Dont know what to do, run out of ideas

Sexy Sietske

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Aug 18, 2006
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Can't catch the mare and foal... end of!

Tried food, walking around after her for hours, cornering her nothing works.

She gets bored of food

She will walk around for days and when she does stop you still cant even touch her.

Corner her and foal goes crazy.

Got her in a stable but foal flipped out and she came charging back out again.

Even tried sedalin but to no avail.

Been trying for 4 weeks now and short of getting a blow gun and tranquillizing her I am stuck for ideas :p

Can get a rope over mares nose but she pulls back and it comes off

Any ideas where the next steps could be? I had a wild newforest and she had a headcollar on within days but the foal is preventing us from moving forward with the mare, who desperatey needs her feet trimming.
 
Oh No!! I seriously feel you frustrations as I have the same problem with Honey, My New Forest minx!! :eek:

All the things you have done to catch them are all the things i have tried in the past.

The trick I have up my sleeve now is to herd her into an electric fenced paddock. I need to get her regumate into her *sigh*

I'll watch this thread though to see if anyone comes up with any top tips :D

Good Luck!!! xxx
 
Foal runs straight through electric fence :( The mare isn't so much of a problem if its just the mare as she calmy walked into my trap and straight into the stable but foal just freaks out and goes off on one taking everything else with her :rolleyes: And then of course mummy wants to know whats going off and she starts.
 
Mare or foal?

We tried with the mare but she is far too fast :rolleyes: We would need expert cowboy or that one ;) Foal is ok with ropes if they are in your hand but as soon as she feels as though she is being held... she freaks out :p

Could be a case of brute fore to get some control over the foal to catch the mare? I would much prefer the nice way but 4 weeks of being nice I think she is taking the pee... Mare will come to call and whinny when she see us, I think she is being a typical stubborn welsh! Doesn't help that she has been running wild for the last year!
 
yes - the mare. Get your neighbour over and rope her - that's what I'd do :D It's a really useful skill to have, I can't figure out why it's so common here an so uncommon there. DO you know any nice cowboys ? (I could send you one if not )
 
Unfortunately no :(

There is just me and mum in the middle of nowhere :p We did think about making a dog type catcher thing (hoop on the end of a stick) but if she was to take off she might get hurt or strangle herself (if i can hold her :eek: she is an almighty chunky mare...still looks pregnant :eek:)
 
Headcollar, carrots, polos, empty hands... she is having non of it. She will walk towards me if I hold a bucket but I cant touch her, only her forehead for a short while before she takes off again.
 
Use the leccy fence to make a race into the stable - ideally as a lane around the field and have water only in the stable + any treats, feeds get given in the stable.
Don't try to catch but do try to stroke both. Shout in and give a treat in a bucket. Next day give treat in bucket and put in a back fence to give a restricted area of about 6 horse lengths. Leave in this for 20 minutes before giving another carrot and letting back out.

Put rope in bucket with carrot next day and have another rope over your shoulder, don't do anything with them. Work up to stroking with rope end in hand.

Within a week you should be able to get the rope over the neck & twist around the nose a la rope halter.

Or you could just lock them both in a stable & rope halter mares head over the door.
 
Electric fence wont hold the foal in...she simple races through it, that is if she hasnt unclipped it first :p I have my electric on the fence in the field to stop her trashing that :rolleyes:

That set up would be nice but its my other horses stable Im using and also need the field for them (2 big horses and a 14.2)

Been trying to stroke the mare now for 4 weeks but she is too quick and clever... foal is rather friendly though and can be touched all over and picks feet up.
 
Mare will happily follow a bucket into the stable with a little encouragement from a rope behind her. The only way I can make a path is to make is solid :rolleyes: which is impossible, unless I halter the foal first and drag her in kicking and screaming :p

I think the mare would be an easy project, and the foal is very friendly but together its just not working.

I could halter the foal and teach her to lead now but she is only a month old and I would have thought that was too soon, but that will allow me to do more with the mare as the foal can be restrained a short while if we are trying to do something.
 
Then what I would do is build a chute and herd the mare into a biggish stable. Chute doesn't need to be solid, because she won't challenge it. Leave foal out of the equation and herd mare into stable.

Then go have a cup of tea.

Wait for foal to be around the stable door - she can't get into mum but she can see her. Now you can work with mum in the stable. Simply ask her to turn and face you. She can walk away and pin her ears and scoot about, but you keep the pressure on until she turns and faces you then immediately go limp and take the pressure off. (pressure in this case might be 'a hard stare' or a click noise, or pointing with your hand - you figure out how much pressure needed to just annoy her to the point where she'd like it to stop and no more. )

After a couple of minutes if you think she's achieved anything at all, leave and have a cup of tea.

(you're going to need lots of tea for this).

Just keep repeating, just for a couple of minutes at a time, til you're ll heartily sick of the game.

Or until you're confident that with you and a friend if necessary, you're going to be able to keep mom at the back of the stable (without holding or tying her) long enough to open the door and hustle baby in.

Then leave and do it all again tomorrow.
 
I think I'd go for haltering the foal. If you can do that without upsetting either of them, then you can lead the foal and the mare will follow.

I don't know if a foal is ever too young for that sort of thing.
 
foals born in stables are haltered when about a week or so old (using a foal slip, which is a little different from a halter) so they can be taken down to the field
 
Just a wild suggestion here, but why don't you contact an equine behaviourist or find someone like Monty Roberts or Parelli in your area who might be able to help you :p Why don't you 'Google' it, that might be an option if noting else is working :p lol
Hope you do get them in!! :D Good luck!! :p
 
I think KateWooten has the best idea so far.

As regards noosing the foal..........if you do try, estimate the size of noose you'd need....tie a knot in the rope to stop it tightening more than the size required........slip the open noose over the end of a stick with a small fork on the end to hold the rope......slip it over the foal's head and be prepared to hold on.

Foals move forward easier (once caught) with a rope round their quarters so the quicker you get that into position the easier it will be to control the foal.

Frankly though, I'd say do as KW says and run the mare in, and the foal will turn up at the stable door pretty quickly.
 
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