New abused horse VERY hard to catch ... help

Nikki.M. · 07-30-2009, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lissette

That's nothing short of incredible...
But dangerous for someone without wild horse experience (a professional) to do..

This method works, I have used it a few times and it does work. Not very hard either.

jumper_pie · 07-31-2009, 04:44 AM

we had a pony with catching issues so i played a game with him. first i would approach him, if he started to turn and walk of i would stop and show my back to him and take a few steps, getting his attention, then he would follow me as you said your horse does. keep your back to him. you can give him a treat if you want . if he will let you pet him do so without turning around. then walk off and dont even look at him, if he follows you thats fine. after a few days of time and patience he should start gaining some trust with you, however i would have to really know how your progress goes before i can finish how to be able to get him not to shy away from you when you turn around. good luck!!

NotFadeAway · 07-31-2009, 05:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nikki.M.

YouTube - Wild Mustang Demo

That is how you do it. You apply a little pressure, and when he turns his head to you, back off. He will eventually learn to come up to you.

This works well.

Ceilidh · 07-31-2009, 11:25 AM

I have a rescue who was quite difficult to catch. She had been starved and completely neglected for years and turned feral. I spent time with her, not trying to catch her. She is like a cat I have, the harder I try to catch that cat, the longer it takes. Less is more.

I slowly built a connection in her mind with food and water. She would see me feeding the horses, putting hay in her manger. The first day, we kept her in her stall so that we could start to work on building trust. Less than 12 hours later, we let her out with the others and relied upon them to assist. My other horses vouched for me, which helped enormously; the power of the herd, to paraphrase Cesar Millan.

I agree with the poster who suggested taking a good book out there and becoming part of the scenery. That is a method I use with very young foals - becoming part of their world.

Abuse takes more time and effort to overcome than neglect. You will have to prove to this horse that you are not going to bring pain and terror. I had one mare who had been beaten about her head with a chain - she never really trusted anyone, not completely. I had her for the last fifteen years of her life and while our rapport was strong, it was also fragile. She was steel that had been struck too often and became brittle.

Any step in your direction is a victory. Spend much of your time facing away from this horse or sideways - facing them is confronting them. Build slowly and you will succeed. Patience is your best tool.

07-31-2009, 04:44 AM	#12
jumper_pie Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Alabama Posts: 1,506 Images: 96 Blog Entries: 3	we had a pony with catching issues so i played a game with him. first i would approach him, if he started to turn and walk of i would stop and show my back to him and take a few steps, getting his attention, then he would follow me as you said your horse does. keep your back to him. you can give him a treat if you want . if he will let you pet him do so without turning around. then walk off and dont even look at him, if he follows you thats fine. after a few days of time and patience he should start gaining some trust with you, however i would have to really know how your progress goes before i can finish how to be able to get him not to shy away from you when you turn around. good luck!! __________________ http://sugarhillfarms.webs.com/ "brian! brian! there's a message in my alpabet soup...it says...ooooooooooo.." "-peter, those are cherios..." "I shall call him 'Squishy,' and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Squishy." jumper_pie & Shikoika : Gumdrop Yankers Unite!

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07-31-2009, 11:25 AM	#14
Ceilidh Senior Member+ Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Wetaskiwin, Ab, Canada Posts: 1,501 Images: 3	I have a rescue who was quite difficult to catch. She had been starved and completely neglected for years and turned feral. I spent time with her, not trying to catch her. She is like a cat I have, the harder I try to catch that cat, the longer it takes. Less is more. I slowly built a connection in her mind with food and water. She would see me feeding the horses, putting hay in her manger. The first day, we kept her in her stall so that we could start to work on building trust. Less than 12 hours later, we let her out with the others and relied upon them to assist. My other horses vouched for me, which helped enormously; the power of the herd, to paraphrase Cesar Millan. I agree with the poster who suggested taking a good book out there and becoming part of the scenery. That is a method I use with very young foals - becoming part of their world. Abuse takes more time and effort to overcome than neglect. You will have to prove to this horse that you are not going to bring pain and terror. I had one mare who had been beaten about her head with a chain - she never really trusted anyone, not completely. I had her for the last fifteen years of her life and while our rapport was strong, it was also fragile. She was steel that had been struck too often and became brittle. Any step in your direction is a victory. Spend much of your time facing away from this horse or sideways - facing them is confronting them. Build slowly and you will succeed. Patience is your best tool.