Catching a nervous pony

Blaise

Blaise

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Long story- friend brought a Welsh B towards the end of last summer, came from a large breeder who said pony had never really been handled or caught- when the herd came in the gates were opened and they just followed each other into the barn, so no catching required, the only time he'd been caught properly from the field on his own was when he was gelded. He's lovely in the stable, a little nervous but will let you swap headcollars, groom, do rugs etc... but when he's out in the field he's VERY difficult to catch. Not really surprised by this as he's not used to it but it is getting worse now.

He has been wearing a fieldsafe headcollar up until this week and when they've managed to get close enough to get leadrope on headcollar he's fine and leads really well. The problem is he managed to get the headcollar off in the field one night last week and we just cannot get another on, and therefore cant catch him. Have spend almost 2 hours in the field this morning trying to get him, which i know isnt long in the grand scheme of things but i ran out of time and had to leave. Firstly his owners tried running him round the field to see if he would tire out (he wont- he's fairly fit and i'm pretty sure was running on adrenaline at this point) This carried on for about half hour whilst i was feeding my girls then they took his field companion back to the yard to groom.

I stayed in with him, really quiety walking after him, keeping a distance he seemed to be comfortable with until he stood still, then i stopped and crouched down. He seemed more comfortable with this and it's a trick i've used lots in the past with a friends horse i used to ride who was a pig to catch. The difference is with this pony he's genuinely nervous, and not taking the pee. After about 15 mins of crouching down & him looking at me he very slowly made his way over. He was right up by me, sniffing my head and really seems to want to be close to people but can't quite make the last step and allow us to get a rope around his neck. Everytime i raised my hand up towards his neck or started to stand up he moved back. The last thing i want to do is to scare him anymore so dont want to pressure him into being caught, or corner him as when he feels pressured he flybucks and just legs it, eyes rolling & generally looking terrified. Should we just contine doing the softly softly thing, allowing him to come to us & letting it be his decision or does anyone have any better ideas? Food does not work for this pony- he is farrrrrr to clever! Oh, i forgot to say he's rising 3.

All tips appreciated! :D
 
Firstly, tbh, would you want to be caught if the last time you were caught they cut bits off you?

Seriously the only thing I can suggest is that your friend sit quietly in the field and eventually the pony's curiosity will make him come over. Don't catch him just give him a pat or a scratch or if you wish a treat, although I personally would not do that. Then leave it at that. I would keep that up for week, then proceed to catching him, but releasing him again immediately, then after a week of that catch him take him round the field on the lead rein and let him go. Finally catch him, take him out of the field and give him a positive experience, eg. a groom if he happy with that or a small bucket etc. Let him understand there is nothing to be afraid of.

Do NOT do what Elizabeth did with Captain, every time she caught him she worked him. There fore he decided he did not want to be caught. I only found out when I caught him quickly, well he came to me. He just wanted some "we" time occasionally, not just riding. And he is a horse with a very good work attitude.

FDC
 
Thank you for your reply :) i think what i really wanted was to confirm i'm going about it the right kind of way, which i now think i am :)

Fany Du Champ said:
Firstly, tbh, would you want to be caught if the last time you were caught they cut bits off you?
Click to expand...

Thats exactly what i said to his owners- not exactly a positive first experience!! :eek:


I've been spending some time with him in the field over the past week or so, and if i crouch/sit down it doesnt take him long to wander over and have a good sniff around me. The second i move though he's off. I did manage to touch the end of his muzzle today though so that's progress on previously. I know it's just going to be a long process- which is absolutley fine, there's really no rush. There's no danger of him coming in to be worked either. Even if he were old enough, there's no way he's mentally ready to be backed, or for any kind of work yet.
 
Take some carrots with you into the field. When he gets close drop one close by so he can get it and keep still while he eats it. Then progress to holding on to one end of the carrot while you stand up or touch his nose. Don't try to catch him until you can walk around with him following you.
I have used the trick where you line a bucket with a head collar and put some mix in the bottom and you do up the head collar while they're eating, but yours is probably too clever for that.
 
You've really got two main options:

1/ Carry on with the gentle approach, let him learn to trust you, feed when he comes close etc and be careful not to scare him at all.

2/ Herd him in to yard or stable area where you can get a headcollar on him and once back out bring him in from the field at least twice a day for feed and fuss, putting the head collar on and off, progressing to loose in the yard etc, so that he learns being caught is a good thing and the actual catching becomes less of an issue.

You may find the second option works better if he's a clever chap. We had a similar girl who, when trying the first option, very quickly worked out that she could have the food + fuss but be swiftly away when it came to being caught!

Good luck with whatever you try. :)
 
No offence meant to anyone one but I would be very wary of bribing with food. You could end up with either a grabber or a nipper. Treating can cause both, unfortunately. Better to let him learn to trust you gradually and reward him after rather than allow him to associate you too much with treats in my opinion of course others may differ.

FDC
 
Thanks for your replies everyone :) FDC, i dont often use treats for the reasons you listed above. When he does come over to me he gets told he's a good boy and it means he no longer has to walk aimlessly around his field. I kind of think he has to want to come to people because he wants to be with them, rather than wondering if they have food for him, if that makes sense? The feed bucket trick doesnt work- and oh we've tried! He'll come over to see whats in it & grab a first mouthfull but as soon as you attempt to make a move he's off like a shot, and wont come back until the bucket is on the floor and you're a good distance away! He's a clever little chap. :rolleyes: I might try offering a carrot whilst moving from crouch to standing though, see if the carrot will take some of his focus on me moving?

Whilst we're on the subject of little man, has anyone ever encountered a horse/pony that 'self harms'? (In inverted commas as i cant think of what else to compare it to/call it?) If he's in the stable for too long he starts biting and taking chunks out of himself, never does it in the field though. He's good to do in a stable in terms of grooming & handling, but if left on his own will start doing this, hence the reason he doesn't come in too often-someone really has to be there to keep an eye on him. This gets more complicated with every post- sorry folks! :D
 
ahhh I feel your pain! Mine has tendencies very similar to this, probably for very similar reasons. He wants to be with you, he wants to come, he just can't take that last step!
If it was me, I'd be inclined to go for the softly-softly approach. I always feel the problem with my boy was that it never got sorted when he was young and he got passed around never having it solved. He's improving now though :)
Here's a link to the thread about my dilemma if you're interested lol I got lot's of useful advice when I asked :) http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=414203 good luck xx
 
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