horse wont be caught

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Crazy_cat_lady

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Horse has been in smaller paddock this week as I've been off and he's a s** to catch.
He was in there for presumably some part of today but turn up only to find he is in the large, newly rested paddock which is full of spring grass and I can't get near him. Have managed to herd him back into small paddock but he's currently charging around (yet he's currently only in light work due to windgall being up)
Any ideas on how to catch him have tried food etc
 
Stand or sit in his paddock in a very relaxed manner, with your back to him and do something (read a magazine whilst eating an apple). Horses tend to be quite nosey, so if your patient enough he'll come and see what you are doing.
 
Patience is the only suggestion. If he's in the smaller paddock then I would leave him alone for half hour to calm down a bit before you try again. If he's a pain anyway and excited then you'll have no chance. So just ait him out for a bit then you might find food works again. Failing that, lasoo him!! ;)
 
lizziebell said:
Stand or sit in his paddock in a very relaxed manner, with your back to him and do something (read a magazine whilst eating an apple). Horses tend to be quite nosey, so if your patient enough he'll come and see what you are doing.
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I love this solution and smile every time it comes up. How lovely it must be to actually have time to do this :)

It would never work for me though, I simply don't have time to sit in a field for an hour on the offchance some naughty sod of a horse feels like coming up to me, with my luck he'd buzz off again anyway.

I go for the bribery option every time, big rattley bucket of food works well for me if it does the job and you aren't going to get mobbed by a dozen others.

Anything here that doesn't catch doesn't go out of the round pen until it jolly well learns to come to me when I want it to.
 
Have tried food and his treat ball, he's coming within about 5 metres of where I'm sat (in the p'ING down rain!) But moves away where I reach out for him. Bloomin knobber horse!
 
grab a lung line / rope. chase horse around field till he drops his head and chews. heard him away from the oher horses and make him an "outcast". he beg forgiveness and come to you then. works every single time on any horse. dont bribe him, disaplin him for being naughty, you wouldn't give sweets to a badly behaved child, god knows why we do it with horses!
 
I second Lizstuguinness I used to do this with my old horse and on Sunday when it was peeing it down with rain I had to use it with my current horse when he kicked out at me because he didn't want to be caught. He has been fine since because he now realises the tricks he plays with one of the yard managers won't work with me!
 
Enfys said:
I love this solution and smile every time it comes up. How lovely it must be to actually have time to do this :)
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Sometimes you need to make the time if you don't want an issue everytime you go to catch your pony. Agree, I would go with bribery.. if it worked, but me&Harvey has said she/ he has tried this already,

me&Harvey said:
Have tried food and his treat ball, he's coming within about 5 metres of where I'm sat (in the p'ING down rain!) But moves away where I reach out for him. Bloomin knobber horse!
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You ideally want to work on this habit of not being caught. Does he need to be caught and bought in right now, or can you take a few days? He thinks everytime he comes near you he's going to be caught.

Therefore over a few days I would keep going in and letting him approach, give him a sratch and a treat then leave him alone for 5 minutes - don't even attempt to catch him. Do this a couple of times until he's happy to stand near you for some fuss. Progress to the same but by placing the lead rope over his neck then leaving him alone again. Follow this with putting his headcoller on, then taking it off again. Once caught I would also get into a habit of catching him just to take him somewhere for a fuss, a groom or a feed and then turning him back out again. He needs to learn that being caught means nice things.
 
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lizstuguinness said:
grab a lung line / rope. chase horse around field till he drops his head and chews. heard him away from the oher horses and make him an "outcast". he beg forgiveness and come to you then. works every single time on any horse. dont bribe him, disaplin him for being naughty, you wouldn't give sweets to a badly behaved child, god knows why we do it with horses!
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Horses are not children. They don't understand right and wrong like children of a certain age would. They need to be taught to accept things.

I agree that treating a horse once caught isn't ideal but but why would discipline be any better? So, he gets caught and gets "disciplined". How would you do that? How is he going to associate running around with not being caught a few minutes ago with a disciplinary action?

I am in agreement with lizziebell. All you need is time to catch and not do anything. Brush or do something pleasant. Then let go. Then come back another day and not catch at all but scratch and give a treat. Leave him again. Keep doing it and leading out to yard and giving another treat. Put him back. Keep on doing it whenever you can so a horse associates you not just with work but pleasant experiences too.

Horses make associations with things like grazing near dark woods is not good as there could be hiding wolves there. That's why they graze in the open. They associate rain with needing shelter but prefer hedges they can see through for the same reasons. So, they therefore make associations with you too. Those need to be pleasant and experiences they have accepted and can deal with.
 
^^^ this.

Only other option I can suggest is making paddock even smaller with electric fencing, and using a grazing muzzle to reduce actual intake. Pony gets hungry = voila !! wants to have something to eat. :) Reward,reward,reward, pony has to want to be caught by you xx
 
I have used the monty roberts method 'If he wants to run from you make him run' method.

I totally agree that horses shouldnt always be caught to be ridden, catch to give a treat and release or catch to groom and release.

This method only works if your field is small enough, i have done it in a 4 acre field it worked but i thought i would never walk again after all the running!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEnlPFvRTGU
 
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