Help with catching a horse out of the pasture.?

Question

Ok so I have this mare..I have had her for almost 5 years. She didn't used to be like this. But when you go to get her she will just walk away and if you follow her she will start to run. Sometimes she will even start to charge at you >.> But she has never tried to run completly over me when charging and a little swing of the halter makes her turn away, she has never tried to kick either. And after a long while she will give up and let you catch her, after putting on the halter i give her a carrot...but she never gets any better with the whole catching thing.

Any tips?

Answer 1

it sounds to me like she has started her own game.

I have a mare that is very hard to catch and to get around her trying me I started walking out in the pasture/paddock with a small bucket of feed and a halter in hand in plain sight for her to see what I wanted. I would just stand there while she attempted to get a rise out of me by running away or teasing me with catch-me-if-you-can behavior and within a few minutes she would give up and come to me with the feed and after 3-4 days she realized the halter meant snacks and love and she soon after gave up her shenanigans. Whatever you do not chase her or make swipe motions to snag her! That is what she wants! Show her you don't think it is funny and these are your terms! It takes patience and time but eventually she will take less and less time to come to you.

As for the charging deal I have a very hostile feed-time mare who charges at buckets and I have to carry a lunge whip with me to feed to keep her off of me. I have been bit twice (so bad it left scarring) and kicked once. So be very careful her game doesn't get escalated as she tests the limits of her boundaries. We have only had the mare for a couple months so we are still working on that issue.

Just remember sometimes they act like little kids and you have to outsmart them instead of being the one duped.

Answer 2

Maybe she's just PMSing. Kidding. I would go out everyday and give her a good rubbing. You know, just scratch and love on her to let her know that you just want to rub on her. It worked for my horses maybe it'll work for you! Good luck!

Answer 3

my aunts horse used to run away every time should would see me,or anyone for that matter, come over with a halter. This is what i did to let me catch her without a fuss (now she even whinnies when i come to see her).  

Everytime I would visit her I would just give her somthing to eat (carrot, grass w/e), put the halter on her, do somthing pleasent, such as groom her and go for a walk, just spend some time with eachother basically, and put her back. After a while of doing this she almost always lets me catch her.

Alternate between work and play, if all you do is work, you'll end up with a horse that won't want to be caught. I mean, i know i wouldn't like it if someone came over to see me and then expected me to run 50 laps around the house with them on my back lol

just my two cents - have fun and I hope you find something that works for you ^.^

Answer 4

I had exactly the same problem with my colt.

I did 'join up' . This shows the horse that you are the herd leader and incourages respect. After completing this i found i had no trouble catching him.

i hope this helps

all the best

Answer 5

catch her every day and give her a treat or a good scratching then turn her loose, keep it short and sweet,  and soon shell   come running to you like mine do!!  good luck

Answer 6

Also maybe have her checked out by a vet to be sure she's not having any pain anywhere, i.e. foot, leg, back, mouth.

You could probably do a preliminary check yourself ~ well, after you catch her of course......

Maybe try an apple.

Best of Luck!  :)

Answer 7

Are you only catching her when you want to ride ?

You need to make a habit of fetching her in every day whether or not you want to ride. Catch her, take her in and groom her, feed her do her feet etc then turn her back out. Show her that catching does not always mean work.

If this means that you have to spend extra time at the yard then that is what you need to do.

If she's charging at you go into the field armed - she charges and you whack her ( and mean it) then chase her away. Run her around the field a bit - couple of laps or so then wait for her to stop and go to catch her again.

It will work - I had this issue with one of mine.

Answer 8

Just get food and be like "come here horses name!!" and shake the bucket with the food in it... She'll come cuz that's what i do with my horses and they like always come to me now.

Answer 9

This happened to me over the summer. Every time I went to get the horse he would turn and trot away.

What I did was after it took half an hour to get him I would lead him in to my medium sized riding ring and let him go. After 15 mins. I would go back and get him. (In the ring he didn't run away) I would give him a baby carrot and then let him go. Then again I would keep repeating that. Then take him down to the barn brush him and turn him out.

Then the next day I would go out into the pasture with him and the other horses and just greet each horse. Walk around the pasture. I did this to let him know that just because I am out here I am not out here for you.

Then two days later I would then do it again but I would carry a lead rope around and greet each horse. I would slowly get close to him and then greet him and attach the lead rope and just follow him around the pasture with him for about 5 mins. Then after he gets comfortable with you out in the pasture with him bring him in to the barn and just brush him and let him out.

Get him to understand that just because you are getting him that it doesn't mean you are always going to do work.

It does take some time, but now the horse I use actually comes up to me now instead of away.

Remember

* Horses are prey creature and that means when they feel threated that flee. If you look big and tuff that may make them feel threatened.

When you go out to get him walk in a large zig-zag line and slouch your shoulders and look down.

You might want to turn the horse out with a halter. If you can't bring a lead rope and when you can put the lead rope around the horse's neck. So you have a way to control the horse.

Answer 10

well feed her grain or something she likes. put it close to the gate. put it in then watch her eat it for a min. then go in and get her when she is eating. but you will have to some times let her eat all of it. but don't catch her just watch her then go away so that way she won't always think you are going to catch her when you watch her eat.well good luck Sabrina

Answer 11

You need to catch her everyday when you feed her.  They start to do this if you only catch them when you are going to ask them to work of do something (farrier, flyspray, ride).  If you catch her before you feed she will start looking forward to seeing that halter.

Answer 12

i have this problem too but its with my QH gelding Axel, he will pin his ears back and run towards me like hes gonna attack me but then goes off to my side..im afraid he's gonna kick me one day

the thing is that he's the boss horse and if you go out there with a treat or buck he will chase the other horses and make them run over you in order to get the treat.....he will then reach his neck out grab a bit of the treat and take off running

you dont even have to have a halter near you

sometimes i just go in the pasture just to pet them not to catch them or anything and he acts like he hates me but then when i eventually do catch him he is the gentlest horse i have ever had

Answer 13

Has anyone else handled your horse. (Like at a place where you board your horse where someone else could have caused her to have a bad experience?) Maybe if you have a stall put her there when you catch her. Also perhaps if you take her out and just feed her or brush her (Anything she would find pleasant) you could associate being caught with good experiences.

Answer 14

I'd be inclined to agree with first person answering. Make an effort to go and catch her a couple of times a day to give her nothing but a treat. Or just take the horse out a few treats without catching her.

I have experienced this before and it has normally been to do with my horse/pony going a little sour from too much or too little work. Could she be in pain anywhere? - a slight pain could be making her a little sour.

Good luck - hope she is back to be happy soon. Mares can be silly...   :)

Answer 15

OMG been there done that... but what i did was go small. i crouched down and kinda walked while rocking my body, while looking like a little ball. when she comes closerhand out a carrot, grab her halter, and bring her in (you should probably put her out with a halter btw) or you can rbing her grain bucket out and shake that up for her.

Answer 16

If you have another horse out there with her, use reverse psychology. It works with my and my 2 horses. Go up to one, pretending like your getting it, but then sneak over to the other one and grab the halter. So you need a halter on them when you go to get them. But, if you dont have a halter on them while their in the pasture, that might be your first problem.

Answer 17

every day or so, walk out with only treats and give her one. and if you have other horses give them one too! :) but some days just ignore her and walk around her field to get her used to you being there. and then after awhile of this put a halter on her, lead her to the gate and give her a treat. then let her go. i sometimes just walk to my horse in the field, give her a carrot, and leave. now when i walk into the field she walks over to me

Answer 18

I used to have a horse that hated being caught and I can highly reccommend clicker training. It helps to get the horse used to being caught by using positive re inforcement by assosiating the sound of a clicker when she has done something right and a treat after the clicking sound. This was she will learn that her letting herself be caught is a positive experience rather than a negative one. Praise her after every little thing she does right, no matter how small at first. Even if she stops for a few seconds or something, reward her because it is a positive step.

I agree with the other people, some horses believe that being caught means work, so if you catch her and dont work her some times, she will realise that being caught doesn't always mean working and may be more willing to be caught.

Hope this helps

Answer 19

Catch her everyday, reward her and then let her go, so she knows that even if you have the halter it doesnt mean work.

Try some tricks to catch her like bribing with some treats while the halter is behind your back or stuffing the halter down your shirt and then you crawl in the other direction, the horse gradually gets curious and comes over to you.

Hope you have some luck

Answer 20

If you only catch her when you want to go for a ride, then she had learned that being caught means going to work. Most horses, being natually a little lazy, like to avoid work when they can.

So, you need to break the association in her mind between getting caught and doing work. So, like other folks said, try catching her often, give her a treat, and let her go. In this way, she learns that getting caught is a nice experience that only sometimes involves work.