I have a yearling TB colt
I can't get him to join up see reasons below;
he won't let me rub his head before or after (clock position has nothing to do with it)? so now what?
he is very heard bound with another colt that is about 300 yards away in the barn and he talk with him during the session so now what? NO I can't remove the other colt etc.
He is very studish? Coltish? and hard to handle getting down to the round pen. I'm pretty good size 6'3" 280 lbs but he practically drags me on the way down and back. I have not tried a bit yet and right now with his current behavior I don't think I could get one on him anyway.
So what should I do when they won't let you rub the spot between the eyes before or after the "join up" ?
Under separation anxiety the adrenalin level of the horse is high and communication is extremely difficult. I think you must resolve that problem first. One possible way: go forth and back to the other horse with growing distance to convince them that there is no definitive separation. You could also ask yourself what you expect from a yearling. Maybe: leading, accept the hoofcare and the veterinary.
Rudi
You don't have to rub him between the eyes. Just a gentle touch or rub anywhere in or around the head and/or upper neck area is just fine, from my experience. Time and patience and trust will bring that along just fine.
I agree with Rudi and Paul. If he is feeling that anxious he will not focus and dragging you to the pen is not good. Start leading work with the Dually, increase his tolerance of seperation gradually and do the work in the round pen later when you can quietly lead him backward and forwards. It doesn't take long if you do it in bite size pieces, however if you keep continuing as you are you actually reinforce his behaviour by allowing him to rehearse and repeat it so that it becomes more deeply ingrained. No, don't put a bit in, he really doesn't need it - focus on the relationship and groundwork for now. Keep us posted :-)
I've been working for the past week with a wild mustang filly. I literally could not touch her a week ago. However, I started with her in a shoot where it was safe for her and me and began rubbing her all over until she relaxed. She was very head shy and would not let me touch her face at all. But I was persistent with working my way up her neck and onto the top of her head and ears, eventually I could touch her face. It took about two days. I would reward her by walking away every few minutes when she relaxed. I have been able to gentle her almost from head to toe within a week. So what I'm saying here is work your way up to his face gently and slowly until he is comfortable with each area. Teach him to lead with a dually in a small area that he can't drag you around. Back him up a lot and teach him to respect your space before trying to join up with him, all of this ground work is essential to get a good join up.
Good luck,
Great advice from Klienne and Vicci here. My concern is with your use of the dually halter IF you have one. If you are using the dually correctly and have completed your initial dually training then he shouldn' t be dragging you about by the dually but walking in the sweet spot. Re-check Monty's dually training videos plus the excellent ones in the Monty and Kelly Marks videos. - Horsemanship Essentials - Horse and Country T V, UK - series plus the latest videos on loading also clearly demonstrate how the dually should be used. Good luck with it.
Remember he is still very young so try not to expect too much from him. Try just spending time with him so that he gets used to having you near.
Plus agree with Vicci - no need to put a bit on him prior to his starting with saddle and riding. At this young age just the dually should be fine.