catching a horse that won't be caught

[azouria]

The last few months, Red has the odd days where he decides that he doesn't want to come in to be ridden. This is particularly impractical because I only have a limited amount of time to ride at the moment due to exams - I spent 2 and a half hours chasing him around his field (which has been fenced so that it is not even that big at the moment!) before giving up.

We've tried tiring him out, cornering him with a lunge line, going with nuts etc but nothing seems to work. When he gets in that mood food becomes uninteresting. He completely susses what you are doing and will come close sometimes, but as soon as you go to grab his headcollar (which he is out in) he pulls back and gallops off.

He has to be ridden at all different times of day (depending on when I can do), so it's not practical to feed him when he comes in.

So, anyone have any suggestions? I was really at my wits end today after 5 of us tried and failed to catch him, it's just so frustrating.


*he also has no interest if you sit on the floor. He just ignores you and walks off - he's quite antisocial haha

 

[Crazy_cat_lady]

I know the feeling- see my thread from earlier!
I agree it is so frustrating!

 

[azouria]

I know the feeling- see my thread from earlier!
I agree it is so frustrating!

It's just horrible. And I hate giving up because then it's like he's won!
I would have gone back this evening to try again but I just have so much work to do that it's a loosing battle.

I'll go and check out your thread and see if there's anything I can try!

 

[tallyho!]

Lol!! I wouldn't be caught either if I was your horse. It's all work, work, work with you. Nothing is ever pleasant when you are around. When you turn up, I will know that I'm going to have work like a dog and then all I get is a slap on the bum and I get put back in my square.

Harrumph... it's a dogs life.....

If only you would just treat me like the gawjus horse that I am and give me treats and rubs and stuff for a change and just appreciate me for me, then maybe I wouldn't give you the run-around so much.

You clearly just see me as a workhorse... I feel really quite mad at you for that.

Lots of love,

Hoss.

 

[azouria]

Lol!! I wouldn't be caught either if I was your horse. It's all work, work, work with you. Nothing is ever pleasant when you are around. When you turn up, I will know that I'm going to have work like a dog and then all I get is a slap on the bum and I get put back in my square.

Harrumph... it's a dogs life.....

If only you would just treat me like the gawjus horse that I am and give me treats and rubs and stuff for a change and just appreciate me for me, then maybe I wouldn't give you the run-around so much.

You clearly just see me as a workhorse... I feel really quite mad at you for that.

Lots of love,

Hoss.

Paha, he actually quite enjoys working once he's in (he gets in a right grump if he's not ridden), and we were going to go for a nice hack to the park today

 

[charleysummer]

I didnt realise how annoying this was until I was asked to ride a friend's horse.. I just stood inthe middle of the field hopelessly watching a big muscley eventer charge around - It is a game to him and he squeals and runs around until hes decided hes had enough fun and will then happily be caught!! !

The worst thing was that i'd arranged for my sister to go to the yard where my pony is kept and wait for me to arrive so I could help her catch and tack up my pony and we could ride together.. by the time I'd caught this horse, my sister had already managed to tack up my easy to catch mare and ride up to me!

I find the more clever horses are harder to catch- my mare is thick and always comes trotting up, even if she's just been ridden- however the more clever horses i've ridden will play games and be a total pain in the butt- In fact, my horse was kept in with this clever eventer when we were at the same yard- and he would chase her around so I couldn't catch her! :O

 

[tallyho!]

Oh yippeeee, a hack. I'll carry you all the way to park and back, don't mind me

In all honesty, I do believe all horses are enjoying the long daylight hours and general better weather (unless you are in Bath where it is tipping down) so really given the choice, they would choose not to work.

Next time, try just following him around and chasing him off when he goes to run, as if it were your idea and you will eventually get close. This technique takes a while though but worth it in the long run as he will realise that the sooner he gets out and does his job, the sooner he can come back and chill out.

Infact, if you do a search, lots of better explanations than the one I gave above but it has worked for me for many years.

 

[azouria]

Oh yippeeee, a hack. I'll carry you all the way to park and back, don't mind me

In all honesty, I do believe all horses are enjoying the long daylight hours and general better weather (unless you are in Bath where it is tipping down) so really given the choice, they would choose not to work.

Next time, try just following him around and chasing him off when he goes to run, as if it were your idea and you will eventually get close. This technique takes a while though but worth it in the long run as he will realise that the sooner he gets out and does his job, the sooner he can come back and chill out.

Infact, if you do a search, lots of better explanations than the one I gave above but it has worked for me for many years.

It's tipping it down here too, lovely British weather.

I know it's because the grass is yummy at the moment, I can't blame him for wanting to stay out. It's just very irritating.

That's pretty much what I did for most of the time today but no luck. Oh well, tomorrow's a new day.

 

[tallyho!]

If it doesn't work then you may have to try out the catch and release technique. Thing is, you do have to catch first

 

[nclem]

I have been sharing a horse who does not like being caught, although as soon as you have her on a lead rope she is a darling!
I recently found a way that worked first time, hope it may help for you...
Try to pick a time if poss which maximises his grazing (if he was turned out 30 mins ago and his grazing is limited he understandably won't want to come in)
I went to get her with no lead rope (she also wears headcoller in the field) and walked right past her and walked a few wide semi circles around her head, then went to stand by her side, not too close but about an arms length away. Don't look at her at any point, keep your body turned away and don't look at her eyes/watch her or do any rushed/sudden movements. I then slowly reached to her back, just stroked her and moved to her withers, giving her a nice good scratch. Stayed there for a minute, leaning over her back, stroking her, just spending some time with her. Then rubbed her neck, moved towards her face slowly still stroking her neck until I got to her headcoller, then just clicked and walked on purposefully. I stopped after a few paces and did all this again, and repeated it going closer to the gate each time. When we got half way across the (huge) field I just carried on and took her in. Didn't take too long and was a nice experience for both of us, not chasing or stress x
Good luck!

 

[_MizElz_]

In all honesty, I do believe all horses are enjoying the long daylight hours and general better weather (unless you are in Bath where it is tipping down) so really given the choice, they would choose not to work.

Next time, try just following him around and chasing him off when he goes to run, as if it were your idea and you will eventually get close. This technique takes a while though but worth it in the long run as he will realise that the sooner he gets out and does his job, the sooner he can come back and chill out.

Infact, if you do a search, lots of better explanations than the one I gave above but it has worked for me for many years.

Definitely agree with this! My mare refuses to go out in the winter, and refuses to come in during summer She's been a nightmare recently, but I've developed an interesting system with her that almost involves a kind of 'join up.' Every time she goes to run away (normally when I'm within 1 metre of her) I chase her off, so that she's doing what I want her to do. The hilarious thing is that she actually responds to me as if she were on the lunge - she'll walk, trot, canter on command! Yesterday, I 'lunged' her like this for 45 minutes, until she started to lower her head and lick and chew. We had a couple of false attempts - me getting ahead of myself and trying to get too close - but eventually she actually walked up to me and put her head in the headcollar!

She goes through phases - today she was hanging over the gate, pleading to come in. In the very hot weather, the loose-lunge system works far more quickly as she decides coming into the stable for a groom and nice feed is far more preferably to being lathered in sweat and cooking out in the field

 

[TED2010]

I think Ted is one of the more intelligent horses i have owned, Just occasionally he thinks he will have a bit of a game and won't be caught, the last time he did it to me was actually in the school, had lunged him and thought I'd let him have a bit of a buck and fart loose so let him go. When I decided he'd had enough, put lunge whip down and walked towards the gate, waiting for him to follow me ..... no stayed at the other end of the school sniffing about, spent 5 mins trying to catch him, then decided he obviously hadn't worked hard enough if he could play funny bxxxers so he had another 5 mins of cantering - by this point very sweaty! Still wouldn't be caught despite waving his favourite treat under his nose, went off to get some nuts in a bucket - never turned this down before! by the time I returned he had rolled both sides and was plastered in wet arena surface mingled with sweat, still decided he wasn't ready to be caught at which point I told him exactly what I thought of him and left him there for an hour, when I went back he was stood by the gate very meekly and let me catch him - like butter wouldn't melt - naughty horse

It is very frustrating, especially for someone as impatient as me!!

 

[Frans]

Another one in support of Tallyho!s method - works very quickly with ours.

Probably not relevant in this case but through trial and error I found with one new pony that had been sold as difficult to catch that she was relatively easy to catch if you approached from the left but a nightmare if you tried approaching from the right.

Good luck!

 

[Ginger Bear]

If mine try to play this game when I get close to them I immediately turn away from them, back toward them & then they come to u: