Answer

By Your Horse

TTEAM practitioner Claire Marr says:
A horse who won’t be caught is very frustrating, so to get to the bottom of the problem. Think back to when you first had problems catching your horse. Were you doing anything different in your routine, or had anything happened out on a hack or in the yard?
Ask yourself, is your relationship with your horse enjoyable for him? Does his saddle fit, and have his teeth and back been checked recently? If the answer to all these is yes, Tellington TTouch  (or TTEAM) exercises can help.
The TTEAM Freework exercise will improve your relationship and communication with
your horse.
You’ll need:
1. A long whip and long rope.
2. A headcollar that unbuckles on the nose-piece.
How to start:
1. Clip your rope to the side ring on the nose piece, rather than underneath.
2. Stand level with your horse’s nose with your whip in your outside hand, and stroke down the underside of his neck, chest and fore legs to the ground.
3. Next, use your whip to gently touch your horse’s nose, drawing a line with the whip away from him and forwards to where you want to go – signalling forwards from your rope.
4. Once you’ve walked a few strides, bring your whip back to your horse’s chest and with a gentle ‘ask and release’ backwards pull on the rope he should stop.
5. Next, drop your whip and use your arm instead. Practise this until you’re able to stop, start and turn.
6. Once you’re confident, undo the nose piece so your horse only has a strap around his neck. Using your whip, practise the above exercise, using just your arm once you feel confident your horse is responding to you.