Hello H&C, I was wondering if you could help. I am currently helping with four Highland ponies and one of them (Dragonfly) is going to be backed next month, as he is going to be four. Dragonfly has been assigned to me - he's adorable and is fairly well behaved, but the problem is that when I go to catch him from the field and go up to him hiding the halter, he walks off. I try calling to him, but it doesn’t work, so I then do as I have been told and follow him saying 'stand'. After 30 minutes of this he finally stands and I drape the lead rope over his neck so he knows he’s caught. After this he’s a star and walks fairly easily but I feel 30 minutes is too long. He also does this with his owners. I wondered if you had any tips?

H&C expert from Aspire Equestrian Academy, Wiola replies:

"Catching ponies/horses that don't want to be caught is always tricky! I once rode a horse for someone who would not be caught for hours and it was not amusing. One way of dealing with it could be to spend some time with Dragonfly in the field without him having to work immediately after being caught. You could designate some time when you are not in a rush, go to catch him and give him a short groom, a pat, perhaps a small feed, and let him go again to graze. As you go to catch him, I wouldn't try to hide your rope or halter. He knows very well you are coming to catch him whether he sees the halter or not and you hiding something from him might only make him more suspicious.

The way you approach

"The way you walk to your pony is important too. You might notice that when horses are turned out in a group they will rarely just stride towards one another in a straight line. They will move at an angle rather than head on and perhaps stop a few times to graze and continue walking towards one another. You could mimic that when you approach Dragonfly. Keep your eyes down as looking directly in the eye is generally perceived by a horse as a threat.

You could also ask the owner or find an experienced trainer to help you learn in-hand work/groundwork to increase Dragnofly's desire to be with people. You say he is the same with his owner which might mean he simply prefers his field time to human interaction. In-hand work builds relationship between the handler and the horse, teaches the horse to respect the handler's personal space and react to their body language. All this can help you when trying to communicate with Dragonfly in the field. 

Good luck and let us know how you get on with Dragonfly."

Wiola