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By Clinton
Anderson
Downunder Horsemanship�
To Catch a Foal
In this trust-building exercise from top clinician Clinton Anderson,
you’ll catch your foal, then teach him to relax in your arms.
I’m a firm believer in working with foals
as soon as they’re born, because the earlier
you can start to work with them, the less
fearful and more respectful they become.
Catching the foal is the first step to desensitizing
him to human touch. He must
learn to trust you before you can teach him
fundamental exercises.
In the following exercise, you’ll catch the
foal, then teach him to stand still and relaxed
while your arms are wrapped around
his body. You’ll find that the more you
practice walking up to him and catching
him, the quieter he’ll get.
Prep Steps
Before you begin, take the following
prep steps:
Establish trust. Before starting this first
lesson, establish trust with your mare. If
The easiest way
to catch your
foal is to do so
when he’s nursing.
He can only
think about one
thing at a time,
so if he’s thinking
about nursing, he
won’t be worried
about you.
HEIDI NYLAND PHOTO
HorseLink Magazine
11
she shows signs of worry or aggression
when you enter her stall, spend more time
with her there, reassuring her.
Discourage games. Some foals like to run
around and play games. The bigger the
area, the more difficult it is to catch them.
Playing a game of “catch me if you can” can
easily turn into a habit for foals, so discourage
that behavior as quickly as you can.
Start small. You want the foal to realize
that you can catch him whenever you
want. If you don’t have a stall, create an
enclosed 12-by-12-foot area in which you
can safely work with the foal.
Find a helper. When your mare trusts you,
first find a helper to hold your mare while
you work with your foal. The quieter your
mare stands, the calmer the foal will stay
throughout the lesson. If your mare paces
the stall with
worry, the foal
will mimic her
behavior.
If you don’t
have a helper,
use an Aussie Tie
Ring to tie your
mare so that she
July 2010
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