pony cannot be caught

[throwawayaccount]

hi all

my friend's pony has gone on full loan to somebody, who has had him for a while. unfortunately, now he has been in the summer field for a while he won't be caught. he gets close enough to snatch pony nuts out of a bucket or a treat, then gallops away.

for various reasons, the pony now needs to come back to my friend, but she has no idea how she will catch him.

any advice could be helpful
x

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

If it's for a one off then the best bet is to get a few people and some lunge lines and corral him into a corner. Or put up electric fencing and make the area smaller and smaller.

If you have time to invest and this is a recurring problem then that wouldn't be the way to go

 

[Highmileagecob]

Can he be herded into a smaller paddock? Will he follow if his field friends are brought in and he is on his own? We have a new horse in our turn out, whom the owner seems scared of. I can see that turning into the same scenario.

 

[throwawayaccount]

If it's for a one off then the best bet is to get a few people and some lunge lines and corral him into a corner. Or put up electric fencing and make the area smaller and smaller.

If you have time to invest and this is a recurring problem then that wouldn't be the way to go

thankyou, i'm not sure she'd be able to do that as the field is absolutely huge

he's always been a bit funny to catch, or prone to escaping when he feels inclined.

Highmileagecob- i've suggested to try and bring him in the same time as a friend, hopefully this will be an option,

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

If he will come to a bucket, I would put plenty of something tasty in a bucket, arrange the bucket with a simple halter round the outside of it. As he eats lift the halter over his ears and you've got him. If you are not used to using a halter, I would practice the technique on another horse first, because the halter needs to be big enough to go over the ears without spooking him. It might help to have 2 people, one on either side, one to hold the lead rope part and one to lift the rope over the ears.

 

[blitznbobs]

Can you build a pen in the field and tempt him into that with a bucket then you have a smaller area to go at. If you build it with electric fence plastic posts you can then move the fences towards the pony making the pen smaller and smaller til you can get hold of the rascal

 

[throwawayaccount]

thanks both, this is really helpful x

 

[Abacus]

Can you build a pen in the field and tempt him into that with a bucket then you have a smaller area to go at. If you build it with electric fence plastic posts you can then move the fences towards the pony making the pen smaller and smaller til you can get hold of the rascal

I would do similar, but start by tempting him into a corner with food and then build the fence behind him while he's eating, rather than try to tempt him into a pen. And then use a piece of electric tape (white, more visible) to slowly corral him. The more people you have the better.

 

[FlyingCircus]

If it's for a one off then the best bet is to get a few people and some lunge lines and corral him into a corner. Or put up electric fencing and make the area smaller and smaller.

If you have time to invest and this is a recurring problem then that wouldn't be the way to go

I do the lunge lines (tho I use electric tape) atleast 3 times a week with my daft gelding.

When I have help we both hold an end and walk him into a corner. When I dont, I put one end on a post and walk the other end so he is stuck in a corner.

I do this in 2 acres, so is doable even in a decent space.

My gelding seems to do it purely for his own entertainment as he's 100% once caught. But he jumps out for fun and is a pain in the arse to catch, seemingly for fun also. He's 17 now, so I just manage it rather than trying to fix it these days.