Uncatchable mare

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

My mare is driving me up the walls. Anytime i try to get her (this happens in the stable too) she flees. She turns her bum and if i go left, she goes right etc etc she just refuses to let me near her head. She is slightly eye shy, as in she doesn't like things flapping near her eyes, but shes nowhere near headshy.

It is mostly my fault, because her routine has never really needed catching to be part of it (field runs into the stables) so if i need her in she just runs for the gate. If the gates closed, she will stand and be caught.

I only really noticed the severity of the issue today because she was accidently let in the paddock next to the field (i have two paddocks then the field...each closed off. She was supposed to be in paddock one!) so the gelding and stallion were having a go at each other and i tried to catch her or at least chase her out into paddock one but she just ran in circles. Eventually i was able to corner her and catch her by reaching over her back, leaving me open to being kicked.

I know she just needs to get into the routine of being caught but its so annoying! Shes 17 for flip sake, shes been getting caught her entire life.

 

[chandab]

Does she get grain daily? If so, part of her routine might have to be getting caught before getting grain. I know it's time consuming for you, but many are won over via their stomachs.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

No I make a point of not rewarding with food so they don't automatically expect food then get angry cause they don't get it. The only thing that works with her is just walking calmly after her until she gets fed up. If I do this at least twice a day maybe the time I have to walk after her will lessen so at the moment that's my plan.

 

[chandab]

I meant at her mealtime, she must be caught before getting dinner, no hand feeding or treat feeding, but catching before putting her in her stall/pen for her dinner. Worked wonders for my husband's minimally handled AQHA mare, I started catching her for her meals, which initially took a lot of running around, then after time she'd let herself be caught for her feed. [she never mugged me for treats or feed, but would allow herself to be caught. After a period of time of mostly catching her for meals, I could catch her at other times without all the drama.]

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

I can try it. She doesn't get meal every day though only s balancer every few days lol

 

[amysue]

It sounds like this mare needs a routine to help her settle down and learn to trust you. Horses are creatures of habit and thrive on consistency (yes they get bored with a mundane training regimen) but feeding time, turn in and turn out should run on a schedule. They learn the schedule and usually cooperate with it. Just opening gates and moving them through like cattle usually results in this sort of behavior. I agree with Chanda, if you catch her to feed her, then she will learn that it is part of the routine. I have a few broodmares like this, they do not willingly come up to me like the others. I have to move them into the corner, run my hand up their flank and neck then take the catch strap on the halter. If given the opportunity, they will flee, so i moved all of my roundpen panels from a circle to a rectangle. For the really squirrely one, I mounted a gate on a hinge into the fence line, it closes flush against the fence, but opens to stop her from galloping down the fence line. Works every time.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Yep it's totally my fault the non haltering novelty has worn off now though. I can catch all my others but when she flees they usually flee after her but stand in the second attempt cause they realize what I'm doing lol they literally stand looking at her like "what are you doing mums trying to get you!"

 

[amysue]

Yea, group turnout is great for them mentally as they are social creatures, but when it comes to catching the flighty ones...the more horses there are in the paddock, the harder it is to catch the sneaky one. I started out trying to catch my spooky mare first to no avail as she just riled everyone up. I now bring everyone else in first. Sometimes she runs around a bit because she is alone but then calms down enough so that I can get her. Other times she wants to follow someone else in, so when I have an extra set of hands, I hand off the other horse and can usually just reach right under her chin and clip the lead to bring her in. In one extreme case I had to employ the "clothesline" method to catch a mare who jumped the fence and was running lose terrorizing the barnyard. My husband figured we might have to shoot her if she keeps running through fences and banging herself up on equipment (so needl3ss to say I was VERY upset). She ran up in between the dairy barn and the equipment shed. My husband grabbed a soft cotton lunge line, held one end and gave me the other. He went one way and I went the other at the end of the opening between the two barns. She came tearing through there, right into the line and he ran towards me thus hooking her into the line. She immediately stopped and let me clip the lead and walk her home. I never would have thought to try that, I hope to never have to do it again, but it worked. She could have gotten hurt, we could have gotten hurt but the funny thing is, she is much easier to catch now (without a lunge line).

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

She can be the only one in the field and shes the exact same. Just whatever mood takes her. Tonight for example she didn't flee or even look like she was going to try to. Got her and brought her to her dinner, let her go again. She walked into her stable and i went in to get her (stable is usually the same, turns her bum and puts her head in the corner) and again she just stood there. Shes got a split personality lol

 

[Ryan Johnson]

I agree with Amysue, I have a mare much like yours and hers, Lack of handling as a baby and in her first few years has led to great trust issues. Took me many weeks to even get near her. I spent a lot of time when I first got her , desensitising her and just a lot of "bonding "time. But to try and catch her first (in with two others) was like hanging washing in the wind. The more I tried to catch her first the more she worked herself up.

So leaving her till last, was the biggest turnaround in our bonding time. Once the others were removed she would come straight up to me. Once the head collar was on she was actually happy to just stand there and be brushed and doted on.

Id also try what Chanda suggested , it has worked for me also

 

[AngC]

No I make a point of not rewarding with food so they don't automatically expect food then get angry cause they don't get it. The only thing that works with her is just walking calmly after her until she gets fed up. If I do this at least twice a day maybe the time I have to walk after her will lessen so at the moment that's my plan.

I'd like to think that I don't reward with food, but rather I think of it as using food as a lure. I only have recent experience with 3 horsies. Nicky was trained; Baby was cuddled within hours of birth, and Coco --- well, I can guess what happened with Coco; they bred for appaloosa spots and when they didn't get spots they left her to languish.

Coco's not as old as your horse, but she is frustrating to catch. After several years, I still can't walk up to her in the pasture and halter her. But what I can do is "lure" her into the stall and get the halter on her within minutes. That meets the criteria that I set for myself, which is to be able to have her haltered and calm for the farrier and in case she needs a vet.

I had tried that business of chasing Coco around. I read that if you start, you shouldn't stop. So I allocated some time. I forget how long it took, but I think I crapped out at about 6 hours. I calmly walked with the halter on my arm following Coco; round and round and round. She kicked my butt. I gave up, and I'm not sure whether I did more harm than good.

I still can't walk up to Coco in the pasture and slip a halter on her. ... with our other two, I can; and I'm fumble fingered. With Coco, I point at the stall and tell her "INSIDE" and then she'll go in (I used food/hay as a lure) Then she prefers to stand with her head pointed at one of two corners of the stall (used to be only one corner) and then she allows me to put the halter on her with no fuss.

 

[Magic Marker Minis]

The saying is "if they want to go away from you, then make them go." It may take more than one person and several hours, but they soon get tired. DON'T let them walk, eat, or get a drink of water. Following them around at a walk will only cause you to lose. We had a hard to catch mare that was loose on approx 5 acres +/-. It took three people and several hours, but she finally tired out. When we sold her less than a year later, she was a whole lot easier to catch.

We still own a mare that was almost impossible to catch, she is 90% better. Still gets a hair up her but and walks /runs off. But after making her run around after she wants to quit, she's learned its easier to be caught.

Works on big horses also. Have a half Arab that sees a halter and takes off. Run her around her paddock for 10-15 minutes and she surrenders.

You just have to be stronger and more determined than the horse.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Oh I never leave without getting her I'm hideously stubborn that way hah!

 

[Minimor]

I have better things to do than spend hours catching a horse. Plus, mine seem to be kangaroos disguised as horses so if I try to wear them down they get fed up and jump the fence rather than let themselves be caught. So, I make sure any hard to catch ones are some place that has a good cornering place. They soon learn they are to run into that corner and let themselves be caught. It works well.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

I'd be seriously impressed if she jumped my hedges haha she's not so bad it's never hours that op was the worst ever but she's been good as gold since lol

 

[Max's Mom]

I've tried many things over the years, and I know how frustrating it is to catch horses who don't want to be caught. I have used the "chase them around until they want to be caught" plan, and it is hard work, and almost impossible without a partner if you have even a medium sized turnout area. While I have had some success with that technique with other horses, I have changed tactics with Max. Chasing him around just seems to make him more and more distrustful and more likely to take off the next time. Now we approach quietly and calmly, stop and wait for him to face us, then walk up to him with a treat in hand. The lead rope goes around his neck, then the halter goes on, and then he gets a treat. I find it makes the experience a lot more pleasant for all of us. My daughter and/or I aren't angry and stressed out, and Max isn't either. Maybe it is the easy way out, but it works for us. He doesn't mug for treats. He knows that he gets a treat after his halter is on and another one at the end if he is released and calmly stands there rather than dashing off. Food is a motivator, and I don't think it is wrong to use it to reinforce correct behavior, as long as you do it in a consistent and sensible way rather than just stuffing your horse with treats every second.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Oh absolutely if it works it works. I think she just needed reminding what she's supposed to do! Again caught today with no issues. Maybe she's realized all that running wasn't worth it.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

When I get a new horse, he lives in my corral for a few days before being turned out. We work on the catch thing at that time. No other horses in the corral and the space is limited. Unlike a round pen, it is his "home territory". What I do when he moves away is drive him away from me, then when he goes to a corner I try to scratch his rump before he takes off again. Then I am usually able to scratch the shoulder. Then he usually stands and I bump him with the halter to try to move him around to face me. If he takes off again, we do that all over. After a couple of days, he usually settles down and lets me approach just fine.

After I get the halter on, more scratches, then the halter comes off and sometimes I give a treat. Sometimes I practice putting the halter on and off at that time, sometimes I just walk away. I usually do this several times a day.

When he goes out in the pasture with my other horse, usually he comes right up when Dapper Dan comes. I wait until they are in the corral, segregate Dapper Dan, then we have another lesson. After he is haltered, he gets his meal. I like to do the catching exercise in an enclosed area so we can set ourselves up for success.

I've never had one kick me during this exercise.

Very frustrating when a horse plays hard to get!

When I was a kid in SD it was my job to bring the cows in to be milked. I did it on horseback. I remember a couple of times my horse decided to play games with me and I chased him all over the pasture (barefoot) before he humored me and stood still. He was big and I was little so when he lowered his head I would hang on his neck and he lifted me onto his back. I remember a time or two when he wouldn't cooperate and I was in tears before I was able to scramble up on his back. He was a horse of character! I still have hairs from his tail. I could probably have fetched the cows better without him, but that never occurred to me!

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

Since this episode I have been doing a lot of ground work and join up (the way I do it is pretty similar to how Marsha just described)

We have been at it three days now and today break through!!!! She actually turned into the centre towards me. At this point I burst into tears and ended the session lol such huge progress for this mare. She seems so much calmer at the moment too

not had a catching issue either.

 

[Rocklone Miniature Horses]

No links directly to any closed group that would require people to sign up for a membership in order to see your photos or to see article content such as Yahoo Groups, Facebook, My Space or any site that requires a person to have an account with them...The only exception to this rule at this time would be links to TheHorse.coms articles, these are allowed.