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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 540
 
Location: My own little world :) | I have a 4 year old mare that I have been riding pretty regularly and she has started to become hard to catch. Prior to this she was always the first one in the pasture to come to you and now as soon as she sees the halter she is gone. When I work with her in the round pen she is just itching to come to the center to visit you and will follow you around like a puppy dog but not out in the pasture.
Is there any reason why she could be doing this? Or is she just being a turd?? After my rides I put her PHT blanket on and give her some grain with her supplements in it. I also brush her down really well before and after my rides as a way to reward her.
Does anyone have any tips to help stop this??? Other than put her in a smaller pen ;) Right now she is also in with an older gelding that is horrible about being caught...I think he taught her this awful habit. If the ground wasn't frozen I would build each horse a separate pen!!! |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
 
Location: Phoenix | Well my advice was put her in a small pen for awhile until shapes up.
My idiot horse doesn't want me to catch anyone BUT him so he runs all the ore horses off. Looks like he's being naughty, but he's just getting things in order so I catch him and only him. Haha! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 540
Location: My own little world :) | hammer_time - 2014-01-27 11:40 PM
Well my advice was put her in a small pen for awhile until shapes up.
My idiot horse doesn't want me to catch anyone BUT him so he runs all the ore horses off. Looks like he's being naughty, but he's just getting things in order so I catch him and only him. Haha!
Do you think that will do the trick??? I just have a shortage of pens that I can get liquid H2O to if you know what I mean. There are only so many extension cords in this world ;) |
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Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | How big of a pasture is she in?
Even if you could fence part of it up....or just make a really large enclosed area....? |
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 534
| Go out with a treat, or a bucket of feed. Try to intise her to come in. If that fails, just run her.
When my horses are being hard to catch. I just walk at them, they take off running etc. I just keep walking towards them. The funny thing is, theyre doing all the work by making themselves run because they dont wanna be caught. Soon enough they realize I wont let up and they give up. May take a while, but if the horse is smart it will realize. |
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 Expert
Posts: 4121
Location: SE Louisiana | It might be as simple as going out once in a while, catching her and brushing and feeding her without working her, then letting her go again. |
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Veteran
Posts: 165
| I have one like that too. She plays these silly little games. comes almost right up to me then kicks it in high gear and circles around me and she'll do that over and over. Sometimes she likes to round up all the other horses and chase them away so nobody can get caught. If I go out and catch another horse she almost acts disappointed that she didn't get to play her little game of cat and mouse with me and then she follows me to the gate. During the summer I put her in a pen by herself or with just one other horse. If I turn her out in pasture she is next to impossible to catch and gets everyone else going too. Has been that way since she was young. Sometimes I just put a piece of twine in my back pocket and go out and pretend to just be petting all the horses and then I can get the twine on her and lead her to the gate, or if I circle around toward her and make a point of not looking at her it helps sometimes, but the best way is to seperate her from the others and then she runs right up to me. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1182
Location: Do I hear Banjos? |
"When my horses are being hard to catch. I just walk at them, they take off running etc. I just keep walking towards them. The funny thing is, theyre doing all the work by making themselves run because they dont wanna be caught. Soon enough they realize I wont let up and they give up. May take a while, but if the horse is smart it will realize."
That is what will work and stick long term. Make the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard. Right thing is to stand there or come to you. Wrong thing is to walk or run away. Maker that hard by walking her down. Keep after her and each time you approach...if she moves off...get after her and make her go faster. Each time she stops give her a chance to do the right thing. If she lets you approach close and doesnt run...get within a few steps and then take a step back. if she has had enough she will likely take a step twards you. THAT is what you want. Praise and put that halter on.
I have never had a horse not learn from this and figure out pretty quickly that I'm not giving up and that their options are to work and run...or just come to me and get it over with. Occasionally I'll have one revert or decide to be silly. But that happens maybe one time and they remember pretty quick. |
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| If they run from us and we in turn MAKE them run even more, it usually doesn't take long for them to learn that at the first hint that they are going to be made to run it's easier on them to stand still or even walk up to you. I have one that when I first got him he'd take off when he saw me coming. Now he'll just start to run and when he's me getting ready to really SEND him he stops, faces me lets me put his halter on.....works on 99% if horses. |
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 Midget Lover
Location: Kentucky | Whenever I go out to the pasture to catch horses, I take treats. I know some people frown upon it, but mine never run from me or turn their butts to me. Even if I catch them just to brush them, or take off/put on blankets, they know they get a treat for being caught. Lots of love for them too.
ETA: I'm betting that older gelding is teaching her a bad habit too. Can you put her in with another buddy? That is such a frustrating habit.
Edited by Murphy 2014-01-28 7:49 AM
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Rad Dork
Posts: 5218
Location: Oklahoma | Is your halter too visible? I used to take a lead rope (no halter) and wrap it around my stomach and pull my shirt over the top of it.... they never knew what was coming.... Once I had them lured in with a treat or a bucket of feed they'd turn into puppy dogs and I lead them in with just a rope around their neck. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1857
| runs4fun - 2014-01-28 7:45 AM
If they run from us and we in turn MAKE them run even more, it usually doesn't take long for them to learn that at the first hint that they are going to be made to run it's easier on them to stand still or even walk up to you. I have one that when I first got him he'd take off when he saw me coming. Now he'll just start to run and when he's me getting ready to really SEND him he stops, faces me lets me put his halter on.....works on 99% if horses.
This is what we do. We have to use the four wheeler or truck sometimes because its just to big an area to do it on foot but they figure it out really fast when they start breaking a sweat. I also agree with Komet, sometimes you just need to catch them, reward, and release. |
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 I am Woman hear me Roar
Posts: 3395
Location: Choctaw, Oklahoma | I had a gelding like this. I would keep carrots on hand. Randomly go out and treat everyone brush them off and walk away. He would always run off when approached. But loooved carrots. Within 3 weeks he was 100% better. Carrots to be caught carrots in the crossties and carrots when turned back out. Eventually didn't have to reward him. But that's what worked for me. Tried the walking towards him but he was a stubborn butt and it took more than 30 min of walking after him before he'd stop!! Each time! |
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Expert
Posts: 1226
| I would work her in round pen after you get here |
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 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | Once she catches quiet, give her a treat, turn her loose.
go out with a brush, put a halter on, brush her down, turn her loose.
I personally feel like a routine is what helps a horse, but doing these things at random should help immensely. I have a hard to catch horse and I put him on a routine every day and it's pretty much fixed.
IE: ride at three o'clock
hose him
turn him back out
clean stalls
go and catch him
brush him in the field
Every time he's caught he gets a treat and usually turns into that he's running up to the fence to come in. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2276
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | I give each of mine a treat when they come in so they want to come in. Also, if they are really not wanting to come in I go out and make them run. We have one big pasture but there is a gate that I can close to close it off so it's smaller and easier for me to make them run. |
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| FlyingJT - 2014-01-28 10:07 AM runs4fun - 2014-01-28 7:45 AM If they run from us and we in turn MAKE them run even more, it usually doesn't take long for them to learn that at the first hint that they are going to be made to run it's easier on them to stand still or even walk up to you. I have one that when I first got him he'd take off when he saw me coming. Now he'll just start to run and when he's me getting ready to really SEND him he stops, faces me lets me put his halter on.....works on 99% if horses. This is what we do. We have to use the four wheeler or truck sometimes because its just to big an area to do it on foot but they figure it out really fast when they start breaking a sweat. I also agree with Komet, sometimes you just need to catch them, reward, and release.
I agree it's works best to teach this concept in a paddock area. I have really big pastures too and I don't usually give this lesson for the first time out in the pasture....catch them with a bucket of feed out there then teach then the correct way not to run once you get them in an arena or paddock, once it's learned, though, it'll work regardless the size of the pasture |
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 Expert
Posts: 3165
| do you feed her out there? if so, if you have a barn, I'd bring her in to eat, you don't catch her, she doesn't eat, she'll learn pretty quickly. ( I'm talking about grain, I wouldn't hold back hay for this purpose )
also, if shes turned out with others,even if your going out to get another horse, i would catch her, halter her, brush her or pick her feet and let her go.
I have one moody mare who even when im not going in the pen to get her, she'll jog away from me, so i'll make her run for a while until she comes to me, I'll put the halter on her, love on her a bit, and then let her go and grab the other horse. she does it 2-3 times a year... seems to work well, for a while after she'll be the first to walk up to me and lower her head into the halter. |
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 Dr. Ebay
Posts: 8507
Location: Land Of Oz | heidiinaz - 2014-01-28 9:25 AM I would work her in round pen after you get here
If you catch the horse and then work its butt off in the round pen wouldn't it associate getting caught with work? I chase mine until they stop and let me catch them if they run so they associate getting caught with rest. |
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 I Want a "MAN"
Posts: 3610
Location: MD | Do you feed twice a day? If one gets hard to catch I normally start catching with treats and if that doesn't work and they're just running and playing games I make them keep running almost as if I'm lounging them in the pasture until they stop. |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | runs4fun - 2014-01-28 7:45 AM If they run from us and we in turn MAKE them run even more, it usually doesn't take long for them to learn that at the first hint that they are going to be made to run it's easier on them to stand still or even walk up to you. I have one that when I first got him he'd take off when he saw me coming. Now he'll just start to run and when he's me getting ready to really SEND him he stops, faces me lets me put his halter on.....works on 99% if horses.
I've gone so far as to run them with the 4-wheeler. they earn a spot in the round pen for the drill: whistle come-release, here. Now if I'm seeing signs of burnout in my horse then I look myself in the mirror and shake a finger at me! On a horse that I'm going to be riding at higher levels of competition if their walking away from me or giving me the butt when I walk into the stall shame on me if they didn't work at the competition that day because I was forewarned.... |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1066
| uno-dos-tres! - 2014-01-28 9:24 AM runs4fun - 2014-01-28 7:45 AM If they run from us and we in turn MAKE them run even more, it usually doesn't take long for them to learn that at the first hint that they are going to be made to run it's easier on them to stand still or even walk up to you. I have one that when I first got him he'd take off when he saw me coming. Now he'll just start to run and when he's me getting ready to really SEND him he stops, faces me lets me put his halter on.....works on 99% if horses. I've gone so far as to run them with the 4-wheeler. they earn a spot in the round pen for the drill: whistle come-release, here. Now if I'm seeing signs of burnout in my horse then I look myself in the mirror and shake a finger at me! On a horse that I'm going to be riding at higher levels of competition if their walking away from me or giving me the butt when I walk into the stall shame on me if they didn't work at the competition that day because I was forewarned....
This is pretty much exactly what I was going to say... mine are EASY to catch, but if a new guy comes who thinks he's gonna play games, hubby chases him on a quad until he realizes that being with me is the only safe place. That said, when one of my easy-to-catch horses walks away, or hangs back I take it as a sign that something is wrong. Maybe they just need a little break, but I always check them over really well as its usually a sign that they aren't feeling 100%... this happened a few times last summer. The first time it was hubby's good calf horse and he ended up having a nasty abcess, and about half way through the summer my gelding hurt his SI and he got worse and worse to catch until I realized that there was a bigger issue and gave him some extensive time off (once he realized he was just getting caught for love and not going to hurt, he was easy to catch again).
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 Balance Beam and more...
Posts: 11493
Location: 31 lengths farms | Mine all catch me. My gelding had become a little "ayyy, maybe not so much" and I found that his feet where hurting him. Got that straightened out and spent a week or so just going out with the halter and some treats, leading him up to the trailer and stretching and brushing him and he started catching me again. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 540
Location: My own little world :) | Tys-ol-lady - 2014-01-28 11:41 AM
uno-dos-tres! - 2014-01-28 9:24 AM runs4fun - 2014-01-28 7:45 AM If they run from us and we in turn MAKE them run even more, it usually doesn't take long for them to learn that at the first hint that they are going to be made to run it's easier on them to stand still or even walk up to you. I have one that when I first got him he'd take off when he saw me coming. Now he'll just start to run and when he's me getting ready to really SEND him he stops, faces me lets me put his halter on.....works on 99% if horses. I've gone so far as to run them with the 4-wheeler. they earn a spot in the round pen for the drill: whistle come-release, here. Now if I'm seeing signs of burnout in my horse then I look myself in the mirror and shake a finger at me! On a horse that I'm going to be riding at higher levels of competition if their walking away from me or giving me the butt when I walk into the stall shame on me if they didn't work at the competition that day because I was forewarned....This is pretty much exactly what I was going to say... mine are EASY to catch, but if a new guy comes who thinks he's gonna play games, hubby chases him on a quad until he realizes that being with me is the only safe place. That said, when one of my easy-to-catch horses walks away, or hangs back I take it as a sign that something is wrong. Maybe they just need a little break, but I always check them over really well as its usually a sign that they aren't feeling 100%... this happened a few times last summer. The first time it was hubby's good calf horse and he ended up having a nasty abcess, and about half way through the summer my gelding hurt his SI and he got worse and worse to catch until I realized that there was a bigger issue and gave him some extensive time off (once he realized he was just getting caught for love and not going to hurt, he was easy to catch again).
This is what I was really wondering about. This mare has always been easy easy to catch and is always the first to come to you in the pasture. It just seems like since I've been working her she decides she doesn't want to be caught. I didn't know if this was from something I'm doing or because she is in with a gelding that we recently brought home and he never wants to be caught.
I've done all the round pen stuff and she is really good in the round pen and yes I have chased them with the 4 wheeler many times also. She is only fed once a day with her hay and then she has to be caught and brought into the barn to get her grain. I don't think I'm being to hard on her when we are riding...I've just been doing slow drills at a walk and a trot for now. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1066
| Zanadoo88 - 2014-01-28 10:54 AM Tys-ol-lady - 2014-01-28 11:41 AM uno-dos-tres! - 2014-01-28 9:24 AM runs4fun - 2014-01-28 7:45 AM If they run from us and we in turn MAKE them run even more, it usually doesn't take long for them to learn that at the first hint that they are going to be made to run it's easier on them to stand still or even walk up to you. I have one that when I first got him he'd take off when he saw me coming. Now he'll just start to run and when he's me getting ready to really SEND him he stops, faces me lets me put his halter on.....works on 99% if horses. I've gone so far as to run them with the 4-wheeler. they earn a spot in the round pen for the drill: whistle come-release, here. Now if I'm seeing signs of burnout in my horse then I look myself in the mirror and shake a finger at me! On a horse that I'm going to be riding at higher levels of competition if their walking away from me or giving me the butt when I walk into the stall shame on me if they didn't work at the competition that day because I was forewarned....This is pretty much exactly what I was going to say... mine are EASY to catch, but if a new guy comes who thinks he's gonna play games, hubby chases him on a quad until he realizes that being with me is the only safe place.
That said, when one of my easy-to-catch horses walks away, or hangs back I take it as a sign that something is wrong. Maybe they just need a little break, but I always check them over really well as its usually a sign that they aren't feeling 100%... this happened a few times last summer. The first time it was hubby's good calf horse and he ended up having a nasty abcess, and about half way through the summer my gelding hurt his SI and he got worse and worse to catch until I realized that there was a bigger issue and gave him some extensive time off (once he realized he was just getting caught for love and not going to hurt, he was easy to catch again).
This is what I was really wondering about. This mare has always been easy easy to catch and is always the first to come to you in the pasture. It just seems like since I've been working her she decides she doesn't want to be caught. I didn't know if this was from something I'm doing or because she is in with a gelding that we recently brought home and he never wants to be caught. I've done all the round pen stuff and she is really good in the round pen and yes I have chased them with the 4 wheeler many times also. She is only fed once a day with her hay and then she has to be caught and brought into the barn to get her grain. I don't think I'm being to hard on her when we are riding...I've just been doing slow drills at a walk and a trot for now.
I think what I would do would be to take the 'hard to catch' guy out, and leave her in the pen either by herself, or with another 'easy to catch' type. If she is still not interested after a few days, and you cant really find anything obviously wrong, then I would probably get her vetted just to be sure that there's no underlying issue. After having my guy vetted I felt like a huge jerk for continuing to work him after he'd hurt himself... poor guy was trying to tell me and I wasn't listening, and it probably would have been a much easier fix if I hadn't continued to run him and make it worse for a month (he's just about done his vet-prescribed 6 months off). |
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Expert
Posts: 4766
Location: Bandera, TX | Stop your arena drills and ride in the pasture a few days see if that will adjust her attitude. if her eyes and coat are bright keeping working thru it but if there's signs of stress put on your horsemanship hat, roll up your sleeves and find the culprit. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 540
Location: My own little world :) | Thanks everybody! I really appreciate all your input! |
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  Ms. Potato Head
Posts: 9162
Location: BFE, Idaho | uno-dos-tres! - 2014-01-28 11:13 AM Stop your arena drills and ride in the pasture a few days see if that will adjust her attitude. if her eyes and coat are bright keeping working thru it but if there's signs of stress put on your horsemanship hat, roll up your sleeves and find the culprit.
This along with multiple times just going to the pasture to give a hug a treat and run your fingers over their bodies to check. If you ride everyday, still go out at different times of the day and night and hand out treats and just give a pat or hang on their necks and talk about the day. They just like us do not always want to be worked constantly.
We had a mare like this and as long every time was not for work she was great, if you ran her she would run until you collapsed or the 4 wheeler would have killed her(she would have run herself to death and I never understood why running which is what they want to do in the first place stops them from running?) Not with her anyway. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 540
Location: My own little world :) | So just go out and let them know that they are loved :) I know I appreciate that. Thats so funny because after you guys mentioned that I realized that ever since I had my baby I haven't really been out to just love on them and give them treats. Thanks!!! I just got in from giving my girl her grain and putting her pht blanket on for a little while. |
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Veteran
Posts: 128
| I want to point out another side to this! Our best horse suddenly started being horrible to catch. He had always been perfect before. He didn't walk to you, but he certainly didn't run. Anyway, he started trotting circles around us (like you are longing him!) when we would go catch him. It would sometimes take 30 minutes for him to settle. He still worked great, ate, drank, looked good, etc.
I finally decided that this just was not like him and something had to be wrong. I began treating him for ulcers and within 30 days he was back to normal. I treated him for a while until I thought they were fully healed. That was 2 years ago. Now, he will start showing symptoms occasionally, I treat him for a little while, he goes right back to his happy self.
I realize now that there were a few other signs that I should have noticed originally ((a)fighting the trailer, which he has always done, but had gotten much worse; (b)acting really funny about letting us put on the headstall) but it just never occurred to me that he could have an internal issue causing those problems. I am not one that likes to just jump up and say that my horse is hurt at the first sign of a problem. However, keep your eyes open for other things that could be bothering her. Not liking to be caught may be her way of saying "This is going to hurt, so I don't want to do it."
On a side note...I found out during this time that singing to him and walking toward a point "beside" him, but not directly to his head, also helped settle him. I know I look like an idiot belting out "You are my sunshine" on the way to catch a horse, and my husband took a while to get on board, but it really does help! You can almost see his face relax when you just speak to him quietly and calmly as you walk into his pasture. The weather also really does a number on him. If the wind starts blowing, you can bet he is going to be a little tougher case that day. |
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Member
Posts: 35
| Im with komet. go out and catch her and do a little bonding and let her go |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Just to say my horses get the best possible veterinary care.
But I don't care if they have ulcers, are abscessing, etc my horses are not hard to catch.
I am the boss, they need to respect me.
I had one mare who had to have major surgery on her skull, when she cam home she was difficult to catch, it took me over 5 hours one day to catch her. Whenever I had time, I would go out in the pasture and catch her, I would spend as much time in the field chasing her around dominating her, till I could catch her, after a few weeks she went back to being easy to catch.
I also don't chase my horses around with the quad, had one horse sent out for training, they chased him around with a quad, this horse came backed scared to death of quad and motorcycles. Even where quads were at the entrance into the arena he would jump sideways running Mach nine to first.
I suggest take the time, teach her you are the boss, this will get you farther along later. |
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Horse getting harder to catch!!!