If you can catch it, you can have it!

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PingPongPony

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Very angry with horse today :mad: Woke up in a really good mood, had a good nights sleep, finished work earlier than usual the night before, lovely weather outside, i was really looking forward to going to yard, going for a nice ride and maybe trying to tackle the mud and grass stains. I get to yard, all is lovely, me and friend go down the field, me with bucket of feed as otherwise mare refuses to come near you. Friend as usual catches her ponies easily, no problems. My mare.... no, she decided she is staying out today and that is it. I spent 3 hours walking round the field trying to catch it, i've tried all of it, offering it food-didn't work, separating it from its friends- didn't work, chasing it round and round and not letting it slow down or eat- didn't work, ignoring it - nope doesn't work either. In the end i sat there crying with anger and frustration and just went home. I really have no idea of how to win with this horse!
I go to school full time currently doing A levels as well as work (2-3 times per week, 1-2 nights in the week from 4pm-midnight, and saturday 1pm-midnight) to be able to afford this b****y thing, she has 24/7 turnout with loads of friends, plenty of feed, gets a good groom and her itchies scratched when she comes in, doesn't always just come in to work, she sometimes just comes in to get a good groom and a feed and gets turned back out. And all i get out of it is sore feet and puffy eyes :(
I really don't know why i do this, why i pay so much money for a thing that doesn't even like me. :(
So today i'm both angry and feeling down.
So if you can catch it, you can have it! :mad:
 
In the end i sat there crying with anger and frustration and just went home. I really have no idea of how to win with this horse!
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I do feel for you - a bad to catch horse can be the most frustrating and exasperating thing in the world (well it feels like it at the time). :(

Is she always bad, or does she have good days?

How big is the field that she's in? Could you electric tape off a smaller paddock? Have you tried leaving a field safe headcollar on?
 
What happens if you walk over to her in the field without a headcollar or anything to catch her with, does she still runaway? Does she have a headcollar on in the field? Have you tried catching another horse, walking over to your horse with that horse then bringing them in together (obviously only if another person will let you bring a horse in, or need it in anyway)
 
Does it jump? I'll have it! One of my fields goes down to a point that's only the width of a gate, & that field always has the last word in catching issues!

You just need to be patient - I used to regularly spend 2 or 3 hours trying to catch my cowbag mare (in my grandfather's big field before we moved here) & all I had to do was wait.... til she got old! She is now 39 & I can always catch her cos her top speed is now a brisk walk!

Seriously tho, I do feel v v sorry for you as my old mare really was a complete cow to catch & I often felt the same as you feeling my riding time slipping thru my fingers, or missing classes at comps etc. I missed a few comps with the late Catembi as well (when he was in the big field), & some lessons too, which I sometimes had to pay for.

The pointy field always wins tho, so maybe you could make something similar with electric fence or something?

T x
 
all I had to do was wait.... til she got old! She is now 39 & I can always catch her cos her top speed is now a brisk walk!
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Faracat said:
Is she always bad, or does she have good days?

How big is the field that she's in? Could you electric tape off a smaller paddock? Have you tried leaving a field safe headcollar on?
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She has good days, when i can go in, she sticks her nose in bucket through the headcollar and we go in. But then she has days like this when there is nothing in the world that will catch her... apart from a bullet :mad:
The field is 3-4acres, a perfect square as well. I can electric tape off smaller paddock but it will cost me a lot! I would need to buy taller than normal fence posts, and get a proper battery and ticker box, because if the fencing is too low, she jumps it, and if its not got a good charge on it, she goes through it.
Atm she doesn't have a headcollar on because she's been good for about a month now, but on her bad days you can't get closer to her than a couple of metres before she puts her ears back and gallops off, so even a headcollar already on wont help :(

ImmyS said:
What happens if you walk over to her in the field without a headcollar or anything to catch her with, does she still runaway? Does she have a headcollar on in the field? Have you tried catching another horse, walking over to your horse with that horse then bringing them in together (obviously only if another person will let you bring a horse in, or need it in anyway)
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If i walk up with nothing at all, theres 90% chance that she'll run away, very rare for her to let me come up with nothing, even if to straighten her rug or whatever. See above answer about headcollar. And if i catch another horse and try to walk up to her, then i have NO chance of catching her that day because she knows that you will bring her in.

catembi said:
Does it jump? I'll have it! One of my fields goes down to a point that's only the width of a gate, & that field always has the last word in catching issues!

You just need to be patient - I used to regularly spend 2 or 3 hours trying to catch my cowbag mare (in my grandfather's big field before we moved here) & all I had to do was wait.... til she got old! She is now 39 & I can always catch her cos her top speed is now a brisk walk!

Seriously tho, I do feel v v sorry for you as my old mare really was a complete cow to catch & I often felt the same as you feeling my riding time slipping thru my fingers, or missing classes at comps etc. I missed a few comps with the late Catembi as well (when he was in the big field), & some lessons too, which I sometimes had to pay for.

The pointy field always wins tho, so maybe you could make something similar with electric fence or something?

T x
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Tried cornering her, she will gallop through you if she has to :( And yes it does jump, very well, so well in fact that i can't electric fence her off because she jumps the tape :mad:
 
Had my mare 7 years now......last couple of years have been the ONLY time where she is now dependable to be caught!

Honestly, could have got rid of her the firs year for trying to catch her. I'd be out over 3 hours, then ended up getting rather good at bucket aiming. Didn't help anything, but felt better!!!

Since they're now out in a much bigger herd with majority of babies, all of which the babies know to come when we call them....my 'adults' now have twigged on and do now come to call [dare I jinx it].


I can sympathise.
 
I remember an old farmer in years gone by, he ended up hobbling one of his horses...

Might sound terrible but went on a trek to Mongolia back in 2006, and they hobbled all the horses. A few of the riders got all upset over this, but as the translator said, if you want to trek 400 miles in each direction to catch your horse the next morning, be my guest....

I feel for you. :(
 
My friends horse was like this when I kept my horse at livery. We would plan to go riding together then she wouldn't be able to catch hers, so I know how frustrating it is.

The only thing that worked with hers was never giving up......I know its not v practical but each time they get away with it, it reinforces the behaviour. We used to take it in turns for hours trying to catch the silly old baggins and it was really hard work but we did get there with hers...in the end she did give up doing it altogether. We kept her moving continually until she got caught, so that she couldn't even stop for a quick pick of grass.
Do you have anyone who could help and take over when you've had enough....if you keep this up for a good few days she will get sick of it.

Does anyone have any electric fencing you could borrow? If its too expensive maybe one of the other liveries or a local farmer might have something you could use?
 
I was thinking about hobbling her too. She's still out, can wander around and graze, yep, I'd go for it.

I can't catch my boy without stitching him up with food. I have to go out with a scoop of nuts, scatter them and then I can easily catch him - apart from today, when I needed two scoops, he obviously thought I was going to clip him two days running and was OFF!
 
Unfortunately hobbling isn't an option because she is turned out with 8 other horses, 3 of which will randomly run up to another horse and start a fight, so she does need to be able to either fight back or run away. I might just have to work some extra nights and see if i can save up for higher fencing and a good strong battery and ticker box.
 
I can sympathise, having had different horses over the years with various degrees of uncatchability!

My current little Welsh a is fairly good - usually fine to catch and if she is difficult then food always does the trick

Had one who wouldn't be caught for love nor money, got so fed up once we herded her into a tiny paddock and chased her round and round til she was physically exhausted and dripping with sweat - then when she was willing to give in we kept on at her a little longer til she allowed us to catch her everytime. She was never difficult to catch again!!

Kim
 
PingPongPony said:
Unfortunately hobbling isn't an option because she is turned out with 8 other horses, 3 of which will randomly run up to another horse and start a fight, so she does need to be able to either fight back or run away. I might just have to work some extra nights and see if i can save up for higher fencing and a good strong battery and ticker box.
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Don't forget to buy a lasso too. ;)
 
Having a horse that won't be caught is the most frustrating thing in the world, so I totally understand how you feel there. A friend's pony mare was like this and in the end we found only one method that worked with her. We always left her headcollar on and when we wanted to catch her would take a few treats up to the field, then we'd spend however long it took walking around after her bottom with the treats in hand. Never going faster than a walk and never trying to corner her, just keeping on walking so she couldn't stop to graze. Eventually when she'd stop to look at you we'd hold out a treat and avoid eye contact. We'd then have to quietly take hold of her headcollar with the same hand she'd taken the treat from because if you moved the other one she was off again.

This method took hours and hours for the first few weeks, and this was a pony who was never ridden and was just brought in to feed and be stabled overnight. Eventually we got her to the point where normally it would take under 20 mins to catch her, but she'd never let a stranger do it.

All I can suggest is lots of patience, perseverance and stay totally calm. You will get there in the end.
 
Oh god yes, frustrating! So firstly, when you next catch her do not leave the headcollar off .... ever again! Secondly, always make sure you have something nice for her. Thirdly, don't always ride her. Fourth, try to get someone else to catch her. Fifth, try walking backwards towards her. Sixth, try join up in a round ring - might help! Sevent - sorry cannot think of a seventh!!

Best of luck!
 
This is going to make me sound like the worst horse owner in the world but horses that won't be caught drive us to extreme measures so as the risk of getting a public slating here's what I had to do...... my beloved horse was always so good to catch till we had to move yards and he went from small postage sized stamp paddock surrounded by only geldings to the luxery of a big field with mares, from that day on he convinced himself he had a big set of fully functioning balls and I could never get near him......unless the weather was terrible then the big wuss came in, I tried everything, all of the above, he was an X grade A so unfortunately fencing him in was just a joke to him, he'd jump anything, I even tried doping him....a whole tube of sedalin one time and another time ACP`d the little love but no he just happily cantered it off, 4 hours I spent chasing him around whilst my son sat huddled in a rug in the corner of his field but still no joy. I was desperate and my life was a marriage break up, working 60 hour week on a stud and pub so in had no time for this, I managed to fence him into a tiny strip of paddock and turned the leccy up full on a 5ft2 fence then left him for the day.....forgetting water!!!!!!! I Went up 4 hours later to find my boy waiting by the gate keen to come into his cosy stable and get some dinner, love and water!! This got me thinking and so that's how we continued, he didn't go hours without water so please don't all start screaming at me, I was desperate and it worked, if I thought he would be left too long sumone got him in for me, we had a vet on sight an she ok'd it so thats what worked for us but the day the leccy went off he was out and had the water trough there so back to square one. Having a horse u can't catch is soul destroying but u just have to find the weak spots, I wish u all the best with yours and try to stay sane, I know its a killer!!
 
I feel your pain OP :D


I have a pony nicknamed Asbo pony for a good reason. When she is good she is fab but when she decides she would rather be a pony of leisure then she is a real pita to catch. Take the time a few months ago for example. I thought it would be nice for us to go for a bumble around the village but Asbo had other ideas :mad: It took me 3 hours to catch the witch :mad: Next day I walked straight up to her and caught her no problem :eek: Soooo frustrating. She was fine to catch until the beginning of this week when it took me ages to get her again :mad:

Today I walked straight up to her and got her no problems grrrr
 
My old horse was a pain to catch.

What eventually worked with him was taking a bucket of feed out to him in the field and letting him eat it, eventually moving up to stroking him hand on head collar etc.

However what I do agree with is that once you start trying do not give up. Even if it takes three hours. If she wants to run away from you in the field then take a lunge whip out with you and make her run until she's had enough
 
I was asked to see if I could catch a 13.2 pony that had not been caught in 2 years.
He knew every trick in the book and after trying for about 5 minutes I knew it was worthless to continue.
I drove my trusty old Mini van into the field and chased him for about 15 miles. In the end he ran to his owners and shoved his head in to a halter.
After that he only had to see a car drive to the gate as if to drive in and he was ready waiting.

Nw there are ATVs and if I had a horse like this then it would be chased around for longer than it wanted.
 
To all of you who are suggesting chasing her round and round and round, i really wish i was fit enough to run up and down a 3-4acre field for 3hours+, the field is quite steep as well so it would be up and down a hill :( i might try join up, will see if anyone in the area has a proper round pen which they wouldn't mind me hireing, i will then free up the whole day so i can chase that cow untill she gives up, that might be worth a try.
At least i know that i'm not alone with a cowbag that won't let you catch her :mad:
Thank you for all the suggestions and kind words :)
 
How frustrating. I wish I could help but I cruelly let mine sort herself out :p it was my little palomino pony, when we first got her she was a cowbag to catch and my dad and I spent 3 hours in that field one night, we tried everything and for once we both thought 'screw her' so we left her in the field (naked) in winter and it snowed so heavily that night, she had no hay and the grass would have been covered for the majority of the night but guess what?? From that day on she ALWAYS came to call :p
 
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