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Hard To Catch Horse

From: "KOUNTRYKIWI"

Dear Jessica I'm a new member to Horse Sense, and I have liked what I have seen sofar. I have a huge problem, and you probably have addressed this problem before. I'm sorry if you have to repeat the answer. I have 2 horses, my problem is a real common one. I have a hard time catching my mare. I have an Arabian Gelding and an Arabian/Qh Mare. I can catch my gelding with little problems (sometimes he tries me), but no matter what I ended up working twice as hard with my mare to catch her. I have tried a number of things, like taking feed in with me, tried going to my gelding and waiting till she comes to me, tried seperating the two, even tried catching her, taking her out to eat grass, or a treat, then letting her go, but nothing seems to help. I'm at my wits end here. Do you have any idea of what I can do, to make my life a little easier with catching my mare? Thanks in advance

Kiwi


Hi Kiwi! You're right, this is a common problem, but it's a very annoying one. You're on the right track, though. Your idea of catching her, taking her for a treat, then letting her go, is a good one. Your mare needs to associate "getting caught" with something pleasant.

Mares can be very clever -- this can take quite a lot of time. But one of the best ways to convince a horse that something is pleasant is to make it true. This doesn't just mean treats, although going into the field and giving the mare a treat when she comes up to you, then turning and WALKING AWAY can be a very effective method of creating interest (especially if you do the same for the other horses in the field). It means creating a positive expectation in your mare, so that she actually looks forward to those times when you come to take her OUT of the field.

When your mare leaves the field with you, what happens then? A horse that enjoys its work is always much easier to catch than a horse that dislikes the time it spends under saddle. If your horse nickers and comes toward you when she sees you coming with a saddle on your arm, that's a very good sign. If she comes to you when you have a treat but won't get near you when you have a halter, leadrope, or tack, that's not such a good sign.

You need to work on two things at once: one is to teach your mare that it's quite safe to approach you in pasture, because 9 times out of 10, she will just get a treat and a scratch, and you won't try to hold her -- in fact, YOU will be the one to walk away. The 10th time, whcn you DO take her in, give her a small feed while you groom her, and make the entire experience, grooming, tacking up, and riding, as pleasant and positive as you can. Then take her back to her field and give her another small treat just before you turn her out.

Double-check everything that could make her uncomfortable when she's working -- her teeth, her back, her feet, her bit, and the fit of her saddle and bridle. When you ride her, talk to her and encourage her so that she enjoys the experience. Praise her when she does well, or when she seems to be thinking about trying to do well... Keep her comfortable, make her work easy, and take every opportunity to praise her.

Take your time, be patient, and realize that no two horses are exactly alike in their personalities. Your mare may always be a little harder to catch than your gelding -- just as some horses will always stand for a moment and look into a trailer before loading, whereas others will walk right in. The important thing is for you to be able to catch your mare relatively easily, without having to follow her around the pasture for an hour until she gets bored enough to stand in one place -- although that, too, can work. ;-)

More often than not, though, just making the work FUN can effect a huge change in a horse's attitude about being caught.

Jessica

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