Haltering your horse is the first essential part of most horse activities. Although the concept is simple, to many people it can be extremely frustrating when the horse does not cooperate. Typically people catch horses by bribing or cornering them. Even though they are sometimes able to catch their horse this way, it can be extremely dangerous, frustrating, embarrassing and unsuccessful. There is another method that is much safer and will always work. To effectively catch a horse it is necessary to be able to understand how they feel about you. If they have negative feelings about you, you can change their perception so they learn to trust and accept you. You will eventually convince them that you are a friend and not a threat. You will also show in a calm and gentle way that you are more athletic and confident than they are. Once you accomplish this, your horse will positively accept being haltered.
One typical method to catch a horse is to corner them. People do this by trapping them or herding them into a corner and then approaching the horse to put the halter on. This technique is potentially dangerous because it puts the human in a very vulnerable position to get injured. Horses are naturally claustrophobic so when they are cornered they may feel threatened by the human. When they feel this way it is their instinct to either flee or fight. They will attempt to flee from the person by facing towards the corner and as the human approaches to halter them and they realize they cannot flee so they will fight by turning their butt towards the person and threaten to kick them. If the person does not move away from the horse it could follow through with a kick.
I have personally experienced a situation similar to this where an extremely large horse felt she was trapped and decided to fight rather than flee. I was handling a foal that was next to its mother who was tied to a fence. When the foal and I moved out of the mare’s view she swung her butt around and repositioned herself to see us. As she did this, her butt bumped into mine, which startled her. At this point she acted out of instinct and because she was tied up she was unable to flee, so she fought. Before I could react, both her hind feet fired out and hit me in the butt. I literally got my ass kicked. There were two witnesses who both claimed that I flew 15 feet and landed face first in the dirt. This so happens to also be the day after I got my teeth cleaned. The witnesses suggested that I go back to the dentist and get the crap removed from my teeth but I knew that there would be no possible way that I could sit in the chair because it felt like I had the biggest “charlie horse” known to man.
Cornering a horse can also be dangerous because they may attempt to flee by jump over the fence they are cornered in or by bolting past or straight over you. So although it might be possible to catch and halter a horse by cornering them, it is extremely dangerous for both the human and the horse and is not an ideal method to use.
Another method that is commonly used to catch a horse is to bribe them. This is also known as the “carrot method”. This technique is often used because it is one of the quickest ways to get a horse to come to you. It can be effective if the horse is by himself however in a herd situation it can be extremely dangerous. When you are offering a treat to a horse in a herd, the other horses will usually crowd around you and push each other around to get the treat. This puts you in a vulnerable position because you do not have control of the horses. If a dominant horse herds another horse towards you it might push you out of the way or knock you over.
When I was 13 years old I went out with a bucket of grain and a halter to catch a horse that was in a herd. The last thing I remember was that the horses were approaching me as the mare I wanted to catch put her head in the bucket to eat. As she was eating, a dominant horse must have decided to chase her out of the way so he could eat. Next thing I remember was waking up in a very quiet, dusty barnyard. As I stood up I found an empty bucket and halter but no horses to be seen. I realized that the mare I was trying to catch was herded by a dominant horse and drove straight into me knocking me unconscious.
Even though a person can bribe a horse to come to them to be haltered, it is not safe in a herd situation and they should realize that the only reason they are getting the halter on the horse is because they are tricking them. Also, if your horse is not hungry or they realize that the halter is the next step after the treat, they will stop coming to you for the treat.
To safely and effectively be able to catch a horse, it is necessary to change the horse’s perception of humans. Their instinct tells them that humans are predators and that humans can hurt or potentially kill them. This feeling makes them skeptical and fearful of people. So to change their perception, humans can change their approach to be more like a horse. Rather than walking straight up to a horse try arching around them.
Once they acknowledge your presence by looking at you with both of their eyes, retreat by turning your back to them and walk away. Glance back to make sure that they are still focused on you. If they are not, arch back towards them until you capture their attention. Then proceed to retreat. This will create curiosity and develop confidence. Continue to approach and retreat until the horse stays focused on you by looking at you with both eyes. At this point the horse is facing you so you have the opportunity to safely approach the horse to be haltered however the horse might not have the confidence to be haltered and could decide to bolt.
To gain the horses trust and confidence you can continue the approach and retreat technique and for every approach you make, you can ask the horse to accept you a little closer each time. Then you can proceed to offer the horse to touch you as explained below however if at any point your horse decides to leave whether it walks away or bolts when you are approaching and retreating or when you are haltering, it is an opportunity for you to herd your horse. This horse needs more motivation and stimulation to have the desire to give their attention to you. It would be best to learn how to do this in a controlled environment like a round corral with equipment where you can prove that you are faster and more dominant than the horse is without offending it. Keep in mind that the round corral is a place to communicate and teach your horse and not to be used as a cage to fatigue him. By standing in the middle of the round corral you have the ability to be ahead of the horse just by pivoting your body and allowing him to see the back of your shoulder as he moves along the perimeter of the corral. If the horse decides to disrespect you by turning his butt towards you, you have the opportunity to herd him away.
When your horse looks in to the center of the corral where you are positioned, you have the opportunity to walk directly away from him and because you are still ahead of him it will show him that you are faster than he is. It will also prove to the horse that you are not a predator. This is the critical point where the horses’ perception will start to change. By doing this you are offering the horse comfort when he looks at you and maintains his attention on you. This is a good time to let your horse rest. Once your horse is confidant that you are not a harmful predator and that there is comfort when their full attention is on you, they will stay focused on you and will keep squared up with you. This means that the horse has their full attention on you and its body is facing you straight from nose to tail. You can check to see if you have the horses’ full attention by arching around them. If they move their hind end to keep their head facing you and stay squared up with you, it shows that they are focused on you. Once you learn how to get a horse focused on you in a round corral, you can practice these same techniques outside the round corral and can eventually be effective in any environment.
Eventually the horse will find comfort and stay focused on you. Then you may begin the approach and retreat technique again. As you get closer to the horse they will become curious, they may even walk towards you. When they are within your reach, it is a great time to stop and offer your hand to them for them to smell and touch. This builds confidence in the horse and shows that they are beginning to accept you. It is important that you allow the horse to initiate the physical contact because it is a signal that it is willing to be touched. Otherwise, you could be invading the horses space and make them want to leave and look for comfort elsewhere. By not forcing yourself on the horse you allowed it space and gave it the choice to touch you. After the horse has touched you, you can proceed to touch them. This shows that you have respect for them, which in turns builds their trust in you.
Even though you are able to touch them you still want to take the pressure off of them by retreating. Retreat often! This will keep their curiosity and interest. If you grope or overcrowd your horse, you will put too much pressure on it and make it feel uncomfortable and want to leave. (Look for an upcoming blog on this subject alone!)
Also, when offering a horse a new object, be sure to use this same technique. If you offer the object and the horse becomes skeptical, retreat the object before the horse retreats. This can be a challenging part for a person to know how far to go. They need to offer the object to the horse without scaring the horse away. This is where it becomes important to learn and be aware of your horse’s body language. (There will also be a future blog on how to learn your horses body language)
After you have touched your horse’s face, you want to proceed and touch their head, neck and body. Eventually you should be able to touch every part of the horse. This is extremely important to be able to do before riding them. However, when haltering a horse, the main idea is to be able to touch them and have them stand still and be comfortable. You don’t want them to bolt when you are in the process of putting the halter on. Make sure it’s clear to the horse that they will find the most comfort standing with you so they do not have the desire to run off.
Keep in mind that when touching a horse you are not familiar with, it is best to touch them first with a horseman’s tool rather than your hand. A training stick is a great way to lengthen your arm. If you happen to touch the horse in a spot of dislike and they kick, you will not be harmed. You can proceed to use the stick as the tester. It allows you to find areas where the horse is not comfortable being touched without getting injured.
The next step would be to introduce the halter to your horse. Offer it to them and let them smell and touch it. Once they have done this you can proceed to touch their head, neck and body with it. After you have touched the horse’s body with the halter it would be a good time to retreat. This will help build their confidence and prove that the halter is not a threat and will not harm them.
Once the horse is confident with you and is not threatened by the sight and touch of the halter, it is safe to put it on. He is not staying beside you because you have the halter on him; he is staying there because he has already decided that it is the best place to find the most comfort.
Horses are most vulnerable when haltered. And unfortunately there are some people who quit respecting them when the halter is on because they have captured them. Once the halter is on, the human tends to be more in control than the horse. This is a big pitfall in maintaining a good relationship with a horse. Horses are prey animals so their natural instinct tells them that humans are dangerous and harmful. This causes them to be skeptical and weary of us. By proving to the horse that you are not harmful but are compassionate to their innate sensitivity you show them that you can be a leader and they will look to you for safety, comfort, entertainment and even pleasure.
I have been riding for 15 months and I purchased a horse two months ago. We were doing very well, until I feel off of him. since then everytime I enter his stall his ears go back and he has a bad attitude towards me. He even threatened me with a little kick. how can i get his respect again....I am trying to do it and not allowing this attitude...what can I do?
Posted by: jocelyn hagerman | January 18, 2007 at 06:31 PM
Bad attitude can be mistaken for your horses attempt to be the dominate one.Horses are always playing dominance games to see who is the leader these games can go on for days or be finished with a flurry of bites and kikes all though each day the order is reestablished or challenged.
To change a horses attitude and gain its respect is to become its leader,this is established through playing dominance games,One game thy like to play is the speed game.
For use humans we have to prove to them that we are fast enough to herd them with out acting like a predator.It is best to play in side a round pen so each time the horse runs off he ends up coming back to wards you where you can send/herd him in different direction
An technique you can use when your horse ears go back and attempts to boss you or to get him to change directions is us a horsemans training stick and tap your horse on the lips to drive him away, do this with out being aggressive or emotional. The better you can direct his nose by taping or flagging the more your horse will respect your ability to be the leader.The same goes for the back end of your horse teach it to yield its hind end away from you with a stick or rope making sure you maintain a safe distance approximately six feet.Some times a horse will challenge you back with a few rhythmic flicks of his on tools ,so be aware of his attempts to dominate and be persistent until he yields away with ease. Do this little each day to maintain the pecking order and after you are confided you are able to herd him try it at feeding time keeping him from his feed until he is calm and relaxed.
Darren
Posted by: Darren Wetherill | January 31, 2007 at 06:02 AM
how can i teach my 2 week old foal to stand still and allow me to pat and halter her?
Posted by: suzannah northcott | December 06, 2007 at 08:15 PM
I bought a pinto arabian at the age of 5 months and weaned her. I handled her alot and thought I was gaining her trust but when she was almost 11 months, while haltering my mustang , Skye came around my blindside and slammed me in the face with her mouth when I came to she bucked and her front foot crushed my foot, broke it and severed some nerves, after 5 months of healing, surgery and rehab. I am now back at her. I have never had a baby before and have never had a problem haltering a horse. I am at my WITS END!!! I can get it on her face but as I try to tie it she is gone. she either tries to bite or turns to run. She is now 17 months old and I am lost. I have joined and gtried Clinton Anderson methods to no avail. Listened to others and tried my own instinct tactics. I know I still have a il fear but I do my best to not let her know it. Is it my fault because of the injury that I am doing this?
Posted by: Breanda Taylor | April 26, 2010 at 05:34 AM