Catching problems - how best to resolve?

Zingy said:
She's also a very submissive mare - well below the geldings in the pecking order and one of them is younger and smaller than her (and generally submissive to mares). So it could be a dominance thing where she feels too threatened for whatever reason. Got the same thing with one of my dogs where if anyone wants to say hello they have to kneel down as she hates people towering over her. So given May is only 11.2, adults are a lot taller than she is, so maybe that's the problem.
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She is the most submissive pony I've ever met. Given that the only other time I had problems with her was when she did her eye in and was basically made to submit to treatment she found painful and stressful, it would make sense that the dominance thing is going to be an even bigger issue with her.

Don't forget as well that she has odd vision in that eye; so what might not ordinarily be threatening could well be a lot more so to her. Have you tried approaching from the offside? I did find that she was a lot happier about me getting on from the offside, presumably where her vision is clear and I was obviously me and not some cloudy shadowy threat she couldn't clearly see.
 
chev said:
Oh YES! :thanks the Lord for answering her prayers: She's on the next bus up to you! :D



(I do love her really....)
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Should I expect her around Easter then given the reliability of buses? ;)

She was better again today - mugged me for an apple this morning which she ate with my arm over her neck, happily had her bum scratched tonight and came to me when offered a bucket to clean out.

I must try her other side more as I automatically walk up to her nearside. She seems so not bothered with that eye the rest of the time I admit I forget about it :eek:

We'll get there eventually. Good to have the suggestions though. It's so demoralising when they don't want to come anywhere near you for days!
 
Progress! Only took 10 mins to catch her this morning with headcollar in full view. So she had 10 mins of cantering and trotting ;) followed by a walk down the road for half an hour.

Got some photos as well which I'll post later :)
 
Yay! Well done :) I'm sure it'll only get quicker now... how did you go about it in the end?
 
I hope so Yann. Done lots with her in the mornings during the week with treats and getting her to come to me which she was fine with. They've generally been in sleeping this week which has helped as she's been stood where they get fed and she's more comfortable with that than me going to her in the middle of the field. I think partly why she's decided she can dictate what happens with catching is that 5 times a week if she walks away nothing happens - she'll often walk away from me in the mornings and I haven't got the time to see anything through at that stage. I don't think being 3 hours late for work with the excuse of "well, my pony walked off and it's taken me this long to catch her" would go down well!

Today she was in the middle of the field and was wary but let me touch her before disappearing. Then she went into her 'not being caught' mode, but it was quite half hearted. I tried the arcs but she ran off every time I moved even though I was miles away from her, so I took a risk on walking her down. Fingers crossed it wouldn't beat Chev's record! She gave up within 10 minutes which was quite surprising, then stood there while I faffed with the headcollar which was tangled up with the leadrope :rolleyes: She doesn't try to get away once she's decided to be caught - she had ample opportunity but didn't take it. We'll now see what tomorrow brings :eek: before I get too excited!
 
Sounds like you've cracked it. She does sometimes stalk off (doesn't she pull some lovely faces when she does?! :D ) but I've never had to follow her for more than five or ten minutes, and that giving up and waiting for you to collar her does sound like what she did with us occasionally.

Yay! Well done! :D

(Does this mean I'm stuck with Freya after all then? :rolleyes: )
 
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