Hello guys spring has sprung and its time for the horses to come back to work since branding time is upon us and new trails are to be discoverd. Well now I got a situation on my hands and am at a loss what to do. I got a 18yr old QH that is my leathermen of horses i brand on him i pack on him i trail ride on him and he is bomb proof nothin really gets him upset. Well now he has decied he dont want to be caght and trust me i have had horse treats nose bags full of oats and hay and still nothing. I spent from 6am tell about 9am tryin to get a halter on him yesterday finally got it on him and it was like it always is with him rode him all day yesterday at a branding turned him back out and went to catch him this morning to move another batch of my dads cows off the hill to the lower fields next to the corrals and its the same story all over again. I am thinking of setting up the corral pannels behind the house and putting him in there and leavin him in a small space for a week and catch him every night after work and tie him to the horse trailer for a hour while i feed and do chorse. I am hopin that this will work on getting his little game he has figured out to play out of his system.

 

I woulden't know what you are taking about I ride mules.

 

Alot of time a sudden change in behviors liek that can be an indicator of a pain issue. If being ridden is hurtting him, and he knows every time you catch him he is gonna get riddin, well, he wont want to get caught...
Check yer tack and his back and legs, feet etc., make sure he isnt bruised or sore...

start catching himm for every feeding, grooming, and what not, so he doesnt associate being caught with work all the time...
Hope this helps..................CD

 

I am with you CD last winter i had a saddle that fit him at first when i first got him and when i got him back to shape and his withers came back to form it started to not fit him any more and it sored his back since then i have got a new saddle and want to start getting him used to the fact that its not goin to hurt any more i have since got a new saddle that fits him 200percent better so i know kind of thats a issue. After riding him all day yesterday when i brushed him out with the curry there was zero traces of a sore back from the saddle so i know i got that issue taken care of. the last couple times i rode him before this i had to have a little education with him cause he tried to run away from the bit and not want to stop and take off at a dead run across the feed lot and had to have a little bit of a reeducation with him so i know he remembers that other than when its needed and usally just a pop on the side of the neck but i never beat on my horses it gets you no were working aginst them when there scared. the only thing i have changed beside a new saddle is i usally use a rope halter but recantly changed to a regular buckle halter thing its possible that previous owner before me beat him with that style of halter? it could be too that this is usally were i start the ground running on usin all my horses cause they dont get used much durin the winter months maybe just a little here and there if i get a call out to help with search and rescue but ill switch back to my rope halters see what that does. he is perfectly sound on his feet and legs i rode him all day yesterday workin cows around a branding fire and nothing no lamness in any leg or foot and today he is running around the corral like a yearling who just met his first safeway plastic sack.

 

i have a roping horse that does that same stuff too, everytime he knows he is gonna get used he runs, he will not get near me when i have a halter, problem is not easily solved, but i do get close to him, toss the rope around his neck and pray he dont run cause im goin for a ride.... then eventually get the halter on him..

Now what i have done to ease this problem is simple, yet effective, i made him come to me instead... by cutting off his feed for a couple of days
i cut his feed for two days, and let him go without food now he sees the halter and associates food with it and treats and well not having eaten that helped me alot... so that i can reward him slightly then work him
now he knows that when i work him, he will get pampered bathed, and put away well fed....

Rick

 

Sometimes it makes you wonder about your sanity when you deal with horses.

I have a 6yo saddlebred mare that didn't get rode much this winter. She DID do very good, neck reined, very gentle. Now, all she seems to remember is backing up. SO, last week, we spent about an hour and a half going backwards. I think the crazy horse liked it.

Good luck, new patterns with rewards will eventually bring him around.

Firm, but gentle.

Threaten to shoot the stupid so and so in a nice calm voice.

Ed

 

well the first step is done. The corral that he is in was a large one with lots of escape routes and luckly a little ways to the arena so i made a bunch of blocks and worked him down tell i got him in the areana and shut the gate and i worked him in circles basicly lungin him but with no lunge line tell he was a giant ball of sweat then and only then did he realize it was more work for him to run that to just come to me. i finally got the halter on him then i took him out to the trailer and brushed him all out i fly sprayed his ears and him and curryed most of the winter coat off best i could cleaned his feeties all out made sure there is no stone brusies and all was good there. All the while doin this givin him his favorite treats. I put him in the smaller corrals behind the house and each night after work iam goin to catch him up and take him down to the trailer while i feed and then come back to him and give him a spit shine for a week or so then turn him back out and see what happens *crossing my fingers*

 

I 2nd what Chrisreyn told you. It looks like your doing the right thing. Just don't loose your temper and give him a reason to not want to be caught. Always have the halter in your hand when you go around him. Even if it's just to walk across his pasture. He needs to get used to seeing that halter as part of you and not seeing it as a threat of work. Use the halter as a grooming brush and rub him down with it instead of the brush. If you can get him associating the halter with rub downs and the occasional treat he will soon start meeting you at the gate. The Wife and I spend a lot of time with our herd either brushing them or playing the Parelli style games with them not just catching them to ride or work. It makes for an equine that will come running across the pasture to see what is in store for the day. We've got mules as well as Missouri Foxtrotters. The Wifes mule will follow you around the yard and go for walks with her without being on a lead. Silly things are worse than dogs. We've got a customers 4 year old Halflinger at the house now that hasn't been handled by people. He is a mess. And a gorgeous black Foxtrotter arrived Saturday for training for a little girl to ride. I can tell spring is here.

 

Ya I have been working with him in the round pen now when i finally got him moved to the round pin i left him alone tell about supper time and went back out and worked with him some more and this time i got him to trust that iam not a threat i used no grain or hay to get it on him this time still took some try but already iam makin progress. I am goin to work with him tonight in the round pin and get the halter on him and then saddle up and go for a little enjoyable ride about 4miles down to get the mail. I do rub the halter all over him when i first got him he was a little head shy so i just hung stuff off of his head like my halter or my romal rein and now he dont care any more its just with this sudden i dont wanna trick LOL. He is a pretty bomb proff horse i have pack some rattly stuff on him and no problems I agree with cd that because of the ill fitting saddle he knows that when we start messin with the horse trailers or getting the halters out he remember the pain from the saddle and i just need some time on him with the new saddle to show the ol boy that he aint need be afraid any more. when we were branding on saturday he was totally fine no more wincein going down hills from the saddle pinchin his withers and no problems at tall.

 

Realy good advise there Mike.... yea its spring... got 4 lined up for May and havent put out an ad yet!!
problem is I havent got my training pen finished yet( still getting moved in to the new place after 5 months..)
gonna be a long next couple weeks........

gotmoreworkthanIrealywanttodealwith............CD

 

tell me about it i am finally starting to dry out enuff to even think about working in the arena or the round pin its been one long and wet winter. All is goin good with the old duffer things are coming back around and in no time he will be back to him self again. Good thing i figured this out rather than him pull this when i go the the mountains at the end of may wouldent that be fun to have to chance a horse when your 6hrs from your pickup

 

We've been in drought conditions down here in MO so I've welcomed the rain we've been receiving. I've gotten 2.2 inches since Sunday. My hay fields and pastures are looking like hay fields and pastures again. I might even have to start watching the herd for founder. That's a change. We have forgotten what winter is for the last few years. But the round pen and barn arena are looking kind of soggy at the moment.