# Horse Walks away from you at the sight of a halter...



## Phly (Nov 14, 2012)

I'd say, first make sure your not hurting his ears putting it on. I've seen it happen, not saying you have done it. I would say that catching to feed will def help, but could become a bad habit of him thinkin everytime he's caught he gets to eat. My suggestion would be catch to feed and see if that does make it easier. If it does, catch and don't feed occasionally just to break it up and keep him from getting in that rut. We catch and handle ours daily (including tying to feed) sometimes multiple times a day. So I could see where this would be annoying. Just my thoughts.....
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## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

Yeah, I usually handle him daily too. When I went to pick him up after I bought him he ran from them too. (Nice to tell me, right)
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## DraftyAiresMum (Jun 1, 2011)

Catch, praise, release. Catch, praise (and/or treat), release. Rinse and repeat as often as needed. 

Right now he's associating being caught with going to work. So, to release his mind from that "Yeah, not gonna happen 'cuz I don't wanna work!" mentality, catch him, and do one of two things. Either give him praise/a treat or groom him...then just let him go. Pretty soon he'll associate being caught with good things, not just going to work. Once you can catch him easily, throw a day of work into there, but ALWAYS begin and end on a positive note (grooming, treats, whatever he enjoys). 

To actually catch him, ignore him. Go into the field and sit there with the halter on your lap, but take a book and completely ignore him. Pretty soon he'll get curious as to what you're doing and come up to investigate. Once he comes up to you, don't halter him or try to catch him, just pet and praise him. 

You need to take away the negative associations he has with getting caught. Only way to do this is to make getting caught a pleasant experience.


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## Chiilaa (Aug 12, 2010)

Cowgirls Boots said:


> I know they say to chase the day lights outta them once they refuse to be caught and that will be our next approach if the first way doesn't work.
> 
> _Posted via Mobile Device_



"They" are wrong in this case. Chasing him won't help - not at a speed that involves living daylights, anyway. For horses, only predators actively chase them - a dominant horse moves them out of their space, then ignores them. Predators chase and stalk them. This is the line for me - you want to be a dominant member of the herd for them to respect, not a predator for them to fear.

Walking him down is an option, and different to chasing. There are many good threads here, searching for it will give you plenty of ideas.


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## Herdof2 (Nov 24, 2012)

I'm with drafty ^^^

If the halter is the issue, meaning you can't catch him once he sees it, I would work on what you said (associating it with something pleasant or neutral really). If he's stalled you can toss the halter on your shoulder and just give him a good scratch or rub, and walk away. Lesson 1= seeing this halter doesn't mean its going on you buddy ! like drafty said, put it in your lap & he will soon wonder what you are up to... 

I'm not a groupie of any one trainer, but Julie goodnight's method is great for situations like these. Its important to praise, which = removing the pressure. In this case, the halter would be the pressure. So if you walk up to him with it over your shoulder, the goal is to retreat with that halter before he becomes uncomfortable... Retreating removes the pressure. Its so hard to type it- if you go online, go to her TV show website, and watch the video where she's introducing a rider to a filly - the advance/retreat idea is shown and much easier to grasp if seen instead of read.

Good luck :-D


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## montcowboy (Nov 11, 2012)

cowgirl you have the right idea. i normally take a grain bucket with me when im catching them up. but even on some hard weeks where a few of them are getting ridden hard daily.. i do have a few that wont even want to come to grain. then its really hard. but yes.tieing to feed. associating catching and food is never a bad thing. catch and release as others on here said is great. if you have the time.thats where i get in trouble. when i catch one do to time and other horses needing work. its for shoeing.or riding.or something they dont totally love doing. ride safe everyone.good topic


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

Careful with taking feed with you to catch him up.
Some will get pushy or if you go out with a pile of horses you risk getting ran over or kicked from them fighting over the bucket.
Some will get wise to that trick too, sneek a bite then run off.
Some horses have a little more stand offish attitude and are not exactly fence greeters but not hard to catch, I have two like that.
If I grain, I do it after he is caught and tied in the barn or trailer away from the others.


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## montcowboy (Nov 11, 2012)

you definately have to have there respect to walk into a herd of horses with a grain bucket..but thats the fun of it right?? lol. i call it bucket breaking my horses.one of the first things i do. teach them that three way with molasses comes in a bucket sothey will fallow me most anywhere for it. but the ones that dont want to get caught are a pain..why we enjoy and brag about the ones that are easy to catch.. ride safe everyone..


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## Wanstrom Horses (Dec 23, 2012)

I don't agree that offering food or treats is a fix to this problem, this horse associates dodging and getting away from you as a way to do what he wants to do and not respect you. In many cases this can lead to other problems, such as turning his rear to you when you walk up with a halter and possibly kicking out at one point in time. When the horse sees you with a halter, he immediatly gets irritated, and with irritation comes reisitance, if your chasing your horse around with a feed bucket trying to get a halter on him, once he is caught and fed, in his mind resistance=food. Therefore leading to more problems . When I walk up to a horse, I like for them to turn around and face me and not walk away. Get you horse in a round pen or corral, and take the halter off. Leave him in there for awhile and let him think he has been "turned out". Now approach him with the halter in full view, when he begins walking away from you, make him work, get him going the direction he walked away from you in. Let him work for awhile and then try approaching him again. If he walks aways, repeate and start working him again. Keep this going and when that horse gives even the slightest glimpse in your direction, looks towards your or stops and turns toward you, drop your head and walk backwards away from him. Nine times out of the ten. the horse will follow you. And he see facing you and walking towards you, halter or not, as a release of pressure. this takes a little patience and maybe a little time, but it has never failed me. I've used it on spoiled, hard to catch horses and horses that have never seen a human before. Either way it works.


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## montcowboy (Nov 11, 2012)

yeppers and when your in the middle of two hundred acres..boy do they go too. see them in a week..lol. been doing it for alot alot of years..and today.. herd of horses.. me..bucket of grain.they stay off of me. they fallow me.go where i want them too.. or caught up.. simple. so good luck chasing your horse across the bob marshal wilderness.just remember.its only over two million acres of nothing but gods country. but i suggest the best way to see it is off the back of your horse..and not on foot..done it both ways. horse is much much better..ride safe everyone...lol


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## Wanstrom Horses (Dec 23, 2012)

Haha, two hundred acres is nothing! Mine run on 1500 acres and I own 32 head right now. A bucket a grain is fairly usless on my part, on bucket of grain doesnt get the attention of 32 or them, When I walk out in the middle of the heard, they turn and face me, halter or not and stand there while I take my pick.


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## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

Well I feed all three of mine and assume all care. So if I feed everyone then catch him and grain him i won't be in the middle of my herd with the grain. Lol. 

He does come up to me in the round pen and follows me like a dog. It's when he's out in his pasture when he walks away.
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## montcowboy (Nov 11, 2012)

lol..then your either a better horse trainer or yarn teller then i am.lol.. horses are fun. they never get old... ride safe...


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

montcowboy, I wasn't thrashing your method of catching. That works fine if all the horses are yours and on the same level, sort of speak. I just assumed the OP's horse was in a boarding situation turned out with other boarders horses that may not be respectful.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

montcowboy said:


> yeppers and when your in the middle of two hundred acres..boy do they go too. see them in a week..lol. been doing it for alot alot of years..and today.. herd of horses.. me..bucket of grain.they stay off of me. they fallow me.go where i want them too.. or caught up.. simple. so good luck chasing your horse across the bob marshal wilderness.just remember.its only over two million acres of nothing but gods country. but i suggest the best way to see it is off the back of your horse..and not on foot..done it both ways. horse is much much better..ride safe everyone...lol


 
I've often wondered how I'd deal with catching my horse if he were on such a huge property. As is it, he is on about 40 acres. Hilly, too.

The one time he decided to move away from me with the intention of really leaving me, even when I swung out my rope at him when he turned butt to me, I used this tactic. Not sure if it's a good one or not:

I got some hay and put a few piles of loose hay aroudn so the the herd of about 12 other horses could enjoy. When he started to approach a pile , I drove him away. Again and again, until he turned and looked at me with that, "Can I please come in ? " look. Then I put the halter on him, lead him around a bit, let him go and let him eat un hindered. after about 10 minutes, I walked up , haltered him and took him off to work. So, basically, I used the draw of the hay to create a more confined area to work within.

I don't know if that's good or bad, but after that, if he turned his butt to leave me, and i shushed my rope a bit, he turned right around to give me some eyes and some respect.


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## montcowboy (Nov 11, 2012)

i never think of boarding horses. never have. so this is all new to me..lol.. but tiny as long as you remain in control..and stay incharge that works fine. anytime you make your horse come to you is a good thing. during busy summers when i have alot of new horses from clients coming in for training its hard to keep them all apart from mine. i round bale feed..and tend to let them eat at different times. then after there pretty much over the newness of each other. i halter and lead rope every horse and then take them from the night pen out to water..then to the round bale feeder. and tie one after another up to the feeder.. and the new ones are last to join the herd. and then as i stand there. and they get eating good..ill move away.. drink some coffee keeping a eye on them. no fighting. or even threatening. till after a few mornings in a row of this they just get really easy for catching.. and stand good with each other till they get use to there new play mates. sharing can be so hard on some of them..lol. but they all get good at being caught when i put them in a totally controled enviroment . me means water.food.. and grain at night. one time i think they love me when i walk out...lol.. ride safe..keep up the good work.. whats so much fun with horses is there aremany many ways of skinny a cat. as long as it works. and keeps them respectful. there really isnt to much you can do wrong. learn.try new things. and have fun with it. back when i was outfitting i pastured the string in big pastures and had them all where i would drive in the gate.honk if i couldnt see them.. they wouldcome running in cause of the horn honking.. i would get out before the got there..open the trailer doors..and set while each one would go in looking for there grain..if none.they would back out and the next one would load up.. as soon as i got the one i wanted i would close the door..grain him..and wait for the next one to load up.. most of this stuff with horses is consitantsy. spelled that wrong but you know what im saying. consitant same action and reactions and expectations is what horses respond well too. good luck. ride safe..and have a happy safe new years tiny.. nothing to worry about cowchick not to much rattles me at this point in my life..and love seeing how every one does it. its one of those great things about horses in your life. never stop learning. till the day im not here anymore or i dont have any more horses. it just never is a day you shouldnt be learning.. ride safe.happy new years everyone..


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## LisaG (Nov 11, 2012)

I use the roundpen technique Wanstrom describes. Of course, once you're in the pasture the horse might give you the finger and walk/run away. So you need to make sure you have something the horse wants.

So, for example, if the horses happen to be coming in for water, perfect time to do this. Do not let that horse drink water until it joins up with you and lets you catch it. Or, you can take a bucket of oats and leave it out of reach, but within sight, on the other side of the fence. The horse will keep going for it, but you need to block and redirect it until it joins up and lets you catch it. 

Whether you're using the water trough, bucket of oats, or some other object, you're basically working the horse in a circle or half circle around you, just like in a round pen. The only difference is that instead of a fence keeping them in, the object of his desire is keeping him in. All the same rules apply.

This worked really well for me with a young horse I acquired that was a pain in the **** to catch. Like some others, I don't like taking oats out with me, and my pastures are too big to corner them (and I don't like doing that anyway). Walking the horse down didn't work because she was playing games with me. This worked really well for me.

Good luck. Let us know if any of this advice works!


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## Foxtail Ranch (Mar 10, 2012)

"and I shushed my rope a bit"

Hi Tiny, what does that mean?
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## LesandLily (Oct 8, 2012)

Boy do I have experience with this! My Rocky has associated a halter with work I think since he was a baby...and boy does he hate work. The lady I got him from couldn't get anywhere close to him without a bucket of grain. And he still has issues every once in a while...like this time of year when they don't get handled much.

To me catching a horse in the field begins in the round pen. I like to get some level of join up done and a VERY strong whoa ingrained in them verbally first. The ability to look at their hindquarter and have them yield and face you is really important IMO. Then I begin catching them in the round pen over and over. Haltering and un-haltering. Rubbing them all over with the halter, finding what motivates them. For Leaf it was a treat. He LOVES treats and is very food motivated. I am sure to NEVER give a treat unless he has done a behavior I am looking for like letting me catch him, touch him with the halter etc. Some horses are not food oriented and have other motivations. Also, some horse can get really pushy with treats so proceed with caution.

Alot too has to do with how you approach them. Some horses need to be approached in a very laid back, zig zag type approach, others you can walk right up to them. Find what works best for your horse but do your best to not act like a predator. Once I get close then I rely on what the horse has learned in the round pen. If they go to walk away I say WHOA or look to their hindquarter to yield it. If this is ingrained enough in them they will usually respond automatically. The timing here is important. I try to have it happen before their feet start to move. I try to get it done as soon as they have a weight shift, look a different direction or even think about walking off. Once those feet start moving, it becomes harder to stop them. 

It takes time but overall the secret is to have the horse responding to you at all times, in and out of the roundpen and to ultimately associated being with you (with or without a halter) as a good thing. This just comes from repeated catching, rubbing, loving, being a good leader, rubbing some more, feeding, rubbing some more, working and keeping their mind engaged, rubbing some more etc. Each horse has a different trigger and association with you and what they like and what motivates them. It is up to you to find it.

Leaf now approaches me when I walk to him and stop about 10 feet or so away from him. He comes up and nuzzles me gently and stands a waits for a treat or a pet. Then I halter him and give him his treat. If he does start to look like he wants to walk off I stop, say WHOA, yield his HQs by looking at them and wait for him to walk up to me. This process has taken almost a year and the most gain has been in the last 6 months. My daughter's horse, different personality and he learned to catch us in about 2 weeks, once we learned his motivations. Be patient and spend as much time with them as possible...it will come.

Happy New Year!
Les


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## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

Well, I walked up to him right before I fed everyone and he let me halter him. So I did and just left it on him. Then about 15 minutes later as he was eating hay after he was grained I took it off. Waited a second and then put it back on and praised and gave treat. Then repeated. 

Sometimes he's good, other times he's a brat! Lol. In the round pen he's fine. He'll let me halter him or unhalter. He'll also follow me all over.


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## Cowgirls Boots (Apr 6, 2011)

So the last two days I've been haltering him before he eats and he hasn't ran away yet. But so far so good!
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