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[RC] catching in pasture - JonniThe horses are in a 22 acre pasture. Too big for me to chase them around to catch them. So, the first thing I taught them was to come to the barn area when called. Took out a bucket of grain, shook it, and called them. (I used a loud, kind of high pitched "Booyyyys!!!") Only took a few times for them to get the fact that I had goodies. Now, I put a few handfuls of grain in each of the 5 buckets / feeders, and go to the edge of the field and call them. They come at a gallop. When they get in the barn area, they each go to their bucket, and I can close gates, and lock them in the corral that surrounds the shed / run ins. Some folks have actual stalls to have them run into. I then, can go from horse to horse to check them over for any pasture boo-boos, pull burrs from manes, paint hoof dressing...whatever. They know that everytime they come up when called they WILL get a treat, and that not every time will they be caught to be worked. On the hard to catch one I have. (who is no longer hard to catch) I had to be inventive with him. He was 4, and was halter broke, but had never had a "job", and at that time, seemed to not really want to be worked. I could hardly walk up to him in the corral, with out him snorting at me in distrust. So, he got extra treats by hand once and awhile, just to let him know I was "OK", and that not every time I got near him was he going to have to work. Then, when I came to him with the halter and lead, if he decided to leave, I made it my idea, and sent him moving around the corral. You can use a round pen, or even a stall. If he stopped, and looked at me, then I walked up, scratched his face, and rubbed the halter all over him, and walked away. If he stopped, and turned butt, or did not look at me, he was sent moving again. When it came time to start putting the halter on, he still had some distrust / fear when it got near his head. So, I had a little bucket of feed, and I held it out, and held the halter open above it. If he wanted the food, he had to drop nose through halter to get to it. I had to do this for a few days, until I could hold the halter out in front of me open for his head to drop into it, with no bucket of feed, and THEN, after he put his head IN the halter, I reached in my pocket, and gave him a treat. Now, he no longer gets a treat, but just gets scratched in a favorite spot for his reward. This horse had some fears of the lead rope, and I found out later, the previous owner had a 'trainer' teach him to tie, using the rope around the girth, up through the halter. he still has some light scars down one side of his body, from the 2-3' rope burn he received when he must have pulled and maybe flipped himself. Oh, and when we had our horses in a stabled set up (no pasture) I would always make them FACE ME to get the halter put on. I never walked up to them if their butt was facing me. I had them move, to turn to face me, and if they didn't, same as above, I made them move around the 12x24 corral until they stopped and turned to face me. Most just came to the gate and waited as I headed towards their corral. Find what works for you and your horses........ Jonni =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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