Bucking Bronc

Question
Hello. My uncle has a horse that i get to give a shot at training this summer. All the pro trainers she went to sent her back and all labelled her "untrainable", some even made her worse. My uncle has given up trying to ride her. I think she used to be a bucking bronc or something. he bought her from an auction years ago. but i love her, i think she is the prettiest buckskin ever. but i cant train her till i catch her. she thinks shes a cow. ever since this calf lost its mom, she took on the role, and is now a grandma and going to be a great grandma soon too calves. now she thinks she one! she lives with hundreds of cows on bulls in a huge field. she hasnt had human contact for years. shes wild and scared of everything. how do you think i should go about catching her, then training her??? i will take any suggestions you have!

Answer
Hi Katey!

Wow, you have taken on quite a project!  First and foremost I want you to be safe.  I'm not sure how old you are but, safety first, especially out in a pasture with bulls and cows!  

If you are committed to the process, I'll help you the best I can.  I am going to require that you do homework so you have the best tools available to really help this horse.  You have to promise that you will do the reading I suggest and watch the DVD's I'll tell you about...okay??!!

Here is you homework:  

"Ground Work" DVD by Buck Brannaman
"Back to the Beginning" DVD by Ray Hunt
"Ground Work" book (very small!) by Buck Brannaman
"True Horsemanship Through Feel" (BIG book, great pictures) by Bill Dorrence

Start with the DVD and book by Buck Brannaman.  Links to his website can be found at www.Laurelmountainfarms.com

Now, I have to get more information here...how spooky is this mare?  Can you get her haltered or does she leave before you can get close?  If you can get your hands on her and get her to stay, what happens when you halter her?  It would help me in giving you some answers if I know some more details.

If she has been haltered in the past and doesn't rear and strike at you and it is just a matter of getting her to allow you to catch her here is what I would do...start by hooking her on.  It sounds like you are in a large pasture so this will make your job a bit more difficult.  Take a snack with you and some water, because you may have to stay all day!  Remember, it takes what it takes, horses don't wear watches and you are talking about building trust again.  I want you to start approaching her.  When she looks at you and is ABOUT to leave, stop your feet!  Take a step back and stay calm and still until she settles again.  Then take another step.  Keep stepping softly up to her if she can stay.  If she can't stay or if you goofed and went to fast and she bolts off, send her away.  Don't do too much, you have to use a "feel" that says: "If you want to go it is MY idea too and I'm asking you to go!"  Keep watching her and walk toward her, be persistent, if she bolts to the other end of the pasture, I hope you have on comfortable boots because you just need to keep after her.  Again, the second she looks your way, stop your feet and wait on her, then advance softly again, send  the feel to her that you want her to stay and wait on you.  If she can't you will have to keep up this pattern until she allows you to approach her and hopefully touch her.  THIS is why we use a round pen.  The horse has less room to leave and we can teach this lesson without having to hike a hundred miles!  This may take days for you to do.  If you have spent all day with her and still have not been able to touch her and get her haltered, pick a time to quit when you have approached her, she is looking at you and NOT running away, make good eye contact with her, then just turn around and walk away from her.  Don't even look back.  You will find that she will feel different about you the next day.  Keep this pattern up for as long as it takes to get her caught with quality.  You do NOT want to trap her.  If you try and use force, and trap her it will only cause her to be more scared and less respectful.  So, take your time, you will have to.

This is step one lesson one.  If your mare is further along, let me know and we will move on.  I don't really know where she is in her training and ground work and how much she even trusts humans.  She has a lot of reasons to NOT trust the human but, you are starting to do things that show her not all humans are bad.  

Okay Katey!  Here we go!  Let me know what is up, fill in some of the blanks for me and let me know how lesson one is going!

Smiles!  Denise