Can't catch my pony!

Snowy Celandine

Snowy Celandine

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My inexperience is now starting to show because I took off my Highland's head collar last night and now I can't catch her! The Arab mare is very sweet and follows me around whenever I'm in the field but my pony has now decided that she much prefers to be feral. So what do I do? Please don't tell me I'm an idiot because I've already figured that one out - oops :o
 
Set up a small area of electric fencing as a pen, in a corner or by the gate.
Bribery...... offerings of a bucket etc, to entice her into pen.
Will prob need to get DH to hold other pony for you, in the pen. Once you get yours in, then close tape across and catch while her head is in bucket.
Worth trying x
 
Ignore her. Don't even look at her. Spend as much time as you can in the field and make a lot of fuss of the Arab. Sit and read, pull weeds, anything to make her notice you. When she finally comes over (which she will) get up and walk away! When she comes quicker start to talk to her and tell her how wonderful she is and work up to a little scratch. Do NOT try to catch or put a head collar on her until she is settled by you or she will laugh her socks off as she trots across the field kicking dust in your face. When you do have a headcollar on, then take it off again and walk away. She'll soon fathom out she is playing a losing game.
 
Take the Arab out of the field, give Arab nice groom and fuss and hopefully before you have even taken the brush out of the grooming box the Highland will be at the gate pleading to come in, if she does don't rush to go get her let her wait a bit, it can all become a bit of game, they wait at gate looking so sorry, you go to put head collar on and they trot off with almost a grin on their faces and that come and get me look :)
 
It took me ages to catch mine at first. He would come near, but as soon as I tried to fasten the headcollar, he was off.

I got headcollar & let it out to the very loosest hole, held a carrot & he put his head through the already done up headcollar & Boink, over his head while he ate the carrot & he was caught. Slipped the noseband on & tightened up the headpiece.

(I won't lie, it took me months to think of this idea, while he jollied about waving his hoof at me.)

ETA - even easier if you have a headcollar that buckles on the nose too.
 
I had a problem when I first got my new horse. He would always walk away from me, and if I followed he would trot or possibly even canter off. I knew he was testing me, since before I'd bought him he was fine to catch from the field.

When it started, I began by walking him down, but it never really got any better, he always made me work for it (and I him!) I didn't feel like I was making any progress with him.

In the end, I solved my problem with him by approaching him from the side, not from in front or behind, and walking slowly backwards. It caught his attention because it was unusual, but it wasn't at all threatening. I managed to get close enough to put the rope over his neck, which meant that he couldn't just walk away, and then put the headcollar on. Once it was on, a bit of carrot to say well done, and that was that. Since I started doing this, he is now really easy to catch.

Might be worth a try :)
 
Oh no!

I'd give the Arab a bucket with a bit of nothing much in it, with a bucket available to Nell, get the Arab into a routine of coming to the bucket. If Nell comes, she gets a bucket, when she is used to coming, put the bucket on the ground with the headcollar round it, pick up headcollar round head and fasten. This does work better, actually, with a traditional rope halter.

ETA, I bet she's saying "Did you come and see me every day, when I lived at the livery yard? No! So now I'm not coming to see you! Ours are terrible if one of us has been away overnight:D
 
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Every time you catch her give her a treat of some kind so she associates you catching her with treats and over time she will become easier to catch. As regards to actually catching her in the meantime catch the arab and give her treats etc and hopefully your pony should get 'jealous' however she's not aloud any until she has her headcollar on, try putting a treat underneath the headcollar so she has to put her nose through the hole to get it. If she is really easy to catch with a head collar on then buy a field safe one? hope this helps good luck.
 
Thanks everyone for not laughing too hard at my "misfortune" :D I will try the suggestions and, hopefully, get my nice, easy pony back again soon!! Orla the Arab has a wicked sense of humour it would seem because she fished Nells' head collar from under the fence where I'd slung it out of the way and went trotting round the field holding it in her teeth :p Perhaps I could train her to put it on for me? Ha ha.
 
Oh, the pain of this is so familiar! Boomerang was aptly named! He needed an empty field to come in, pita that was. Leave the head collar on with a short piece of rope when you do get her. It'll probably become easier once she's used to being caught by you. My horse is a trauma for others, the ym once took over an hour to get him and she had help!
 
melbournesunrise said:
In the end, I solved my problem with him by approaching him from the side, not from in front or behind, and walking slowly backwards.
Click to expand...

I had to do that with a loan horse I had for a trial! Would bog off and buck at me for looking in it's direction otherwise, needless to say that loan didn't go ahead haha!


OP, not really much help, but commiserating, my mare can be a complete ****** to catch, she's a fan of the 'walk off when you get within a few meters' game. If you try speed up to catch her, she'll do the same! I keep a field-safe headcollar on her and just keep walking her down. If she's being really stupid with it, I'll make her move on and make it work for her, she usually gives up after a bit of this.
 
Sorry SC but after you worried about the arab this is quite lol! :D

It's a native surely it will come for a bucket of grub? :p I'd essentially starve it out ;)
 
ester, I'm glad you can see the funny side of it, ha ha ha :p I managed to touch her briefly this morning and will definitely be using your tactics Tiddlypom. No more food unless she agrees to stop acting like a twerp!! I really need to put some fly gel on her face because she's covered in the things. The Arab is being a total sweetheart and accepts the yukky smelling gel with stoicism but the Scottish madam is having none of it!
 
Ladyinred said:
Ignore her. Don't even look at her. Spend as much time as you can in the field and make a lot of fuss of the Arab. Sit and read, pull weeds, anything to make her notice you. When she finally comes over (which she will) get up and walk away! When she comes quicker start to talk to her and tell her how wonderful she is and work up to a little scratch. Do NOT try to catch or put a head collar on her until she is settled by you or she will laugh her socks off as she trots across the field kicking dust in your face. When you do have a headcollar on, then take it off again and walk away. She'll soon fathom out she is playing a losing game.
Click to expand...

*THIS*

Had the same problem with one of mine when out in the field with others, once you ignore her and pay the other attention she will soon learn your not giving in.
 
Mine can be a pain to catch, and he's not at all food oriented. I've found if I chase him it takes about 40 minutes to catch him. What seems to work best as soon as he starts to move away from me I turn away and do something else, talk to another horse or pick some grass. I never let him get to the point where he's haring round the field. This seems to work for him and I've forthe catching down from 40 to 5 minutes
 
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