How to catch a horse that doesn't want to be caught??

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EllenP

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My horse used to be ace to be caught he would whinny and be waiting at the gate! There was a rough stage where he would bolt into the field whenever you took him out and run off, which is now sorted but since then he has taken dominance of the field:( with food he will usually come over but he's very sensitive around his head when he's in the field, and without food he simply turns his bum and bucks or kicks out...have tried changing fields which hasn't worked, cornering him which means I can catch him but doesn't actually help the whole situation! Don't want this to get any worse as it makes him very nervous and sharp as he knows he's being naughty but still does it!!Any ideas please I don't want to be relying on food in case he decides he doesn't like that either! (Sorry for the essay)
 
When you say sensative is he headshy?

Perhaps its work having his teeth checked then getting the vet to check ears/sinuses etc? There could be a reason why he is running away from the headcollar and it could be pain related when you put the headcollar on :)
 
You definitely need to change his attitude back to that of wanting to be caught, otherwise it's always going to be a bit of a chore and a challenge. For that you need to make it worthwhile / rewarding for him to be caught, enough to overcome any negatives there may be for him. If you can identify any negatives that you can eliminate, so much the better, but it could well be that he has just got into bad habits. So you need to find something he does like, even if that means food initially. I certainly wouldn't rule out trying food, but you need to use it in a targeted, systematic way to reward the behaviours you want, and not simply as a lure or bribe.
 
I'm inclined to agree with Damnation, and say a check up that nothing is sore would be a good idea as he was good to catch and now his behaviour had changed.

Dominance in the herd to me generally means they are fine to leave the herd, as they are secure in their position. With my horses it's the less established more lowly memebers which get upset about leaving the herd, so to me this wouldn't necessarily be the cause.

I' would really have a think about possible management or physical changes which could have caused this new behaviour, as sometimes when you sit and think about it a chain of events can become clear.

If all seems well, I'd leave a field safe headcollar on him so it's one less thing to worry about and spend a lot of time catching and immediately releasing him to build up a positive relationship about being caught. So walk up clip leadrope on, give treat (at first and then slowly phase them out) and then release, building up to walking about in the field and releasing, catching bringing in and then going straight back out, etc. This could be useful in finding out exactly which part of it he finds upsetting, is it being caught, is it leaving his friends, etc. I would also try and do this several times a day, this approach worked with my slightly feral youngster who is great to catch now (I had to go slow and steady at first as she was turned out in 22 acres so I had to make it a good thing for her to be caught).
 
He's up to date with everything so I can't think of a reason! He's fine with th headcollar as soon as he is out of the field, but everything changes as soon as he is in there!
 
That sounds like it would work actually, except I can't get near him with the leadrope that easily..and as soon as I release I think he will just run off again :( he's on his own in the field and there hardly any grass so I don't understand why he will want to stay out! Thankyou for your help though! I think I'm going to try some groundwork in the field with him to try and get him to trust me in the field more..just frustrating as a few months ago he was very good and I can't figure out what's changed so rapidly!!
 
Has he always been on his own? You said earlier he'd taken dominance of the field, I'd assumed that meant he was in a herd.

Is he headshy anywhere other than when in the field? As with such a sudden change I would still be tempted to get a vet out and do some head/ear/sinus/teeth checks done for peace of mind.

With the method I used it doesn't matter if he runs off after you've released him, thats the point, you have to build up the trust so that he knows that he will be released again after he's ben caught. It is not a quick fix. If he's nervous about you approaching him, I used to roll peices of carrot to my youngster so my approach was also associated with postive things, at no point would I ever make a grab for her, I built it up that she would follow me and then let me touch her and after a week or so of this, then I started to clip the lead rope on. Obviously she was perhaps a little more of an extreme case, but the slow and steady aproach worked wonders with her.

Good luck and I hope you sort it out, there is nothing more frustrating than a horse that won't be caught!
 
He has been on his own for a while with others in paddocks surrounding him! yes it would be so much more helpful if they could talk haha!!
 
Has he always been on his own? Did this develop after he has put in on his own or before?

He is fine with the headcollar out of the field but not in the field, does he headshake at all?

Failing that, Alex's suggestion is a good one. Go, clip him on, give him a treat then let him go.
 
I also like Alex's suggestion - remembering that you will need to do this several times for the message (that catching doesn't necessarily have strings attached) to be assimilated.
 
Good ideas already.
Just a thought depending on how you take the headcollar off (and put on again) - one of the horses I know of is not good about having the headcollar just undone at the throatlatch clip then pulled over the ears for taking off and putting on. Almost a panic reaction to hoon off and kicked out as it did so, but horse stopped rushing off as soon as it was let loose in the 'old-fashioned way' i.e. undoing buckle of headstrap and halter just dropping downwards.
Also might pay to check he hasn't got midge bites on the end of his ears making them sensitive.
 
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