Hard to Catch Horse

[Cat.J95]

I hope this is the correct place to post this. My horse has recently become extremely hard to catch. Our routine hasn’t changed but she just doesn’t want to come in. We recently moved barns as I thought the lack of handling at the previous place was a cause. She was on field board and the barn workers just opened gates to let the individual horses into the feeding pen.

At the new place she has a 12x12 stall with a 12x36 run attached. When the BO tried turnout on the big field she refused to come in. Eventually we caught her but it took forever. She’s now back being turned out in the small “introduction to the heard” dirt paddock.

Does anyone have any advice on how to retrain her? Horse has always been on field board until now and last year is when the refusal to be caught started manifesting.

[Scribbler]

I would start ground and liberty work, teach her both whoa and then come to my whistle. Clicker training can help. Also set up a routine where you visit every day, bring her in for a mash (can just be hay cubes) and grooming. Don’t ride every day. Make your visits something she looks forward to.

IME horses that get a little feral can realize they don’t need to be caught. The solution is to domesticate them again, build up a relationship with them.

[Cat.J95]

That’s why I started this thread. I can catch her. We do lots of ground work and not everyday is a working day. I will try the clicker/whistle training. I just want my BO to have an easy time catching her.

[foggythistle]

Try leaving treats for the BO to use to catch her. (carrots, peppermints)

The horse probably associates you with good things. The BO not so much yet. If the BO has something that makes noise, like grain in a bucket or wrapped peppermints, it may help.

At our barn the BO is the ONLY one who can catch a couple of the horses. But she’s conditioned them by always having a treat in her pocket.

[clanter]

@foggythistle

But she’s conditioned them by always having a treat in her pocket.

Jan of 2020 we got two horses from different sources, both had been alone in pastures defending for themselves. Neither was accustom to being handled.

I used the treat in my pocket method to reward them every time they would come to me, these days I can not even step into the backyard without one or the other noticing me then nicker as they walk to the gate to wait for me.

[Bluey]

One way with some hard to catch horses is to teach a static trick, like “foot” and point and the horse lifts that foot, or a raised hand and one finger for “smile”, the horse lifts head and curls upper lip.

When approaching a horse you want to catch and is not sure it wants caught, change it’s mind’s track to performing such tricks, reward and you have a caught horse, that by then forgot running away and that is being caught.

Has worked on very sour and feral horses, but it does take training and not un-training later by being careless and let the horse become again suspicious of being caught.

[anon81364900]

When you say you can catch her, is it like you walk right up to her and she lowers her head for the halter? Or you can catch her but only after she trots away a few times? How are you using clicker training specifically in this process? The advice you get here might be improved by better understanding what you’re doing now.

[ecileh]

I bought a mare that was notoriously hard to catch a few years back. I have not trained it out of her.

Instead, she has trained me to bring a bucket with a handful of grain in it every time.

The arrangement works for us quite well.

[furlong47]

@foggythistle

The horse probably associates you with good things. The BO not so much yet. If the BO has something that makes noise, like grain in a bucket or wrapped peppermints, it may help.

Maybe because the BO is a newer person in this case, but when working at barns I’ve usually found the exact opposite. Many horses are hard to catch for the owners, since they are associated with work, but will come right to the barn staff who are only associated with food. So a little more conditioning may indeed help that.

[candyappy]

Using a treat when you go to halter her may be all you need.

[J-Lu]

Carrots work for my horse. When he sees me coming he walks towards me. But he’s easy to catch.

I sometimes catch a mustang mare at the farm. She’s boss mare of the herd and very confident. She avoids people, walking away from them. If one can keep her in correct eye (moving right? I’ll move right. Moving left? I’ll move left), she eventually succombs, especially along a fence line. Added incentive is a carrot AFTER I’ve caught her. I don’t show her the carrot until after her halter is on and I’m leading her away.

ETA: Does the horse not want to be caught because is it getting enough calories in the dirt paddock? Can you add something like a tasty alfalfa flake to encourage likeability with the dirt paddock? Or other hay that your horse likes? It is very difficult for smart horses to move from a big field with potentially preferable forage to a very small dirt paddock with potentially unpreferable forage. They’re not dumb! Try to give your horse incentive for coming out of the large pasture. Otherwise, why should she? What is the incentive?