unhandled foals please help

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happyhoofs

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looking for some advice, we brought two welsh foals from the sales and have taken on a bit to much to be honest, and need some advice on handling. they are stabled together and eating hard food. an dont climb the walls when you go in stable to get away, but i cant touch them they just charge around the stable, they are getting bigger evey day i'm worried how we will teach them to lead.
we have owned foals from weaning before but they have never been this scared. i have a new home for them to go together but need to handle and teach them to lead before they go, any ideas please
 
Time and patience I'm afraid.

I bought a 2 year old in the spring that was unhandled. I couldn't get near her for the first 2 weeks, and very quickly realised I should dismiss any idea of head collars and leading until she'd got to know me. I just spent lots of time in the paddock with her, not trying to do anything in particular. She soon realised I was no threat and nosiness got the better of her. Started with a bit of petting, then got the head collar on, then got her leading bit by bit in the paddock. Once she'd got the hang of it, I started bringing her out of the paddock. The whole process took about 4 weeks.

Are yours stabled 24/7 ?
I honestly think they are better off out, with horses that are human friendly, they soon cotton on the human has nice things!! x
 
recommend this

http://www.britishhorse.com/acatalog/no-fear-no-force.html

been around horses all my life but had no experience in handling unhandled weanlings before I got my Exmoor colt weanling this year. this book was really useful although no doubt I'll be labelled as a bunny hugger. said colt is now great to handle in all ways including farrier/loading etc and has been for some time :)
 
I sat on a bucket reading a book in a corner of a small paddock with his feed bucket untill my forrester decided I was ok and he approached me, I moved the feed closer and closer to me each day, it was a waiting game. I just took it slowly with him and within a few weeks he was happy to be handled, if he got scared at any point I would go back a few steps. It would of been easier if I had a stable in those days, but it was worth taking my time with him.
 
There are three ways:

1. Time and patience required in bucketloads. Sit in the stable on a bucket and wait for them to get curious. Eventually they MIGHT realise you're not going to hurt them!

2. Gentle force: Also requires time and patience. Use an 'artificial hand' on a long handle (broomstick!) Quietly follow them around the box touchuing them with it, stroking them with it - until they accept it! Then work your way up the handle!

3. Gentle 'Brute' force - needs several competent helpers. Corner them until you can get a stirrup leather done up around the neck of one - with rope attached. Then one person HOLDS the rope - preventing escape - while another quietly strokes foal. Once he finds out he CAN'T escape, he'll accept touching. Then make it nice - all foals tend to be itchy and nice scratches on the neck and the rump will be enjoyed.

Personally, I'd go with No. 3. It's quicker - albeit slightly risky - but it IS successful (and I've used it on a LOT of unhandled youngsters.)

The problem with the 'waiting for them to trust you' is that some of them don't - or at least not within a reasonable time frame! Running away has always been a successful strategy for them - they're still alive! So they stick to what they know!

If you CATCH them - and they survive - then they've learnt it's not going to hurt!

Once you have one caught - and handled - you can use him to catch the other. The second is always easier because he's seen his friend survive a 'close encounter'!
 
The_snoopster said:
I sat on a bucket reading a book in a corner of a small paddock with his feed bucket untill my forrester decided I was ok and he approached me, I moved the feed closer and closer to me each day, it was a waiting game. I just took it slowly with him and within a few weeks he was happy to be handled, if he got scared at any point I would go back a few steps. It would of been easier if I had a stable in those days, but it was worth taking my time with him.
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Very similar to the above but we had a shy baby so i used to stand in the stable with almost my back to her playing with a bit of twine...after a while she would come over for a nosy. After she had touched me with her nose i would turn a bit so she couldn't see again. After a few days she was nudging me so i would let her see what i was doing and slowly began to touch her on her neck. At first she would back away which i allowed her to do and i would turn away and play with the twine until she nudged me again. After a couple of days i was able to stroke her neck and had a headcollar on her. After about a week she would come up to me straight away.
It's just about time, patience and trust.
It worked for me but I'm sure there are more experienced handlers out there with quicker suggestions?
 
Never had to do it with foals but the 18month old Dartmoor I inherited was virtually unhandled when I got him.

It took time and patience (he was living out and wouldn't come anywhere near us to start with). But there were times when a degree of 'force' was necessary eg and TBH this meant we made much quicker progress.

Eg, when the farrier came, he needed to be seen (he's got a slightly twisted leg) so he followed his friend up and into the shelter. We managed to catch him and he 'had' to stand for the farrier. Fortunately our farrier is excellent and ponio was very very good once we had hold of him and we've never had a problem since.

To get him to lead was interesting (he'd only ever been herded). We started with me leading and someone walking behind 'herding'. They gradually got further and further away and after 3 months we were going for walks up the lane etc.

We prob made loads of mistakes (never had to deal with a youngster before - was not by choice that I got him) but nothing seems to have done him any harm and I've hopefully learned a lot from it.
 
I probably didn't do it the 'right way' but circumstances outside of my control dictated that I had a very short window of opportunity in which to do it, so I went with needs must.

Mine was utterly UTTERLY terrified, he was chased from the field, penned into a corner, halter on and ran up the ramp and ran into the box. He arrived with the halter on. I gave him 48 hours to settle and he was still doing a wall of death every time I went in the box, despite me spending hours sitting in there reading to him etc :(

The 3rd day I grabbed the halter on one of his wall of deaths around me and just hung on. It took him about 2 minutes of pretty hairy behaviour to stop going up the walls etc and another 2 or 3 minutes for the adrenalin to subside. I then let him go without touching him. I repeated this several times. By day 5 we'd built up to going for little walks up and down the barn, with a leadrope round his bum, and he'd learnt what scritches were and was happy to be touched pretty much all over. 3 weeks in he was like a 'normal' weanling and was picking feet up etc.

In a ideal world I'd have spent months bringing him round, but I knew I had to load and move him within a month :( He had no interest in food and genuinely thought I was the devil! The way I did it, by day 4 he was calling to me and genuinely liked my company. It was pretty hairy hanging on to 13.2hh + of big solid foaly that was turning itself inside out to get away from me, but it did work and very quickly. At the end of week 3 he loaded and travelled beautifully. Came off the other end onto a bigger yard and walked nicely to his box! If someone else had told me how quickly they'd turned him round I'd have sid they were lying

I know it wont sit comfortably with most people, but think if I ever took on another feral one I'd be tempted to do the same again...
 
JanetGeorge said:
There are three ways:
3. Gentle 'Brute' force - needs several competent helpers. Corner them until you can get a stirrup leather done up around the neck of one - with rope attached. Then one person HOLDS the rope - preventing escape - while another quietly strokes foal. Once he finds out he CAN'T escape, he'll accept touching. Then make it nice - all foals tend to be itchy and nice scratches on the neck and the rump will be enjoyed.

Personally, I'd go with No. 3. It's quicker - albeit slightly risky - but it IS successful (and I've used it on a LOT of unhandled youngsters.)

The problem with the 'waiting for them to trust you' is that some of them don't - or at least not within a reasonable time frame! Running away has always been a successful strategy for them - they're still alive! So they stick to what they know!

If you CATCH them - and they survive - then they've learnt it's not going to hurt!
Click to expand...

I cross posted with you, but I am soo glad to read that! I knew what I did worked, and certainly didn't cause him any more upset than he was causing himself with the wall of death antics, but it was niggling at me that maybe I should have taken a sabbatical off work and sat on the bucket reading to him etc indefinitely :D
 
Whatever you do don't turn them out together in a big field - you;ll never catch them again.

Although it is nice for them to have company, keeping them in a stable together means they are going to become increasingly reliant on each other to the point of excluding you :( I'd stable them seperately and feed several small feeds a day so they associate you with good things.

One thing to remember is that they may start to trust you but as soon as you try to restrain them they will freak again. Get them caught and on a rope as quickly as possible and then rebuild the trust. Much easier than getting it and then losing it again - always harder to get after you've proven you can be sneaky to them...

Feral horses are a hard one - you need to get them handleable as quickly as possible and then work on the trust. Heaven forbid they should get injured and you can't halter them :(

It might sound like the less 'fluffy' way of doing it though :o
 
I did point 2 as suggested by Janet George:

2. Gentle force: Also requires time and patience. Use an 'artificial hand' on a long handle (broomstick!) Quietly follow them around the box touchuing them with it, stroking them with it - until they accept it! Then work your way up the handle!

As I was my own, so point 3 wasn't possible.

Artificial hand (whip with a glove over the handle end) worked a treat on 2 new forest fillies.... they had very itchy necks and shoulders! Crept up the stick til I was standing right there, scratching neck with real hand! They were still slippery little buggers for getting a halter or rope round their necks but had to be brave, squash them in the corner with knees and body, halter on, hey presto!
 
madhossy said:
I did point 2 as suggested by Janet George:

2. Gentle force: Also requires time and patience. Use an 'artificial hand' on a long handle (broomstick!) Quietly follow them around the box touchuing them with it, stroking them with it - until they accept it! Then work your way up the handle!

As I was my own, so point 3 wasn't possible.
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Yep - you have to pick your method depending on resources available. I used Method 2 on half-a-dozen completely unhandled TB youngsters - aged 8-9 months (I didn't know I'd taken a job with a moron - I was young then!:D) And the other 2 girls working there were USELESS!

I used a fire-beating stick - large flap of rubber on the end of a broom handle. After several hours work a day, I could stroke most of them with a hand - and had halters on in a week. After that it was easy!
 
have tried various methods but IMO you need to get a headcollar on with a rope hanging, once you have that on you can get a hold of them and make contact. Its not always easy but definately worth the effort(try a wee drop sedalin to calm things down). You say Welsh if sect D might be a bit harder than sect A ;)
Agree keeping them together whilst nice might make things take a little longer, if they are on their own they turn to you to be a friend.
Have had various unhandled foals and ponies. This year I got 2 foals, one unhandled , the other very well handled, the very well handled one has been worth her weight in gold as she has taught the other one that the world is a happy place.
And follow that wise bit of advice, for gods sake dont turn them out :)
 
Our mini was completely feral (was literally pushed into a lorry/trailer) etc, and couldn't get near him. Broke out of his field and we ended up using stock fencing with electrics to keep him from trying to injure himself.

What we did was sit with him for a long time every day, offer food but also hold out hands etc and let him be curious. In the end he realised fuss was nice and humans weren't going to eat him. Now you can do pretty much everything with him apart from he is a bit cheeky (typical him) and have no problems what so ever. If you have the time and pony is curious or slightly even I'd do it this way otherwise try some of the other suggestions :) Good luck!
 
Rugby Tackle!

Seriously, get your arms around the neck and hang on - just go around and around the box until they give up. Don't let go!

You've tried the softly approach which hasn't worked.
 
Have to agree with those who have said to catch the ponies and just get on with it. You could spend months trying to get them to come to you by just sitting there. These are wild ponies, and now they have food, water and shelter. they don't need you as well. We had a filly, straight of the hills, and try as we might, she wasn't coming anywhere near us, not interested. She towed our 20 stone farm manager across the yard when we did finally get a rope around her neck. She then went to her new home where she was handled straight away as she now had a headcollar on, and went on to become a lovely child's pony.

We have had a couple of colts from a stud who were also a bit wild, but they came round much quicker as they were used to seeing humans around, even though they weren't really handled. One was pretty curious and came to us, the other we had to physically catch. Interestingly, the one who we had to catch became the more confident pony, the other always being a bit nervous.

When they are off the hills though, you could wait for ever!!
 
Evelyn said:
Seriously, get your arms around the neck and hang on - just go around and around the box until they give up. Don't let go!
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:D Done that MANY a time. With ID weanlings - though - it tends to be a bit TOO much like hard work! But with my own foals, they're taught from an early age that once Mum has them around the neck, they're caught - and she's stronger than they are! It's true when they're 3-4 weeks old - but by the time they're 6 months they STILL think it's true! :rolleyes:
 
I am very lucky that I have schoolmaster ponies that I buddy up with new stock. I would split them if possible and get them into a routine. I am also lucky that they are in my back garden to I walk backwards and forward doing things, dogs barking, banging doors, etc as often as possible and ignore the freaking out until its all normal to them. I don't baby them and react to them the same as the older ponies.
The last foal I had was weaned and herded into a trailer the same day but he's fine to handle now. The only thing I would say about doing the hanging on for dear life method is don't attempt it unless your going to tough it out to the end and allow yourself plenty of time. A longer length rope also gives you a chance to give them a bit more space whilist keeping control. Good luck.
 
JanetGeorge said:
they're taught from an early age that once Mum has them around the neck, they're caught - and she's stronger than they are! It's true when they're 3-4 weeks old - but by the time they're 6 months they STILL think it's true! :rolleyes:
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Agreee fully with this - they need teaching at a very early age. Much harder when they are bigger and know their own strength :(

One thing is if you commit to handling and the foal freaks, don't back off. The foal needs you to be calm and persistent. As soon as you back off you are teaching them that they (undesired) behaviour they exhibit makes the nasty human go away. This is why so many people use the words hang on :)

Keep at it - there's nothing more rewarding than a foal :)
 
with mine i crouched down in the stable with a tub of grass nuts! i just 'sat' there with a grass nut in my hand, arm outstretched (in a fairly comfortable position) then waited. they came up and took one then ran away again. but after doing that for an hour each day for a few days they would allow me to stand and offer them a grass nut and i could scratch thier chest.
it was about a week before i could actually catch them but the first time i did i gave them a treat and walked away, they followed me wanting more so i did it again.

don't be rushed when doing anything with them and just stay relaxed. if you do the same thing each day then they will pick up that you mean them no harm. also don't make eye contact.
i can now do anything with my youngsters and they have complete trust in me because i never pushed them at the start.
 
We had two 6 month old welsh A foals on our yard this year which came of the hills. The best thing we did was split them up, we didn't realise quite how reliant they had become by being in the same stable. Once they were split up it was amazing how their personalities changed !! The are now having some chillaxing time in a small paddock for the winter :) Good luck with yours !
 
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