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Horse Talk!
How to catch a crazy horse
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<blockquote data-quote="msscamp" data-source="post: 412984" data-attributes="member: 539"><p>Since it appears there has not been much interaction between the owners and the horse, I guess the first question would be why are they trying to catch her? Is she in a pasture or pen, and how big is that pasture or pen? If there is a pressing need to remove her from a pasture, then the quickest way would probably be to rope her and catch her that way. Be aware that this will probably result in her "fight or flight" instinct kicking in, and could get ugly. If she knows what a grain bucket is, they might be able to catch her with that. Second question is are they trying to establish a bond with this horse, or just catch her to move her somewhere? If they are trying to establish a bond and trust, <em>don't rope her</em> for reasons stated above. Take a folding chair, find a comfortable rock, or tree stump and sit in the pasture or pen and read a book. Horses are curious creatures and, sooner or later, she will come up to check things out. Leave her alone, let her establish her own comfort zone, read aloud or talk to her so she gets to know their voice, and look for cues that she will give to let them know when she is ready for the next step. Take a little flake of hay along, or a mouthful or two of grain - feeding is a universal way of helping a scared animal get used to someone. Especially when accompanied by calm, even-toned conversation. Eventually - it could be a week, it could be a month, or it could be 6 months - she will figure out that they mean her no harm and will allow them to pet her. Once that step is reached, it is usually no big deal to slip a lead-rope over their neck and halter them - again, accompanied by calm, matter-of-fact, slow talking. Take care to not spook her, or they have undone most of what has been accomplished, and have to start over. There are faster ways, but they usually result in a slower trust/bond between the horse and owner. I hope this helps.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="msscamp, post: 412984, member: 539"] Since it appears there has not been much interaction between the owners and the horse, I guess the first question would be why are they trying to catch her? Is she in a pasture or pen, and how big is that pasture or pen? If there is a pressing need to remove her from a pasture, then the quickest way would probably be to rope her and catch her that way. Be aware that this will probably result in her "fight or flight" instinct kicking in, and could get ugly. If she knows what a grain bucket is, they might be able to catch her with that. Second question is are they trying to establish a bond with this horse, or just catch her to move her somewhere? If they are trying to establish a bond and trust, [i]don't rope her[/i] for reasons stated above. Take a folding chair, find a comfortable rock, or tree stump and sit in the pasture or pen and read a book. Horses are curious creatures and, sooner or later, she will come up to check things out. Leave her alone, let her establish her own comfort zone, read aloud or talk to her so she gets to know their voice, and look for cues that she will give to let them know when she is ready for the next step. Take a little flake of hay along, or a mouthful or two of grain - feeding is a universal way of helping a scared animal get used to someone. Especially when accompanied by calm, even-toned conversation. Eventually - it could be a week, it could be a month, or it could be 6 months - she will figure out that they mean her no harm and will allow them to pet her. Once that step is reached, it is usually no big deal to slip a lead-rope over their neck and halter them - again, accompanied by calm, matter-of-fact, slow talking. Take care to not spook her, or they have undone most of what has been accomplished, and have to start over. There are faster ways, but they usually result in a slower trust/bond between the horse and owner. I hope this helps. [/QUOTE]
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