Initial handling of unhandled youngsters

tobiano1984

tobiano1984

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I've got a couple of new youngsters arriving at my yard in a week or so, and I just wondered if anyone has any advice/tips. I've owned and handled plenty of youngsters before, but usually they've at least been led around a bit and been handled to trim/worm etc. These guys are 3 rising 4, nice mannered quiet cob crosses, but have had literally no handling! They were castrated last week and now have headcollars on (put on whilst sedated!)

The breeder is delivering them to me, and they will have a stable each in my barn - they've been in a barn for the last couple of months so are used to being indoors. What I'm wondering is whether I should leave them in stables for a bit and hande them lots, or get them out to the field as soon as possible? My slight concern is that the field is about a 5 min walk down a track from the stables, and I don't fancy trying to get them there if they don't understand handling!! I guess I could turn them out for a few hours a day in the sand school...

Any thoughts or advice welcome!
 
So if you turn them out before they are used to being handled, having headcollars on, pressure and release etc how are you going to catch them? You don't want to have to herd them, I would stable (or even better yard them if you can) while you are teaching them the basics. As a bonus, you will be their source of food and water so they will begin to look for your arrival, and you can make it a condition of getting their food that they allow you to touch them, then rub a rope on them, then a rope round the neck etc etc. All associated with food.
 
If you have to lead to get them from the stables to the field then I'd definitely advise you to keep them stabled for about a week so you can practice handling them and leading them short distances next to their stables. Start by introducing leading inside the stable though. I find semi-ferals often come round fairly quickly when they are being gently handled and fed indoors. You have one major plus ... that they have headcollars on!
 
Yes I did think that about turning them out to soon - at the breeder's farm they follow buckets of food around to change fields/come into the barns! I just wasn't sure if leaving them stabled for a week or so would send them crazy, but being cobby types they're pretty chilled, and seem quite happy in their current barn situation.

Thank you - useful advice, I think mucking out around them and feeding them etc will help get them used to contact, and the stables are in a big barn so I can lead them around inside without too much hassle.
 
I had two, one 4yo and one 8yo. My OH two, one 3 and one 5.

Both of mine and one of his were left out unhandled to this age (the 8yo was briefly handled before being declared dangerous) and I just spent time in the field getting to know them, headcollars on and leading. None took more than a week to get the hang of basic leading the worst of the three stood up on two legs a few times.
His final one is being moved to a stable to be worked on as he has different ideas as to how handling should happen and a smaller space of stable, leading directly to a round pen is a far more suitable set up for this horse.

So depends on the horse ime.

One of mine became a complete nightmare when stabling briefly and found it far easier to gain trust in an open area (35acres) but at that point she'd been attacked, so having a human in a confined space with her tipped her over the edge.
 
Leave them in the stables, otherwise you will never catch them!

I've handled a few unhandled Horses. We always start with getting to know them, letting them know we are not there to harm them. I do use treats, as I walk past the door I will put a treat in, gradually I will go in and put in on the floor, spend time speaking to them, sit outside the stable and read a book so they get used to you being around. Do everything slowly and gently. Once they are used to you progress on to touching parts of their body, you don't want to scare them so take it slow. Then you can move onto leading, where pressure and release will be taught to them, this will help when teaching them how to tie up properly too. Once you have gained their trust, turn them out in a small paddock (leccy fence a bit off if you need too). Then gradually make the space bigger.

Good luck :)
 
Keep them in for a week or so, first few days just simply keep going in and out and being 'around' in with them. Don't faff or make an effort to be extra 'quiet' around them mucking out/feeding/watering/etc. Be how you will be, and just let them get used to you being there.

Feel free to use bribery, get them used to 'touch' till again they just quieten. Get so you can touch them all over as they are, and happy with their heads being touched, and then go from there.

What I do, not many on here like, but I leave a line/rope on them off their headcollar if it's a safe environment to do so [ie, nothing to get caught on]. Easiest way of them learning pressure and release. None of the cob babies ever panic over it, and just stay there pulling a bit confused by it more than anything, rather than a 'reaction'. They soon learn, pressure on the rope, to yield and soften and simply move off it. Makes leading much easier once they've already done that for a couple of days. Then I just play around getting them used to being caught during that time, picking up the lead, giving them a bit of food and a fuss, and just teaching them to move away inhand - just a few steps forwards/sideways/etc.

Then I just have a 2nd person, and take them out to lead them from then till they're quiet and used to it. One person leading, the other just staying behind to encourage it forwards - but the is timing it to the person on the rope. So when the pressure is 'on' the headcollar, is when you send forwards. When the horse moves forward and the pressure is off, the oerson behind backs off. So it's just a well timed unit. Once they're used to leading, we then teach them tying, just looping it through to start with not actually tying them. Then once they're settled in the tie up spot, we tie them up, and give them a bath if warm enough, or a full groom/legs washed if not. Gets them used to being handled all over and they're 98% of the time, quiet as anything after :)

Then it's just repetition and mileage.

When they don't move away from you in the barn and can catch them, is when you know to turn them out. Then again, it's just a case of them relearning to be caught in the field. For us, again, bit of food and 'Come on' shouted, and they come running and just learn that as the sign to be caught/come over in the field.
 
Ahh, somebody heading into the world of Little Ted. Deep breath, patience, sense of humour and all that jazz !

Curiosity will get the better of them. I put Ted in a stable when he arrived, (he was so traumatised he was sedated to carry him off the lorry, he was 10 months old and had been 'handled' not terribly well).

A humourous account of how I set about taming Ted is to be found on the thread 'My next equine project'.

Mine was, and even after 8 months with me, remains a very nervous horse, hopefully your two are just unhandled rather than terrified. My advice, based purely on what I have learnt from Ted, is to let them investigate you and be calm in your presence before you ask them for anything. I simply put a chair in the stable and sat there with a magazine, within 30 minutes Ted came over and started having a good rummage around me, however, if I moved he went into meltdown and ran up the corner. It seemed to take for ever but gradually he improved and I could touch him - it is all on the thread if you have time to read it.

Good luck, it is very rewarding, hopefully yours will not be like Ted, but be prepared for good and bad days.

Just a little word of caution with titbits, especially if they are colts/geldings, I stuck to the rule that good behaviour was rewarded, but very sparingly with food and more with a rub, because I felt Ted was more interested in the treat than me, and we went through a phase of him grabbing at the hand and clearing off. I even stopped bucket feeding him at one point because he became food proud and gave me unreasonable behaviour around the bucket - be open minded they are all different.
 
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depends really, I got my un handled yearling turned him straight out in 10 acres with my other horses. I spent a lot of time in the field making a fuss of the others, lots of approach and retreat with him. After a few weeks he came to me of his own free will, 2 years later he's the first to come, will stand all day to be groomed and fussed over (even in the middle of the field) and has no issues at all.
For me (he'd had a bad start in life) I wanted it to be on his terms, I had all the time in the world so just let it happen, he was curious and the others showed him there was nothing to fear in me.
I don't really know if he would be different if I shut him in a stable and forced the issue of becoming friends on him. Don't know at all if it would have made him any different, but he has been the easiest youngster you could imagine - no problems at all
This is him :)
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I have had quite a few, it's definately easier to keep them stabled for a while, I always sownd lots of time just touching them and gently leading round the stable, before taking them to graze inhand etc but if you do have to turn them out, put them with a really friendly group, they will soon be unable to resist coming to see what it's all about
 
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