putting halter on

Question
hi,
I'm probably going to sound like an complete idiot, but I have trouble getting a halter on my horse.  I have chased her around (just walking, but we'll end up going all around the pasture), tried grain, tried putting a lead rope over her neck to hold her in one place.  She freaks out, runs off...  I'm 15, and she's my first horse.  I'm not the only one with a problem, I used to board her at some very experienced peoples' barn, and they even had a hard time with her.  However, I am now keeping her at a new place and these new people had very little experience with horses before we moved her there, and they have a much easier time with her.  Do you have any idea what I can do in order to halter her by myself?  How can I go about that humanely with my horse?

Answer

Friendly Bend Hi, Margo ... A lot of people share this problem with you - so don't be so hard on yourself.  It sounds like the real problem is getting the horse to come to you so that you can put the halter on.  So, first things first, lets address how to get her to come to you instead of playing "follow the leader" around the pasture.  It sounds like she is leading (moves off) and you are following.

First, check how you are approaching her.  Do not walk a direct line to her head.  Instead, walk a curved line arching away from her head and into her shoulder. Picture yourself walking a long a rainbow towards her shoulder. Keep your energy neutral and watch that you don't approach cautiously, creeping which can appear like predator behaviour to the horse.  If she turns towards you - head first - then just adjust your approach so that you continue on the rainbow to the middle of her shoulder.  If she continues to turn towards, she is cutting you off with her head.  Then, you will draw back a bit by taking a couple of steps backwards changing your angle and directing your approach (still on a rainbow) to her opposite shoulder.  If she cuts you off again, draw back a couple of steps, change your angle again and approach her other shoulder.  As long as she is not running away, it shouldn't take too long for her to allow you to approach her shoulder on one side or the other.

If, as you approach her shoulder, she leaves by turning her hind quarters towards you and taking her head away from you, you then send a strong push to her flank to tell her to go away.  This seems counter intuitive.  Since we want the horse to come to us, why push her away?  In the horse's mind, she has shown lack of respect by turning her hindquarters at you.  In the herd, a higher ranking horse would then admonish the disrespect by pushing the other horse away.  Getting pushed out of the herd is the greatest punishment any horse can be given.  So, by pushing her away, you are telling her that you do not accept her opinion that she is higher than you in the herd ranking.  Do not chase her as this will be read as a predatory and aggressive behaviour that she cannot trust.  Just push her by pushing your core energy into her flank and adding a push from your near arm (the arm closest to her).  Then stay where you are.  She may just turn around to check you out.  Then you again approach her shoulder on the rainbow. If she seems passive and curious when she turns to look at you, you can try taking a couple of backwards steps to draw her to you.  Backing up is a passive movement and can be enough to encourage her to take at least a few steps towards you.

Keep repeating this pattern until she either comes to you or allows you to come to her shoulder.  The latter is more likely to happen first. When you get to her shoulder use your nearest arm to scratch her withers (that's the arm farthest from her head).  If you use the arm closest to her head, you may inadvertently send her away again.  Once she lets you come to her shoulder and scratch her withers, just quietly back away a couple of steps then turn and walk away from her.  She may follow you.  However, it may take several sessions like this before she trusts enough to follow you.  That's when you have become the leader in the "follow the leader" dynamic.  

Once you have accomplished this level of trust with her, then it is time to work on haltering.  You can take a look at my video on YouTube that explains Haltering the Head Shy Horse for a tutorial on that step.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuoAGnFsLhI

Working with her this way may take a bit of time and effort, but it is well worth it as you will build a much better bond based on trust and respect.  Good luck and enjoy your time with your horse.