A weanling that accepts veterinary handling cooperatively is not only safer for the veterinarian and handler during examinations — it is healthier in the long run, because a horse that cannot be examined, injected, or treated without a battle often receives less thorough veterinary care as a result of the difficulty. Teaching weanlings to accept veterinary handling is a direct contribution to their long-term health and welfare.
The most important veterinary handling skills to establish in the weanling year include accepting injections in the neck without resistance — which means the weanling must accept a firm pinch of skin on the neck, then tapping, then the quick sensation of a needle, without throwing the head or striking. This is taught through systematic desensitization: regular gentle pinching and tapping on the neck until the weanling stands quietly regardless of what happens in that area.
Accepting oral deworming paste — or at least a syringe of applesauce as a training substitute — without throwing the head and backing violently is another practically important skill. Weanlings are typically wormed for the first time within weeks of birth, and a foal that has been accustomed to having a syringe placed in the corner of the mouth as part of regular handling accepts deworming without drama.
Standing quietly for temperature taking, gum and mucous membrane examination, leg palpation, eye examination, and basic vital signs assessment are all skills that make veterinary calls faster, safer, and more thorough. A weanling that stands calmly for all of these procedures requires nothing more than the regular desensitization work that good basic handling already provides.