Catching Issues Solved

Everyone hates it when they walk into the paddock its and nice day and they are off to catch their horse and BOOM! The horse see's you and starts running or walking away.
I sure know I hate it! You get sick and tired of trying to follow your horse around and you should be (especially if its a huge paddock). The one thing you are doing wrong is you SHOULDN'T  be following the horse around the horse SHOULD be following you!
We have to remember horses are herd animals and in those herds there are rankings and while you are following your horse around your ranking as far as the horse is concerned is getting lower and lower by the minute.
 A horse that respects the human as a "herd member" who is higher in the social order will behave in a more appropriate manner towards all humans than a horse that has been allowed to engage in dominant behavior over humans. -Wikipedia

In a herd there is One Stallion who is the boss but there is also the lead mare who helps to keep the herd or band under control amongst them their are mares and foals of mixed sexes among the group. A lot of people believe that the stallion runs in front of the herd but the stallion runs behind the herd and protects from the back while the lead mare runs a head leading them to water or more food.

A horse with a higher ranking has the power to chase around a lower ranking horse. If they want that lower ranking horse to move they will move it and because of this the lower ranking horse obeys.

So what you need to do to achieve the higher power is to make your horse move. The best way to do this is to chase your horse around. Now I know you are probably thinking 'This girl is nuts, what does she know' but believe me this works. I'm not asking you to spend hours chasing and chasing your horse around in a huge paddock, no, you need to get you horse in a pen and remove all gear from him\her.

I had leased  a huge 16.2hh Clydie cross gelding called Toby and he was a pig to catch I would spend ages steaming while trying to catch him in the paddock until one day his owner told me this theory and it worked!

I let Toby into this pen and began chasing him around. At first he thought I was nuts and wouldn't go so I got out a lead rope and began spinning in a circle as I chased him. Well after a few days of this I had the power! And it felt great!

I would enter the paddock and Toby would be standing randomly somewhere and I would approach him slip his halter on and lead him away and it was as easy as that!

You are maybe thinking 'Well that may have worked for you but my horse isn't that horse", You are right your horse or pony isn't Toby and maybe this won't solve anything but I guarantee that at least 97% of the horses that have this done will stand quietly for you next time you catch them.

The worst thing people have tried to do with their problem catching horses is "bribe" them with a treat. What does this solve? You horse is going to run around to you are puffed and then you reward them when they decide to stop? No! That isn't going to do anything but create very naughty habits in your horse.

While you are working on this type of problem and are doing the running around thing daily you may prefer to put your horse into a smaller paddock than he\she are already in.

When your horse stops being naughty great! But don't stop then! Do an extra week of chasing just to let your horse know you still are boss.

I hope this helped you out and I'd like to know if you have tried this. If you have please feel free to comment below how this has helped you and if it isn't quite working comment to :)

Till next time :)