Why, oh why, oh why...

Meowy Catkin

Meowy Catkin

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19 July 2010
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... does my grey decide to be hard to catch every nown and again? :confused3:

All I wanted to do was to check her over and take her fly mask off, the same as I have done every evening for the whole of the summer. Not much to ask, no change of routine and nothing different or exciting going on. So I open the gate and the two chestnuts come over and I can see that the grey has her ear on me and she not coming over with the others. 'Oh bu**er' I think. I do the chestnuts and she's snuck up behind them. So I go between them to walk over to her and she canters off. Now imagine the benny hill theme tune with me walking towards the grey with the two chestnuts following me as she leads us all a merry dance around the paddock. Suddenly after about 20 minutes she stops, turns towards me and comes over. 'What the flip was all that about?' I ask her. She's being as nice as pie now and wants her itchy places scratched (which I do) and even holds her head down for the fly mask to be removed. *sigh*

Any horse behaviour experts have any clues as to what goes on in her head? She'll probably test me out again at some point, but it could be six days, six weeks or even six months from now - it really is that random. At one point she went about two years without doing it.
 
Camilla did same tonight. Came over & had a nose rub, then as soon as I went to take fly mask off & headcollar on, decided to Foxtrot Oscar up the field with the Haffy at speed. Outburst over, "Oh hello Aunty Em, is it pamper time?"
 
Pony I loan I was warned could be hard to catch. I was all smug as I never had any problems in the 7 months at the time. Went away for 5 days, looking forward to the reunion - 30 mins to catch him and took him 2 days to get back into routine (even though the people looking after him stuck to his routine and had no problems) has done it once or twice since, but got him in less than 5 minutes, but again no change in routine. Will follow this as interested in what others think too
 
Oh mine does that too, occasionally. Incredibly randomly too. I understand it sometimes, such as recently, when I was wearing a new jacket (well, Mother donated it to me) which is thin and rustly in the wind. I was suddenly to Be Avoided At All Costs, as I Might Actually Attack Him.
He's 8, I've had him from 4....
Two days ago he also decided that the rainsheet that he has been happy to have removed/put on whilst not tied up and in the field, and therefore free to go or stay as he chose (he always remained) was suddenly The Scariest Thing Ever, and cantered off snorting.
I've given up trying to understand, I just go with it :)
 
bumper said:
Oh mine does that too, occasionally. Incredibly randomly too. I understand it sometimes, such as recently, when I was wearing a new jacket (well, Mother donated it to me) which is thin and rustly in the wind. I was suddenly to Be Avoided At All Costs, as I Might Actually Attack Him.
He's 8, I've had him from 4....
Two days ago he also decided that the rainsheet that he has been happy to have removed/put on whilst not tied up and in the field, and therefore free to go or stay as he chose (he always remained) was suddenly The Scariest Thing Ever, and cantered off snorting.
I've given up trying to understand, I just go with it :)
Click to expand...

They like to keep us guessing!
 
I'd understand it more if I was wearing a rustly new jacket, but she doesn't even have that excuse. Plus she's not the spooky type.

Maybe she's just checking to see if I'm serious?
 
I put Camilla's down to her having had teeth done the other day & maybe it was her making sure there was no one else lurking in the yard, but on the other hand, she might just have been having a lark about.
 
LOL, they just play games like you play tricks on people! ;)

Benji, my old boy just very occassionally will play silly bu**ers. It's the look you get followed by a squeal, a rip roaring fart and massive buck and a swift charge across the field. I then take this as an invitation to play so run at him, sometimes he likes hide and seek too.
 
Our Connie does the same. I can usually catch him, often gives daughter the runaround, we both ride him so it's not that. Most irritatingly though is that you can walk up to him, put his headcollar over his nose, then he sniffs, snorts, decides it's the scariest thing that's ever happened and p***es off up the field. We've owned him 7yrs, *sigh*
 
My last horse had an advanced sense of humour! Mostly, he would trot over, nose in head collar, off we go. Every now and then, he would trot over, stop and then trot round in circles (fabulous elevated strides) just out of reach. Turn and walk off and he would catch up and continue the exhibition! Even changed the rein and demonstrated the other hand! I got seriously fed up with this. One person told me "it's because he hates you". She eventually had him on permanent loan. Last heard of being perfect for her. Allegedly. Fortunately, my current pony doesn't seem to hate me so much and comes scuttling over, being very vocal. Perhaps she is saying "I hate you too. Just you wait . . ,"
 
touch wood mines hasn't run away yet! :/ but he always used to come to call now he just stands there looks at me then just carries on grazing even though his field partner comes flying up to the gate.. i wouldn't mind so much if my field wasn't on such a hill! hopefully in the winter he'll be back in his routine for coming in for tea i won't have to trek in all the mud! scary to think winter is just around the corner too :(
 
Mine used to be a nightmare to catch
98% of the time he's perfect.
1% ....he pretends he hasn't seen me and walks off....then for no apparent reason will stop dead, turn around and comes to me.
1%....he decides that nope, today is not convenient for him. He will do the old invisible lunge scenario...perfect circles in extended trot around me...both directions, whilst I stand like fool in the middle of the field. This goes on for possible five minutes until he eventually stops, sighs and decides I've been made to look stupid for long enough and he comes over for the headcollar putting on. Experience has taught me..the harder I try to catch him, the more awkward he is.
Just pointing out whose actually in charge I guess :)
 
Mine do this too occasionally, I think it's just proving that they are still in charge or if they're anything like me, they're in a bad mood and want to p*** everyone else off around them. Cant complain really they both used to be sods to catch, I remember I couldn't get hold of one for a week- guess I should be grateful that it only takes me 5 minutes on a bad day :P
 
Yep my grey mare does it too... Never worked out why but maybe they see something in our body language or something
 
Sure they think its a game, my coloured does this some times (he had got white on him so sort of grey!). He will walk up to me, then have 2nd thoughts and bound around the field tossing his head in the air like a complete idiot, always comes back over after he's amused himself.... I think he only does it when his friend winds him up though :p
 
My gelding does the same - every now and then he will just decide not to be caught. The only thing I have found that works, is to go away and do something else for 15 minutes and let him get over it and I build in potential "catching" time in if I'm on a schedule. As per some of the others, he can go for months and be fine and then for no reason that I can figure he just says nope. This has been going on for 16 years, so I have just learned to live with it.
 
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