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  Discussion on Can't Catch Horse in Pasture
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New Member:
Elgie

Posted on Thursday, Jun 2, 2005 - 5:53 pm:

We have an 8-year-old mustang mare who has recently (days ago) developed a habit of not wanting to be caught in the pasture. Her owner has had her for four years and this hasn't really been a problem in the past. We've taken our time with her (the first night - this past Sunday - we had this problem, she did seem to be afraid of something off to the west). I finally left her outside and was going to go get her later (when I came back from an engagement), but the owner's mother and some other folks from the barn came out before I returned and she came in easily.

The next day the owner brought her in without a problem.

Tuesday, her owner came to get her and she was very evasive again. After a lot of running around the pasture avoiding capture, she finally went to get a drink of water and she was able to be caught.

Wednesday, a young girl who works for me went to get her and she came in just fine.

Tonight, her owner is again trying to get her and she isn't coming. SO...

This is a problem that has developed rather suddenly, in a fairly mature horse. Has anyone had any similar experiences they can share and some possible resolutions?
Member:
Njsparks

Posted on Thursday, Jun 2, 2005 - 6:41 pm:

I have an 8 year old mare who loves this game... if she see a lead rope in my had she is evasive... no lead rope and she runs right up to me. I don't think I handled it correctly though... because now I just go out to catch her I take a carrot with me - no lead rope and walk her to the gate with her halter... then hook her up at the gate. She loves the treat and I love not wasting 20 minutes chasing her around 2.5 acres!!!

Nance
Member:
Doroann

Posted on Thursday, Jun 2, 2005 - 7:27 pm:

I have a 7 year old Morgan gelding who does this same thing. He'll let me get close, then BOOM, he's gone! So....I now drive HIM. If he doesn't want to be caught then I make him work. If he runs from me I make him run more. When he stops running & stands still I try to approach him - if he runs again I drive him more. Eventually he tires of the game & lets me clip him with the lead line. Some days he plays the game quickly, other days longer. I'd love to find a solution to this as well.
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Thursday, Jun 2, 2005 - 7:43 pm:

One of my own rules...never chase a horse! They always "win" as they can run a lot faster than I can. In the pasture, act like you don't want them. Take a halter or if they are real hard to catch, just a soft rope to loop around the horse's neck and nose, Indian halter style. Then, just go out in the pasture and pretend to be looking at the grass, pick at it a little, bend down or sit down, don't even look at the horse. Pretty soon the horse won't be able to stand it and will come right up to you. When he does, pet him, talk to him, then move to another spot and do the same thing. Pretty soon you won't be able to get rid of the horse and can easily slip the rope around his neck. For a real "wild" case, have some grain or other goodies with you to keep him occupied while you get the rope around him. Make all your movements slow and easy, like it's no big deal.

Our horses usually "maul you" when you come into the field, but I've used this trick when they on occassion don't, or when they've gotten out and are enjoying their freedom to much to be caught.
Member:
Doroann

Posted on Thursday, Jun 2, 2005 - 8:59 pm:

Hi Sara - I love the idea but it just doesn't work for all horses. I actually followed the method you describe for quite some time.....but he was just too smart. Not once did it work for him. He would "lay in wait" for my arm, or hand, or some movement on my part as his "cue" to take off. Nothing I did interested him enough to let down his guard!

I must add that this gelding is very affectionate and loving otherwise - when he's in the barn or when we are riding he is a real "people horse"! Go figure.....
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Thursday, Jun 2, 2005 - 9:56 pm:

He's having a lot of fun with this game, and probably so glad you're playing with him! Is he in with a bunch of other horses, or just a few? Would he get jealous enough to come over if you paid attention to the other horses? I've been lucky and never had a horse that was that hard to catch. Maybe some of the trainers here have some good suggestions for you. I know the theory of chasing them around until they tire, but I just don't have the stamina for that if they are out in a field. I'll be watching to see what ideas others have.
Member:
Doroann

Posted on Friday, Jun 3, 2005 - 7:02 am:

He's out with 2 other horses - mares. He really doesn't seem to care if they get the attention or not...it's almost as if he instinctively KNOWS what I am up to. I'd LOVE to hear what everyone has to say on this subject!
Member:
Canter

Posted on Friday, Jun 3, 2005 - 8:22 am:

Dorothy,
I stumbled on this one just the other day. I was out in the pasture to get my mare and she and the other two mares she is with were completely ignoring me--not running away but ambling off if I got close. I sat down at the edge of the field and picked the long grass outside of the fenceline (a hay field that will be ready to be mowed in a week or two) Boy! Didn't those 3 mares suddenly show a lot of interest in me. I looked up and I had three noses snuffling at my neck and shoulders. I grabbed each horse a handful and then haltered & led my mare away. This worked, I'm assuming, because the pasture the girls were in had been eaten down and because they had reached all the "good stuff" that they could reach through the fence.

If you have an eaten down pasture, with yummy stuff that can't be reached, try it. The horses can hear you rip up the grass and I believe they are fully aware of what's outside of their reach.
Member:
Tangoh

Posted on Friday, Jun 3, 2005 - 9:21 am:

A little bit of oats. We stand at the gate where our 5 horses are running on about 15 acres of lush spring grass right now and we bring them in every night just by shaking a pail of oats at the gate. It takes about 2 minutes and they come running, then they must follow the 'pail carrier' into the corrals to get their treat, which they love.

We use the same procedure if we're just after one or two horses. We bring them all in, they all get a treat.

The first time we did this we had to walk out to the pasture with the pail and up to the one gelding who is the easiest to catch, he got the first bite. It didn't take long for the others to be jealous and want part of the action.

We had one mare who was impossible to catch, but since we started this, she's no longer a problem.

I think the key is that we don't always ride our horses when we catch them. Sometimes we just put halters on them while they're eating their oats and then remove them.

They ALL now associate haltering with treats and if they even just hear the jingling of the halters they come a runnin'.
New Member:
Elgie

Posted on Friday, Jun 3, 2005 - 10:40 am:

Thank you so much, everyone. This horse stayed in the pasture all night - grain hasn't lured her. I'll try the sitting-by-the-grass-and- picking-at-it method this morning as soon as I've posted this, but she seems rather determined not to be caught.

On Sunday, when this all started, the folks doing the evening chores couldn't catch her and came to get me. I took the lead line, draped it over my right shoulder, went into the pasture, and the horse and I walked right up to each other, as usual. I took her by the halter with my left hand, as usual, while I took the lead rope in my right hand, you guessed it...as usual. Very uncharacteristically, she reared and pulled back, nearly taking my middle finger with her, and then took off. We were getting them in for the evening - not to ride. So she had grain and hay waiting for her in her stall.

We brought the grain bucket out, I tried different methods of approaching, and she'd come very close, and then move away as soon as my right hand started toward her (I had decided I wasn't going to take her by the halter, but snap the lead line underneath.)

She did seem very distracted by something to the west, so I walked to the west side of the pasture looking for an animal or a smell that might be upsetting her. Didn't find anything.

I tried bringing her in as late as 8:30 last night and again this morning - all times she knows it's feeding time. I'm totally stymied by her behavior and its sudden onset. She's been in the barn for two years and while catching her was occasionally a minor issue, it's never been anything like this!

I greatly appreciate everyone taking the time to respond - thank you so much. I'll keep everyone posted and keep checking back here.
Member:
Kthorse

Posted on Friday, Jun 3, 2005 - 12:49 pm:

Hi, Do you approach from the front slightly towards his his left side. I know alot of horses that will take off if approached from behind or the right side. I always walk all the way around to the front a good distance away so the horse can see me and approach the horses front left side. I know this is probably not going to fix your problem now as he as learnt he can run from you, but once you work it out always approach from this angle. He probably needs some round pen work for a while to get him to want to come to you. That always works. Do you have a round pen to work with him when you finally catch him? Alot of the natural trainers have great information on how to do this. After I did round pen training on my horse he would follow me anywhere without a halter or lead rope. I think all horses would benifit from this work. They then treat you as their leader and want to follow you.
Katrina
Member:
Dakota04

Posted on Friday, Jun 3, 2005 - 5:05 pm:

She's playing a game with you and unfortunately, you're losing. My little mustang filly was horrible to catch for a couple of weeks so I needed to nip it in the bud. If she's in a smallish enclosure (1/2 acre or less) everytime she goes to run away, keep her running and I don't mean an easy trot - make her work hard! Yes, you might have to run a lot yourself so wear your sneakers. When she stops and turns toward you, try approaching her again. If she runs off, chase her some more. Eventually she'll learn that this is work and not fun at all. Have a treat available for her when she does let you halter her.

Pretty soon she'll run less and less and before long will let you walk right up and halter her. Just be patient and don't lose your temper. She needs to learn that you are the boss of her and can make her move her feet as much as you want.

My little filly now meets me half way across her paddock and stands quietly to have her halter put on. Good luck with her!
New Member:
Elgie

Posted on Saturday, Jun 4, 2005 - 9:47 am:

All of the above is excellent advice - thank you. Yesterday, the young lady that works for me took it upon herself (on her own time) to spend time catching this horse. She took a bucket of grain and a lead line, sat in the middle of the pasture, and when the mustang walked to her, she pet her...the mustang would walk away. Repeat, repeat, and she was finally able to get a lead line on her. WHEW! (I am NOT advocating sitting on the ground in a pasture with an uncatchable horse. The nonconfrontational posturing in this case, however, seemed to help - although something was eventually going to get the job done.)

Thanks to all of you for your caring and responses. That little mustang is going in the round pen today!!
Member:
Kckohles

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 7, 2005 - 11:17 am:

"Horses don't know about win or lose until the human teaches them about it" Ray Hunt.
The winning or losing thing is a human ego trip. But I learned this the hard way. I had a mare that I did a certain training method with that started to move away from me every time I wen to get her out of her pen. And I was given a lot of similar advice, of "She's being disrespectful" "you need to drive her" all that stuff. All she was doing was communicating that she didn't enjoy our time together and I needed to find a different way to do things.
The biggest question here is why not how. The behavior is a response to something. I would be more concerned as to why she doesn't want to come in than how to get her in. What has changed in her life that staying in the pasture seems a much better option than coming in, even for treats. Has the saddle changed, the trainer, the training, the blanket, the bedding, something like that. Horses give direct feedback about their environment and what is happening to them.
As for the how, horses are very keen on intention. Don't sneak, because horses can move faster than a snake can strike, so if you think you are going to sneak up and get it on quicker than the horse can move away, you can't. Position is a big issue, use the fence and your body position to help you "block" and draw their attention. If the horses attention isn't on you don't approach. If the horses' attention is else where, and you continue to approach most likely it will drive the horse towards their focus. Step into a position where you get the horses attention, if as you start to approach (casually, but not sneaky) the horses attention goes to where they can escape, stop. Get their attention back, then start approaching again. You might wiggle the halter to get their attention back, after some trial and error you will know how much or how little to do get their attention without driving them away.
Just try and figure out what is causing the behavior first then fixing the escaping will be easier.
New Member:
Elgie

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 7, 2005 - 12:02 pm:

Thanks again, all - here's an update. After we finally got her in, then we couldn't catch her in her stall the next morning to put her out. Her rear would swing toward us and she'd raise her right hind leg. So she stayed in all day. The next morning, and since then, she was easily haltered to put out and she came in just fine. Kim, I have no idea what instigated this behavior and we've looked, thought, and discussed. She seems to have come out of it as quickly as she came into it. Even though the problem has apparently resolved itself, any thoughts on the possible causes of this flip-flop behavior would be very interesting. Nothing has changed that's apparent to me or anyone else in the barn, including her owner. I got the definite sense that she was sensing something in her surroundings, since she stood at attention heading west one night, snorting as if to gain better access to smell. The next night, she exhibited that same behavior heading northwest. So my sense of it at this point is that it wasn't coming in that was concerning her (in fact I think she wanted to), but she didn't want to be "caught" or restricted in any way that might prevent her from responding to what was concerning her out there. The threat now appears to be gone. Any other thoughts?
Member:
Chohler

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 7, 2005 - 1:37 pm:

Mustangs are very smart and somewhat mischeivious.

With my mustangs I keep them in a 40'x 40' pen till they get all the ground work down and I mean down good. I always take a halter and lead with me and rub the horse with it every time all the time. All my work session with the horse time is spent rubbing with halter and lead no mater what. I approach them at all angles and rub them with it. Any time I go into the pen I rub them with it. If they want to play catch me games I work them and then rub them down with halter and rope. If they want to run I pick a section of fence and run them back and forth until they stop and rub them all over with the rope. If all else fails take grain and get your rope around the horses neck and then rub them with it and ask them to do some ground work after being caught. For the nasty ones I rope them, they figure out being roped isn't fun and then we start over from the begining.

I have found that if your mustang doesn't do all the ground work good consistently, and let you handle the feet, and be caught nicely and consistently they are not ready for turnout.

In new situations a mustang will be the first to test the waters, thats how they lived, challenge everything when opportunity knocks, that's one reason I keep previously owned newcomers a pen that is fairly large but still small enough I can control the situation by asking them to work.
Member:
Kckohles

Posted on Tuesday, Jun 7, 2005 - 3:01 pm:

Sounds like a hormonal thing to me. Maybe related to her coming in season. I wouldn't make to big a deal out of it, when she swings her butt to you just drive her away. I wouldn't retreat, don't continue in but have her move off. You don't necessarily need to catch her but don't leave with that behavior. Just toss the rope to her hindquarters to have her move away. Tell her she has no ground to defend.
New Member:
Dbake9

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 26, 2006 - 10:07 pm:

I have really enjoyed reading responses to catching horses. What ever works for you is the system you need to use. For my experience, I simply whistle a particular sound each time I feed my horses. Then, after a week or so of this activity, all I do is whistle when I need to catch one. They'll burn-it-up racing to you. When they arrive each receives a small treat.
Member:
Kthorse

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 26, 2006 - 10:28 pm:

My barn owner claps his hands and they come running. I was hysterical laughing the first time I saw it. They all came running and marched into they own stalls and waited for dinner. It was too cute.
Member:
Djws

Posted on Wednesday, Jul 26, 2006 - 11:54 pm:

My horse waits for me at the gate, if he's in the paddock/barn area. I'm lucky.

If he's turned out, all he has to do is hear the feed bin "bang" shut, and he's in the barn! I'm lucky.

HE'S a pig-LOL!
Member:
Kthorse

Posted on Thursday, Jul 27, 2006 - 6:32 am:

love your picture Kim
Member:
Banthony

Posted on Thursday, Jul 27, 2006 - 9:55 am:

Louise,

I have had trouble catching my thoroughbred a few periods through the years. Usually it is a trust issue. I could catch him but no one else could.

Making him run never worked well for me because being a thoroughbred he loves to run and by the time he gave up he was half dead from exhaustion. And I was always worried that he would hurt himself with the extra exertion.

Occasionally, he just doesn't want to come up. Like the day he got a new girlfriend pasture-mate and the two of them ran from one end of the pasture to the other vowing never to be parted.

The thing that has always worked the best for me is :
1. Carrots - he is addicted
2. Always pat the neck before your reach for the halter. If you can pet and scratch them they will rarely bolt from you.
Member:
Christel

Posted on Thursday, Jul 27, 2006 - 10:32 am:

I have always thought that catching a horse w/ feed is a form of trickery- very seldom will I use food to catch- it just bugs me to do so.
I have one mare that I posted about being hard to catch a few months ago- now that she is infoal she is very easy to catch.
I do practice the 'make them run' if they don't want to be caught- of course my pastures are small. If I leave a pen open for them to run into during the rundown, they invariably will get tired of running and go into it- thus allowing themselves to be caught- w/o that area open to them I feel the situation could go on forever. Horses like to make their own decisions and the open pen will allow that- they feel it was their decision to be caught and on their terms.
Another thing I do- I teach all horses to feel caught even when I only have my hand on the opposite jaw- after removing a halter (everytime) I will make the horse stand and let me rub on his face, jaw etc., then will allow him to walk off, but not before they stand still and allow me to rub and pet as long as I want.
I teach them to lead w/ my hand on their jaw too, comes in handy if something happens and you are half a block away from a halter.
Of course occasionally nothing works and they make a complete liar out of me-lol.
Chris
edited to add- if the grass in the pasture is good, occasionally even my most easy to catch horses will not come in to feed, maybe that is what is going on w/ the mare mentioned above that is being hard to catch for the first time- she just wants to stay out and graze.
Member:
Sjeys

Posted on Thursday, Jul 27, 2006 - 11:25 am:

I had this problem when the vet came and sometimes when it was just me. I won't be much help as I tried food, chasing him around until he came to me on his own free will (around a 2 acre paddock); catching him five times a day, etc. He seemed to associate catching with work.

I was really bummed since I really took great care of my horses (24x7 turnout, great pasture, great care). I started doing the seven games with him and that helped a lot. My horses used to literally stand in line for clicker training as well until it was their turn. I later did the Parelli stuff and now all the horses walk up to me when I go to the pasture.

I know this really doesn't help per se since it will be a time investment to get started on the games or clicker traing, but it is what worked for me. Though every few months when he hasn't been ridden in awhile, he will still take off when he sees the halter and tack come out. I just chase him around at that point and call it lunging...he seem to be very happy to run around a bit before being caught. He's a TB and seems to warm up best at the canter.
Member:
Kckohles

Posted on Thursday, Jul 27, 2006 - 4:54 pm:

Thanks.
Member:
Liliana

Posted on Thursday, Jul 27, 2006 - 7:50 pm:

Hi,

Somehow I feel that there is something that bothers her out side of her paddock her she feels safe, maybe mice in the stable, snake even new dogs in the yard, mean horse next door, I don't know but if she was not difficult before and does not respond to the bribery of food, come on horses cannot resist a treat!
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