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Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
 
| I bought a broodmare last year at this time and she had never had much done with her. When i initially got her she was almost impossible to catch. As soon as you would grab her halter she would fly backwards.
I can catch her now in under 5 mintues... she still throws her head up when I grab the halter (I do it very gentle and work my way up to her halter by rubbing her shoulder-neck, I talk to her etc.) Once I have her she seems like she actually likes to work. Shes very smart and I've accomplished a lot of ground work with her (sacking out, playing with grabbing her halter once I have her, ground driving, lunging, moving away from pressure) and recently started riding her a little.
It just still REALLY bugs me thats shes hard to catch. I'm used to all my other horses greeting me when I come in the pasture...she walks the other way. Whether I just keep her as a broodmare or continue training..... I like to be able to catch my horses no problem. I have come far with her, but after a year I wish I could just walk up and grab her no problem!!! Lately I've just thought about finding her a new home. I've thought it could be pain related....but she was awful before I even started working her. Any other suggestions of what I could do??? |
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 Expert
Posts: 2276
 
Location: ohio-in my own little world with pretty ponies :) | There is another thread on here about this. Just search hard to catch horse. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
| lexyy12 - 2014-01-30 8:28 AM
There is another thread on here about this. Just search hard to catch horse.
I saw a couple threads related to the same subject. A lot of them said to just run them until they're tired...which i've tried several times but then I REALLY can't get near her. Was hoping for some fresh info pertaining to my mare or if shes just not worth keeping around. Thanks tho!
Edited by cn1705 2014-01-30 8:40 AM
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Blessed 
Location: Here | Nicker makers!!!
They smell like none others and they can smell them far away
Just walk out give her a couple of cookies everyday.
Just sit on a stool and let her come to you It won't take long she will correlate the halter to Cookies!
It has never failed me |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | I saw an episode by Chris Cox last year about hard to catch horses. I was hoping it would be posted on the internet somewhere but I haven't been able to find it.
Sounds like you keep a halter on her? First of all, I'd ditch that.
Until you get the hang of this, keep her in a smaller-ish pen. When she is looking at you and has her eyes on you, leave her alone. Once you lose eye contact, MAKE HER MOVE. Make her work. Once she looks at you again, leave her alone. Basically, when she's got her attention on you, she gets left alone. (Now of course Chris did all these steps in a matter of minutes but you can spread them out as needed.)
When you've got her attention, you can approach her. Do NOT walk straight at her with your shoulder straight at her. That's confrontational. Make sure you have your shoulders angled slightly away from her. Don't try to slooooooowly walk up. Just walk normal and relaxed, like you normally would. Approach and retreat. Again, make sure she keeps her EYES on you.
Eventually, you'll be standing next to her. DO NOT touch her. That's the first thing people try to do and you don't want to do that. Instead, walk away. SHe is going to expect you to touch her because that's how she's been dealt with all along. By you NOT touching her, that is going to peak her curiosity. Approach and retreat some more and never touch her.
Eventually, you will get to the point when it is time to touch her. Give her a pat and a scratch. Do NOT halter her. Just touch her. Then walk away. Again, up until this point, she is expecting you to halter her. But you're not going to do it. Approach and retreat more. And this is something that you could do for days, even weeks, and never once halter her. If you've got your timing right, she should always be focused on your 100% when you are there (remember, always keep that eye contact) and she should crave your attention in return.
Teach her how to drop her head. Get that solid. And THEN you can halter her. Take care not to hit her eyes or ears when you do so. Halter with care.
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 Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| r_beau - 2014-01-30 9:55 AM
I saw an episode by Chris Cox last year about hard to catch horses. I was hoping it would be posted on the internet somewhere but I haven't been able to find it.
Sounds like you keep a halter on her? First of all, I'd ditch that.
Until you get the hang of this, keep her in a smaller-ish pen. When she is looking at you and has her eyes on you, leave her alone. Once you lose eye contact, MAKE HER MOVE. Make her work. Once she looks at you again, leave her alone. Basically, when she's got her attention on you, she gets left alone. (Now of course Chris did all these steps in a matter of minutes but you can spread them out as needed.)
When you've got her attention, you can approach her. Do NOT walk straight at her with your shoulder straight at her. That's confrontational. Make sure you have your shoulders angled slightly away from her. Don't try to slooooooowly walk up. Just walk normal and relaxed, like you normally would. Approach and retreat. Again, make sure she keeps her EYES on you.
Eventually, you'll be standing next to her. DO NOT touch her. That's the first thing people try to do and you don't want to do that. Instead, walk away. SHe is going to expect you to touch her because that's how she's been dealt with all along. By you NOT touching her, that is going to peak her curiosity. Approach and retreat some more and never touch her.
Eventually, you will get to the point when it is time to touch her. Give her a pat and a scratch. Do NOT halter her. Just touch her. Then walk away. Again, up until this point, she is expecting you to halter her. But you're not going to do it. Approach and retreat more. And this is something that you could do for days, even weeks, and never once halter her. If you've got your timing right, she should always be focused on your 100% when you are there (remember, always keep that eye contact) and she should crave your attention in return.
Teach her how to drop her head. Get that solid. And THEN you can halter her. Take care not to hit her eyes or ears when you do so. Halter with care.
Excellent advice! |
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Member
Posts: 10
| It sounds like you have at least 2 separate pain avoidance issues. Throwing the head when touching the halter or placing the halter on the horses head or general touching around the ears. Always look to the poll for misalignment as this will relieve the majority of symptoms from head shy horses.
Hard to catch or pins the ears when saddling. Look to the thoracic and lumbar spine under the saddle area for a pinched nerve. PAIN
I can ride my horse for a few hours with a perfect ride, then for no reason EXPLOSION bucking, snorting then all is ok again. PAIN you or the saddle touched the sore spot and your horse repositioned you or you hit the ground.
Contact a competent Equine Chiropractor and see if that will remove the symptoms and give you a great friend for life. |
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  Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | I also have a hard to catch broodmare, in a small pen you can catch her out in the open it's simply NOT going to happen. She lived most of her life as a range mare & was never a pet until she moved here. I opted not to stress her & change who she is so we do things her way. We have a very established routine of morning & evening feedings. I open the barn door & she trots to her stall. If I need to catch her for any reason I just do it then. It's not worth fighting with her & getting her worked up. |
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Coyote Country Queen
Posts: 5666
| SaraJean - 2014-01-30 11:12 AM
I also have a hard to catch broodmare, in a small pen you can catch her out in the open it's simply NOT going to happen. She lived most of her life as a range mare & was never a pet until she moved here. I opted not to stress her & change who she is so we do things her way. We have a very established routine of morning & evening feedings. I open the barn door & she trots to her stall. If I need to catch her for any reason I just do it then. It's not worth fighting with her & getting her worked up.
Also excellent advice!
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 Swiffer PIcker Upper
Posts: 4015
Location: Four Corners Colorado | SG. - 2014-01-30 7:40 AM Nicker makers!!!
They smell like none others and they can smell them far away
Just walk out give her a couple of cookies everyday.
Just sit on a stool and let her come to you It won't take long she will correlate the halter to Cookies!
It has never failed me
Great advice. Most people only catch their horses to work them or do something with them. About once a week I go out to my pasture halter in a hand a pocket full of cookies and I put a halter on and give a cookie lead them around take the halter off and give them another.
I also keep myself at the top of the pecking order. If a horse is rude or pushy when I'm putting out hay they get sent off and I don't allow them back till they come back with their ears up and stay respectful. When I establish this it means I can bring out a grain bucket, cookies or what ever and not be in dangers of horses fighting over them because they don't fight near me. Doing these two things will make any horse pretty easy to catch.
“You can’t be a good guy when you leave the barn and a bad guy when you get to the barn. If I treat animals this way, do I treat people that way too? We all know the answer to that.” - Buck Brannaman |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| My gelding was impossible to catch in the pasture without a bucket of grain.
We did two things that may have contributed to the fact that the issue is gone:
1. I had someone help me with some round penning/lunging activities to work on respect for space and not being pushy, which he was.
2. I put him on a supplement, exceed 6 way, that includes gut soothing ingredients along with joints and etc. along with the being hard to catch I also noticed that his uneasyness and dancing while being saddled went away. I suspect he was working on an ulcer and the idea of being caught and worked was painful.
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