7 month old colt

Question
Hi im having issues with my 7 month old colt,before i had him he was left in a field for the 1st 6 months of his life.i have had him 2 months now and he is still very nervous and we are unable to get a head collar or lead rope on him,we have tried all different ways but he gets very upset and in danger of hurting himself or others,his coat is a mess and really needs brushing but we are unable to get near him.

Answer
Hi Leigh,
Thank you for writing in with your question.
Handling young colts can be a bit tricky after they have grown some. But it can be done.
Where is the young one now? Is it still in a pasture, pen or stall?
If still in the pasture, that will be harder. It will have much more room to evade you and will take tricking the young one. If in the pasture, I would just go out and get as close as you could to him without him running away. Take a bucket to sit on and a small bucket of feed. This will take a while so you might take a book with you to read. Turn the bucket upside down and have a seat, open your book and start reading. Keep the feed bucket close to you and let him know you have some feed. I don't normally bribe horses to come to me but this is the one time I make exceptions. Horses are curious by nature, and they like feed. You might put a little feed on the ground between you and the colt just to get him started. Sitting there with him nearby will get him used to you and he should learn you are no threat. It may take several times of doing this, but eventually he should come close enough to take some feed from your hand. If he does, don't reach out and grab him. Just let him take it and then go back to reading. Ignore the youngster. Over time he will get bolder and you will be able to stroke him. The last thing you want to do is try to catch him. You would be acting like a predator and it will be harder to catch him later, if at all. Work your way into his confidence slowly. Eventually, you should be able to slip a rope around his neck. Once you can do that, do not tighten the rope or pull. He would begin to fight and you would be back to square one again. Just let him get used to the rope around his neck. Sooner or later you will be able to roughly lead him to where you wish to go. As I said, this will take a while.
If in a pen, the method is the same. You will just be alot closer to him. Or if in a pen, have a friend who is good with a rope (must be a soft, preferably triple soft, horse rope) to throw the rope around his neck. Once again, do not yank or pull on the rope. Just let him get used to the rope around his neck. The process is the same, just smaller area so you can be closer to him to start with.
If in a stall, it is the same process. But once again, much smaller area. You really have to be careful in the stall. The colt could panic and hurt himself or you. Even a young horse can inflict damage on us.
Take your time. Look at it from his point of view.
If you feel you don't have the time or patience or experience to do this, don't be ashamed to bring someone in who has done this before. I would get a professional trainer to do it.
This little guy has been on his own for his whole life and at this time he is for the most part, a wild horse who is scared that everything in the world is out to eat him. That is just his natural instincts. It's not that he doesn't want to be caught. He is just trying to stay alive.
I hope this has answered your question. You have a tough job ahead so be patient.
Stay safe and don't give up.
If you need to contact me more on this, you can reach me at:
blpdoc82652@yahoo.com
You can also read more about me on my website:
www.yazooequinetraining.com