Which Of These Horse Catching Mistakes Do You Make?

The other day, I was invited to see my friend's new horse. He had her for about a month before I got to see her. When I arrived at his house, he met me outside and said, "C'mon?let's go see her." We stood at the fence and marveled at how beautiful she was. Excited, he asked, "You wanna pet her?" "Sure!" I said. So my friend grabbed the halter and went after her.

As I watched him chase her I was reminded of those silent movies where everyone is moving comically fast with the music in the background. As I chuckled to myself I heard him ask aloud, "Why does she keep running from me?"

That was a good question. Lots of people have that trouble. There are lots of reasons horses run from their owners. One reason is fear. Horses are the epitome of fear. If they sense their life is in danger they'll run.

If a horse is comfortable with their herd, even if its one or two other horses, it can be uncomfortable for him. His entire DNA speaks loud and clear to him that the herd is the safest place to be. Therefore, if he leaves the herd it could mean his life is threatened ? at least?that's his thinking.

One of the biggest mistakes I see are new horse owners that make their horse work almost every time they go to see them. Picture it. You're a horse standing there with your buddies. It's ninety-four degrees out side, the flies won't leave you alone, and you were doing fine just standing there doing nothing ? thank you very much. And because you are enormously alert due to your innate fear, you quickly spot your owner coming to you holding that weird looking, not-so-good-fitting rope thing that goes on your head.

The last 400 gazillion times your owner walked toward you with it in his hand, he accidentally jabbed your cheek while clumsily jerking it on your head. Then he made you leave your friends and go run in circles for thirty minutes. Boring!

Rather, the horse owner should alternate working and pleasure for his horse. In other words, one day walk to your horse with the halter in your hand and pet him. Talk to him. Tell him how beautiful he is. Take your halter and rub it on his body as if it were a brush. Get him thinking that the halter will give him pleasure so when he sees it he'll feel good about it.

The next day, with halter in hand, go see your horse and pet him. Talk nice. Then put his halter on. Pet him again. Keep talking nice. After a few minutes, take the halter off and rub his body with it. Then walk away.

Now your horse is starting to think, "Great! That's all he wanted." For a while, alternate when you ask your horse to work versus not work and take your halter with you each time to keep him guessing, "Is he gonna pet me and tell me I'm purty, or are we going to work a little? I'm guessing he'll pet me so I'll stay put."

Other reasons horses run from their owners is they may lack good training. Another reason is maybe the horse is getting positive reinforcement at the wrong time. How can that be? A horse could learn to run from his owner - and if he does he gets a carrot or some kind of temptation AFTER he runs.

So how do you stop the running and catch your horse?

It depends why the horse runs. If your horse is fearful then you need to get his trust back. You do that by doing positive things with your horse. When you catch him, don't ask him to work. Get out your brush and groom him. He'll like that. You want him to think of being with you as a pleasant experience ? one that he wants when he sees you. This is especially crucial if you're going to take him away from his buddies in the herd.

Because the horse feels safe being with his buddies in the herd, you must make him feel safe being taken out of the herd. Thus, when you catch him you can groom him and give a good experience to make him feel safe.

A good practice is to put your horse in a small pen and go up to him. Teach him that it's good to be with you. This will give you a good foundation to catch him later when he's in an open field.

Another nifty trick you can do is use lunging to teach your horse to come you. Don't simply run him in boring circles. Have him change directions, go over and through obstacles, etc. Make sure to praise him when he does well and give him rest. Don't run him into the ground. If you do, he'll go back to thinking you're going to make him work real hard.

As you're lunging him, use commands to get him to do what you want him to do. As you and he get good at this, he'll respond much better to you in the open field.

A mistake many people make is chasing the horse to try and catch him. You simply can't do it. They're too fast and agile. Not only that, it tends to reinforce a horse's instinct of being preyed upon and they need to get to safety?which means?get away from you.

Sometimes you can use another horse to help you catch a horse by being buddies with the horse you don't want to catch. If you go to pet a horse it can sometimes draw the horse you want to catch. He may want petted too.

Be sure to never punish a horse once you catch him. First, he won't know why he got in trouble. And second, it's a great way to get him to NOT want to be with you. If he doesn't want to be with you, he will evade you often.

About The Author

Andy Curry is a nationally known horse trainer and author of several best selling horse training and horse care books. For information visit his website at www.horsetrainingandtips.com. He is also the leading expert on Jesse Beery's horse training methods which can be seen at www.horsetrainingandtips.com/Jesse_Beerya.htm.

---

Filtration Methods For The Discus Tank

Good filtration is the prime priority in the discus tank.... Read More

Scottish Terrier Dogs - Important Facts

Scottish Terriers are short-legged dogs, at a height of ten... Read More

Glow Light Tetra - A Lovely and Peaceful Member of Your Community Tank

Brings live to your community tanksMany freshwater fish-keepers have a... Read More

Pet Containment: Keep You Pet in the Yard and Out of Places You Dont Want Them to Be

Pet ContainmentIf you just recently became a pet owner or... Read More

Pets: The Wild Kind

Just because we moved out to the country a couple... Read More

Acclimating New Birds

Now that my services have expanded into the "matchmaking" business,... Read More

Dog Trick To Cure A Nuisance Barker: Training Buddy to ?Speak? on Command

All breeds and sizes of dogs can be taught easily... Read More

How To Load A Horse Into A Trailer - Easy As Pie!

If there is an art to getting horses to load... Read More

Are You Really Ready For a Boxer Dog?

The answer is "no" if you are the type who... Read More

The Background and Use of Clicker Training For Dogs

Presently, and throughout the 1990s a phenomena swept through the... Read More

Dogs Are Mans Best Friend

Dogs are believed to be descendants of wild wolves. They... Read More

Why Should I Adopt A Pet

Over the past couple of years, animal rescues have been... Read More

How to Keep Your Cat Free from Diseases with This Quick Guide to Cat Parasites

Parasites are organisms that survive by feeding off of other... Read More

Benny Comes Back!

This has been one of the most rewarding adventures I... Read More

Health Concerns for Goldfish

Most of the diseases that threaten goldfish can be cured.... Read More

Mabeke: Gorilla Teacher

Mabeke is a young gorilla who was born in captivity... Read More

Does Your Dog Have Fleas?

Itch, itch. Scratch, scratch, scratch. Does that sound familiar? Hopefully... Read More

How To Keep Your Cat Healthy - Cat Feeding Explained

Cats have a reputation for being finicky eaters, but that... Read More

Materials for Snake and other Reptile Cages

What kind of materials should you use when constructing a... Read More

The Dreaded Vet Visit: 5 Ways to Comfort Your Dog

Uh-oh, it's that time again. The dreaded vet visit, and... Read More

Dog Health Conditions and Terms You Should Know... Part 2

Cryptorchidism is peculiar to male dogs and a condition present... Read More

Providing The Best Care For Your Goldfish

Goldfish care is critical for the health of your goldfish.... Read More

A Pregnant Stray Cat Adopted You ? And Now What?

It happens all too often. A family or cat friend... Read More

Introduction To House Training

The information in this article is based on the successful... Read More

Is YOUR Child Ready for a Dog?

Are you considering buying a dog for your child or... Read More

Dealing With Canine Ringworm

Ringworm is an annoying, highly contagious fungal disorder that is... Read More

Westies Dogs ? Please Consider Adopting an Older Westie Dog

Everybody loves a baby animal and Westie puppies are adorable,... Read More

Herding and the German Shepherd Dog

Once other animals such as cattle, sheep and goats became... Read More

Choosing the Right Dog Breeder

When looking to purchase a purebred dog, you need to... Read More

Dog Crate Training: The Basics

Dog crate training is one of the most effective ways... Read More

Decorating for The Cat Owner - How to Protect Your Possessions

The first thing a cat owner should know about home... Read More

Ten Important Things Your Dog Wants You To Know

If your dog could talk, these are some of most... Read More

How to Choose a Pet

Did you know that pets outnumber people in the United... Read More