I need help catching my horse!

[jessponylover]

hi,
i need help catching my horse out of the field.. i have just got him 1 month ago on loan and i think i am scared of the other horses in the field more than anything.. does anyone have any ideas on what to do?
anything will be helpful.. the other horses in the field are very nosey and do like to kick and charge etc..
My horse will just back up as soon as im near him..

 

[JillA]

Get someone experienced to help you - it's impossible on a forum to tell whether he is scared of you or the other horses, and what your body language is saying to the others. You may need to get him in a confined space while you learn to catch him and he learns to be caught.

 

[jessponylover]

thanks, hes fine to catch in small fields/paddocks etc (because he gets bored) but other than that i have to get the farm owner to get him.. but hes never nasty, just the others in the field are? any advice on what to do about that? i try to stay clear but they like to follow

 

[JillA]

It really is impossible to say without seeing them - are they being curious, are they jostling to get closer to you or your pony, are they being aggressive and again, to you or your pony. Can you use electric fencing to tape off an area inside the gate you can entice your pony into without the others getting involved?

 

[jessponylover]

It's a bit of both.. They are very unpredictable.. And no I don't have any electric fencing..

 

[sjp1]

I would say that you have to face up to the other horses and make them move away from you and your horse. Once you make them do that your horse will trust you more and be prepared to move quicker.

At one yard I was at, most of the horses were lovely but there was a Welsh Sec D who was quick with both hooves and teeth for both owners and horses. Mine was scared of him but after I put a headcollar and lead rope up the backside of the Welsh Sec D and chased him off and meant it, mine was happy for me to be in charge and it wasn't an issue - I had to do this a lot of times to the Welsh Sec D but mine often hid behind me - 15.3 appaloosa who is built like a tank!!

I think horses need to learn manners and if they make getting your own in difficult, then you just have to get after them and say no, that is not acceptable and whether they have a halter and leadrope or a long whip up the backend they should learn. You are in charge, not them and just remember that. Once they learn it is not fun, they won't continue it and your horse will be happier and respect you more for keeping him safe. You can't wonder he doesn't want to be caught if it makes life difficult for him - horses choose the path of least resistance - and your job is to make sure he feels safe.

Honestly, don't feel bad about taking a whip into the field to collect him to keep them away. They need to respect you to not make your life or his life difficult.

 

[cootuk]

I had this problem initially with a couple of geldings testing me.
I take a lead rope to them now if they get more than curious. You wont hurt them and you will be out of small kick range.
Plus no treats taken up into the field - that's deadly if they recognise you as the person who brings treats up..

 

[Maesto's Girl]

My horse can me a nightmare to catch.....and I get stalked by another mare in the field which then leads to my mare being even less likely to stand still! The main thing that has worked for me is patience and lots of it. The more agitated I got, the harder she was to catch but after a couple of months, it's getting better. I often take a schooling whip up with me now to get rid of my stalker! lol.

 

[Miss_Dior]

Hi! I have been in a similar situation and the first thing I would recommend is one of the lead ropes that are easy to unclip in an emergency (the ones you pull down and they open up) or, I'm probably wrong here, but I used to loop a rope with no clip through his head collar so I could just let go of one end and he could run off with no rope trailing. But he follows me like a dog so if you need a rope for control maybe don't try this! Im a bit scared of the idea of him standing on a trailing rope and hurting himself. I would also take someone more confident with you and make sure you stay away from back ends! good luck x