Methods of catching a foal that won't be caught....?!

L

Lill

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We have one foal (well weanling really) who has managed to get his headcollar off and is quite happy for you to get as close as his bum but should you dare try to put a headcollar on him he runs backwards and away.

The method i used with a previous horse who used to get his headcollar off and wouldn't be caught was to just follow him around at walk, not let him stop to eat and eventually he would just stand still and let me catch him... now am not sure whether this will work with foal as he is a lot younger and not sure used to headcollars as this horse was....

Another method i've heard is to follow him around and as soon as he turns and takes a step towards me, i take a step away from him or i just stand still. Then gradually he should be closer to me and follow me around and apparently i should be able to put the headcollar on him...

Which would you recommend trying this afternoon?
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How big is the foal?

Could you get a couple of strong people to put their arms round him like you would with a newborn? (or a sheep - lol!
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Sorry - not much help but I do know how frustrating it can be!
 
He's in quite a small field so not too much of a problem, it is the smallest field we have, there is a smaller part but i don't want him trying to jump the fence to get out of it if i put him in there.
 
What makes it even more frustrating is that the other baby we have (weanling filly) has been treated pretty much the same as him and yet she is as good as gold, she got her headcollar off yesterday too (god only knows what they were both up to yesterday!) and she came up to me in the field, gave me kisses and i quietly slipped hers back on but no such luck with little boy unfortunately!
 
Do you feed them hard feed? If so you could do the headcollar over bucket trick...
If not you could start feeding him a little, and over the course of a day or two, lay a rope over his neck...then round his neck...then down near his ears...then as he eats, handle his head...
Once he expects a feed...you can then decide he won't get it without being caught first...works well longterm.
S
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I do so sympathise. My NF foal is a little b*gger! We kept him in for a couple of weeks when he was weaned (straight off the Forest so totally wild) and he got quite good to catch (left headcollar on with a dangly bit to get hold of) so turned him out . . . . yep, you've guessed it, couldn't get near him. So with help of friend we managed to corner him and I kept him in the yard for another couple of weeks to get some more handling done. He was fine to catch in the yard and easy to do things with so I turned him out. For two days he was fine, now I can't get anywhere near him. He's a crafty little sod. He loves his hard feed but won't come anywhere near the bucket if I'm anywhere within 15 feet of it. He just stands looking at me with his ears pricked! I can't get anywhere near him even with a fence in between us. I've got the vet coming out on Friday to do their second vaccs so we're foal chasing again tomorrow (oh goody). I have been thinking of asking the vet to bring her tranquilliser dart gun with her . . . .
 
Well, my 2yo has always been field kept...in not particularly small fields....never wore a headcollar as a foal (I don't think they're safe) and even the vet can catch her....
My 3yo I bought as a weanling...and she wouldn't be caught for the first week or so...but with a feed twice a day (she was quite underweight when I got her) she soon got the message - being caught means food...as I'd catch her in the field before feeding her.
I try not to just catch them for the bad things in life...like worming and vaccinations...to avoid negative associations.
S
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The other one (the one I bred) is fine, I can do anything with her. The NF wasn't caught just for negative things, I was catching him to feed him and then groom etc. The problem is that he just doesn't need me. He's a feral pony designed to live on rubbishy grazing and he's out in a field with grass and a never-ending supply of hay. I've tried taking the other one away to see if that makes him more amenable but he doesn't care and just wanders off to graze. Perhaps he'll be better when he's gelded, I suspect a bit of testosterone is starting to kick in!
 
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The other one (the one I bred) is fine, I can do anything with her. The NF wasn't caught just for negative things, I was catching him to feed him and then groom etc. The problem is that he just doesn't need me. He's a feral pony designed to live on rubbishy grazing and he's out in a field with grass and a never-ending supply of hay. I've tried taking the other one away to see if that makes him more amenable but he doesn't care and just wanders off to graze. Perhaps he'll be better when he's gelded, I suspect a bit of testosterone is starting to kick in!

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I wasn't suggesting it was your fault....de-b*ll*cking is always wise...
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S
 
Lol yes said problem foal is also a colt who hasn't yet been gelded so that may have something to do with it!

Baby girly comes over to the gate to say hello and loves a fuss, baby boy came over tonight too, he wants a fuss but he won't let you put headcollar on him, you can stroke his face (most of the time) but not with headcollar. We don't feed them no, they are welsh d's in a field with a big bale of hay so they don't really need feed.

Think we will persevere for a few days with making a fuss of him by the gate and see how it goes, can't really think what else to do!

Does my head in as girly one is so good!!!
 
I also wasn't suggesting you shovel lots of hard feed into them...but give them some chaff...with a chopped up apple, carrot, or a handful of speedibeet, etc...so they have some reward for taking the risk of letting you catch them.
S
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I've got half-a-dozen just just-weaned babes at present - living in but turned out during the day in all-weather yards (fields are TOO foul and I like them good to catch again before they go out). All were good to catch before weaning - but they always go a bit 'native' at weaning.

I just catch the ones I CAN catch and use them to hem in the ones being prats - I can corner one with another - and reach over the caught one to drop a leadrope around the neck of the uncaught! They NEVER see it coming!
 
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