Cant bring my horse in from the feild

[Antonia]

Hi i need help .
I have worked with hundreds of horses before in previous jobs . I now no longer work with horses but i got given an ex race horse about 12 months ago .
Had a few teething problems but nothing major after a few months he had good manners and was great to do in all ways , i point to pointed him and hunted him and he was amazing . I turned him away in a field with about 6 other horses about 3 months ago for a well deserved rest and to fatten up.

I now want to start getting him back in a routine and bring him in every day and bring him back into work .
So i can catch him no problem but as soon as i get so far away from the other horses he is up in the air spins and bolts .
He has never been a clingy horse and i know that having 3 months out with others he will be a bit 'feral' but the is getting silly now.

My partner can get him in because the horse know he can hold onto him and wont let go , and he knows that im not strong enough.

I have tried ignoring him and just looking ahead and keep walking , i have tried being firm , and ive tried being soft and rewarding him when he does as should , the trouble is he doesn't !

I don't want to use a bridle or anything like that.

Any advice please help .

 

[Doormouse]

Why do you not want to use a bridle? Surely if the bridle enables you to hold on to him then that is the simple answer?

You could try a dually headcollar which provides a bit more pull than a normal headcollar but they do need to understand how it works for it to be effective. You could also use a chain threaded from the offside headcollar side ring, under his chin to the near side head collar side ring, this will give you more control but can be too harsh for some horses. Another option is a chiffney, again a great tool in the right hands but very severe if used incorrectly.

All the above may will help but I would be concerned about him getting loose with any of them on in case he stepped on his leadrope. Having said that, if it is a simple case of him knowing he can get away from you in a head collar, once you have something stronger he may not bother to do it.

 

[whiteroom]

Might I suggest that you and your plus one bring him in together, you lead as normal by his shoulder and OH the other side with a loose contact.... until he tries to toddle off. I would almost give him the chance to be naughty and then correct him.

My horse does this after a holiday so strategies have been worked on!

 

[Barnacle]

I would start leading him around close to the other horses at a distance he doesn't have a problem with and reward him every now and then. Then gradually increase the distance, not aiming directly for the gate. Might do it over several days.

I'd also bring a lungeline and start lunging in the field around the others. Then stop for a bit and just lead some distance. Stop, go back to nearish the others and lunge. And repeat until walking away is a "break" from "work". Then start varying how far I lead him or where exactly I'm lunging until you're in control over the whole paddock. Again, might do it over a few days... Particularly if you reward him after leading him some distance away, he should start wanting to follow you around anyway.

 

[EQUIDAE]

I had a yearling like this (expected to make 17h2) - it took two leading him for a short while, and then me leading him with the rope over his nose to snap him out of the habit. The trick is not to set them up to fail - if you need to use a bridle to bring him in, use a bridle. It doesn't have to be forever.