Foal very anti social - Any ideas?

[JJ2]

I have recently purchased a 7 month old foal. he is gorgeous but hasnt had a great deal of handling. At the moment he is living out with my 3yr old mare. I am feeding them morning and night, just with some sugar beet and hi-fi.
He is very nervous of me at the moment and wont come anywhere near me or let me anywhere near him! When i get closer to him he puts his little ears back at me and really scowls at me! He actually looks quite funny when he is doing it but even so, i would rather he was a little more friendly!
This morning he even turned his bum on me so i shood him away qucikly which startled him but obviously was needed as otherwise the next time he might think he can kick.
I dont think he is nasty but at the moment he just doesnt want to know me at all.
What do you think i should do? I could catch him if i wanted, with a bit of effort, but again he has had very little leading work done either so is very sticky with leading and will object and try and run the other way.

At the moment i am trying to hold his feed bucket whilst he is eating and he is getting a little better with this but still not great at all.

Is this normal for foals to be like this?

Am i doing the right thing people?!

 

[kerilli]

i think you're doing the right thing - especially in not accepting him swinging his bum at you! just be aware though that "shooing" isn't always safe - i saw a friend get laid out by a day old foal she did that to. their reach is quite surprising.

have you tried advance and retreat? a bit of Monty Roberts, turning yourself away, dropping a shoulder, no eye contact etc. it really does work wonders. i would also think about maybe hand-feeding him occasionally, so he has to really smell and accept you, in order to get his grub.
sometimes it's worth going through a couple of minutes angst to catch them, and then spending ages just fussing them and getting them to accept it. if you can find his scratch zones, he'll love you for it.
i have a filly i bought as a yearling, who was pretty wild and nervy - it was more like having a deer around than a horse, for a while. it took time, but now she's as friendly as all the others, if not more so.

 

[teabiscuit]

ime shy foals turn out just fine if you just take it at their pace, so don;t worry too much

the feeding and holding the bucket is great, just keep doing it and in time he'll get better

also agree with kerilli-if you find his scratchy zone you've got a potent weapon in the fight for his trust

i wouldn't hassle him at the mo, i'd just concentrate on getting him relaxed around me

 

[koeffee]

i bought a yearling that hadnt been handled, they put a halter on him days before he arrived at mine. like yours wasnt very friendly but i fed him daily, didnt try to hard to touch him just let him set the pace, now he is like a rash, cant get rid of him!!!

 

[JJ2]

Thanks for your help guys! He was brilliant last night and let me put him on a lead rope and scratch him all over. He even took a few steps forward when i asked. He was brilliant so i am just going to take it really slowly but i can see him slowly coming round.
Thanks