Any tips for haltering a yearling?

[msparrow91]

I have a yearling who has decided she no longer wants to be caught. When first got her as a weanling she would be caught so easily and stand nice and take the halter. Currently I am in university and when fall/winter came along I didn't have as much time to go out and see her. Now she has decided that she just will not be caught and not just by me, she also will not allow the barn staff to catch her either. She will come to me as soon as I come into her paddock and sniff at me and take my treats but will not let me scratch or pet her and will definitely not allow me to put the halter on. Anybody have any tips or tricks for me? I should probably also mention that she has a buddy in the paddock with her.

 

[Dry Rot]

Probably not the recommended way and someone will explain a better method to head collar a head shy horse, but I get them inside and then apply GENTLE restraint by dropping a non-slip noose on the end of a long rope over their heads with a long stick (like the Mongols use to catch a horse!). BTW, we have a slippery yachting rope for such purposes. Once they feel the pressure of the rope, they seem to calm down and I can usually quietly inch my way up and put the head collar on. I've tried approach-and-retreat but without much success and I am not a fan of leap-and-grab! Once they are head collared, you at least have a starting point from which to teach pressure-and-release and work on the catching! On this, we teach them that they get a slice of carrot if we can take hold on the head collar and it is quite amusing seeing them pushing their heads forward asking you to take hold so they can get their reward!

A slower way is to desensitise the horse while it's head is in a bucket. Very gently handling around the head with your hand every day. Then rubbing with the head collar. But by the time you've picked the head collar off the ground for the 1,000ths time when the horse has flicked it off at the 11th hour as you're trying to do up the buckle, you might agree that the method above, although not ideal, does mean you both retain your sanity!

 

[Fides]

Stop with the treats. Treat her only after she has been caught. Put aside several hours and just persist. I've been there myself and it us very frustrating I always put the lead rope over their neck first. If need be you can then put it over their nose and fashion a make do halter until you get the headcollar on.

 

[montanna]

Stop with the treats. Treat her only after she has been caught. Put aside several hours and just persist. I've been there myself and it us very frustrating I always put the lead rope over their neck first. If need be you can then put it over their nose and fashion a make do halter until you get the headcollar on.

This. You must not let her win!

Does she let you catch her once her buddy has been caught?

I used to catch my mare with the help of some electric tape to corral her in to a corner.

 

[Dry Rot]

It might be easier to catch her using a rope halter. I was assuming she was totally heady shy. A rope head collar can be dropped over the neck with the right hand at the same instant the horse is fed a treat with the left hand in one smooth movement, as in this video:

[youtube]RzvqQTCClew[/youtube]