How to Catch a Hard-to-Catch Horse

Start by visiting in the pasture or paddock. Clean up manure, check for fences; do anything but approach your horse. If your horse approaches you, don’t reach out and try to catch it. Just let it approach, perhaps sniff at you, and then you walk away. Don’t let your horse walk away from you. You always want to be the final decision-maker in any exchange with your horse. Several brief visits a day will be more effective than the occasional long visit.

Approach the Horse Cautiously

When trying to approach your horse, don’t march up to it full of purpose and intent. Instead, soften your body language and walk slowly toward your horse. Don’t make direct eye contact. Don’t approach head-on (or tail on). Use your peripheral vision and approach at the neck or shoulder.

If the horse allows you to get near enough to catch it, spend a little time doing something enjoyable like scratching, massaging, or grooming. Use your knowledge of what your horse likes.

When you are done, don’t let your horse conclude the exchange. Decide when you are done, unhook the lead rope, make the horse stand, and then walk away from the horse.

Train the Horse in an Enclosed Area

If your horse will absolutely not allow you to get near enough to catch it, you’ll have to carve out some free, open-ended time and have your horse in a small paddock or yard. A round pen is too small, and a large pasture will work only if you don’t mind walking for miles.

When you approach your horse, and you know it will run away from you, keep it moving. Use a lunge whip as an extension of your arm to cue the horse to move forward. At the beginning your horse may act like this is fun—and gallop, buck, and kick. It may even try to approach you at some point. However, don’t let the horse make those decisions. If the horse tries to stop, tell it clearly and firmly to trot