Please could I have some Catching tips!

[haras]

Dina, my purebred arab mare spends 3 days a week at a training yard and 4 days a week at home. This doesn't worry her at all and she is happy at both yards and with both herds that she gets turned out with.

My problem is She had to stay out last night, as she would not let her teacher catch her. She wears a field safe headcollar. But isn't food orientated. At home she will be caught if she thinks it is time to come in, but if I try and get her in early or approach her in the field then she frequently runs off.

So, I'm desperate for tips please! and also I need to address this issue, as if she has a foal next year, I want to be able to get near them both and she will be even worse then!

Thank You!!!!

 

[picolenicole]

As sad as this sounds, I sat once with my back to my Arab with a bucket of carrots in his field for 2 hours!!!
Untill he came to me then I gave him a carrot and walked away.
After doing this a few times, (didn't have to wait as long the next time). He would follow me round the field, slowly I did the same with his head collar.
Until he would let me put it on then, I would just put it on give him a carrot then take it off again.

Took ages but it worked. (He was only bothered about carrots no other food worked)

 

[Birker2020]

You need to bring her in every now and then and just feed her and give her lots of love and pats and tell her how good she is then turn her straight back out again. Then she will not always associate being brought in with being ridden.

 

[Berkeley]

Ok don't laugh but I am going to tell you a trick. My friend's horse was a COMPLETE AR*E at not coming in. He used to wait until you were about 2 meters from her and set himself galloping round and round the field. He just didn't want to be caught. This went on for months (maybe even a year). She moved him to a different yard and the YO came out one evening with my friend to watch and see why the horse wouldn't be caught. The YO then took over and proceeded to creep slowly towards the horse pretending to graze by leaning down, taking eye contact off the horse and just picked grass. She approached the horse slowly and cought him no sweat. My friend did this most nights for a while, now she doesn't have to do it at all. You can read what you like into it - its ace and it worked.

 

[Daisy11]

there is a communication break down by the sounds of it .
and because of the way that horses are approched she probley doesnt realise your being friendly .
the way you move in may include all or one of these speed you move at ,the angle you hold your hands , the direction your moving in and your eye contact .
you are probley approaching her in away thats aggressive to a horse and could be a possible cause for her not wanting to be caught when your horse moves away do you follow as this can make her fill like shes being followed ??
as monty roberts says dont ever catch your horse let your horse catch you !!!
you can try to appoch you horse side on with offering of hand of a friendly gesture as you get near.
if she looks up stop immediately and soften your body language ie turn away and look at ground if she starts to move back off.
if she carries on eating then that you ticket to carry on moving towards her .
if not the next step would be to chase and join up you would want to drive her away if shes not going to play but if she stops and looks towards you also develope a sweet spot in a courner of field to make catching easier when she is ok with a touch appoch walk away and then back clipping rope on and off
always take things slowly and never make sharp moves , and never just bring in to ride
also what could benifit is to get other peolpe catching her too
a couple of tips for preventing problem dont move to quickly or grabbing horse head
2)
dont chase your horse if she moves away when you try to catch her this turns you into a predator and make her fill like shes being hunted always consider your body language carefully
3) never just bring in to ride make it a nice experience grooming ,feed etc then turn out again

 

[exracerfan]

Does she respect electric tape enough for you to pen her? I have often been able to catch horses that way making a sort of funnel for them to run down to the narrowest bit and then closing them in with some tape. Just be ready to let go if she tries to run through so you dont get your hand caught if she doesnt respect it enough. Is she just crafty or is she genuinely nervous? If she is just crafty she may just stand and let you get her if she thinks she is cornered.

The only other trick I have used which works with some is to leave a lead rope trailing which is not too long. As they graze, when they step on it they learn to stop and step back till they take the foot off the rope. Think its physcological, somehow makes them easier to catch. Also you dont have to lift your hand up to the head level.

 

[Vixxy]

I do get this with my boy sometimes as he is a bit smart ;-)

In spring/summer he tends to learn a pattern for when he is coming in for the night (usually every few nights) and when I am going to ride (I ride a lot less in winter due to health issues, like this year he has been wintered off). To stop this silly cycle sometimes I just went caught him and fed him a yummy but token feed, groomed him and then turned him back out. Other times I would catch him to ride after he had cooled I would give him the same small token feed. I have never had a problem with catching him using this method.

Ollie was so bad at one point he would run away from you and if you did get close try to kick out. The more you backed away for safety the worse he became.

Trick with my boy is never letting him know what I am there for lol.

 

[haras]

Thanks for all of the advice,

A bit more history. Dina is 9 years old this year and until a year ago when I bought her was unhandled and used to being herded everywhere, so part of my problem is that she forgets she now gets caught and thinks she can just run in.

Sometimes I can approach her in the field for scritches just fine, other times, no chance. She is only ridden when she is at school and is in overnight, exercised in the morning and then turned out, so she comes in to her stable (which she likes) and her tea.

I am going to keep trying to just approcah her and leave her in the field when I have her and see how we get on. Then I will ask other people to do the same.

To be honest, last year was more about getting her handled, this year is going to be fine tuning that.

And just to prove that she does have 'good' days, her she is!