Help - Uncatchable pony!

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pepperandoran

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I am at my wits end - I have been unable to catch my 32 year old retired pony since a recent vets visit to take a nasal swab from her. She clearly does not want a repeat of that!

She lives out all the time in a field by herself, and when I take her feed out to her she runs down to the bucket - I can stroke her nose and up her face, but if I try to touch further back or put a rope round her neck she just runs away - just far enough so that she can stand and laugh at me it appears!

i know that once I get a headcollar on her she will be fine - just getting that far is a major problem! My next plan of attack is to try and get her into a small fenced off area and try that way but I have my doubts - she has had 32 years of learning to be quick!

Anyway if anyone has any suggestions of other things I can try then they would be gratefully received!
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Id section her off in a small area (presuming you can put up fencing around her while shes eating) wait for the grass to run out and then watch her beg to be brought in lol
 
Can you get someone to help you? You could try cornering her with a lunge line...

The other thing to try is putting the nose of her headcollar in the bucket, so she has to put her nose through it to get to the feed (works with my WB
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), then flip the strap over her neck...
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Id section her off in a small area (presuming you can put up fencing around her while shes eating) wait for the grass to run out and then watch her beg to be brought in lol

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The thought has crossed my mind! She is just a little devil!
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conversely have you tried going into the field carrying food, then driving her away every time she tries to get close - if she is hungry she will keep trying - but doesn't get food until the headcollar is on. A much better long term lesson for her
 
My friends pony that I sometimes look after can be awkward to catch, a technique I have tried is to hold the bucket in my hand and turn so that we are facing the same direction, i then walk so that she has to walk to eat the feed and hold it out infrount of me slightly in the hand furthest away from pony, when her neck is next to free hand i throw a rope around her neck, she is then quiet enough to walk in just like this.
 
Aha! My speciality!

What we do, once perfected this takes all of 2/3 mins, we have two lines of electric fencing partitioning the field into thirds, these are up permenantly, with a gate at each end. Close the gates to whichever third they are in. Then get electric fencing and posts, and half the area again, keep making it smaller until she gives in.

Some days my mare gives in when it is just 1/3rd of the field, other days its a 8ftx8ft pen before she gives in!! Now she is very pregnant and out in a headcollar, and quite likes coming in....
 
My section a can be a little devil when it comes to being caught. I have been known on occasion to get the lunge whip and tie it into a bog loop and sort lasso/drape it over her head as once something is on her she stops dead and is a good as anything. We used to use lunge lines to pen her in until she doscovered she could either jump them roll under them!!
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A quick tip whcih mitgh work......

1. stand beside her shoulder rubbing her nose. Keep rope etc well out of the way.
2. Put your hand where noseband would be.
3. Pull head head gentle around to you, so her neck is bent around to you.
4. Now you have control of her body, so just put headcollar on. She wont really be able to get away.
 
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