Unruly gelding in field

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hanmay

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This might get a bit long so please bear with me!

I have a 16.3, 15yo sports horse gelding that I've owned now for the past 18 months. The issue I have is his intermittent bad behaviour when I go to bring him in from the field. He also sports a sour face and flat back ears in the stable but that's managed much easier than the field situation.
Basically, when we first got him - after about 3 weeks of having him - one day he decided he didn't want to come in from the field when my partner went to get him. (He was in an individual field with others around him so he wasn't alone, but there were no others in the section with him). Anyway, he had his ears pinned back, rearing and striking out, turning his bum and running towards you if you went in the field. He didn't have a head collar on either so we had to try and get near him without being in the firing line of the front hooves. Fast forward about 30/45 minutes, we managed to tempt him with grass in our hands and got the head collar on him. As soon as we had caught him, he went back to his usual placid self as if the past hour hadn't even happened. Nonetheless he got a telling off.
He's maybe done this approximately 5 times to me in the 18 months I've had him. I know that to other people it can look scary and aggressive because of how big he is, but I'm only 5'3 and he absolutely doesn't get away with anything.
Anyway, recently my partner and I had to make the decision to sell up due to us moving out. A mother-daughter share came to view him and fell in love, and took him this weekend just gone. I got a call the next day to say that they couldn't catch him and he was exhibiting this ridiculous behaviour. He's coming back to me ASAP as they can't deal with him.
We wouldn't be selling up if we didn't have to, but I don't want him to be going to a new home and coming back again; it's not fair for him at all.
At our previous yard he was in a herd of 5 geldings and they were all turned out and brought in at the same time everyday, all together. He didn't have any 'don't want to come in' moments because he didn't have anyone to stay out with and he doesn't like being alone. But I know that other yards won't be like this and there will be herds that always have a horse out, etc. He was turned out with my previous mare for about a year and came in with her no issues.
The people who have just taken him said he was out in an individual field separated into sections by electric fencing and there were other horses out that he could touch, interact with, etc.
Has anyone else ever experienced anything like this? I want him to go to a good home but I understand this will be off putting for people!
 
Firstly, I'm going to pick up on the line "nonetheless he got a telling off". There is absolutely no purpose in telling off a horse that has just decided to behave. From his perspective, you just told him off for being good, he won't realise that the telling off was for the previous behaviour. The only purpose you serve at that point is to make yourself feel better by taking out your anger. It's bad horsemanship and please don't do it again - you will only confuse the horse.

Secondly, it does sound like individual turnout isn't suiting this horse. In terms of how I would manage the behaviour - I would keep a field safe headcollar on him to make him easier to grab. I would always wear a hat and gloves and would probably make him move. Ie. if he doesn't want to do as he asks, he can't just do as he pleases, he has to work. However, it does sound as if he may be the type to try and scare you by rearing so do take the advice with a pinch of salt and don't put yourself or anyone else in danger. Did you tell the people you sold him to that he occasionally does this?
 
He was told off as soon as I caught him, not after he'd gone back to being calm.

I wouldn't say he has an issue with the individual turnout as I am 99% if he was in a herd and they were still out, he wouldn't want to come in. It's only that I haven't had to do this with him so I couldn't say that he does it in individual and herded.
I had a field safe head collar on him previously and when he decided he was in this mood, he's very clever and won't let you close enough to grab it. The people that have had him turned him out in his head collar and couldn't get to him.
I'd told them about his moods both in the field and in the stable, I think they took it that as I said he'd done it around 5 times in the time I have owned him, that he doesn't do it often enough to be a problem. But lo and behold he's done it the first time they turned him out.
 
Absolutely - you can't change what has happened but really don't do that again. He complied and you ticked him off. If that happened more than once I'm not surprised he has become difficult to catch.

That said - My gelding went through a phase of doing this. He was trying to be dominant and managed to chase off one of the yard staff. No blame to her I would probably have backed off too - but once he managed to make someone move away from him and got out of being caught he did spend some time being difficult about it. He would charge at you and at the last moment spin around and lash out with both feet.

We spent a few months getting it sorted. Initially and for safety we carried a driving whip. When he started the charge just made our body language bigger and more dominating to him, sometimes swinging the lead rope around the body so it makes a thwap thwap sound - anything to seem bigger. But if he got to close we would crack the whip at him to keep him a reasonable distance. When he approached calmly we would reward him and leave him. Not catch him every time. Just put the headcollar on, give treats and go. Sometimes we brought him in, sometimes not. We never just caught him to ride. It took time but he figured out that he could not dominate us that way and went back to being saintly. You do just always have to be aware that he could try it again.

It might take a few months, but with consistent approach every day this can be sorted. Just make sure that you never ever tick him off once he has complied. No matter how much of a pig he has been or for how long before. Once the headcollar is on - loads of treats and praise.
 
hanmay said:
... Anyway, he had his ears pinned back, rearing and striking out, turning his bum and running towards you if you went in the field. He didn't have a head collar on either so we had to try and get near him without being in the firing line of the front hooves. Fast forward about 30/45 minutes, we managed to tempt him with grass in our hands and got the head collar on him. As soon as we had caught him, he went back to his usual placid self as if the past hour hadn't even happened. Nonetheless he got a telling off.
Click to expand...
If you're going to punish a horse for bad behaviour it has to be done within seconds (preferably instantly, or at least less than 3 seconds) otherwise believe me he will not link the punishment with the action. Something that happened 30 minutes ago will be long gone from his mind. Instead, he will associate the telling off with what he happened to be doing at the time of the telling off. (That would also apply if it was only 30 seconds.) If you told him off as soon as he allowed you to catch him, you just punished him for allowing you to catch him! So don't be surprised if it becomes harder to catch him, as Shay said.
 
You told him off for him allowing himself to be caught - why would he want to come back to you next time?

From his POV you punished him for being with you. It's akin to recalling your dog and telling it off once he's come back and done as he's told.

What's his usual routine? Is his time with you easy and fun or is he reluctant to come in because he knows it's going to be hard work and boring?

If I were you I'd start making myself as appealing to him as possible and the first thing I'd do is get him at the very least one companion. Having horses in sight and over the fence isn't the same or no where near as good as having a horse in with him. Horses are sociable.

I would take a carrot in with me and stand quietly in the field with a hat on. Don't try to get his attention, just do your own thing. If he comes over, give the carrot and walk away. You need to start planting the seed that you = positive. If you only ever have an argument when you catch him and then subsequently drag him in to ride him, that's not fun for him.

Once he willingly comes to you, hold his head-collar, bring him out the field, give a small feed/carrot, and put him back again.

I think you need to work super slowly with this and go right back to basics.
 
We sort of have similar problems with one of our geldings, although he's less bad than yours!

Can you clicker train him and reward him for good behaviour? If he's food oriented this might work.
Do you know what's causing this behaviour? Does he not want to work or does he just not want to leave the paddock?

Take baby steps, lots of rewards. Once you've got the headcollar on, reward him and take it off again.
Then try lead him out, as soon as you're through the gate reward him and then turn him back out again.
Then take him out and feed him at the stables or wherever you feed them, afterwards he can go back and play in the field.

We've done this with our crazy and it's worked, he's understanding now that coming out isn't necessarily a "bad" thing.
 
He's very food orientated, I think if it were up to him he would be in the field 24/7 all year round!
He always comes in at night, isn't ridden everyday - he's worked approx. 4 times a week, sometimes more sometimes less. He has the odd week off too as he isn't a horse that needs constant work.
When he comes in, he'll go into his stable with hay nets straight away and from then on I'll either groom him and tack him up to work him or he'll have a groom and his dinner ready for bed. He doesn't dislike being in his stable, his grumpiness is food orientated again as he's territorial over hay nets and buckets (his feed buckets are taken out when he's moved away and is finished).
Him not wanting to come in from the field isn't a constant thing, most times he comes to call and comes right up to the gate for me. But sometimes when he doesn't want to come in, he'll either ignore me and then turn on me if I go to get him, or sometimes he'll come to the gate but when I try to grab him, he spins and then goes into his aggressive mode.
 
Not sure what you're aiming to achieve here OP?

You've had some advice about how to deal with the catching issues above but I guess you also want some advice on how to rehome your horse more successfully next time? Could you give the thread an idea of what kind of horse (hack/riding club/competition/...) he is and if you'd be able to put him on sales livery to get him sold/if he'd be at all suitable for working livery/etc?

ETA: sadly I'm not an expert on any of the above but lots of ppl on here are!
 
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