With a dental appointment looming just six months down the line, an initial aim was set by Kerry, Georgie and our Veterinary team; help teach Jacko to stand calmly for an intramuscular (IM) injection.

Similar to IV injection, the IM procedure requires less precision as it takes place in the donkey’s neck muscle instead of a vein.

It also can be carried out by a standing vet (IV injections are usually administered from a crouched position as the attending vet needs to locate the vein before the injection is carried out).

Kerry explains: “At the beginning of the training, Jacko would display nervousness when he saw a second person approaching. He would also move away and become visibly tense at the sight of the needle and syringe.

“To help him adapt to the situation, we first started using desensitisation; the second person would just stand about five metres away initially while the other handler rewarded for him remaining calm and still.

“We then moved on to approach and touch. Gradually, the second person would take a step closer, and would gradually build this up until they would stand next to him. Jacko was again rewarded for remining still.

“The second person then built up to stroking his neck.”

Similar techniques were used to help Jacko remain calm around needles and syringes. Georgie would show Jacko the instruments, while another groom rewarded him for remaining calm and still.

Once Jacko had adapted to being touched by Georgie while she held the syringe, it was time for pressure training.

An image of a women standing next to a brown donkey wearing a blue head collar in a large outdoor field with green fields in the background. — Jacko with Groom Georgie Ashton at Woods Farm.

Building Jacko’s confidence

At first, Georgie gently pressed into the part of Jacko’s neck that would be injected and once he remained calm, copied the action with a capped syringe.

The desensitisation process was then repeated with one of the Veterinary team members.

Desensitisation is a behaviour modification technique that is used to help donkeys become less fearful of something they find scary.

“The method works by gradually exposing them to the thing that is scary in a controlled, calm and positive way,” Kerry says. “It begins at a level that does not cause a fear response.

“Gradually, the donkeys learn that nothing bad happens in the presence of that object and actually they get something positive from it; in Jacko’s case it was a food reward.

“This alters the emotional response as Jacko now associates the syringe with something positive, rather than a threat or discomfort.”

Five months of regular training had taught Jacko that multiple people weren’t scary and the needle and syringe weren’t a threat.

Kerry adds: “When it comes to behaviour training, there is no overnight fix – instead, we strive for the small successes that we build on when they arrive.”

Overcoming his fears

In April 2024, six months after his training began, IM sedation was successfully carried out on Jacko at his dental examination.

Kerry says: “Although Jacko had been responding well to training, he was still nervous on the day. Thankfully, he didn’t get to the point where he wanted to run away.

“He was still tense when he could see the needle and syringe, but remained in place and accepted food rewards as the procedure was carried out”

In the year following his IM injection, Jacko’s training continued ahead of his IV injection, which took place in March 2025.

Kerry adds: “We put Jacko on a similar shaping plan to the IM injection one. In this plan, we handled his neck more and helped him remain calm while people crouched around him.

“We also practiced staying calm in different environments and with different members of the Veterinary team to help build his confidence in different scenarios.

“I’m delighted that all of this work paid off in March, when Jacko stood calmly for an IV injection for his dental examination!”

Continued training

Jacko’s training is continuing as Kerry wants to ensure that he continues to have positive experiences with needles and syringes outside of any veterinary examinations.

This will help Jacko remain calm and confident when future dentals take place.

“Jacko needed us to understand him and help him to feel safe,” Kerry adds. “I am very thankful to Georgie and the Veterinary team for their time and patience with him.