Nervous Pony... :-/

[PixieParker]

(Really hoping i've put this in the right place? i'm new, sorry)
My pony refuses to be caught?
He used to be like this when he was in a field with about a dozen other horses then we moved yards now he is alone with just one mare (my sisters) who he adores, for 2 or 3 weeks he was perfect, he would come in and we even started jumping (Which he's only just learnt to do)
Now he won't let anyone get any where near him he just runs around throwing his head about and snorting. I just kinda want to know how i can catch him? before you make suggestions read below. Thankyou
Bit about him
He came from a rescue centre so is quite nervous anyway, We think he's a welsh D but passport says he's new forest (if that makes any difference) He's always been a nervous pony but this is getting ridiculous. He's a VERY slow learner so if i don't get him back into work soon he will just go back to the start.
about me
for the first couple of weeks i was going up everyday twice a day because i didnt have school but now i go up every other day if i'm lucky we are quite close & he has helped me through alot in life, i don't want to give up on him but he seems to have given up with me?
What we try to do
We've tried taking Molly (the other mare) out of the field, we've tried punishing him (Leaving him in the rain because he wouldn't come in, not getting dinner etc) We've tried giving him treats, sitting quitely until he comes over, chasing him untill he gets tired. He is having non of it.
If you want any more info let me know. Sorry it's a bit long xo

 

[cheeryplatypus]

Not helpful unless you actually can catch him: but always get him to step towards you before undoing his head collar to turn out and wait until he looks at you with both eyes, then let him off. It really helps.
Also stop trying to catch him and try to get him to catch you! Spend time moving away from him in the field and try not to stare at him, breathe deeply and sigh a lot, pretty soon he will be coming to you. Bring him in and feed him before turning out again. It will take time to build trust and it sounds like you are doing the right thing by spending time with him.
Good luck.

 

[rhino]

Yes you've put it in the right place, stop worrying Grr, not catching is so irritating, isn't it? He absolutely has NOT 'given up on you' so please don't think that. You also can't try to punish him as he really won't understand, he's far more likely to be a bit confused/uncertain or wary than naughty

You said you were only going up every other day, is someone else checking on him the other days?

It would be good for him to get into the routine of coming in every day, but not because you're going to work him, you want him to look forward to coming in because he will get a fuss and maybe a treat or handful of feed (although he most likely will not need more than a handful if he is a welsh or NF). If you do this for a while he will associate coming in with nice things Ponies are smart; if there is enough grass in the field he would probably rather stay out there stuffing his face than having to come in and work

Have you tried leaving either a leather headcollar or a fieldsafe one on in the field (the nylon ones can be a bit dangerous as they don't break if they get caught up on something) as it's easier to slip a leadrope on than put a headcollar on if they are a bit nervous.

Set aside a day when you have all the time in the world - ponies always seem to be able to sense when you are in a hurry - and try and catch him. Keep calm, don't get annoyed as he'll be able to tell. Once you catch him, give him a treat and a scratch, then walk away. Leave it a bit and try again, you wan't him to associate being caught with a nice thing.

Most ponies will get there in the end, you just need lots of time and patience!

Good luck x

 

[labruyere]

good advice from rhino

i'm guessing he has now 'got away' with not being caught for several 'sessions'?

i'm afraid that means he now thinks he's v clever and if he's just stubborn he gets away with it because that's what you've unwittingly and unintentionally taught him

i know we don't all have 'all day' to win 'discussions' with our horses, and (obviously) the first time this happens you can't be prepared for it
but as a rule i would say if this DOES happen and you genuinely haven't got the time to sort first day
then make absolutely sure the next time you go up you have a couple of hours available in case you need it and then make darn sure you succeed

as Mr Roberts says, if you approach something as if you only have 15 mins to do it, you prob won't succeed, whereas if you approach it as if you have all day (if necessary) you'll probably acheive it within 15 minutes

anyway, now that we have this situation, the most important things (rhino covered some of them)

i'm assuming you are a competent and experienced horse handler who can interpret body language and is canny enough not to let the horse corner you, for example
if the above is not correct then i strongly advise you get someone you choose to help,
don't just let the local yard 'expert' persuade you to let them do it (unless they actually do know what they're doing of course)

SO Don't get frustrated, Don't get angry, Don't allow yourself to 'think he won't catch'
watch out for any of these and the moment you detect them, stop, take a deep breath, give yourself time to refocus, and start again once you're in the right mind set

Remember, you only have to be persistent for one more second than you're horse is willing to be stubborn for, so keep going

approach the problem incrementally,
eg aim to get within 10 yards, stand, both relax,
then 8 yards and repeat etc

resist the temptation (v difficult if its taken you 30 mins to get to this stage!!) to grab him once you get close enough - this will instantly undo the previous half hour

stand facing the same way as him, talk to him, if he nuzzles up to you pat him back,
but don't try to catch him

if you've nearly got him and he runs back off
breathe refocus and start again, it will all happen a lot quicker this time

so repeat, increment, wait,
and when you get to a point where he has genuinely relaxed and youre close enough
slide the lead rope over his neck and secure round his neck with both sides in your hand (at this point you've cracked it with a horse that's used to being handled)
wait, talk to him,
get to a point where youre both genuinely relaxed again
and put headcollar on,
keeping lead rope loop securely round neck until headcollar is on

wait, relax, talk to him, tell him how wonderful he is
give him a really good fuss, groom him or whatever
and then turn out with headcollar on
(rhino covers the safety aspects of this)

and make sure you repeat the process the next day if humanly possible

 

[mystiandsunny]

It may be he's gone back to his previous behaviour because the spring grass is coming through. Once caught, turning out with a grazing muzzle can do wonders for that issue, if of course he'll come in at night/would get fat on the grass anyway.

You really need to be up each day once he'll catch, even for ten min to catch, give a small feed and a cuddle, and turn him out again. Any way you can do that?

Another thing, is that if, when you're up to ride, he gets something to eat when you're tacking up (bit of hay/bit of chaff perhaps), then a little snack afterwards (again poss just chaff with carrots maybe), then he'll associate coming in, even to ride, with yummy treats and nice food. Make sure the riding is fun for them too - even if doing something scary (like jumping fillers), end with a bit of fun canter work or a mooch down the track for some lush grass. Works with my lot - they fight over who's being caught first (and they only ever come in for riding)!

On to the how to catch bit. If the above poster's idea doesn't work, I've used a join-up type method quite effectively in the past, before a new horse/pony got the hang of the whole 'coming in to yummy food and fun' thing. Basically, once you enter the field to catch them, you don't stop moving until you've got them, and therefore neither do they. I usually walk (non-threatening but still effective) and only run if in a very large field. So - approach pony, pony runs off, keep calmly approaching pony every time it stops. Aim is that pony never gets a bite of grass, never gets to stop, never gets a drink. Pony will think it's great fun at first, but after 20mins of constantly moving they'll be hungry and fed up with it. Eventually, the head will lower, they'll lick and chew. As soon as you see that, walk past them (quite close) with your eyes averted, all not-scary, then walk away. They should follow. Walk all the way to the gate with them following behind, then turn and catch. If at any point they stop following you, or move away when you go to catch, repeat from the beginning again. The first time takes the longest. Then less each time they try the behaviour, as they know what's coming and give up sooner. The whole thing is kind of you saying 'you want to run? Well I'll ****** well make sure you get to run then!' until they don't want to any more and say 'can we stop, I'll let you catch me' with the lick and chew and the lowered head. Then you go 'ok, I won't chase you any more, you can stay with me' by turning away from them and walking past. Usually they're relieved to do so, occasionally they change their minds and you're back to 'go on, run then!' but it doesn't last too long. Longest I've ever had to do this was an hour. You have to spot the cues though, be assertive and confident while keeping them moving, and then sweet and unscary when allowing them to come - so not as easy as the poster's method above.