Catching a unhandled horse in a large herd and field

Leo Walker said:
Because they've never seen carrots and have no idea what they are. All of the ones I had, had to be shown about bucket food and treats by other horses. They dont learn that from their mothers if their mothers arent fed.
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You have to be joking. A horse has to be shown to eat a carrot or out of a bucket by another horse? They can smell that carrots are good as soon as you put them under their nose, they're full of sugar. And almost any horse will stick its nose into a bucket containing tempting smelling food if left to explore it.

Some horses don't like carrots, that doesn't mean a feral horse which does like carrots wouldn't be taking them from someone's hand the day after it's been delivered.

You are so determined to disbelieve and attack the OP that you are losing your common sense on this one.



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For the sake of anyone who reads this thread for advice in the future:

This horse is not completely feral. It has apparently spent two weeks in a stable in quarantine, had jabs done, a head collar on, and been handled enough to get food/water in, and to muck out. That means it is used to humans and knows that they bring good things (food/water). Hence the owner being able to get close enough to feed it carrots. It is just not used to being caught and doesn't know these new, unfamiliar people - hence eating the carrots but not letting them catch it. Now I used to have an adult, well handled, child's pony that did similar with people she didn't know. Once we were away and she had to be caught - it took six experienced adults, four hours and the removal of all the other horses from both her field and the surrounding ones!

Completely feral = untouched. Usually mighty suspicious about carrots/apples/treats etc (because you don't survive to the age of 3 by eating things you don't know are safe), you'd be lucky to get near enough to touch it, liable to get kicked if you do, and after being herded onto a transport and deposited somewhere unfamiliar, very untrusting of people and liable to panic if cornered. And a panicked horse will go through fencing, electric tape, rope, anything where it can see a way out. All experienced advice (e.g. for New Forest ponies after the sales) is to unload directly into a stable, keep top door shut also for a while, and tame in the stable before letting out into a small paddock. I have done this. It's fine, honestly. They calm quite quickly and very soon learn you're their friend.
 
In response to Maya: Cough *flooding* cough

little critter, lol. Totally agree. There are many ways to skin a cat. As it were.

*Skips off with my sunshine rainbows and buckets of carrots
 
I've had Fell Ponies straight of the hills and it's taken them several days to eat carrots or anything out of a bucket. I've always kept them in a stable until I am able to touch them and put a headcollar on an off and then into a small area with another tame pony.
 
ycbm said:
You have to be joking. A horse has to be shown to eat a carrot or out of a bucket by another horse? They can smell that carrots are good as soon as you put them under their nose, they're full of sugar. And almost any horse will stick its nose into a bucket containing tempting smelling food if left to explore it.

Some horses don't like carrots, that doesn't mean a feral horse which does like carrots wouldn't be taking them from someone's hand the day after it's been delivered.

You are so determined to disbelieve and attack the OP that you are losing your common sense on this one.



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Just because that's been your experience doesn't make it true for others. Im in agreement with LW here, all the ones I have had that haven't been handled / barely handled or even come over from Ireland have taken a while to eat carrots. My latest one would back right away and go to the back of her stable. She, as the others have all done look, snort tilt the head then back away. She started eating them after seeing the others. The others have taken a few days, the latest one, as she was semi feral took a good 2 weeks. Now she loves them.

Walking into a field with 18 horses with some carrots in hand is a recipe for disaster, and any novice owners who are reading this thread should make note of this for their own safety,
 
ycbm said:
You have to be joking. A horse has to be shown to eat a carrot or out of a bucket by another horse? They can smell that carrots are good as soon as you put them under their nose, they're full of sugar. And almost any horse will stick its nose into a bucket containing tempting smelling food if left to explore it.

Some horses don't like carrots, that doesn't mean a feral horse which does like carrots wouldn't be taking them from someone's hand the day after it's been delivered.

You are so determined to disbelieve and attack the OP that you are losing your common sense on this one.



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I dont disbelieve anything about this, other than the OP describing this horse as unhandled when in fact it was stabled for a month and handled.

Not only am I not joking I am right. Lots of people have commented on this thread, but its immediately apparent that almost all of them have never even seen a truly unhandled horse never mind worked with one.

Oh and for the record, carrots arent full of sugar either ;)
 
ycbm said:
You have to be joking. A horse has to be shown to eat a carrot or out of a bucket by another horse? They can smell that carrots are good as soon as you put them under their nose, they're full of sugar. And almost any horse will stick its nose into a bucket containing tempting smelling food if left to explore it.

Some horses don't like carrots, that doesn't mean a feral horse which does like carrots wouldn't be taking them from someone's hand the day after it's been delivered.

You are so determined to disbelieve and attack the OP that you are losing your common sense on this one.



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well a few others have had the same experience with semi feral horses/ponies, are we all incorrect? maybe those that the breeder just cant be arsed handling well is a different kettle of fish from something that has really had to fend for itself (as far as its concerned).
 
A lot of good advice on here. Personally if you are unable to move somewhere more suitable making a temporary small paddock is really the only way you are going to make progress safely. I have handled quite a few feral fell ponies and having them in that amount of acreage will be near to impossible to actually do any meaningful work. My last pony I bought lightly handled and halter broke, as yours appears to be. I naively turned him out in a small paddock with a very tame pony and I couldn’t touch him for 4 days. As others have mentioned horses like this respond very well to food. I sat by hay or a bucket of something tasty and if he didn’t come over and eventually allow me to touch him, I removed the food. It helped that the grass was very poor and he was very greedy! It took a lot of patience and some good books but once it clicks that your a nice thing to have around you shouldn’t have too much trouble. Good luck!
 
Every feral or semi feral pony foal I have bought has had no idea of what food or buckets are about several have tried to eat the bucket spilling the contents and all have eventualy only eaten carrots and apples in large chunks after eating chopped into shavings and adding to their food once they start to eat
 
windand rain said:
Every feral or semi feral pony foal I have bought has had no idea of what food or buckets are about several have tried to eat the bucket spilling the contents and all have eventualy only eaten carrots and apples in large chunks after eating chopped into shavings and adding to their food once they start to eat
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I agree, they only start eating feed/treats once they have witnessed other horses doing so. Tasty haylage on the other hand has always been a winner!
 
It's so random all the stuff we get bogged down in which is completely irrelevant to the original post!? We've established THIS horse does eat carrots and is happily doing so while being nearly touched while the OP herself distracts the other horses.
And she never said the word feral in her OP, she said unhandled. Jeez. No wonder she's disappeared.
OP if you return, I'm intrigued to know whether you did manage to catch him!
 
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Hopefully the pony has been caught and his education commenced. There has been some interesting thoughts on how to deal with a nervous horse in a large field with lots of friends. If nothing else has been learnt, the main point should be not to buy an unhandled horse and let it go on 20 acres.

For those that can remember this - https://forums.horseandhound.co.uk/threads/my-next-equine-project-horse.540585/ I couldn't catch a feral carthorse in a paddock less than the size of a tennis court with no mates in sight.
 
Morgan123 said:
It's so random all the stuff we get bogged down in which is completely irrelevant to the original post!? We've established THIS horse does eat carrots and is happily doing so while being nearly touched while the OP herself distracts the other horses.
And she never said the word feral in her OP, she said unhandled. Jeez. No wonder she's disappeared.
OP if you return, I'm intrigued to know whether you did manage to catch him!
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that's the nature of a forum Morgan. things do go off topic, and some interesting debates can be had.
 
MotherOfChickens said:
well a few others have had the same experience with semi feral horses/ponies, are we all incorrect?
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No of course you aren't all incorrect. None of you are incorrect, you are describing your own experience. Am I incorrect when I say the one I bought took carrots from me before he had been with me half a day?

Horses are different and people are different. Monte Roberts can walk up to a feral horse that has just been run down a chute into a corral and put a halter on it. Some horses are more interested in humans and food than others. Some humans are much better at relating to horses than others.

Is the fact that most horses wouldn't take carrots until shown how to by another horse, even if it is true, any reason to start accusing a poster who is asking for help of lying?

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Honestly this place would drive you to despair! No wonder the poor OP hasn't come back with an update.

This poor OP only asked for help on here because she was desperate. She openly acknowledged that there were less than ideal circumstances but that was what she had to work with. No one has any idea of the OP's experience, knowledge or capabilities. Nor does anyone have any idea what this horse is like or what circumstances it came from. This place is usually the first to jump on the "save it" bandwagon and for all we know this horse is now in a much better place with the OP. The lice situation and YO reaction/instructions have possibly scuppered what could have been the best laid plans (as happens with horses) and to see this reaction to someone asking for help is why this place can have such a bad reputation.

What is with the holier than thou attitudes?! The OP was looking for help and if you weren't able to offer any why bother replying? All of us would have easier lives if we had custom made yards but it is what is and you work with what you have. The bottom line is that she has the horse, it is where it is and she had to do what the YO told her to. Why bother talking about the hypothetical or things that have already past.

If you happen to see this OP I hope you and the youngster are doing ok and the de-licing went as smoothly as it could.
 
ycbm said:
No of course you aren't all incorrect. None of you are incorrect, you are describing your own experience. Am I incorrect when I say the one I bought took carrots from me before he had been with me half a day?

Horses are different and people are different. Monte Roberts can walk up to a feral horse that has just been run down a chute into a corral and put a halter on it. Some horses are more interested in humans and food than others. Some humans are much better at relating to horses than others.

Is the fact that most horses wouldn't take carrots until shown how to by another horse, even if it is true, any reason to start accusing a poster asking for help of lying?

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italics mine.

apparently we are describing our own experiences but are lying/mistaken.

once again, you dish it but cannot take it, unreal.
 
I have a little welsh who is handled but go’s feral in a big field.
I’ve had him years, very few of the above would work. The tape idea would probably result in him chopping his legs off in panic, he will sometimes take a carrot but it’s very hit and miss. If I need to catch him I need to empty the field. This is the only way. I don’t believe you can really do a unhandled horse from the field like this.
 
I had a weanling straight off the New Forest, she was pushed into a 5 acre field, in September, with two other ponies who could be caught and fed hay throughout the winter. we caught her in March - with carrots, and we took the other ponies out first.
My view is that as Little Critter says "I wouldn't start from here".
 
D66 said:
I had a weanling straight off the New Forest, she was pushed into a 5 acre field, in September, with two other ponies who could be caught and fed hay throughout the winter. we caught her in March - with carrots, and we took the other ponies out first.
My view is that as Little Critter says "I wouldn't start from here".
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I'd just like to clarify that I'm not joining in on the "I wouldn't start from here" brigade. I just feel it's pointless telling the OP what she should have done last week. She is where she is and she needs to deal with the situation in front of her, not be lambasted for an unfortunate decision. I'm sure she's already learned that lesson now.
 
little_critter said:
I'd just like to clarify that I'm not joining in on the "I wouldn't start from here" brigade. I just feel it's pointless telling the OP what she should have done last week. She is where she is and she needs to deal with the situation in front of her, not be lambasted for an unfortunate decision. I'm sure she's already learned that lesson now.
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I agree with you, it's just that starting from where she was, she was unlikely to get to where she needed to be in the time allowed - but I would be interested to hear how she got on.

As a thread, it evolved like many do - not so wrong in itself. I think that some of the suggestions were unrealistic and probably dangerous, and that others did not take account of the OP's original question - and the desired outcome.
 
It is a problem though isn't it? No, not the attempts to catch a semi/feral pony in amongst a herd of 17 absolute strangers. It's the initial purchase & the timing of which concerns me most. Why would you ever do that without forethought? Without thinking of where you are going to place the poor thing? Ignoring totally that you haven't the facilities to cope with your purchase So little planning & care speaks volumes for it's future. I'm appalled.
 
Tagoat, the OPs original post, states she a plan for slowly catching the youngster, and has done this twice before with other unhandled youngsters and it was the YO demand for him to be de liced quickly that has caused the problem.
 
TPO said:
Honestly this place would drive you to despair! No wonder the poor OP hasn't come back with an update.

This poor OP only asked for help on here because she was desperate. She openly acknowledged that there were less than ideal circumstances but that was what she had to work with. No one has any idea of the OP's experience, knowledge or capabilities. Nor does anyone have any idea what this horse is like or what circumstances it came from. This place is usually the first to jump on the "save it" bandwagon and for all we know this horse is now in a much better place with the OP. The lice situation and YO reaction/instructions have possibly scuppered what could have been the best laid plans (as happens with horses) and to see this reaction to someone asking for help is why this place can have such a bad reputation.

What is with the holier than thou attitudes?! The OP was looking for help and if you weren't able to offer any why bother replying? All of us would have easier lives if we had custom made yards but it is what is and you work with what you have. The bottom line is that she has the horse, it is where it is and she had to do what the YO told her to. Why bother talking about the hypothetical or things that have already past.

If you happen to see this OP I hope you and the youngster are doing ok and the de-licing went as smoothly as it could.
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A very reasonable and accurate description of what has happened to the OP's post IMO and a true reflection of the current attitude to ANY poster who finds themselves in a difficult situation and are struggling to deal with it and naively chooses to look on this forum for help and advice. Never mind trolls that the worst offenders are always moaning about - this forum doesn't need them, we have the biggest load of sanctimonious, self righteous, opinionated and nasty bullying and vindictive' female dogs' going - who needs trolls???
 
I wonder why Mrs Jingle still hangs around on the forum if she has such a poor opinion of the regular posters on here.

I thought that there were a number of good and informative posts which the OP, and others who may find themselves in a similar situation, could find to be very helpful.
 
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