Yearling is difficult to catch

[May2018]

Hi, I'm new to this forum and purely made an account because I'm really stuck with my yearling. Sorry if I've posted in the wrong category too.

I feel like I should give a backstory to her before I complain about her. Her name is may and shes an 11hh welsh section a. I bought her from the farm I loaned a horse on and she was 8 month old. However, she hadn't yet been weaned. she got weaned at about 9 month old after pestering the yard owner because I felt like she wasn't mine because I couldn't do anything alone with her. While weaning the yard owner told me to feed her spillers stud and youngstock in the field to aid with the weaning. when she was eventually separated from her mother she was put into a field with her half sister and a Shetland. up until 9 month old she had no experience with humans whatsoever. she was terrified of me. she got so attached to those two if I wanted to catch her i had to heard her in while leading the other two. So, i started herding her in and putting the other two back out and feeding her alone and just in general spending time with her. now she is 1 years old and i can put a headcollar on, pick her feet, take her for walks and all the normal stuff as well as overcoming her separation anxiety to her sister.

However,

she will not, for the life of me, catch without her feed bucket. I have tried taking her favourite treats up and feeding her them and that doesn't work. I've built enough trust with her for her to come to the gate to see me without calling for her. if I have the bucket, she simply lets me put the rope around her neck and put her head collar on and slip through the fence before the greedy rescue pony in the field notices. if i don't, she'll come near me but run away if i try to catch her. I think this is because when she was unhandled, I clicker trained her to get her head collar on with the feed. I try to catch her as quick as I can because she hates the rescue pony in her field. If he comes near me, she kicks the life out of him. I thought about clicker training with mints but I know that will attract the rescue pony and it'll get her worked up. I'm the only person to have handled her and I've done so for 4 months now.

I just hoped someone would have advice. I know she is a baby and needs a lot more time and trust and she is capable of being caught, she's just unwilling to be caught if I don't have the feed. she's a really good pony and is a champ with everything. I can do absolutely anything with her. she's used to dogs, cars, tractors, kids and bikes. she's gone from not allowing me near her to allowing me to put rugs on her and groom the life out of her. I take her for daily walks and let her eat the grass to bond with her. I know there's some trust between us because she won't allow others to touch her yet other than me. thank you in advance for any advice.

 

[TheMule]

I would leave a leather head collar on her to cut down the number of steps you need and practice just hooking on the rope, giving her a fuss/ a groom and then letting her off again. Dont always bring in to a more stressful situation away from the others.

 

[May2018]

I used to leave a headcollar on her all the time until she got stuck on the fence. I also bought her a field safe one but her sister tears it off. I managed to catch her today with the “join up” method but the rescue horse in the field goes mad trying to kick her when he knows she’s going in. I feel like it’s safer to bring her in with feed as I don’t need to enter the field, she just meets me at the gate and stands for me to put her rope around her neck but people at the yard are saying it’s unsafe and I needn’t go find a new way. Thank you for your advice

 

[Leah3horses]

You don't need a bucket or special treats to clicker train properly. Clicker training isn't about them being attracted to the food, it's the other way round, you condition them that the clicker means yes, you say yes to tiny little steps or tries and link behaviours together . People think clicker training is using food as a bribe for a problem and clicking when the pony responds to the bribe, instead of understanding and using positive reinforcement properly in every day activities, not the wrong way round to focus on one problem. Where in the country are you?Sorry but no wonder the filly is confused as you're mixing. fear based pressure ('join up'), food bribery( not clicker training), and possibly authoritarian traditional methods too, as you don't say how you're doing everything. To do everything you've already done in 4 months with an unhandled filly is a lot of pressure for a yearling. She may be doing what you want, but has she been given any choice in any of this? Which is a fundamental part of scientifically proven positive reinforcement. You can see she responds well to the food , it's the rescue pony who is the obstacle but what stimulation and socialisation does he get? With proper Positive Reinforcement training, the rescue ponys' needs would also be addressed . We have to positively manage environments so we can set our youngsters up for success. Please google Connection Training and Horse Charming. Please read Alize Von Muckelstrums book, Humane Science Based Horse Training to get a basic proper understanding of how to positive reinforcement. Once you start learning properly, so will your filly...you're doing well but really need to research further into Clicker Training to give your girl the best, force free start. Good for you for at least opening your mind up to better ways than restraining, forcing, shouting, punishing, extreme pressure and all the other inhumane ways youngsters are treated by people who are supposed to love them but haven't educated themselves in how horses actually learn.

 

[May2018]

Thank you so much for your response.

I will admit I don't have tonnes of knowledge on youngsters and this is why I'm trying to find the best possible solution for her and me. For the clicker training that you mentioned, i click when she responds to what I've asked and then reward her for responding. Again, I'm in the process of learning myself and I'm searching for constructive criticism to help both me and my pony. I want to train her whilst maintaining a good relationship with her and I'll never force her to do something she doesn't want to do. I allow her to be a baby whilst trying to introduce handling to her at her own pace and I'm in no rush in doing this properly. I will check out your recommendations. I want to find ways she enjoys and is the least stressful. everything she knows up to now has been taught without shouting and being forceful. I love her and wish to better myself so she can have the best possible upbringing, this is why I've turned to forums for helpful advice I appreciate your input and will reevaluate my methods and research further!

 

[tallyho!]

I think you've done really well! For a yearling you wan't nothing more. I understand you wan't to catch in the field but why does it matter if you need a bucket/carrot/whatever? All that will come. You've done "reception" year training now, so just let her go and grow up. Go in the field and be present and give food (not from a bucket if you have more dominant horses nearby) or poo pick etc but don't put her under any more pressure. Once a month is enough to bring in and "practice" so you can still trim feet/check teeth. The worst thing you can do to ponies/horses is overhandle them.

 

[May2018]

Thank you so much. This is really helpful and reassuring! When I poo pick she likes to follow me around and I just pet her and talk to her so she doesn't associate me with being caught every time she sees me. For what she can do I'm really proud of her and I just want to provide a loving, stress-free life for her.

 

[tallyho!]

I'm sure you will and it sounds like you not only have love for her but a lot of patience as well. For any young horse a stress-free start is the best one so allow the growth to blossom inside and out, and you'll have a well balanced pony out of it. The best two horses I ever started were the two that were handled at foaling for a few weeks and then left in a herd, allowed to wean naturally and then started at 5. Weirdly enough they have the best teeth, feet and temperament. The one I weaned early and handled "well" was a right tit, awful feet and her teeth need doing twice a year still! I'm pretty sure it was stress-related - teeth especially. Anecdotes, I know, but so many people have the same experiences and I wished I'd listened with the first one! Live n learn.