Halter Breaking 5 month old foals

[jdhand]

I am wanting suggestions. I have 4 babies that have not been handled. They come to the barn and are fed. They have seen people, but have not been handled. When you put them in a stall and corner them they go crazy. Anyway I need to halter break them and they are ready to be weaned. I got the weaning thing, but the hands on thing I am not sure about. Should I just get a halter on them and start walking, or should I try to build trust or what? I had a coggins pulled on one the other day and it rared and went all to pieces when we got the halter on it. Usually I start handling them at a month or before, but this year my situation has been where I was not able. Look forward to hearing your comments.

 

[Jill]

I'm not an expert but I have dealt with some "wild" babies that were that way when they came to me.

If I were dealing with the situation you have, I think after the foals were weaned and adjusted to being off "mom", if possible, I would separate them from each other so that the four of them live just by themselves (for individuals alone, not all four together but appart from others).

Then I'd work with haltering and leading them. If you can find break away halters that would really break away if the foals got caught on something, I'd leave one on them, and maybe even a small catch strap depending. And just try to work w/ each of them 5 or so minutes a couple times a day.

From what I've seen with my own wild babies, letting them stay together and then trying to catch one out of a group of "wild babies" just doesn't work well. They play off each other and get more excited and worked up, but one on one, I've been able to make really fast progress in the past.

Good luck!

Jil

 

[Marnie]

And remember to NEVER allow them to flip over when you are trying to lead them. They can and do break their little necks. To start with, keep a tight hand right near the halter, just a couple inches down so you have that control, where the lead starts and use a butt rope. They work great, if you don't know what a butt rope is or how it is used, ask here and we'll tell you.

 

[disneyhorse]

I've had PLENTY of wild-off-the-pasture weanlings here that turned out to be total love bugs.

What is going to be easiest for you is to keep them separate, in a small stall. If it is a very safe stall with NO where to get a halter caught, you might be able to leave a halter on but that is pretty risky. Eventually they will realize it is YOU who is brining the food all day long, which helps. Yes, they do try to climb the walls trying to escape.

Every day, catch the colt and rub your hands all over. Try to find their "itchy spots" to make it pleasant. Withers, tailhead, sometimes belly eventually. Touch them everywhere, under their tail and bellies. Eventually you will want to work towards their legs but this is risky at first!

You can sit in the stall, they will be curious about you and if you don't make any sudden movements it will make them more comfortable. Then leave. You don't always have to catch them when you go in the stall, they will then realize you are not JUST "out to get them every time."

I have found the wild babies aren't into bribes and treats usually at first... but if you are graining them and they like the taste of Junior or something you can start hand feeding them from a distance a handful of Junior to start bribing them. I don't usually bribe my broke horses, but it is fine for the wild ones as a peacemaking gesture.

With time and patience they will come around, and eventually they won't be wild at ALL!

Andrea

 

[KanoasDestiny]

Everyone has given some really good ideas, but I wanted to add one. My friend adopted 3 "wild" 8 month old mustangs a couple of years ago. I told her that it would be best to seperate them from one another because they always huddled together and ran together, making it impossible to approach any one of them. For what ever reason, she didn't want to listen, so we had to come up with another idea. She fed twice a day, so when she would feed them in their big barrel, she would walk away a few feet, and then stand there. Once the horses felt that she wasn't a threat, they would come up to eat. She did this for weeks...every couple of days, she would move just a little bit closer at the feedings. It made the horses get used to having her in the pen, and they began to feel more comfortable with her. Eventually, she worked her way up to petting them. But she stood within a foot from them for several days before actually touching them. She had to be really patient, but it did work. Buiding trust is the most important part.

: Good luck!

 

[susanminiponygirl]

A little one-on-one time and butt-scratching does wonders. My babies would fight the halter and butt rope like crazy the first few times, but after that they figured it was no big deal. You do need an extra person to help get the halter on tho. Just short daily sessions and they will be fine. We've all let them go too long at one time or another!