Searching for your horse in the meadow: approach strategy
Once the horse is in the meadow, you have to be able to go and get it. This step is not always easy. Here are some tips to help you do this.
Go and find a horse in the meadow
When humans enter the meadow, animals may consider them as predators and tend to flee. Humans' reactions are often the opposite of what they should be: chasing the animals. This way of doing things reinforces their stress and flight behavior and, when running, humans largely lose out to horses. Catching a horse in the meadow therefore requires a real approach strategy. In addition to the irritation it causes in the worker, this chase is a source of many risks: sprains, falls, kicks, etc. It is therefore strongly recommended that workers always wear high safety shoes available from La Sellerie Française . With such shoes, not only does the shell protect the foot from crushing, but the fact that they are high limits the risk of sprains.
Grassland approach strategy
Often, workers go to get the animals in the meadow because they need to be worked or the veterinarian or farrier needs to come. The worker often leaves with apprehension (if he knows that the veterinarian's visit, for example, is not an easy step with this horse) and often waits until the last moment to go and get the animal. The horse senses that the man is nervous and will tend to run away, the worker then gets angry, because he sees time passing and his nervousness reinforces that of the horse; it is a vicious circle.
In this case, it is best to bring the horse in several hours in advance and go to the meadow without apprehension. A horse that lets itself be caught must be rewarded. In order to facilitate the approach, a real strategy must be developed. To avoid causing stress in the animals, workers practice the panoramic gaze technique. This involves watching for the particular while looking at the general. The principle is based on the fact that predators stare at their potential victim before attacking it, so the man who stares at the horse he wants to catch behaves like a predator and triggers discomfort in the animal, which then tends to flee.
On the other hand, if the man practices the panoramic view of the herd while observing the individual he wants to catch out of the corner of his eye, he has a better chance of this operation taking place calmly. Once near the desired animal, it must be approached head-on, slowly, speaking to it calmly and calling it. The worker must always be careful to anticipate any movement of flight on the part of the animal and stop before it does. If the horse spontaneously heads towards the man, the latter must remain still and let the animal come to him. When he is close enough, the keeper slowly grabs the halter or gently passes a rope around the animal's neck. He can also attract it with a carrot or sugar, but this must not become a habit.