Although it is frustrating to have a horse that you cannot catch, it is dangerous to have a horse that you cannot run off easily. (More on the dangerousness of a horse that will not run from you in a later post). This technique works to teach both skills.
For the horse that is in a pasture with several other horses that refuses to be caught give this a try.
1. Put on comfortable running shoes.
2. Set aside an hour a day for about a week.
3. Approach the horse that you want to catch WHILE STARING INTENSELY AT IT.
4. Do not even glance at the other horses. Keep constant focus on the one to be caught.
5. When the horse turns away from you immediately make it run off. Chase it a bit.
6. If others in the herd join the horse make sure that your focus remains entirely on the one to be caught.
7. Make your first goal to separate the horse from the remainder of the herd.
8. After it is separate continue to make it run and work to prevent it from returning to the herd.
9. If the horse stops and looks at you INSTANTLY turn around and get your eyes off of the horse.
10.Approach the horse with eyes down, shoulders relaxed while waking in staggering curves.
11. Using your fist, not your finger tips, rub the horse gently and reassuringly on the face.
12. Immediately turn and leave.
13. If the horse stands still repeat steps 9-12. If the horses turns to leave go back to step three.
14. Rub the horse in front of the drive line on each side of the neck.
15. Secure the horse with a short small rope that you have in your pocket.
16. Lead the horse over to where you left the rope halter and halter the horse.
17. Take the horse from the herd and rub and brush him and give him a chance to relax with you.
18. Put him back in the pen with out doing any work otherwise.
Never show frustration. Keep your mind focused and positive. You may produce a horse that walks up to you to be caught every time you enter a pasture. You may produce a horse that has a ritual of moving away from you two or three or five times before happily being caught. Comet has had such a ritual for the past five years. I do not mind participating in his ritual because he will happily let me catch him after he does this.
If you fall prey to feeling guilty about catching your horse i.e. "If I just had the proper relationship with him he would want to be with me...I must be a bad person." you will make catching the horse a constant problem. Some horses love being with people and love being handled but avoid the act of being caught. After they are caught they are every bit as warm and willing as is the one that comes trotting across the pasture to its owner.
For a prey animal being caught is the step that occurs before being killed.
If, after catching your horse, it shows signs of aggression or fear, then you know that your relationship with the horse needs work. That is the sign that you need to put more time into the horse.
Allowing the horse to decide if it wants to be caught makes no more sense than allowing a second grader to decide if he wants to go to school. Do not delude yourself into believing that if you allow the horse to make the most important decisions you and the horse are "equal partners".
Under that scenario you are his servant, not his partner.
Yes comfortable shoes ...... it is my experience that you cannot give up . If you do it once , they"ll know that you giving up is possibility . Walk into the pasture as if your only purpose that day is catch that horse ( and it may turn out that way I found, lol ) . I often wonder how Riggs is doing now .....
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