If you have to catch a horse, be it wild or tame, you will have a better chance of success if you act and think like a wild horse. By acting and thinking like him, by mimicking his body language to communicate with him, you will make the horse understand better what you are trying to tell him.
Note that this article is aimed at those looking to catch a tough wild horse, not Mustangs
Steps
Step 1. Be calm and collected
Horses are sensitive to the feelings of humans and if they feel that you are scared or nervous, they too become like you, scared or nervous.
Step 2. Walk slowly towards the horse and avoid staring directly into the eyes, as it is the predators that look straight in the eye
Speak calmly, in a relaxed tone and avoid making any sudden movements that might scare him. If possible, walk beside them as this is non-threatening behavior for them.
Step 3. When you get close enough to the horse, slowly but firmly compliment him and praise him for his good characteristics, to make him feel even calmer around you
Approach slowly again. When you are close enough and are able to stroke it, carefully approach your hand while holding fingers together (do not put your hand with your fingers open, because it could get the idea that you are a wild animal!) and touch his neck. Then gently stroke his neck, while talking to him calmly and reassuringly.
Step 4. Let the horse sniff your hand to let him know you
Step 5. When he has gained some confidence in you, carefully put a halter on his head while you are still talking softly to him
Step 6. You can also gently approach him and pat him on the back and slide your hand towards his head
If the horse allows you to do this, you can simply slide the lasso over its head.
Advice
- Use a natural gentle tame. The purpose of this technique is to make the horse trust you. If you reach for his head but he pulls away, don't insist. Remove your hand and wait a few moments before trying again. Eventually, the horse will realize that you don't want to hurt him and will have the halter put on.
- Give it a try to study a horse's body language. This will allow you to understand how they communicate with each other in the pack.
- Use an old Native American trick. If you can get close to another horse, peel off the top layer of its chestnuts. These are callous formations that horses have on the inside of their legs. Rub the chestnuts on your hands to transfer the smell to your skin. Stand upwind of the horse as you approach, so that the smell you emanate helps you reach a distance that you can touch. Note: if you do not know exactly how to get the horse "smell" safely without hurting it, do not remove layers of hair at random.
- Hide the harnesses behind your back and slowly pull them out when you want to catch a wild horse.
Good luck!
Warnings
- Horses are very strong. They normally weigh more than 500 kg. They can kill with a kick and if you take a misstep you could be stepped on. Be very, very careful!
- Be very careful when approaching a mare with her foal. She will go to great lengths to protect her puppy if she feels in danger. In this case he kicks, bites and can even ask other members of the pack for help!
- Foals can be cute and cuddly, but keep a safe distance from them. Stallions protect their puppies in all ways and do not hesitate to resort to even lethal methods.
- Wild horses are very aggressive and you may regret doing certain things.
- Do not approach the horse from behind or from the front.
- It's okay if you want to catch the horse with another person, for your own safety and to get help, but avoid too many, as you could scare the horse and cause it to run away.
- Wild horses are like deer; they get scared easily, no matter what you do.
- Wild horses are just like that: wild. Unless you actually bought it, Not try to catch it.
- The legs of horses are very fragile, therefore, you should definitely avoid damaging them or creating a situation that can cause damage to their extremities, for example by making a sudden movement or having them walk through the holes of moles or marmots.
- Do not tempt the horse with any food. You could make other horses aggressive and you could risk getting injured.
- Know what private land is.
