Tips for catching cheeky ponies

MoonRiver

MoonRiver

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Having spent the best part of an hour trying to catch previously angelic pony, today he has decided I cant get near him. Carrots and treats aren't enough to tempt him, and after having walked him round the field for ages, Monty Roberts style, he will eventually walk up to me for a stroke but runs off when try to headcollar. He has about an acre, which seems bigger when he runs to the far end of it. Any tips for getting him caught again, he does move beautifully when at liberty but I dont want a field ornament;)
 
head him off, block his route and make him change direction, and keep doing it, he'll soon get bored. When he stops and drops his head, and changes his body language go towards him, if he goes to run head him off again. I usually end this scenario with a wag of my finger and a "now that is enough" though I'm not sure that bit is of any use to anyone else ;)
 
Is he with chums? Food and attention and fuss for them tends to get other ponies flocking... Too inquisitive!
 
As advised by someone else persevere with the Monty Roberts method. Ensure you maintain a strong body language and don't give the pony a chance to rest but make it work, and then offer the chance of joining up. Any hesitation and back to work! You need to be fit, and if you can reduce the size of the paddock with electric fencing it will help. Keep at it and you will be surprised how quickly the pony will choose to come to you rather than work. It has two choices - hard work or rest with you....
 
How about hiding headcollar behind your back and when he comes over for a stroke make a big fuss of him, give him a cuddle and subtly put the leadrope round his neck so you have him still to put the headcollar on. Then treats when he's out of the field. Might take a while to master but it's worth mastering! Failing that a night out if he's not particularly hardy might be all he needs to make him come in again :)
 
He has horses next to him, but in seperate paddocks, they all find it highly amusing. I think his pals are all being turned out at nights now with him, so not much incentive to be caught! previous owners said not to turn him out anywhere too big, but because he has been fine I got all confident and took the headcollar off. Going to take a picnic tomorrow and try to just walk him round till he is fed up, was there for an hour tonight before kids got bored watching us, so could be some time:D
Luckily I am in one of the furthest away fields so shouldn't get too much of an audience from other liveries
 
If it's a new habbit I'd be tempted to get an old leather headcollar to leave on for a few weeks. Just keep walking after him so he can't stop or eat have something noisy in your pocket (polo wrapper or nuts) and when you get vaguely close offer him the food.

Or as someone above suggested - feed the others in his field until he can't resist seeing what you're up to.

It might take a few weeks of taking time but he'll soon learn that it's more hassle to start a debate that he can't win.
 
Bad to catch ponies/horses are so frustrating. I have one with a wicked streak and she tries it on every nown and again. Luckily I discovered that catching her best mate and giving him a fuss makes her change her mind, but as yours is on his own that's not an option for you.

I think that the picnic idea along with bags of time and determination is good.

A girl I used to livery with had a pony the was bad to catch and it got worse and worse as time went on. I then discovered why as she used to belt it once she did catch it. :(
 
could you persuade someone with a well behaved pony to go into the field with theirs on a lead rope to get him to come and say hello -and then nab him!!:D
 
I had a big hunter that was awful to catch. Not nervous or anything just a plain pain the backside because he thought it was hilarious. We found that getting a reel of electric fencing tape and starting with one person holding it at either end against the end boundary of field, keeping it taut and calmly walking down the field making his bit smaller and smaller until he was in a corner worked. He'd trot up and down on the other side of the tape and realise his space was getting more and more limited and eventually would give up when you made it small enough.

Obviously don't try this if you have one that totally disrespects electric fencing or is likely to turn and wallop you one but we only had to do this a few days running and then he'd give up and let you catch him as normal. We also built a little mini pen against the fence with electric fence posts and tape that we could put his bucket in and wait for him to go in for his feed then quietly shut the open side. Good luck I know how damned annoying it is!
 
Ah good idea yes, I could make a corral bit easy enough, he does seem to respect the electric fence. Am hoping it isnt going to become an established habit.

Archiepoo, he did keep running to the big shire in next field who helpfully tried to hold onto his rug/neck for me, but i didn't want to get between his teeth:D

If no luck tomorrow will consider offering a bounty to the next nice person who can catch him, have the vet on Tues for vaccs, hope he is in by then:o
 
I hate it when they are a pain to catch. We tend to walk them down Monty style and it does work as long as you persevere. i always cut the area dow so my legs make it !!.
One of mine tries this now and then but has learnt that we dont give in so although we had a few weeks of hassle we now dont have a problem.
Best of luck and take a lunge line as the area he is in is quite large and to keep them moving enough you might need to wave the line at him.
 
I tried the Monty Roberts thing, only once though.

She jumped the electric fence (twice), that was dividing the field, followed by the post and rails that was between her field and the next. So had to move the pony from the field next door that she had jumped into, into the field she had jumped out of.

And there she stayed quite happily until she got the idea that "joining up" with a person who had a bucket of food was a nice thing to do and then we could put her in with the other pony.:D

Bribery and corruption, it worked for us.
 
Aarrghimpossiblepony said:
I tried the Monty Roberts thing, only once though.

She jumped the electric fence (twice), that was dividing the field, followed by the post and rails that was between her field and the next. So had to move the pony from the field next door that she had jumped into, into the field she had jumped out of.

And there she stayed quite happily until she got the idea that "joining up" with a person who had a bucket of food was a nice thing to do and then we could put her in with the other pony.:D

Bribery and corruption, it worked for us.
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really? you don't chase them, you head them off so go into the space they are going into so they have to change direction, it's taking charge of where they go rather than making them go, heading them off and blocking their route. I tried join up with said pony in an enclosed area and he did exactly the same thing, jumped the electric fence, followed by the hedge followed by the 5 bar gate :eek: But heading him off in a 4 acre field and he'll soon give up. I was shown how to do it by my old instructor though, it's much easier with tuition :D
 
I had this with my two youngsters when they arrived at first. I used a bucket with feed in to rattle and get them to a smaller area first, then when they had their heads in the bucket, put lead rope round their necks. Making a smaller pen area is a really helpful idea.

I also invested in headcollars with more buckles so I could do up head piece round neck and then buckle up the nose band, all whilst eating!! I never feed treats, only bucket feed so they now come the minute they see me, sometimes I just give them a fuss and talk to them, without catching, then at tea time they are so keen to have food it is much easier.

Good luck it is warmer today so hope the time it takes is a bit better for you.
 
I use a small pen to herd my naughty girl into when she gets it into her head she wont be caught. She tends to only do it if you are catching her out of her routine or in the summer when she is out 24/7. The Monty Roberts method can work, however a word of warning. If you miss the signs or your positioning is not right, you can make things a whole lot worse. My girl became naughty to catch through good intentions using the join up method (before I had her) she has effectively been taught not to be caught. She is a bright girl and will literally run round you (as she was 'taught' to do), all any attempt to approach her when she shows signs does now is initiate her changing direction!
Just be aware it can and does work, but once you have one that believes the whole point of it is a training exercise, it is nigh on impossible to catch them using that method!
 
Can sympathize as my Welsh D can be a sod to catch esp when the mares are in the next door field! He wouldn't be caught for a week once then at the end of the week just stood at the gate as if to say hurry up and get me in! He is also v frustrating as he will let you get so close its almost near enough to grab his head collar but reach out and he will p off in the opposite direction...

With your pony, you mentioned the horses in the next door field are interested, I was reccomended to make a fuss of other horses then he would eventually wonder what I was doing and come over esp if you have rustly packet or similar. Doesn't always work but worth a try
 
Billabong Chick, I have also hearded mine into a smaller area/ field with the aid of lunge lines & assistants I roped in but obv not something to try if pony is inclined to kick.
 
when I tried sharing a horse last summer, a pony got loose into the next field I was wanting to get into to get up to the yard. I ended up having to herd him up to the yard after tying up the mare I was intending to ride, closed the yard gate, then he was ok to catch as he knew he was cornered and couldn't go anywhere.
 
patchwork puzzle said:
I use a small pen to herd my naughty girl into when she gets it into her head she wont be caught. She tends to only do it if you are catching her out of her routine or in the summer when she is out 24/7. The Monty Roberts method can work, however a word of warning. If you miss the signs or your positioning is not right, you can make things a whole lot worse. My girl became naughty to catch through good intentions using the join up method (before I had her) she has effectively been taught not to be caught. She is a bright girl and will literally run round you (as she was 'taught' to do), all any attempt to approach her when she shows signs does now is initiate her changing direction!
Just be aware it can and does work, but once you have one that believes the whole point of it is a training exercise, it is nigh on impossible to catch them using that method!
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I have had exactly this today, he was just trotting and cantering around me in a perfect circle, step towards him he goes faster, step back slower, i could have been lungeing him on an imaginary line, he has obviously done it many many times before
Have tried every single suggestion today and nothing has worked it as if he is a totally different pony, am almost totally stumped as to what to do. Eventually got him coralled into a corner but just kept getting a bum in the face, and any pressure put on him to move resulted in breaking through the fence. I have been down twice staying for over 3 hrs each time

It is truly bizarre as only Thurs we had him caught, petted, groomed played with etc in the field as we do every day. Now he looks as though he has just come down from the hills.:(
Thinking of asking vets/ safari park if there is any way to sedate him from afar, there is just no getting near him otherwise. He must have some unseen problem going on:confused:
 
Does he get hay in the field? (can't imagine he's in a field with grass - unless you've got the only grass field in the country).

If you don't give him his hay, wait a couple of hours after you would normally take it in and instead go in with a large bucket of nuts (nice and rattly) - as he's on his own should be safe enough. I'd be amazed if hunger doesn't over come at some point?
Take a book and sit next to large bucket and wait for him.
 
I was given this task with a naughty pony a few years ago.
What you need to do is as you have done, keep him moving when he's going away from you -stop when he shows signs of giving in and lower your eyes and turn your body at an angle away from him - wait for him to come to you. If he doesn't come, turn back to face him and move him on again and repeat.
Once you get him within touching distance, stroke him and WALK AWAY.
Only go about three metres or so and then zig zag back to him. Stroke him a bit more closely and down his shoulders then WALK AWAY.
Stay with this....
Repeat routine until you can put your arms around his neck but always try not to go so far that he goes away from you - stop before he turns and you WALK AWAY. Slowly slowly catchee (little) monkee;)
It took me half an hour to catch the pony when she'd been uncatchable for three days!
In future, when you go catch him, don't walk directly towards him and keep your eyes lowered. Try to keep you shoulders at an angle and head bowed - think about how lion approach their prey and you do not want to look anything like a lion!!:D
 
So sorry to hear that you haven't had any luck getting him in still. As Wiz said what is your set-up? Is there any way you can herd him into your yard area (if you have one) using a combination of bringing all his buddies in and using lines and helpers to drive/herd him through?

Either that or I'd try and do the electric fence-line thing but rather than walking it down in one go and pressurising him just use posts across the line and leave it across to make 'his' area quarter size so he has less grass then go back next day and move fence even further down and so on? Eventually he is going to get bored and fed up of limited grazing if he will respect the fence line and not jump/push through. Did you use fencing tape or lunge lines/rope when he was running through it today? So frustrating for you...
 
Fieldsafe head collar only, leather ones don't break. companions brought in. Long rope keep him going faster faster faster until he can't go anymore. Get a few of you doing this don't let him stop. Not for one second. Push him away when he walks towards you keep pushing. Then when he is tired turn your back on him. He should be ready to be caught. Took me a few hours to do this the first time. He wouldn't be caught for days before trying this.


Take him in give him a little feed.

It's not easy I had one the same. I did a lot of loose schooling with him whilst he was wearing his head collar and afterwards stand in the middle of the school turn your back to him and he comes for a cuddle.
 
My friend had a nightmare to catch pony.

I would go into the field with a carrot, go upto him and give him it then shoo him away then walk out the field. I did this for a few days. Then I would do the same but put a lead rope round his neck, give him a stroke then walk away. Then go to my pony and bring him in.

By the time his owners wanted to catch him he was desperate to be caught and not shooed away.

This obviously takes a few days but worth it in the end. This was last summer and there hasn't been any problems since.
 
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