hard to catch

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belle61

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my cob mare is getting more and more difficult to catch i havent ridden her yet this year because of this. she would follow my other pony down to stable block and will go into stable for food but is now wise to this and last time we tried this she barged at door to get out. she hasnt been hit or anything. can anyone give me some advise on how to make things better for both of us.
 
If you only ever catch her when you want to ride her then she's going to associate being caught with work. One of the nicest ways to cure it all round is to set aside a bunch of hours so you can go catch her, don't sprint after her, chuck things at her or get mad, but be prepared to spend hours trailing round until she finally gives up. When you do catch her, lavish her with praise, bring her in, groom, treats, love, cuddles etc. and then let her back out again. Do this however many times, and when you get her catching times down to a reasonable duration, then one day catch her for grooming, the next for riding, and so on. You can't blame her for not wanting to come in if she's having far more fun outside. Most of us would rather stay at home in bed than go to work or school, but if work or school was a fun place to be, then we'd be less bothered by it when we had to do it. And remember if she's been out for a ride that day, give her lots of cuddles and treats afterwards too so that the last thing she remembers before she goes back out was how nice it was to be around you.
 
ive tried pretty much everything including sitting in field with bottle of water for me and bag full of treats for her and waiting for her to come to me. she is the last present my husband bought me before he died so she is very special to me so she is given lots of love hugs n cuddles when i can get close enough. i dont own my own ground so she is on a farm with my other pony who is on loan. the people who have pony on loan have seperated them as she was driving of the loan pony so they couldnt catch her. i am getting desperate now as i know that once caught she is just the best horse she is so loving and gentle and falls asleep while being groomed etc
 
are you calm when you go in the field as she will pick up on everything especially if your frustrated in trying to catch her.. try and hum to yourself when walking near her .take some carrots when you get near just sit on the floor and let her come to you.. know it sounds daft but talk to yourself and ignore her dont look at her and see what happens..
and if and when she does then say comeon girl lets go for a groom. eveyone will probably think silly sod dona lol .. but anything worth a try
 
Oscar is an arse to catch sometimes. I've found that if he's galloping around I have to leave the field, go out of site then come straight back and he'll be caught - very odd!

I used to spend hours in the field but TBs don't wear down easily.....

I do try and visit him in the field and give him a treat now and again so that he's not always caught to be ridden...
 
u proberly right i used to be calm but now i think maybe i up tight coz i know she just gona play up. i'll try humming n stuff n ignore her maybe i even just walk out of field without even trying to catch her then try again later see if that helps ive owned her for 7 years and have never had this problem before she was loose on 27 acres with 10 other horses and i could walk up to her n catch her straight away. for the first 12 months she at this place she was ok ish lol but now well pass lol
 
ive had to make a sharp exit from field once or twice to coz didnt think she was going to stop intime i thaught she was going to go right over me. ive tried going in with apples and carrots etc and she will come so far then try n extend her neck as far as she can without moving her feet to reach them i think she must wish she had a neck like a giraffe so she could stand even further away lol but i am feeling bit more posative now so gona keep trying fingers xd
 
also, don't look at her or approach her head on, this is confrontational, be submissive and look down or to the side, she'll relax herself easier then too.
 
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ive tried going in with apples and carrots etc and she will come so far then try n extend her neck as far as she can without moving her feet to reach them i think she must wish she had a neck like a giraffe so she could stand even further away lol but i am feeling bit more posative now so gona keep trying fingers xd

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When you do this does she back away if you move towards her? If so, everytime she does it turn your back on her. My newfie is a pain to catch for some reason but I can always get her by doing this - it can sometimes take a while but it always works.
 
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