Catching horses.... HELP!

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HorseS0S

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Does anyone have any really good tips on how to catch two VERY naughty fully grown, should know better, TB? This problem is everyday and especially now that they are staying out overnight it makes it really annoying when wanting to ride. Has anyone got any helpful tips?
 
Do you leave their headcollers on? Some horses I know are stupid to catch without a headcoller on, but then they do have a headcoller on they are as good as gold to come in. I used to have to try and catch a TB who didn't want to come in! He would do extended trot in circles around you. I used to use a bucket (If possible, but I don't know what your field situation is, its not always wise to bring buckets into fields.) and then eventually just treats in my hand until he used to just stand and let me get him. I would also turn him out with treats so that he knew that I had them whenever I entered a field with him. Another thing, maybe they associate coming in with being worked, so maybe bringing them in at random intervals and just feeding / grooming them so that they associate coming in with a positive experience, or even just feeding them outside your field? One last method is what I like to call the patience method when catching horses that don't want to be caught. It involves just walking after them, and not letting them have any grass so that they eventually give in.. this could take hours though.
Hope all of this helps
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My daughters pony is a pain to be caught at times, due to too many horses in field we cant tempt with food and have found the only way is by leaving headcollar on her, i know it can be dangerous but she does come in every night but shes too clever and knows if without headcollar she can mess us about. Have used the fieldsafe headcollars before but she manages to loose them so we keep an hold leather one that she can wear in the field.
 
ask some one to help you ,then approch the horse from both sides ,avoid making eye contact with the horse as it may feel threatened .
if it runs off start again or if he has a companion bond between them may be strong which in this case the horse will avoid being caught so if the companion is easy to catch catch that first .
lead the other horse away untill your horse follows if possible ask a helper to catch it.
if not tie one horse up and go back to catch other .
if this doesnt work free school around field it will deside to come to you in the end last option would to bribe with food just because you dont always wont the horse to socialise you with food all the time
 
When I was a kid I went to catch the naughty ponies and my boots leaked. So I put empty bread bags over my boots so that my feet would stay dry. The ponies, that you could never catch, mobbed me for 'food' as they could hear the bread bags rustling and I had to run for my life.

You could try that.
 
When Inky was a baby sometimes he was a pain to catch. I found that if i got as close as i could without him moving, and then turned my back on him and crouched down, it was only a matter of minutes before the nosey sod would come and see what i was doing. I then let him get close enough for treats and gave him a few and walked off, leaving him to graze. Eventually it got to the point where i would catch him, just bring him in for food/ brush and then turned him out again. He is great now but he still sometimes has a cheeky run off. All i need to do now is crouch down and straight away he comes over and lets me catch him.

It just takes time and patience im affraid!"!
 
My horse used to be a nightmare to catch, it got dangerous. i now always leave a fieldsafe headcollar on her as she's in a huge field it would take me years to catch her. i also go and give her carrots and treats in her field without bringing her in, have put the headcollar on before then fed her then took it off and left her. i was also told not to look at all threatening when walking over to her, walk slowly, shoulders slumped etc- seems to really work with mine. and its handy just bringing them in for a feed and turning them straight back out. have done all this with mine and not had any probs for years! (bet she'll be a cow to come in tonight now iv said that!)
 
Have you tried join up? That's always worked for me although it can take a while the first couple of times. Also, don't walk directly at the horse, or look them in the eye when you're catching.
Giving them a small feed when you get them out of the field and back to the yard might help too.

I used to have a pony that could take hours to catch, we (accidently!) found out that if you ran around after her a bit, not letting her stop, then collapsed on the floor and lay still, she'd come over all confused, then you could slowly clip on the lead rope haha. Not that i'm recommending that as a great catching technique
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Cor I sympathise with you totally as I have one who can be a cow to catch...she is always out with a fieldsafe headcollar on... she also does that grr annoying circling you..... If I persue her I just make her worse so I tend to leave the field and try to get her in a bit, I take a bucket of nuts and sit there until she finally comes over or just gives me those looks. Now I always stare at the ground when approaching her........ it really helps.
Don't envy you though having 2 uncatchables, my other 3 are good as gold !!!
 
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