Catching difficult horses?

[TheSubwayDino]

Hi all,
So I've recently returned to the yard and forgot how much we all sometimes dread catching in. Usually, we have full liveries and some of the horses like to run away from us so they use treats to bribe them. I usually don't like to do this as they tend to take advantage of that. I was wondering if I should just suck it up and give them a treat as it'll make my life easier?

 

[Gloi]

Hi all,
So I've recently returned to the yard and forgot how much we all sometimes dread catching in. Usually, we have full liveries and some of the horses like to run away from us so they use treats to bribe them. I usually don't like to do this as they tend to take advantage of that. I was wondering if I should just suck it up and give them a treat as it'll make my life easier?

Why would they want to be caught if there wasn't something in it for them. I always have something when I catch them.

 

[Arzada]

I was wondering if I should just suck it up and give them a treat as it'll make my life easier?

Yes. Just think of a treat as a thank you gift.

 

[ponynutz]

Agree with the above, if others do it it's probably okay.

But I do know what OP means, mine was always naughty to catch and having a treat in hand made her nippy because she'd try and get it very quickly and then p*** off again.
Sounds like if others are able to use treats might not be this bad though?

 

[Carrottom]

I use pony nuts, so a small low value treat. One before headcollar one and two after. I find this stops the grab and run. With on of mine I have two more for when we get to the gate.

 

[AntiPuck]

I always have a carrot, there should be something in it for the horse. My yard owner taught me this and it works really well with my horse, who I previously had to chase around the field - if you face a horse head on and look directly at them, it's quite aggressive, so I find that if I walk across where the horse is facing, without walking towards them, and then stop and stand just a bit further on than directly in front of them (Like a T-shape, where the horse is the stem, looking in my direction, and i'm walking along the horizontal part but a good few metres away from them so they don't feel like i'm driving them), stand really relaxed, leg bent, a bit slouchy, do a big sigh out, look ahead with head down a bit and not at the horse, and have the carrot visible in the hand closest to them, it seems to make the horse much keener to walk towards me to see what i've got.

You can also try going in a few times over the course of a day just to feed a carrot, then leaving, so they don't always associate you with leaving their friends.

 

[Peglo]

I always catch with a treat. Head collar on and a treat as reward

also sometimes just walk out to the field and give them a treat, scratch and leave.

 

[meleeka]

If something works why would you waste time by not doing it? What is to be gained by “winning”? I always reward mine with a treat after I’ve put their headcollar on. I think it’s more of a “thankyou” than a bribe.

 

[Caol Ila]

My Highland runs from the yard staff, but comes to call for me, OH, and other friends. OH and I always give him a wee treat.

My PRE totally malfunctioned after foaling and became uncatchable. Fixing it might have involved a cattle race. After ten days of being handled in a smaller pen, mare and foal went back into a field. She reverted to spinning and running at the sight of a headcollar, but she was more amenable to bribes at this stage, so we used them unashamedly. Now she comes to call, as does the (now weaned) foal.

 

[Wishfilly]

It depends what you mean by "take advantage"?

If other staff do this, and this is the quickest way to get the job done, then why not use treats? The grass at this time of year is especially nice, so horses often need to have some sort of incentive to want to come to you.

If you're going to work for somebody else with horses, then you sometimes have to accept the way they do things might not be your favourite way to do things- but if it is safe and not doing any harm (i.e. you're not getting bitten by lots of hungry liveries) and it's the most time efficient way to do something, then you may have to suck it up to an extent!

If I remember correctly, you're an apprentice, so ultimately there to learn- if you're not sure why something is done a certain way, I'd ask, but it's not really on you to just decide to do it differently, either?

 

[Mare Stare]

If you don't want to rely on treats, give them consistently the first few times but then phase it out by giving a treat every other time, and then just the occasional treat. You know - like Parlov's Dogs.

 

[Goldenstar]

Give them the treat life is too short .

 

[Tiddlypom]

There is no way in heck that I would take treats/bribes into a field full of horses. As I've posted before, I was badly kicked as a teenager when in a field with some horses which were milling about, and one caught me by accident.

But I've never ever had a horse that was difficult to catch either in over 50 years of horse ownership - they all line up to be caught.

In fact, I don't do treats at all, except for carrot stretches.

 

[HashRouge]

There is no way in heck that I would take treats/bribes into a field full of horses. As I've posted before, I was badly kicked as a teenager when in a field with some horses which were milling about, and one caught me by accident.

But I've never ever had a horse that was difficult to catch either in over 50 years of horse ownership - they all line up to be caught.

In fact, I don't do treats at all, except for carrot stretches.

If you want to experience a great example of the difficult to catch I would be very happy to lend you my Welsh, he will be happy to demonstrate!

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

They won't be difficult to catch if they know that they get rewarded for doing what you want.

 

[Caol Ila]

I caught a tricky one without treats today. Not mine. Myself and a friend caught her horse and several mutual friends' horses today, but there was a fifth horse in the field, a full livery who had eluded yard staff (and is notorious for being difficult to catch). I didn't want to leave him, and I thought I could do it.

We got headcollars on everything else, so they couldn't razz each other up, then I started walking down the problem child. I worked out the distance/pressure at which he would walk away, but not run (once they start galloping and get the adrenaline buzz, you're screwed). So I kept that up. I would not let him stop and graze, but I didn't put on so much pressure that he would trot or canter. When he stopped and looked at me, I stopped, slouched my shoulders, turned away. Completely releasing all pressure. When he moved off, I pottered along after him with a little bit of pressure. After about five minutes of this dance, he let me walk up to him and snap the lead rope on.

I still got game.

 

[smolmaus]

There is no way in heck that I would take treats/bribes into a field full of horses. As I've posted before, I was badly kicked as a teenager when in a field with some horses which were milling about, and one caught me by accident.

I do have to take this into account as well. Even just a little crowding can go south p fast if there is one particular other mare nearby. The one near miss didn't even involve a treat, just down to give her a good scratch, but the inkling I might have something was enough and that was enough for me ty.

So she occasionally gets a carrot in the paddock when its definitely safe to keep reinforcing coming to me, but most of the time now it's on the other side of the gate. Of course now she walks all the way to the gate with her head on sideways saying GIVE, GIVE NOW I DID THE THING

 

[Spiritedly]

I don't have a problem with catching any of mine but I do treat sometimes when I catch them. I also sometimes treat after removing headcollars in the field as I've found they are less inclined to try and zoom off as you are trying to undo buckles if they think there might be a treat in it for them. I've never had a problem with any of them lashing out at each other because of expecting a treat either, in fact I can walk up to each of them and give a treat and the others won't even stop grazing until I get close with theirs.

 

[Dave's Mam]

I take a concealed treat into the field. It's not advertised to any of the herd.
Dave also has a wee when caught & that gets a bit of carrot too, as it's one less in the stable!

 

[Lois Lame]

Hi all,
So I've recently returned to the yard and forgot how much we all sometimes dread catching in. Usually, we have full liveries and some of the horses like to run away from us so they use treats to bribe them. I usually don't like to do this as they tend to take advantage of that. I was wondering if I should just suck it up and give them a treat as it'll make my life easier?

When you catch the horse, are you popping it into the stable? If so, why not put a treat in the feed bucket for when the horse gets there? They'll soon catch on that that's the method, I guess.

Regarding treats, I go through stages of:

(a) Of course the horse should have a treat when being caught. It's only a carrot for goodness sake
(b) I'm blowed if I'm going to bribe a horse

Currently I don't have a horse and I'm enjoying that freedom immensely. Who knows what I'll think when I next deal with them.

 

[AntiPuck]

I don't really see why "bribery" gets such a bad rap with horses - ultimately, I expect to be bribed to do my work with things I find valuable (money, benefits, praise, decent Christmas parties, etc.) why shouldn't a horse be bribed to do theirs too with something that they find valuable (a nice, big carrot).

 

[Goldenstar]

I have mine queuing up in order to caught.
Once they are out the field they get a treat .
A old dealer told me when I was young never underestimate the power of a moment pleasure in a horses life .Of course those horses where in a difficult situation life in a dealers yard is not ideal for a horse .
I saw him deflate a bucking fit in a recently backed horse by taking his sweet packet noisily I have always remembered that .

 

[Gloi]

I take a concealed treat into the field. It's not advertised to any of the herd.
Dave also has a wee when caught & that gets a bit of carrot too, as it's one less in the stable!

My old pony learnt to do that. He didn't like to pee or poo when ridden. I'd call him in the field and he'd always stop for a pee/poo on the way to me.