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PLEASE KEEP IN MIND:
Most horses do not want to be caught because every time they are caught, it results in something unpleasant (vet work, farrier work, hard or long rides, taken away from their buddies, etc.) In addition, many people do things to their horse, rather than doing things with their horse. Horses can grow tired of these and will try desperately not to be caught. So, aside from these exercises, try to think about how you can change some of the things you're doing so that your horse will have a more pleasant time while you're working with him.
THE RULES:
1. Never, ever call your horse when you are going to do anything unpleasant! Especially for shots/deworming, long/hard workouts or anything your horse might think is unpleasant and avoidable by not letting you catch him. Instead, when it's time for shots, walk out there yourself and get him.
2. Whenever you release your horse back into the pasture/paddock, do NOT cluck to him or chase him when you release him. Yes, it's fun to watch a horse run and buck, BUT you'll be teaching him to run away from you, and possibly spin around and kick you in the head (one of the most common ways for horse-people to end up in the hospital). Instead, take his halter off and then walk away.
(*I personally make it a routine to give my horse a treat just after I've taken the halter off, but before I walk away. This gets the horse into the routine of staying rather than thinking about spinning and bucking. However, I do not recommend doing this with horses that are pushy or nippy. The horse must first learn that he needs to stand patiently—not pushing into your personal space—in order to receive a treat.)
Now on to the exercises...
Phase 1: Develop Curiosity and Initiative
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This first exercise is designed to allow your horse to think of you in a different way. Rather than seeing you as a threat (the person who drags him away from his buddies to work hard or to get stuck with vaccinations), you want him to begin seeing you as a non-threat. This exercise works best if you try it first in a small area.
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Walk into your horse's pasture or paddock. Do not look at him or focus on him in any way... just find yourself a nice spot to stand. Relax your body, drop your head down slightly, and let your arms rest at your sides. Do nothing else. You're just there. Now you just stand and wait. While you're waiting, try to figure out what your horse might be thinking, and ponder on that. (You can sit on a chair or squat if you feel safe doing so).
Left: Standing in Al's paddock for "quiet time". I stand relaxed, looking slightly at the ground. Al shows no interest at this point. He is tense and pacing around, probably anticipating that I want to catch him.
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Your horse will eventually walk up to you and show some interest (a look, a sniff, etc.) Let your horse make the first move. It may take 10 seconds, or 10 minutes. Regardless of how long it takes for him to show interest, make sure you stay in his paddock for at least 30 minutes of "quiet time".
If you've been in your horse's paddock for at least 30 minutes and he hasn't shown any interest in you, try acting like a horse. Reach down and pull grass as if you were grazing. Or, walk around slowly while you do this (but don't walk at him), and you might get his attention. Walk over to a different horse and softly scratch the other horse's "itchy" spots. If he still doesn't show any interest, leave the paddock and come back again in a little while to repeat the exercise.
When your horse does show interest, DO NOT try to catch him or do anything to him. In fact, don't even touch him unless he initiates contact and touches you first. If he sniffs and then touches you with his muzzle, slowly stroke his muzzle once or twice and then stop, unless he shows interest in continuing the contact. Only engage in the amount of contact that he initiates, and keep the contact soft and pleasant... when you rub his coat with your hand, "put your heart in your hand".
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The whole purpose of this exercise is to allow your horse to take the initiative to come to you, and to be curious about you. After both of you had made contact and you've been in the paddock for at least 30 minutes, you can either decide to stay for a while or leave the paddock.
Left: Al has taken the initiative to make contact, I stroked his muzzle, and then spent the rest of the quiet time acting like a horse (grazing with my hand). He no longer sees me as a threat, and is quite comfortable hanging out right next to me.
Al was a hard-to-catch horse and he only needed one session to become an easy-to-catch horse. However, as a result of past experiences with people, some horses will need this phase repeated many times.
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THE EXCEPTION: If your horse shows aggression, shoving, nipping, etc. you should respond to that and safely chase him away. Be sure to stay a safe distance. Sometimes, the "funky chicken dance" will do... just flap your arms and jump up and down and most horses will immediately move away from your personal space. We do want the horse to be curious about our presence in his paddock, but not aggressive. So, he must learn that positive contact is greeted with more positive contact, and that negative contact results in the horse being banned from your personal space for a while.
Phase 2: Interact in a Non-Threatening Way
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Using the Advance/Retreat/Repeat method, we're going to teach the horse that when we walk up to him, it is not unpleasant or threatening. The exercise is first done without you holding anything, and later you'll repeat the same exercise while holding a halter and lead rope. This phase of the training is called Desensitizing. You are teaching your horse NOT to respond to a stimulus.
Here's the Steps:
1. Advance: Start walking toward your horse. Watch his body language very, very carefully.
2. Retreat: The instant you see his muscles tense as if he is about to walk away, turn and walk away from him first. Do not advance to a point where he feels threatened enough to actually walk away.
3. Repeat: Repeat this until you can eventually get closer and closer to him without
him even thinking about leaving.
TIPS: Always remember to retreat! When you walk away, you should walk at least 20 ft. away. I know, you'll get plenty of exercise...but in the end, it will really pay off! Walk up to him while using non-threatening body language. Do not stare him down or walk strongly... look at the ground slightly and relax your body. Walk around in a "ho-hum", relaxed way, just like another horse would walk around a pasture.
Once you can walk all the way up to your horse several times and turn to walk away without him thinking about leaving, you should leave the pasture. You can always come back 15 minutes later and
start a new session. The importance of this is for your horse to begin to see you in a different way... not as the person who chases him around and then drags him into the arena to do work, but rather as one of his pasture buddies.
Repeat this exercise again the following day. Then, after you are sure your horse is not at all threatened or concerned about your presence in his pasture, you can add variation to the exercise to further desensitize him... Repeat each variation using the Approach/Retreat/Repeat method as many times as needed.
Variation 1: Walk up to him, pet his neck, and walk away.
Variation 2: Walk up to him, give him a carrot, and walk away.
Variation 3: Drape a leadrope over your shoulder, walk up to him, and walk away. Then repeat.
Variation 4: Drape a bridle over your shoulder, walk up to him, and walk away. Then repeat.
Variation 5: Hold a saddle over your hip, walk up to him, and walk away. Then repeat.
Variation 6: Drape a leadrope over one shoulder, a bridle over the other and hold a saddle
over your hip, walk up to him, and walk away. Then repeat.
Variation 7: Walk up to him, put the halter on him, then lead him out of the pasture. Stop right
outside the pasture gate, give him a carrot, then immediately turn him back out. Repeat.
.....you get the idea.....
Why and How does this work?
If you take a look at this from the horse's perspective, you will see exactly why and how this
works so well! Your horse is obviously avoiding the catching process for a reason. It may be
because he has to go through something unpleasant every time you catch him, or it could even
be that he fears people in general. Whatever the reason, he feels threatened. You will want to
find out that reason, and if you can't completely eliminate it, then minimize its unpleasantness
as much as you possibly can.
Let's think about the comparison below. Yes, it's radical... but it gets the point across...
Let's say a person you know has invited you to her house every day for the past week. And, every time, the instant you arrive, she locks you in the house and gives you an extensive list of chores to do. You might quickly realize that avoidance and making excuses gets you out of the rewardless work!
This is exactly how the horse feels. You are taking him away from his delicious green grass and pasture buddies to do something unpleasant and unrewarding.
Now, instead, let's say this person has invited you to her house and cooked you a delicious meal while engaging in pleasant and interesting conversation. You might be more inclined to visit her house again! Or, even invite her to your house for dinner. This is how your horse begins to think once you have
taught him this exercise.
He first thinks, "Oh no! Here she comes again! I better get outta here!!!"
Then when you turn and walk away before he starts to leave, that is his reward. He thinks "Whew...that
wasn't so bad! I don't mind doing that again!"
Phase 3: Come When Called
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Once you're able to walk up to your horse and catch him every single time, without him trying to get away, you're ready to teach him to come to you when you call his name. This phase of the training is called Sensitizing. You are teaching your horse to respond to a stimulus.
You will have to decide on a voice command or a sound to use for the call. This could be the horse's name, or as simple as you whistling. Whatever you decide, use it consistently. Don't call his name one time, and whistle another. And, call his name the same way each time (emphasizing a syllable or raising/lowering your voice for a syllable helps). It doesn't matter how you do it, just make sure you do it the same way each time.
1. Walk through the pasture gate and stop. Call him with the sound you've decided on. Make sure he can hear you!
2. Wait a couple seconds, then walk up to him, give him his favorite treat, and immediately walk away from him and leave the area.
3. Wait until he resumes what he was doing and give him a moment. Then, repeat the process again.
The very first time you call him and he walks up to you on his own, give him a whole handful of his favorite treats, stroke his neck, and praise him verbally. He will begin to associate your call with something pleasant, and will begin to come to you when you call him.
IMPORTANT NOTE: There are many ways to teach a horse to come when called. This method uses treats. Other methods don't. However, this appears to be the simplest method to explain to others, and easiest to implement. I do not recommend using this method if your horse tends to be nippy, bites or invades your personal space. Instead, work with a professional trainer to address these issues first, before using treats as a training reward.
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