Mare is a pain to catch. free to good home?!!!!?

J

J1993

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My horse is doing my head in. For a couple of weeks now she has been taking the mick. It started when i had a mini injury which resulted to me not being able to ride for 10 days. She stayed out for 7 days with someone else checking on her. When i went to go get her she walked away. Each day it got worse to the point where she gradually got worse and worse and i had to stop after 2 hours. Went to go get a lunge whip and a bucket of feed. With the thought that if she doesnt come for the feed i will try the keep moving till she gets bored trick but she came for the bucket. This was working well but she started to become too clever and not come for the bucket. I have to add that when you approach her she will turn her bum on you threatening to kick, she hasnt yet tho.. swine!!! Anyway bucket stopped working so friend suggested the lunge whip again. So i went to field she turned her bum on me got a smack on her bum. Repeated a few times to where she got bored after 10 mins and came in. Next day(wed) she just was walking/trotting away and away (no turning bum) till she got bored 20 mins. Today it took me an hour and i only managed to catch her after enticing with carrots and managed to grab her before she buggered off again. She had all sorts of threats made walking from the field. Tesco sold dog tins where some words mentioned but we wont go into details.... it is sooooo frustrating. It doesnt help that the field is 30 acres, i have nothing to section her off with. No where else to turn her out. Arrghh. She is in with about 25 other horses. Have tried for a week just giving her feed in her stable and turning her straight out but no. Will also add that she has a field headcollar on(the rubber rings one) and sometimes (today as an example) i got hold of her and she tried to gallop off with me holding on! She is a big horse 16.3. She has no respect for me in a field when the leadrope isnt clipped on. As soon as it is on she is listening to me and is a dope on a rope!

Just after a few ideas as she is really doing my head in. :-(
 
You have tried everything i would have (and some i would not..id not be so brave to try a bucket in a field with 25 others!) so i can't help but i can sympathise, cause my mare is a total dick to catch when shes out, but will always come into the stable for feeding and as my field opens into my stables its not an issue to chase her into it.
 
You have my sympathy. Mine are both being utter pests about catching in today. Yesterday they were fine, today it's as if they are feral! I may have muttered something about Tesco...
 
You had a mini injury and I think you are backing off because of this, why do you need a lunge whip? do you not have a good relationship with your mare that you have to resort to this level.
 
I feel your pain. One of ours is usually very well mannered and easy to catch, but the past month or so she has been a nightmare. Usually end up resorting to bringing the others in first, thankfully there are only 5 of them.. makes it a bit easier, though they live out at present so then have to turn the rest back out! Ours will be in overnight soon though which will make things much easier!
 
Echo Bravo said:
You had a mini injury and I think you are backing off because of this, why do you need a lunge whip? do you not have a good relationship with your mare that you have to resort to this level.
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Not sure what you mean by backing off? The injury wasn't caused by her. The lunge whip was to try the whole when she walks away keep her moving, till she stops, try to catch her again, if she wants to keep walking away then she can until I say so. I will add that I have never pelted it at her! She was getting into the habit of turning her bum at me and threatening to kick, so it allowed me to push her the other way so I didn't get kicked. It's obviously not everyone's way of doing things but she has stopped turning her bum at me now. I will also add that when I do reapproach her I turn the whip the other way so it isn't pointing at her and leave it very low to the floor. We do have a very good relationship out of the field and she used to be fine and let me go over to her give her a cuddle, carrots etc. it was since she had the 7 days where I couldn't come up and she wasn't brought out of the field. Only checked on.
 
Ours are coming in for winter in about a month, but the thought of another month struggling to catch her makes me want to cry. The most annoying thing is, if a stranger walked up to her she stands still and would let them catch her, it's just as soon as she spots me she walks away! Thanks JillA I'm looking at that now.
It's nice to know it's not just me with a pain of a horse!
 
I had a similar thing (although not in a 30 acre field!) some years ago. I was helping my friend out with her horses as she was away. My horse smelt other horses on me and threw a complete tantrum. I couldn't get near him for ages, I did the "if you won't stand still to let me catch you I'll make you keep moving", bucket etc. He let other people catch him but not me. Once I sussed what the issue was I made sure I did her horses after him, which was a pain in the arse but it stopped me wanting to launch the headcollar at his disappearing rear end on a daily basis!!

Have you been sent to horsey coventry perhaps?

Good luck with a prompt resolution!!!
 
Feel your pain. I do what you do. I have a ****** too. Depending on how long he hasn't been brought in it will vary how long it takes to catch him. Once the winter routine starts and he comes in every night he even waits at the gate. They can cope with a strict routine, or shall I say we can cope then??? Trust me, Tesco isn't the only thung I think of in the middle of the field when I walk around in circles lol.

The worst days though are usually max of 10 minutes backing away and pushing him to keep walking etc.

Never , ever do I buy a horse again which is in the stable on viewing day ;)
 
If your mare had any trust in you she wouldn't be sodding off even after 7 days and I certainly wouldn't using a lunge whip near her. I still say you had an injury and you are worried that it will cause pain if you got pulled about with your mare.
 
When mine do this I go and start petting another horse, when mine comes over (usually do as very jealous) I just walk away, give it a few minutes then call them over, quite often if I walk away to the gate they will follow.
 
fliffkins said:
When mine do this I go and start petting another horse, when mine comes over (usually do as very jealous) I just walk away, give it a few minutes then call them over, quite often if I walk away to the gate they will follow.
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I tried feeding her best mate carrots and I throw little bits to her which she eats off the floor as soon as I go closer she says bye bye :-(
 
I know its a bit of a cliche but if the horse stands still for others perhaps she associates you with work? Have you tried the ' old school' catching for a treat and then letting her go several times?
 
I had this with one of mine last summer. Started off when she went into the field with good grass and didnt automatically come for her tea like she normally would. Escalated so that by the end of the summer she would literally gallop laps of the field for 30-45 mins, and like yours, often when I did eventually catch her she would pull back and break off the fieldsafe headcollar. Good as gold once you got a rope on though. I probably had the fittest "ridden once a month when I have time to catch her" horse in the country.
We used winter as a chance to reset (cos there was no grass by December so had a good 4 months of her being very keen to get her tea. We now have a new rule where I stand in the same place with their buckets every day and call them for tea. If they come, they get fed, if they dont, I walk away and try again tomorrow. Most nights they are just fed in the field off the rope, patted and then left to finish in peace. If I want to bring in/ ride I put the rope on midway through the meal. She hasnt done the panicky pull back and break headcollar thing since I started this. There are probably 4 days this summer where I have wanted to catch her to ride and she hasnt come down, and a good few others where she has missed a meal. It is a million times better than the position I was in last year though.

I have limited evidence to back up my theory, but she can be quite a spooky mare, and the boss of my tiny herd, and I think she was quite stressed by the idea of being moved round the field the first few times I did it. This then made her less comfortable with the idea of being caught, and what started as a "the grass is yummy and I have no interest in you" indifference turned into a bit of a phobia about bossy people coming into her field and trying to make her do things. We eventually reached the point where she would canter/gallop off as soon as I approached her. I tried join up with her to see if that helped, and she does it perfectly well in the school and will follow me around off the lead quite happily, but clearly in her territory the concept didnt stick. Maybe an experienced NH person would have managed to do it better in the field, but it wasnt helping me at all. I also found that my less horsey OH had better luck catching her last summer than I did - I suspect there may have been an element of body language in that, where despite my best efforts to seem unthreatening I was mentally going in expecting a fight.

I hope you find a better solution than I did, as mine is certainly not foolproof, but it sounds like your position is not dissimilar to the one I was in, so thought it might be of some use.
 
^Echo the above post, but not the post from Echo! I have long-standing catching pain with a gelding. He knows exactly what he's doing. Luckily, am in a yard where we can outsmart the cunning old so and so with several people to corner him.
 
WelshD said:
I know its a bit of a cliche but if the horse stands still for others perhaps she associates you with work? Have you tried the ' old school' catching for a treat and then letting her go several times?
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This ^^^^.

And the fact that the response to the method you have chosen (to walk her down) gets progressively worse should tell you something. Even if you have to use a bucket to get her close and throw carrots so she can eat them on the ground, it will be a start. Trying to grab the head collar and carrying a schooling whip are sending her a very clear message with predictable results.
 
Many years ago I had a horse that would occasionally be a pain to catch. I found that if I strode purposefully away and gazed intently into the hedge his head would appear over my shoulder within 5mins and I could get hold of him while he was trying to see what I was looking at!!
 
Echo Bravo said:
If your mare had any trust in you she wouldn't be sodding off even after 7 days and I certainly wouldn't using a lunge whip near her. I still say you had an injury and you are worried that it will cause pain if you got pulled about with your mare.
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What a load of old rubbish. The best horse I ever had was an absolute sod to catch. Could take up to three hours on a bad day in a large field in a large herd like op's.
 
We had this with our lad, when bought, saw him being caught / turned out and bought from a friend, so we knew there were no issues.

Brought him home to our yard, large field with 20-25 geldings turned out, first year, caught no problems, in every night, second year, a little trouble on odd days, but not too concerned, again, in every night. Third year, daughter found boys and the horse was left out some nights, became herd bound and we started having trouble. Fourth year, horse was injured on turnout day, had to go on box rest, when eventually turned out, could not get near him, he would turn & run, we tried everything, all that you have and more.

Got so bad that at one point we couldn't get near him for about 6 weeks (could see if he was injured obviously). Fifth year, was dreading it but armed with a Dually headcollar and lots of groundwork over the winter and a start as we meant to go attitude, thought he would be fine. First couple of days, came in no problems, then one day out of the blue was leading him across the unmade road from the field and he just went, down the unmade to the 60mph road at the bottom, dodging cars, my daughter was on the floor screaming.

That was the last straw, she was given an ultimatum, sell or move yards, so we moved, found a yard with a very strict routine, turnout in pairs only and he is kept on a strict daily turnout and bring in time. He is never allowed out overnight (he just becomes herd bound) and it has been the making of him. It has meant that i have taken over his daily care as i can commit to this routine (i appreciate some people have a life lol and may not be able to)

So, what i am trying to say given my experience, if this continues, it could get worse and your only option may be to move to a similar set-up to mine.
 
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I'm with Dry Rot and Echo Bravo :) Obviously your methods haven't worked so you need to try and see the situation from the horses point of view :)
 
The keeping her moving thing can work well but you have to have a restricted area so that you can personally (and without a lunge whip!) just use your body language and don't let her rest at all. In a larger field she can get away from you and pause while you catch up. And your body language is crucial - the instant she turns towards you you have to lower your eyes and make your body language inviting which is why you would do better with an expert to show you how.
 
We have same problem with sasha... So I know how you feel. We also have to catch in a big field with other horses(6+) and she walks rings round us, has field safe headcolar on too.. So YO now helps and she and another will walk towards her with two lunge lines towards a corner, once she is in the corner she gives in for a treat...in a small turnout she is no problem if we fetch field mate in first she begs to come in! I don't think she will change when on field turnout, we have tried everything.
 
WelshD said:
I know its a bit of a cliche but if the horse stands still for others perhaps she associates you with work? Have you tried the ' old school' catching for a treat and then letting her go several times?
Click to expand...

I sympathise - mine has on,y ever done this once and it annoyed the hell out of me so every time must be a nightmare. I'm not suggesting this is why mine is good but do you always catch for work - echoing the above, maybe try catching and treating and letting go. Doesn't have to be food treats (my mare can get pushy loose in the field if I treat her from the hand there so I don't) - brush or fuss that she likes?
 
I have used the keep them moving method in large and small fields, body language is the kay and you cannot carry a whip as it changes the whole situation, never ever ever ever ever grab the head collar even if it has taken you hours the get close enough to touch her-it will just mean it takes longer next time-personally I hate leaving headcollars on (mine has to be muzzled sometimes so cannot always avoid it), when you manage to get close enough the give her a handful of treats and walk away.

TBH the fact that others can catch her but you cannot does indicate that something you are doing is the problem not the horse- watch what others do to catch her and copy it
 
I used to share a mare who could be a complete pain to catch. She wore a tethering collar in the field as, like yours, once you had hold of her she was fine.

I used to visit all the other horses and treat them, leaving her until last. Sometimes that worked and sometimes she beggared off so I would start again. (The owners of all the other horses were happy with me doing this).

I also made a big point of catching her and then releasing, often without doing anything with her at all. She did get better as time went on but I always carried on the little "chat" in the field where I would catch her and then do nothing, for example if I was poo picking.

I am now the very lucky owner of a gelding who can't wait to see me and will trot down the field to greet me - sorry for the smug moment, I do feel your pain! We have only five horses on our yard and the two mares can be dreadful to catch as well.
 
Mine's normally an angel to catch (actually, I don't always catch her - sometimes she just walks down the field at my side and we only have the rope on when we get near to the gate) but when she has her moments she's horrible, which in a way, is as bad as ones who'll never be caught, but if there's one thing my mare disapproves of is complacency, and if I let my guard down I pay!

The thing I've found works best with her (and I admit it wouldn't work for many horses) is to "give up" - ie walk away, with a casual "Oh well, seeya" over my shoulder. She's so surprised that she'll walk up to you with a "Hold on, where are you off to? I was enjoying that game" look on her face, and will even lower her head for the headcollar.
 
I agree with others that have said that if you have one that is difficult to catch, having them in a large field with others puts you at a serious disadvantage. My guy is wilful and independent and would be a pain in this situation, but he's in individual turnout in a one acre electric fenced paddock. He comes in at night so if all else fails he will be standing by the gate at night.I f I need to get him in during the day to ride, he often walks off but as he's on his own, if I walk quietly to him, coming to his shoulder and never up behind him he's fine.
You can do the sending them away technique much more effectively if they are on their own in a small paddock too. In fact we had one in that was a complete madam to catch and using this method for a couple of weeks she's good as gold now, even free ranging around the walkways with a couple of other horses as she has been this summer. I think you are going to have to revisit your turnout - it's enough of a pain now, imagine what it will be like when it's wet/cold/dark?
 
Hi, Was she difficult to catch before you had some one else look after for a few days ? and do you know what they did with her ?. My mare was a dream to catch until she had a couple of injections from the vet in the field. Now back to her old self , but did take some time. If your mare had something unpleasant happen to her whilst you were off might explain it, just a thought.
 
I have a few suggestions that may help. How a horse responds to you in the field is your horses way of giving you feedback. Firstly consider what is in it for the horse? If she gets fed a bucket of feed in the field to get her in and only comes in to work she would rather stay where she is. Maybe consider sometimes just bringing her in for a haynet and a groom or to graze on the other side of the fence, turn her out, give her a carrot and go home. Secondly trying the pressure and release method is a very valid method but if you're chasing your horse in a 30 acre field they will get rest away from you and you will just appear as a predator. You are probably better off ditching the bribes and not sneaking around your horse. If you hide food and sneak that is a predatory behaviour as if you're stalking your horse. You are better off walking at an indirect angle towards your horse as that is a less predatory position to approach from and not trying to grab for a headcollar. Start putting light pressure towards your horses hindquarters, this may be as little just looking at it taking a few steps towards. If she flicks an ear towards you turns her head ect turn your back on her move a couple of steps in the opposite direction and relax. If she runs off just follow her keeping that pressure but don't add it or you'll turn it into a came of chase. as soon as she stops or looks your way retreat. If she stands looking at you just wait, maybe turn your back and walk accross her but not towards her, sort of get her to hook on to you.Do not just grab her as that will ruin it. Perhaps give her a treat without turning and leave, give her a treat and leave for a couple of days. See if you can give her a little stroke without the intention of catching her for a couple of days. Until her first reaction is to wait or come to you rather than run. Hope this makes sense and good luck, I remember the days of my horse running off in a herd of horses but she now walks straight to the gate when she sees me so there is hope! xx
 
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