Catching my pony

Question
QUESTION: I have owned my 4 year old welsh x for 6 months.  Previously she was left in a field and only ridden occassionally.  When we first had her she was easy to catch but now whenever we go into the field she will come so far and then hides behind the other horses, puts her ears back and bucks.  We tried putting her on her own and she runs over to you and comes out gladly.  We did this for a couple of weeks and then put her back with one other horse but within 2 days she was back to her old self and bucking etc.  I do not really want her to be on her own but cannot find anyother solution.  I have tried just going to her, fussing and grooming and then coming out of the field but as soon as you move your hand towards her headcollar she runs off or turns and bucks.

ANSWER: When you say she bucks, are you talking about when you are riding her, or when you are still trying to catch her, and she is running off and acting the fool?

If she is just doing this in the pasture, not under saddle, than that is just her still being young, and cutting up.  If under saddle, then that is another problem.

For the moment, I will go on that she is just doing this in the pasture and not while you are riding.

She is young, and feeling full of herself, and the bucking is a way of saying, "you can't make me" and showing herself as in charge.  If there is a place that you can corner the group, and then let out the ones you don't want to get your hands on, that would be what I would do.  She quite naturally,doesn't see much sense in getting caught, and having to leave her buddies, even if she is getting groomed.  Most horses don't equate grooming as something that is important, and social bonding with humans over equine friends isn't high on the list either.  I have known a few horses that would leave their feed and come to visit me when I was doing something in the pasture, but very few.

Where is she in the herd?  In terms of pecking order is what I mean.  With a horse like this, you really don't have many options, you either isolate her, or put up with this.  I have never been a fan of fussing a lot over a horse, as it accomplishes nothing with most of them.  Some horses will stand for you to catch them, some won't.  

If you plan on riding her daily, then isolate her.  If not, then get an area fixed where they can all be brought in, and then weed out the ones you don't want to work with.  A horse that doesn't want to be caught, and unless they are in a small area, most don't, will continue to play this game.  And some of it has to do with your attitude too, as I have found that if I am focused, even before going through the gate, on one horse, that is the one I won't be able to catch.  All of the others are catchable, and it switches depending on which horse I want.

In all of my years, I would say it is a toss up, some horses will stand no matter if you want them or not, some never will, and some will depending on their mood that day.  She may change some too, as she ages, but don't count on it.

Me?  I would just isolate her if using her daily.  Won't hurt her any.  Turn her in with the others if not going to use her daily.  And adjust what you do, on what you are planning on doing.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi,  she is fine once you have caught her in fact she is quite an angel.  We have put her on her own and she comes running over to you and follows you around the field no problem.  The yard that we are on however does not always have a field available for her alone so we have to put her in with others.  We have tried different horses and different numbers so she actually isnt in any pecking order as such.  What she does though is clings to the horses she is with and plays hide and seek behind it whilst you are trying to catch her.  We have tried emptying the field but she still keeps running over, whinning and getting very panicky.  what we then have to do is pin her in a corner with a number of people.

ANSWER: A herd or group of horses always has a pecking order, you may not be picking up on it, but she does.  Even when a new horse is introduced, the order will worked out quickly.  There may be a little rearranging at times, but there will be one, and your filly knows where she is.

How many horses is she in with?  And you say when she is on her own that she will come to you, without panicking but if you have her in a field and empty it she panics?

Do the other horses change out a lot, with some going and coming all of the time?  Or is it a stable bunch, and the same horses are there all the time?  How much training has she had, and is she broke to ride?

When you are reaching for her halter, or headcollar, are you coming from the front, or underneath?  Do you have a lead rope with you, or just going to bring her in with halter alone?

If you have a lead rope, you could try coming from underneath and around her neck, so that you have a way to hold her as you snap it to the halter.  But she still may pull away from you anyhow.

How big an area is she in, with the other horses, and is there a barn?  Are the horses fed or grained each day?  Are there stalls or run in sheds?  When you isolate her, where is it in regards to the other horses?  Are the horses at your house, or a training facility or just pastured somewhere, where there is no one around?

How many people are there present when you are going out to catch her?  Are there children or dogs, or motor vehicles?  

Is it the same horse or couple of horses she buddies with, and how are they to catch?  And how often do you ride or work with her or the others?  Are the others trained for riding, and what is the age of the horses, and are they also yours?  

I need a better idea of what is going on with the herd, and knowing the above will help me to better understand what is happening here.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi, i will try to answer your questions as best i can.  she is at a livery yard and has been turned out all summer as are the other horses.  she is broken to ride but we are still working on her manners etc ie: she wasnt use to being groomed, hoof picked etc but she is really good at it now.  When we first had her she went in a field with 3 other horses (all older than her), then two of them left the stables completely and a new one was then put in the field.  Before the other two left Bella (our pony) was at the bottom of the pecking order but when the other two left she quickly went to top of the list We knew this because this was went she used to run at us, teeth bearing, bucking etc if we went anywhere near her.  The people who ran the yard suggested we put her in a field on her own and she was instantly great.  After a week we added an older gelding in and she was fine for about 2 weeks then started to run off and buck.  She can see other horses in the surrounding fields.  Initially i used to try and go in the field and catch her on my own but it was impossible, so then we tried two people.  Yes i do have a leadrope and as soon as you move your hand towards her headcollar or anywhere near her face she bolts.  There are no barns or sheds etc near to the fields and no children, dogs etc just around 6 fields. We have now tried her with the only horses that are safe enough to put her with as most are a lot bigger or have shoes on.  All the horses are trained for riding but are owned by other people - she is our first pony.  We groom her most days adn ride at least 3/4 days a week both out hacking and in the menage.

Answer
There are several other things that might help, worth thinking about.

The first one may be that the feed is too "hot" in that it gives her too much energy, adding to the problem.  I have seen horses do a complete personality change due to feed.  Some horses will be fine with sweet feed, and act like the village idiot with oats, and have seen some act ignorant with pellets.  It could be that if you switch to a less high protein feed, assuming she is getting some sort of grain, that you might see some of this go away.

I have seen horses, after only one flake of peanut hay, which I have only seen fed down in the Deep South, be climbing the stall walls.  So that is something that might be able to be changed.  If you do decide to try switching some of her diet, do it gradually, mixing it 1/4 new feed, to 3/4 of the old, and increasing the new a little each day.  You need to keep a journal of how she is reacting to it, whether she seems more high strung, or less, and whether she is running from you more or less.  This may take a week or so to see once the feed is completely switched over.

I forgot to inquire if there is some sort of round pen, or paddock that you can use, once you catch her of course, to work on some ground manners, and teach her to stand for you to come up better.  That may translate over into the field, may not though.

If there is some place small you can use, work her on a lounge line, rather than free, as that reinforces the "I am in charge" that she is showing you.  Make her circle, using a lash whip in the trailing hand, or the hand to her hindquarters end, and give her voice commands to respond too, and make her halt and stand for a few minutes.

You said in your second response that she has shown aggression to you all, and the feed change could help with this too.  You did not say how hard she does this, whether it is an earnest attack, or just high spirits, but either way, any time she does this, you need to react strongly, carry a lash whip, and lay into her, catching her on whichever end is threatening you.  Stay low so you don't strike face, but if front end is the problem, pop her across the brisket, or chest, and if hind end is problem, get her across the rear, and mean business when you say it.

And any time she comes at you in a threatening manner, blow yourself up, sort of like a cat does when a dog comes up it doesn't know, bigger steps, and lift your head off of your shoulders, and get big with your arms and say NO or make an engine sound with your throat way down deep.  Jeff Foxworthy does it on one of his routines, says his dad used it all the time.  You need to make her back off of you when she is aggressive, and show her there are consequences.

I don't know how much stamina you have, and also how big area is she is in, but I have found this to work with horses like this.  BUT make sure you go to the bathroom, and have on shoes you can walk in, and walk her down.

When you go to catch her, deal with any aggression first, and then if she refuses to be caught, walk her down, by which I mean, just walk after her, don't run, and don't yell, just have a lash whip with you, and pop it and make her move.  You can also have a tree branch, just make it long enough she can't get you with her hind feet.

If possible, try to keep her away from the water, as that helps.  Any time she slows, and you can get close to her, and then she takes off, make her really take off, by driving her away.  Not in a crazy yelling manner, but more in a "I don't care, we can do this all day" way, and have the attitude in your mind too, as that makes a difference in the way you present yourself.

If she cants off to the left move so that she can see you out of her left eye and she should go to the right, same if she veers right, go to her right and move her left.  This, by the way, does not work with emus, (don't ask how I know) and may not with ostriches either come to think of it.  But it does work with horses.

Just keep her moving, horses are odd, what seems like great fun when they are calling the shots, ceases to be funny when the human seems to be the one making them work.

Ignore the other horse, or horses, as at first they may join in the fun, but they will quickly tire of it, and you should be able to pick up from their expressions that they think she is an idiot, and they will stand and watch her act like a fool.

Can also take small amount of grain, to feed the "good" horses, and that will also stop them playing with you and her.  This can take an hour.  But don't give up, and every time she slows, lay down the lash whip, and approach her at her shoulder, and work up, if she takes off, keep her moving again.

Don't say much, other than maybe "stand still" or "be still" or I have used "get those feet still" too.  Just a phrase that you pick, I don't like to overuse whoa, but that too would work.  When you catch her, don't scold or praise, or act much like anything.  Be very matter of fact, and ignore what she has done.  And then go ahead and work her as you were planning too.

By moving her, you are showing dominance to her.  And also, do make sure that if you grain, and again didn't ask, so don't know, stand by her pan, and don't back up until you decide she can eat.  Backing away from a horse's feed makes them think you are "giving ground" to a superior creature, and that in itself can cause problems.

Just another thought, as don't think answered this, how close are you to the place she boards at?  Is there any possibility that there are children or people around that you don't know about that could be messing with the horses after hours?  I have known of this to happen, even with some boarders bringing friends and using horses that they have not gotten permission to ride, and quite late at night.

I know the walking her down may sound odd, but I have used it.  Have also done it with a Club Car golf cart, not running them, but just keeping them moving.  As I said above, a lot of things that a horse thinks is funny, ceases to be when it is the humans idea.

And also, if you give her a lot of treats, don't.  They also can rev one up to where they are unbearable to deal with.

Please write, and let me know anything else you can think of that might factor into this.  And we also did not talk about her heat cycle, it could be to your advantage to have a CBC done on her, as her hormones could be out of whack, former spousal unit had a mare that stayed in heat virtually non stop, and had to have an implant, but she was a witch on wheels to deal with even then.  Never did get her straightened out, and he sold her finally.

You may always have some of this with her, but the walking her down, and dealing with any aggression quickly will help, it may take a little doing, but I have done everything I have suggested, and it does work, and I will be 55 in December, and know many others through my years who have done same thing.

Hope this helps, and will ponder this further for other thoughts too.

Melanie