help and advice please to a newbie

dawn07

New Member
Sep 5, 2009
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hi am new here my names Dawn and am from wilmslow cheshire and am hoping i can get loads of advice from you all ,as i havent been around horses for the last 10 or so years but me being me seen a lovely yearling colt cob who looked in a sorry state ,from what i can find out he has spent his life being passed from dealer to dealer, jack seems very nervous but wants to trust me but to scared ,hes out in field with 1 other horse ive had jack 1 week and just cant get close enough to get a head collar on him ,i really need to try and catch him as he need to see vet and have his feet done, ive never had a youngster and never had one scared so please can anyone offer advice on how to catch and get jack to start trusting me
 
Don't try to catch him! Just go out to the field and spend time with him, giving him hay, little bit of feed, pet the other horse, catch it, groom it etc, let him see you're not a demon trying to eat him, and curiosity will get the better of him!
 
:)Hi Dawn and welcome to N/R,your little Lad sounds a lovely chap and iam sure with time and patience he will learn to trust you.I bought my 2yr old Filly off a Dealer 5wks ago,she had,had very little handling,nervous and i couldnt get near her,she had come over from Ireland 2wks previous to me buying her.When i went to collect her they had got her into a stable and she was trembling,she let me get near her and her face was raw where a head collar had rubbed her after it had being on for God knows how long.I got her back home and for the first few weeks it was a nightmare trying to catch her,but then one day she just let me catch her and now she walks up to me.It does take a lot of patience and understanding but it is well worth it in the end.I hope it works out for you with your youngster,he is lucky to have found you,it is a shame when they get passed from Dealer to Dealer he is only a baby and i should imagine he is feeling very bewildered at the moment.Good luck with him please let us know how you get on.:)
 
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here is a pic of my jack:D
 
hi Dawn im loving your boy I have a hairy beast named Bojangles i got him when he was 4 ,he was very green and reluctant to be caught,I went down the Parelli road with great success and i have to agree with other advice offered,dont go to catch him.Horses are prey animals and people are predators,its not natural for horses to want to be with us,this boy isnt afraid your going to harm him.He may be terrified that you are going to kill him.let his curiosity take over,spend some time with him dontwalk straight up to him when he looks at you with two eyes walk away from him,he will soon learn that you are his friend,predators dont walk away.offer him food and just sit in the field with him,he will quickly begin to catch you ,when he does dont be in a hurry to grab him or put on a halter.just smile at him and walk away.go back later and do it all again,you will see his confidence and trust in you grow.he looks lovely hope you both get a good partnership going.
 
If ever mine are being difficult -not that they are difficult to catch, but if they won't walk to me and expect me to walk over to them I lay down. Works a treat.

In fact with my step son having a lesson in the back paddock the other day I got off the chair and laid down in the sun to doze and suddenly mid lesson his horse took the pause whilst some jumps where being put up to amble across and see what I was doing (needless to say he let her, he thought it was a hoot that she was watching me - his instructor didn't see it quite the same way!).......

I'm not suggesting you lay down (although you could try it) just that sometimes actively NOT doing what we want to achieve is a good way to get it done.

Go up there and read a book with a bucket of carrots next to you - or a pocket full of digestive biscuits. Do some poo picking and get the barrow so full that a horse could just nudge it over and spill it all with no effort at all........... put a headcollar and rope on the ground inside the field near the water bath and see where it ends up and laugh a lot very loud ............. walk backwards around the field clapping your hands ........... go crouch down pulling up thistles and ragwort and time how long it takes until a horse's nose appears nudging you forwards from the bum! ..............

There's a lot of interaction that could go on without ever putting a rope on him - and sometimes the quickest way to get what you want, is not to try.
 
thanks for all your advice ,he is lovely abit thin at the moment ,am really pleased with him today went down field and just stood there and jack came over to me and took a carrot then was off ,ive canceled getting him castrated next week as feel that may spook him even more me having to catch him when he is so unsure of me
 
Hi Dawn, your new boy looks gorgeous, how lucky he is to have found you. Time and patience is the key, don't put any pressure on him or have any expectations just let him be a horse for a while and get to know you in his time. Enjoy each moment and learn everything this little chap brings to you.

What a wonderful opportunity you have with hi :)

Let us know what your journey together brings.
 
If ever mine are being difficult -not that they are difficult to catch, but if they won't walk to me and expect me to walk over to them I lay down.

Ella would stand on me for a laugh if I lay down in her field !

I would take a carrier bag to sit on (unless you are happy with a wet bum) and a good book, and go and sit in his field for a bit. Take a packet of polos, or some biscuits, and occasionally munch one yourself. He will find it very hard to resist coming to have a nosey at whatever you are doing, then you can give him a biscuit or a polo, and carry on ignoring him for a while.

You might have to "ignore" him for quite a while, but when he realises that you aren't going to do awful things to him, and you can usually be relied upon to have someting yummy in your pocket, he'll be a lot happier to come over to you.

If you do a search for Ace87's posts about her foal Strike, you'll find a lot of good advice for handling nervy, untouched yearlings. Ace has done really well with Strike, and he is happy to be handled now.
 
Catching and handling Jack

Hi Dawn,
What a beautifully marked cob your Jack is. Whilst I agree with many of the answers you've already received about methods for catching him, my advice would be to ask for help from a I.H.Recommended Associate. Go to www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk. Also if you go to www.sarahweston.co.uk and read 24 April 09 and 13 October 08 you will see it will only take a short time before you can easily catch Jack. In the October blog I am in the top photo catching an unhandled foal using the advance and retreat method. Sarah has written a very good book called No Fear, No Force which clearly explains methods for getting unhandled ponies quickly used to almost anything by using advance and retreat and clicker training.Good luck with him and I do so hope he will have a home for life with you.
 
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