New Horse - Catching In

Gingerwitch

Gingerwitch

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New Neddy arrived on Thur - never been in a herd, and only ever been out with 2 in a paddock. Caught in brill on Fri, Sat and Sun, last night he was walking round the herd and wasnt exactly walking away, but wasnt exactly standing still. As soon as he realised i was their he stood still to be caught (well he was sniffing a new area of droppings). Tonight he was at the gate with my old lady, and I fetched her in and before I could get back for him he had been moved from the gate and was again wondering around the horses sniffing and making friends. Again he was not exactly walking off and when he stopped to sniff one of the horses I walked upto him and he was quite happy to be caught. So question is - is he going to be a little sod?, or is he very insecure and wants to be with his friends? I am doing my best to make friends with him, and he let me catch him 3 times during the day - it just seems to be when too much is happening at the same time he does not know what to do.
 
I don't think you need to worry too much. It sounds to me like he is just distracted and finding things so interesting that he doesn't really notice you until you are next to him. I'm sure it will all be ok
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he knows your there alright...

I would say he's testing you, seeing where the land lies, and what he can get away with.

Play him at his own game...have some tasty treats in your pocket and make sure he knows it then you ignore him by wandering off... he'll soon notice you with a polo on your hand and you'll have him following you around trying to get you to notice him.
 
My girl is like this and as I walk up to her will start walking away from me. Well until I tell her I've got all day and can follow her around as long as it takes
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Funny how she gives in then
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Another good one I heard of is someone took a long rope and I am not talking do this hard here,

but when her gelding turned and walked away from her she (out of kicking range) flicked him between the legs with the rope......

I heard he never ignored her again.....
 
Sounds like a neat way to get kicked.
Give your new horse a chance, he doesn't know you yet and he doesn't know you are a bringer of good things. It seems so unfair to label him as testing you out, that makes it into a confrontation and a challenge and it isn't. He's just a horse doing what horses do.
Take a bit of time to work with him in the field without a headcollar in your hand or a deadline. Just go out, wander about with him until you can get close enough to give him a scratch or a tiny treat, walk away. Repeat as required, until he starts to recognise and react to you as you wander into the field. Then practise dropping a leadrope over his neck, walking him a few steps, letting the rope fall off and walking away. Then the headcollar. Bring him in, give him something nice in a bucket on the yard, turn him out. This sounds protracted, but in practise with most horses that don't object strongly to being caught, it might only take a few visits to the field.
Many horses only come in to work, be stabled, to be groomed etc. It's not a great incentive for many of them. With mine I make sure that they always have the odd time when they are caught, brought in to eat something like a net with hage in, and put out again. Just so it's not all about me and what I want to do with them. Sounds daft maybe, but all 3 of them leave the herd and come to me as soon as I go into the field, so it's worth the little bit of extra effort.
 
Doesn't sound as if you have a problem at all.

And not sure who Jay_d is - but they have interesting ideas
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