What would work to help me catch a horse in a paddock?

Question

a horse i rent is very hard to catch please help me

Answer 1

You can bribe it with grains or other treats until it realizes that you arent gonna harm it, also might want to just walk it with the halter on in the paddock, as a "bonding" time and to make him/her realize that you arent just there to ride and that they are expected to come to you when you are there.
I know that it works with all my horses, so it might work for you.

Answer 2

NEVER use feed or treats as a bribe to get your horse to come to you. Not only is this a dangerous practice because when your horse gets use to being fed a treat or two when he comes to you he'll start getting over eager and pushy if you go out to get him with out a treat. Your horses reward should be getting to spend time with you.


On a day when you are able to spend a good amount of time with him- walk into his pin with no intentions of catching your equine. Take something in the paddock with you and ignore your horse. Most horses get aggravated and want to know what is so much more interesting than you running after them wanting to catch them.
When he starts to walk up to you- try and rub on him. If you sense he is wanting to bolt- with the end of your lead rope drive him away from you so he thinks it's your idea and not his. Try and approach him again- if he goes to bolt drive him away once more. It usually takes only a few times to do this before you are going to halter him. When you do get the halter on him- groom him or rub him down, and then release him. Leave it at that.
The next time you go to catch him do the same thing and then build up to working him out- but always reward him with a rub down after work out so he learns that you catching him is a good thing. Pretty soon you'll have an equine begging for you to catch him.

Answer 3

When you go and get your horse bring a scooper with some grain in it and shake it around, i'm sure she will come to you once she hears that treat... If that works, then next time just put and apple in it, as they shouldn't really eat too much extra grain everyday! But reguarless of how you do it make sure she is rewarded when she is caught.

If the grain thing doesnt work and she runs away from you, get out a lunge whip and raise it at her ( dont hit) and maybe tap it at her heels and MAKE her run until she is tired.... if she decided to run from you then she has to keep on runnin'... eventually she will catch on that if she runs from you she will only have to work harder! Which obviously isn't something she wants to do! After she is caught THIS way don't reward her right away, but rather a few minutes later as you exit the pasture gate or something!

GOOD LUCK this usually works with my flighty horses! If you need more help contact me at my equine help hotline by adding Equine Help 101 to your buddy list!

Answer 4

Make sure you don't case them! Sometimes they don't come because you have a halter and/or lead rope and that means work. Try to bring the halter and lead rope out with you ANY time you go into the pasture. They will stop associating it with being worked. Are you riding you horse or working him every time you catch him? Make it not so bad to be caught. Catch him and pet him and groom him a little in the pasture and then let him go. Just spend time with him with out working him if this is the case.

Bribing with grain is just a short fix or I may not work in the first place.

Answer 5

I've had a few hard to catch horses. If you chase them it's a game, so try to avoid that if at all possible. I once spent 5 hours trying to catch my jerk horse in a 20 acre pasture (NOT FUN) Also another thing you can do with the owners permission is what we do with yearlings until they learn manners.

Cut a leadrope with about 2-3 feet max of rope left and leave it on. Once they learn they're supposed to be caught we turn them out unsupervised without halters.
OR
Work with the horse to establish trust in a round pen. Keep some treats on you, and you can train it to come to you with a special whistle. ( I have a filly that comes running to her special whistle)

Answer 6

Shake the grain bucket and be PATIENT! You need to mess with the horse more, sometimes don't try to catch the horse. Let him get a bite of grain, then walk away. He should start following you around. If he doesn't come for grain, he doesn't get any. Don't give in.
Start doing stuff the horse enjoys, like brushing him, etc. Don't make him work every time you catch him.
I wouldn't use sugar cubes, it teaches a horse to nip your clothes sometimes.

Answer 7

It sounds crazy but chasse it away .Horses like to see how long you will walk around trying to catch them. Swing your rope and make him move. When he turns and looks at you stop shooing him away. eventually he will come to you b/c he will figure out that you are the dominant one. If you watch horses in a pasture when you put a new horse in, the dominant horse will chase the other horse and it makes the other one want to keep coming back to the mean one.
GOOD LUCK

Answer 8

Read any books that you can find written by Monty Roberts. He is an excellent author and knows his horses and everyone elses. You also have some excellent advise given by others.

Answer 9

Shake a grain bucket!!! Then put the leadrope around his neck while he eats and then slip the halter on.

For training, try to go out and catch him to just cuddle. If you think about it, everytime you go out there, it means he has to work. So try going out there to NOT ride.

Good Luck!

Answer 10

I would bring a carrot or a sugar lump,then very quietly and calmly hold it out to him.Then wait for him to come to you. The problem is he does not trust you/people,so he runs from you.You need to let him gain trust in you.