Hard to catch filly

Question
hi
I have a yearling QH filly that I've had for about six months. I have kindof a weird problem with her. Whenever I turn her out, she is hard to catch! But if I keep her in a pen and work with her for two weeks, then turn her out, she'll be easy to catch for about a week, then reverts back to "You can't catch me!" (She is turned out 24/7 with an older buddy)
But I also think that the problem goes deeper. It's not that I just can't catch her, when I do she goes nuts and pulls/runs away.
I would like to know if you know a way to prevent her from tugging out of my hands whenever I catch her. At first she may have been doing it out of fear, but now i know that she is doing it just to not get caught, and I really don't like this bad habit that she's developed.  
 Thx for your help
  MJ


Answer
Hi MJ!

The behavior you described is only her natural instinct showing through.  She is 100% a "horse's horse".  This means she is bonded to being with only horses...it's all she understands right now.  So, she is fighting you to be with her other herdmate.  

What you want her to do is be a "human's horse" where she is trained to be with humans and be comfortable with that.

But, you are confusing her by allowing her to have 2 hooves in the "horse" world and then you want to just rip her out of it and have her be in the "human" world.  

She is far too young to understand this concept.  If you do not decide exactly where you want her to be and then train her to it, you will always have this issue and as she grows bigger and stronger, the fight will be more dangerous.

I am not saying she can never be with her herdmate, but until she is older she has to have training to help her adjust.

Having a youngster to raise to be a partner in a solid working relationship with a human is difficult, complicated and takes years.  I could write 2 or 3 lines to help you catch her more easily but, what then?!?

Do you have a training plan?  Are you going to dedicate the next 2 years to consistently and correctly training her?

I am not concerned you cannot figure out how to catch her.  I am concerned you are not qualified to train her for the road ahead.

The slaughterhouses are full of ill-trained horses, either through abuse or ignorance it does not matter....no one wants to deal with their issues.  Often dangerous issues.  A well-trained horse lives a long and healthy, happy life working with appreciative owners.

You need to stop thinking about the immediate "How do I catch her" and move to the obvious "How do I train her".

Owning a baby is a huge responsibility and not a job for a beginner.  If a human is not knowledgeable and experienced, someone is going to get hurt...the human most likely but, sometimes the baby too.

Either commit to training this baby yourself with the hands-on help of a professional trainer or a more experienced horse person or sell/give her away to someone who can and will.

Taking care of her body is important but, taking care of her mind and education is becoming more and more important.  Put aside your own desires and concentrate on the needs of this baby....the demanding future needs too.

At one year old and unable to be caught is almost too late to start her training.  But, if you begin in earnest tomorrow by contacting a professional or experienced handler, you will have a chance to get her hooves on the right road to training.

Good luck and remember to always wear an ASTM/SEI approved helmet!

Solange