Horse Talk

[abigalerose]

I think treats would make it easier to train them. It doesn't have to be permanent - just until they learn to come. Cause right now all he's learning is to run away when you want to catch him. So you could use food or grooming or pats or whatever he finds a good reward in order to teach the behavior you want (maybe come when you call him for example) and then once he knows it for sure you can start giving the food maybe every other time or more sporadically until he gets none. It's a useful tool.

As for them mobbing you like I see you mentioned, this might actually be a good opportunity to work on that. Because they should not be mobbing you anyway, whether you have food or not. They should learn to respect you and your space and calmly stand a respectful distance away, not mob or trample you. Obviously there is training involved too but a simple start to that is simply do NOT give them food when they do that. They ONLY get food when they are well behaved. Once they realize that rude behavior doesn't work, they should stop doing it. But they're only going to do it more if they all get fed for that.

Of course horses are big and it can be scary, but I think rather than simply avoiding food, which would be a much faster and easier way to teach the behavior, you should instead use it but teach respect at the same time. They need to learn to come when called/to be caught and respect anyway if you're selling them or sending them off to training.

Another thing you could try is separating them. So maybe instead of teaching to come when called or using food rewards in the field with all of them, you could start teaching one in a separate area so they don't mob you and learn the behavior a little better. And then once they know it better you could move to the field. You could also maybe start with the horse that is the easiest to catch and/or the herd leader and then once you teach them to come when you call, either to just their name or to a general call for the herd, then the boys should follow because horses are herd animals so you'll ve teaching them at the same time.

Their reward is pats, and pressure and release, yesterday was the first time I've went out and caught him in months, he learned that if he's going to run from me I'm going to keep putting pressure on him, and when he stops and let's me halter him he gets praises and scratches. June learned through pressure and release and now she comes when I whistle. As for them mobbing me, they don't, because I never stand out in the field with treats, but I've seen it happen with other people and other horses before, if you were here a while back, you'll remember the CRAZY 2 year old filly I was working with for someone, well I went to that ladies place beforehand and she always catches her horses with grain, the sight of 12-13 two year olds thundering through the field and surrounding her and biting each other while they wait for grain just really bugs me, I don't mind using treats to train, but I do not like it when people use it as a crutch, and I personally don't even want to mess with it at all, I know from experience they can be trained to come with just pressure and release, it takes longer but that's what I like. Indie just needs someone to spend a good couple of weeks with him, and do a lot desensitizing, he'll come around, but it won't be with me because he's leaving in 2 days. But I think treats are fine for training if it's done right, it's just not my thing. My horses only get treats on their birthday lol, and they still have to work for them then

 

[abigalerose]

Does anyone have any palominos?

Maybe....

That's June, and Jasmine is a dunalino, which is kind of the same but different

 

[KaylorFarms]

Aww! They are both such beautiful horses!!

 

[ChickenLover200]

Abigalerose
I follow your FB page!

 

[PeepersMama]

He's the same way! And yes!! Unless it involves treats lol I don't do that
I don't have stalls lol I do all my catching in the field, grain/treats = trampled. And I'd like to be able to catch them in a pinch if I don't have anything with me too instead of them always looking for a snack.
June and Jasmin are great though, I can just march right up to them and get them. Renos not too easy, and Indie is horrible, but after Saturday I probably won't have to worry about it anymore. The only other horse I've had that's as difficult to catch as Indie was the big buckskin mare Jade, and she wasn't spooky or untrained! She was just use to treats and a big cranky brat who didn't want to work lol

Smoke has/had an awful fear of ropes. Now Its his signal to stay as far away from me as possible cuz I'm 'probably' going to try and catch him

What I do is wrap this super short lead rope around my waist so he cant see it, lure him up with like, say a handful of hay, (or his favorite carrot treats that he LOVES XD I swear they sneak some sort of drug I to those things ) and then slowly sneak closer to him and slip my arm under his neck. Once I have an arm around his neck he stays with me. Then I toss the lead over his neck and lead him up to the barn (which is a giant semi truck container btw), and grab his halter which hangs right by the door. He bahves pretty amazing once he knows he's stuck

I try to spend some time just hanging out in the pasture both him and Ginger without catching them, just petting them and stuff. He only actually enjoys that at night though - he's weird

June comes when I whistle. Slowly, but she does come if she can hear and see me. I don't know what I did to deserve that but I am thankful lol. And I think Jasmine will be the same way, she comes up to me when I'm close enough.
The geldings just haven't been handled in a while, and for some reason they're really spooky, they've been that way since I got them. I think the girl I got them from never desensitized when she trained

Haha, sounds a bunch like Mr. Dusty Butt

And since there's probably people who will "scold" me per say, about using treats to catch him, I don't use them when were training. Just as a treat or a lure.

 

[abigalerose]

Abigalerose
I follow your FB page!

Oh! Coincidence or did you look for it?

 

[ChickenLover200]

Abigalerose
I follow your FB page!

Oh! Coincidence or did you look for it?

I looked for it

 

[abigalerose]

I looked for it

Lol thanks!

 

[abigalerose]

K so I want to tell you guys about my really long term plan, I've been mulling it over for a while and I think I've decided how I'd like to do things.
Tomorrow, the girl is coming to look at Indie, and if she likes him, then I'll have Reno and Indie sold and I'll just have Jasmine and June, when June comes home next month she'll have some reining training on her, but instead of showing her (because I'm not good enough to show and she probably won't be either) im just going to practice on her religiously, partly to improve my riding, but mostly to build confidence, so I'm comfortabe with loping and spinning and the run down and sliding stop, so I'll be working on my bravery and riding for about 2 years, then when Jasmine is 2 I'm going to send her to a professional reining trainer (I think there's a good one in the next state over) and get lessons myself, and my plan is to show her for about 3 years, and THEN id like to breed her to the best stallion I can find. I have a couple picked out already (yeah, 5 years ahead of time), although one is a racing quarter horse so I'm not sure how well that crosses on a ranch-y horse? And of course I'd keep the foal because I could never sell it lol.
Anyways, that's kinda what I have planned, and I also decided I won't buy another horse unless it's my DREAM mustang, or a foal off of the farm I like in South Dakota.
But if I ever have a bunch of extra land and extra money, I would still like to do the California Vaquero Horses

 

[PeepersMama]

K so I want to tell you guys about my really long term plan, I've been mulling it over for a while and I think I've decided how I'd like to do things.
Tomorrow, the girl is coming to look at Indie, and if she likes him, then I'll have Reno and Indie sold and I'll just have Jasmine and June, when June comes home next month she'll have some reining training on her, but instead of showing her (because I'm not good enough to show and she probably won't be either) im just going to practice on her religiously, partly to improve my riding, but mostly to build confidence, so I'm comfortabe with loping and spinning and the run down and sliding stop, so I'll be working on my bravery and riding for about 2 years, then when Jasmine is 2 I'm going to send her to a professional reining trainer (I think there's a good one in the next state over) and get lessons myself, and my plan is to show her for about 3 years, and THEN id like to breed her to the best stallion I can find. I have a couple picked out already (yeah, 5 years ahead of time), although one is a racing quarter horse so I'm not sure how well that crosses on a ranch-y horse? And of course I'd keep the foal because I could never sell it lol.
Anyways, that's kinda what I have planned, and I also decided I won't buy another horse unless it's my DREAM mustang, or a foal off of the farm I like in South Dakota.
But if I ever have a bunch of extra land and extra money, I would still like to do the California Vaquero Horses

Sounds like a good plan!
But just gonna say, even if you do find your dream mustang, I wouldn't get it unless its at least green broke, so you don't have to start from scratch