I had a tb mare who always ran from me. I started working with a trainer who had me do a lot of stretching exercises at the end of the ride, encouraging my mare to stretch down and really round her back. She explained that the horse should feel better physically at the end of the ride than she did at the beginning of the ride. Interestingly enough, the mare never ran from me again when I went to get her. (I think my trainer may have been onto something;))
This is where the value of round-penning comes in - they know the concept of having to give in eventually and turn and look at you when you start following them and keeping them on the move. Once the two eyes are both looking at you, you know you have got 'em.
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Whenever my mare would get “naughty” like that I figured she was just getting more calories than she needed and I backed off some of the feedstuffs she was getting…
To counteract that naughtiness I used to take some pieces of carrot, or a few horse treats with me when I would go to get her in the pasture–she wouldn’t get a treat until she stuck her own face into the halter, and it on her face securely!!! Yeah, I’m a meany that way… But it worked for me!
Try backing off the feed a bit, if he’s getting grained… There’s quite a bit of protein (and sugars) in the grass right now, so that may be your problem.
I know, Zombie thread, but I have a super sweet guy who is 8 and finally in regular work, and now he’s hard to catch. It started at the trainer’s farm where I sent him off for 2 months to bring his training forward. There, they had to keep a breakaway halter on him in order to catch him. He had never been a problem at home, but had been on my back burner since he was started as a 5 yr old.
He’s big and will blow right past you even when you try to block him in. It hadn’t been a problem at home until this weekend. I had to tput all of his friends up in order to get him. He and his two brothers are in a decent sized pasture and after he started running away, I approached and pushed him away; so they all took off and thought that was great fun. So I resorted to taking his friends/bros away in order to get him. Looks like that halter is probably going back on. Or, as he comes in to eat, riding will be done post mealtimes. I HATE a hard to catch horse!!! :mad:
[QUOTE=FatCatFarm;n10369068]
I know, Zombie thread, but I have a super sweet guy who is 8 and finally in regular work, and now he’s hard to catch. It started at the trainer’s farm where I sent him off for 2 months to bring his training forward. There, they had to keep a breakaway halter on him in order to catch him. He had never been a problem at home, but had been on my back burner since he was started as a 5 yr old.
He’s big and will blow right past you even when you try to block him in. It hadn’t been a problem at home until this weekend. I had to tput all of his friends up in order to get him. He and his two brothers are in a decent sized pasture and after he started running away, I approached and pushed him away; so they all took off and thought that was great fun. So I resorted to taking his friends/bros away in order to get him. Looks like that halter is probably going back on. Or, as he comes in to eat, riding will be done post mealtimes. I HATE a hard to catch horse!!! :mad:[/QUOTE
Hard to catch horses do really blow. I’ve had more than a few.
I’ve found that most of them had only been caught to experience something unpleasant. Hard workouts, vet visits, farrier visits and my last one was abused…
I’ve fixed all my hard to catch horses by moving those feet around at MY will, and then asking them to stop, and look at me by getting in front of the drive line and when they start to slow, I back up, keeping my shoulders faced towards them. When they stop and look at me, I will literally turn around and walk away. Release the pressure big time or they won’t ever learn. In order to actually catch them you have to walk up to them right? I usually walk in a zig zag to keep the pressure minimal, and I keep my eyes low. Don’t be threatening, don’t march right up, and square up with them. Too much pressure is how all this behavior starts.
Once you catch them, reward the horse however you choose. I usually give them a good rub on their neck and shoulders. Make it a big deal and release the pressure. turn your shoulders away and rub that horse!
Remember, when you let your horse go after you’re done, do the same thing. Rub that horse, give them a small treat. They remember that stuff.
I hate that, too. You could try something he is addicted to - like my friend who got her horse to love aniseed treats, and he’d come running.
I may resort to that if I can find something he loves that much. I always take a treat with me but he’s gotten to where the treat ain’t worth it, obviously. Aggravating, but he’s figured out that riding means work and he doesn’t wanna! Why, why, why, did his older brother and overall adorable horse who is NEVER!!! hard to catch, have to blow out his suspensory???!!! Arrrrgh! This guy is fine once caught at least.
I used to work with a mare that was so impossible to catch that they had to keep a halter and dragline on her. I quickly figured out why she did not want to be caught. The trainer I was working for was all business - would take her to barn, tack up (with super super tight girth) and then put her right into very hard work. Mare learned this was no fun. Of course she did not want to be caught. I got her to come to me and I fussed over her and made work play. sometimes we would just walk around - she thought she had a day off but she was really learning things in a different way. Wish I could have bought her 
Have you thought about how you interact with your boy? You did not say but do you give him a treat when you catch him - no matter how batty he made you? I hope you don’t smack him. (I actually had a girl at a barn I was at tell me that you needed to beat horses that would not let you catch them, that way they “learned.” Yeah, learned to run away from you.) You are right in persisting because walking away teaches him that if he acts like a ninny he gets rewarded by not having to work. He clearly thinks this is all quite hilarious. All advice that has been given is good - make your work sessions fun sessions sometimes. You might find him easier to catch.
I always go out with a treat. I often ride just every other day, so it’s not like it’s grind, grind, grind. Occasionally both days on a weekend, like this past one as we’re going to his first schooling show this coming Saturday.
I do mix up our flat work with jumping and hacking. He’s a very good boy to ride so there’s no fussing or getting after him. Just fix the stuff that needs work; big praise when he gets it right. Plenty of walk and breathe breaks. He also gets a warm up. He gets treats after and grazing time in the barn area while I put tack away, and in the evenings, get evening feed ready.
He’s not overridden. And even at the trainers, she rode five days a week with two off days and varied the work. But he is no longer a pasture prince (what he prefers to be) and is being asked to do stuff and not just hack out on the occasional trail ride. He’s smart and learns quickly and not much bothers him.
He is the youngest of the three and low man on the totem pole; also a bit on the shy side. If he were a person, he’d be a computer geek who’d rather hunker down behind a screen than go play outside.
So my friends in Australia keep their horses in huge pastures. They take out a slingshot and aim for the rump to keep them moving. Eventually it works like round penning - they get sick of being moved so give up and come for the treat.
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@FatCatFarm IMO you need to spend some time fussing over him with no intention of riding. Coming in doesn’t lead to anything good for him, anymore, so now he doesn’t want to be caught.
Its basic behavior conditioning. When we always ride, our horses associate us with hard work. When you mix in things like trick training, heavy grooming sessions, or DIY massages, they develop a more positive association with their human.
Some horses find work more enjoyable, or at least more tolerable, so they cooperate anyway. But some horses will call you on it. Its like a dog who only ever gets in the car to go to the vet… of course they don’t want to get in the car!
Thanks, but he does come in and get fussed over and scratched and groomed and treated, and then turned back out again. This only started when regular work began. It’s the only thing that’s changed in his life - having to work. He’s even had complete bodywork done and isn’t sore anywhere. I’m not a fan of tight nose bands; strong bits and over-cinched girths, so it’s not that either. I think the dude just doesn’t wanna horse. It’s tough growing up.
He is not my only horse and I’ll admit to being time starved, so spending an hour here or there worshipping just his fabulous horseness, is just not likely to happen very often.
@Foxtrot’s and I had a friend who used a BB gun to pop them in the butt with to deter aggressive behavior to another, lower status horse. Her pastures wrapped around her house and she had a gelding who would torment a particular pasturemate. If he got going, out would come the BB gun and he’d soon cease and desist or so she claimed. The BB gun was not strong enough to break the skin. She also said it worked quite well to quell shenanigans about being caught, much like the aforementioned slingshot.
