Sasha won't let us catch her!! Need advice

ROMANY 1959

ROMANY 1959

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Sasha went to summer field Sunday, it's quite large shared by six. Went up today she wouldn't let me within 10 foot of her. We tried for an hour , she lets us near then walks round us in a circle, once or twice she trotted, imagine being lunged with no line that's what she was doing. Had no problem last 5 weeks but she has been on sand turnout and always came to us. They all come back to yard on Friday so YO said she will leave her till last then try..
I think I need to do something with her weekend though maybe join up or similar, any hints or advice will be nice.
She is quite well just enjoying it too much.. Just wanted to check rug ect...
 
Try bribing! I wouldn't suggest a bucket of food if you have 6 other horses in the field, but try bringing an apple or carrot?

If that doesn't work, take the rest out of the field so she's alone then try the feed bucket trick!
 
Is it just a case of novelty in having lovely tasty grass to eat do you think?
I suppose all the usual ones apply, entice with bribery/leave till last as previously suggested then once caught bring in for a fuss/feed and turn out again a few times so she knows that being caught does not = hard work and that she'll get something nice out of it.

Good luck! It's pretty frustrating to have a non-catcher :rolleyes:
 
I am not surprised you can't catch her if she is suddenly on lovely grass, with her mates in a big field, having had only sand.

It may take time, but I am sure once she realises she is going back to that lovely grass each time she will be fine again.

Can you spend some time in the field with her without actually trying to catch her? Can you go up to her mates and make a fuss of them and use jealousy, this always works with mine. If I can't get him first time, I ignore him and go and make a fuss of his mates and that usually brings him over. Can you safely leave a headcollar on? I use a leather one and when I catch take a treat in my left hand and offer it while attaching leadrope, I have got him before he even knows it!
 
Yes, YO brings them back from field Friday pm. ( field a mile away) so will go with her and leave till last and c what happens. Did try a carrot but gave in and fed big lad instead who was following me like a lost sheep!!!
I do hope novelty has a lot to do with it... She is quite keen when she sees a feed bucket...
I did try for nearly an hour, but left cos I could have been annoying her too by then. Not found anything to be disappointed about with her since we got her... Suppose there had to be something. .... Not wanting to be caught... Horses eh!
 
Something I have tried in the past is to have a carrot in your pocket and just take a bite out of it (near enough so your horse can hear!) then turn your back and see what happens! It may take a few bites but if yours is anything like mine he just couldn't help coming over to have a nose at what I was up too! Worked every time for me but then my boy is a bit of a pig!! Maybe worth a try anyway
 
I had/still have just this problem. Moving friend, bribing with food, ignoring her, you name it I tried everything short of lassooing her, nothing worked. In Ella's case I am convinced it is just the fact that she has some sunshine (sometimes) on her back and grass under her feet.

In the end we thought "Right, ****** it :mad: If you want to trot in flipping circles then damn well trot" There were 4 of us, and we kept her moving, and she trotted and trotted, and galloped and splashed for a whole hour, she wasn't scared, in the end she heaved a sigh, gave up and walked straight to me.

Now she is in a smaller paddock and every single day I have the same palaver to varying degrees.

I go in, Lola comes running to me, Ella trots in circles. It is a narrow paddock, with a 60' round pen at one end, I tie a rope from the fence to one side so she can't go around the pen, and a long rope to the other side that I can close her into a smaller area with. She knows the routine, then she takes herself into the round pen, sometimes she will do circuits (I can just be leaning outside the pen) other times she will turn, face me and walk up to me straight away. The days she comes to me are the days that she gets a handful of food and turned straight back out again.

If she runs then I make her work until she stops, faces me and comes to me. Sometimes she goes out for a hack (which she loves) sometimes I'll just brush her and turn her out again. As the mares are on a half mile oval track with 10 acres until she comes to me every time she is confined to an acre of paddock.

You may have to walk her down in the end, easiest with several people, no screaming or shouting just keep her moving until she gives in or goes into a smaller section where she may just give up and come to you (do you have, or can you make a smaller pen?)

Ground work may or may not help, it makes no difference to Ella at all, she knows her stuff, she simply doesn't want to be caught she wants to eat grass. You may have to try keeping her in a smaller section or making a catch pen that she recognises as the place that you stop bugging her and she gets something she likes and will go into.
 
This is what she was doing just circling me and my son for a whole hour, we gave up in the end... Will be more up for it next time. Trouble is she is in a 6 acre field at mo. others will be moved Friday, see if she is better when she is on own... When I get her back to yard Friday will work in round pen with her.
 
Bring a big line of tape and cut the paddock down to whatever area the herd are eating in, then catch her in the smaller area. If she is still running start removing the rest of the herd and make it smaller and smaller till she is in a tiny space... I had a demon pony and had to do this all the time!
 
Enfys said:
In the end we thought "Right, ****** it :mad: If you want to trot in flipping circles then damn well trot" There were 4 of us, and we kept her moving, and she trotted and trotted, and galloped and splashed for a whole hour, she wasn't scared, in the end she heaved a sigh, gave up and walked straight to me.

.
Click to expand...

This ^^ worked for my lass make her work for it naughttty girl:)
 
ROMANY 1959 said:
This is what she was doing just circling me and my son for a whole hour, we gave up in the end... Will be more up for it next time.
Yes, this can be the trouble :( Usually the first time it happens you aren't set up for it, maybe you don't have time, or the equipment, or the help, whatever and you have to give in. The first time Ella did it to me it was blowing a blizzard, -15C and I just left her out for the night, by herself, she came to me fast enough in the morning that time

Trouble is she is in a 6 acre field at mo. and 6 acres is awful big if you are trying to walk a horse down, I know that feeling, you have my sympathy.

others will be moved Friday, see if she is better when she is on own... That could be all the incentive she needs, as long as she doesn't do something dumb, does she get hysterical by herself?

When I get her back to yard Friday will work in round pen with her.
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Good luck, it won't do any harm at all.

Ella is like Jekyll and Hyde, in the field she is a baggage (never nasty though) as soon as she knows the game is up she is as sweet as pie :( I am finding it incredibly frustrating as all my other horses will come at the gallop when I call, well, so does Ella, she just won't let me (or anyone else, we tried just in case it was me she didn't like) lay a hand on her, even with a catch rope on her halter!:mad:
 
Thanks enfys, no was not ready for her silly games, had no problems when at yard, but Sunday all 6 went to summer field till Friday, then they come back to yard and are on small individual turnout, then she is no problem, think she is taking the proverbial at the moment, carrot never worked, well did for my other one whe nearly ran me over in his rush to see what was in pocket!!!! Also the bolshy fell kept laying ears back at her, not helping, and we didn't bank on an hour walking round field!!!! I suspect she may be different when on her own, cos she not keen on being last in when at yard... Also if we fetch all others in, then tempt with food in a bucket! We will see, I will go re enforced Friday .... Watch this space Friday for update...
 
My mare does this depending on her mood, other times she's an angel. But when she starts flying round me in circles, I'd agree with what others suggested, drive her on ... it's sort of like Monty Roberts bonding .... make her run round a bit, then stop and turn away. This has never failed to bring mine over out of curiosity to see why you stopped. Have a carrot or treat ready and quickly get the headcollar on.
Sitting and totally ignoring her while munching an apple has the same effect. Perhaps not ideal with lots of others in the field though.
 
I am going thought the same at the moment, she's never done this before. Doesn't help with me now being nervous in the field, with that stupid big horse around. Tonight she was lying down when we when to put her head collar on she did one, she's is a 30 acre field with 12 horses :rolleyes:
 
Catching horses is a difficult one, because you shouldn't be trying to catch them, they should be coming to you. You are supposed to be their leader after all.
If a horse refuses to come to you, it's feedback. Your relationship is wrong, and your horse doesn't like you or want to be with you.
New fields, grass, mates whatever are just excuses for a poor relationship.
This doesn't mean your being mean or cruel to your horse. It means he thinks you are an irrelevance in his life.
Instead of trying all the numpty things like bribery, head collars left on, or losing your cool, try developing the relationship where your horse wants to be with you.
 
Pale Rider said:
Catching horses is a difficult one, because you shouldn't be trying to catch them, they should be coming to you. You are supposed to be their leader after all.
If a horse refuses to come to you, it's feedback. Your relationship is wrong, and your horse doesn't like you or want to be with you.
New fields, grass, mates whatever are just excuses for a poor relationship.
This doesn't mean your being mean or cruel to your horse. It means he thinks you are an irrelevance in his life.
Instead of trying all the numpty things like bribery, head collars left on, or losing your cool, try developing the relationship where your horse wants to be with you.
Click to expand...

and for those who have no idea what you are on about ... how would one do that? :)
 
I used half a dozen fence posts and some white tape to make area smaller, then applied the hands free lunging technique as mentioned above. When she looked like stopping I gave her another 5 mins before we went in to the yard together, and only her blowing and not me for a change!:D
 
Thanks, pale rider, I plan to work with her weekend in round pen, but bear in mind we have only had her a month, she came from a polo yard, I've spoke to old polo yard manager, they brought 18 horses in in a heard!! So don't think she has had to be caught and took away before. She has not had much one to one, she doesn't even know what a polo is! Not a bad thing mind.... She is not very affectionate but better than when we got her. It will come in time, she is starting to enjoy being groomed now, just a shame she is playing up when we want her to come in.
She can stay there till Friday as planned, then if we still can't catch when she is only one left in field, then will need to think outside the box won't I... Plan B !!!!!
 
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Yep - as someone else said...keep her moving. If she's not going to be caught then she's not allowed to eat either :) Also, don't just catch her to bring her in for work. I had this problem with my best childhood pony (he was in quite a high level of work) and got round it by always making him stand in the field and have his feet picked out - he never knew whether he was coming in or not :D
 
Not that it's much help, but it's taken my awkward mare 2.5 years to stop running when I want to catch her! In that time I have always penned her into a 2x2m electric tape area (she goes in willingly), and even in there sometimes I had to walk her round for 30 seconds, sometimes 30 minutes! Sometimes she sighs and stops and I can put the headcollar on ok, sometimes she insists it's going to kill her and runs backwards rearing :rolleyes: Can't catch her before she's ready, otherwise you have to start again. You just have to make sure you leave yourself plenty of time so you don't rush or get annoyed. Mine has been called all sorts of names, but always in a happy friendly tone lol.

On the flipside, one of my boys always runs away if put in a new paddock, last week I was 'chasing' him with a headcollar and he ran straight into my farrier's arms! :eek::D
 
For those with no idea what I'm on about, get a bicycle instead, or up your game.

Most people are an irrelevance or annoyance to their horse on the hour or so they have any real contact.

You have to ask what is important to the horse?

What can I provide that can cause the horse to want to be with me?
 
Small steps!!!! Went up to field, I walked her wouldn't let her stop for an hour then she gave in and let me walk to her head, I scratched her withers, rewarded with slice of apple left it at that... Will do same in morning... It was 100% better than yesterday.
 
Pale Rider said:
Catching horses is a difficult one, because you shouldn't be trying to catch them, they should be coming to you. You are supposed to be their leader after all.
If a horse refuses to come to you, it's feedback. Your relationship is wrong, and your horse doesn't like you or want to be with you.
New fields, grass, mates whatever are just excuses for a poor relationship.
This doesn't mean your being mean or cruel to your horse. It means he thinks you are an irrelevance in his life.
Instead of trying all the numpty things like bribery, head collars left on, or losing your cool, try developing the relationship where your horse wants to be with you.
Click to expand...

No, it is a question of balance. Does she want the grass NOW and your company later, or does she want your company and work more now than the grass?
 
Use a rope halter. They are soft enough to scrunch up in your right hand while you offer a carrot in the right. Then reach up with the right hand and do some scratching. Holding on to the longest piece of rope (the bit that goes over the poll), move the scratching up to the top of her neck and drop the head collar over and catch it with your left hand. Voila! Gotcha!

There's a video on YouTube somewhere and now I always head collar this way as they never know if they are getting a scratch or being caught. It is easy to do some training any time. Just scratch!!

I've ten here and they are all easy to catch. One wasn't one day. The girl got mad and threw the head collar at her. (Not "best practice":rolleyes:). I went straight back to the farm, got the quad, and herded the lot into the round pen where she was easily caught. If we'd persisted in the field on foot, all we would have taught her is that she has twice as many feet as a human.
 
When I first got kenny he would come to call every single time. Then one day it was absolutely tipping it down and I called him in to stick a rug on him. For some unknown reason, I guess with him being only 4 and inquisitive, he decided to investigate the electric fencing (?!!?????) by the gate way. Well I have never seen a flash like it! I don't know what caused it maybe because he was so wet but there was a huge crack and a massive blue flash right on the end of his nose (poor sod). But this was enough to spook him that badly that I couldn't catch him for a week. He'd come over to me every time, I could stroke him, pat him etc but could not get a head collar on him as he'd panic and run. Eventually I just lured him into his stable with feed and spent an hour putting his head collar on and off and on and off until he remembered it wasn't going to eat him!

The whole saga happened again about 6 months later when I was putting a rug on in the field and it blew up over his head and panicked him. Only took a few days that time though!

He's blumming bombproof in the field now! Haha :rolleyes:
 
Pale Rider I think it a bit unfair yo blame horse/owner relationship at this stage. I have a great relationship with all my horses but would they want to come in having been cooped up on sand for ages when put in a nice big grassy field! Not on your nelly.
 
HBM1, of course the horse/owner relationship is the problem. That's the root of all problems. Is it right that we bribe, deceive, trap and whatever else we can think of, to manipulate our horse.
You don't build trust with a carrot in one hand and a hidden head collar in the other.
Most people think they have a great relationship with their horse, but in a 20 acre field when you take the head collar off, would he rather stay with you or bog off to his mates and grass. That's the test of relationship.
 
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