The grass is a distraction you do not want. Have it grazed off. Leave him in your round pen for an afternoon whilst you sit outside with a radio or better still a good book ( like 'From My Hands To Yours'). You will be there if he gets in trouble - entangled or something. Once there is little food on offer you will likely have more success. You could improve the footing if you have stables using shavings nearby. Used shavings will be washed by rain. It will ruin the grass below but it's a cheap way to prevent slipping. Once you start using a round pen you will want one permanently.

Thank you for your advise, I will try turning him out in there :)
How long should I leave it before our next attempt?

Yes, hard to succeed with a good join up when there is grass to tempt them . Happened to me once too. It is also slippery for them to work on so best if it is gone. You will need to leave him there for a day or so until the grass is almost gone. If you rake his poos over it instead of picking them up that will help to make the grass less tempting to eat. You may need to electrify you fence to keep him in.

You'll know when the grass is gone - either he will look really bored as there's nothing to eat or he may show resistance when you try to put him in there in preference to staying on the lusher grazing. If the latter happens have a bucket with a couple of handfuls of feed for him. He will have a reason to come in there then and once he's finished eating will be disposed to pay you his full attention.

You will always have this distraction on grass, but i have te same set up as you using elec fence posts & tape & it workls fine, I've never "lost" them by going through it.
I agree, it's best to let them eat it off before trying to Join Up as it's just too tempting. I wouldn't worry in the slightest that you have "failed", just wait till it's eaten off & try again.

Well after yesterday's fail he was a little difficult to catch, although managed get him with some bucket feed.
This morning caught him as normal, little weary and turned him out in the round pen. Few hrs later couldn't catch him, seams to be frightened of me, but don't know why?? Stuck and confused he's also still in the roundpen:/ what should I do? Feel like have taken 10 steps back :(

Is he usually with others & now alone in the pen? He's effectively about 13 years old in human terms so at the teen stage. How much handling do you give him? I have a 6 week old filly, born 12.05.14. So long as we stay near,but no necessarily close to Bella (Mum) I can touch any part of her body except her face & ears - and we're working on that! Caught her today in the main field for the first time (first caught to worm last Monday with the help of two friends, one to hold Bella & one to give wormer). Rome was not built in a day. When I let her go today after we circled Bella once, she shot behind Bella, thought about it and came back to me for a rub. We've never done join up - far too young but the gestures are still understood. She lets me pick up her feet, albeit briefly. This is all done loose in a field with Mum, Dad now gelded, big brother of 2013 also gelded, Max the welsh A and the dog, Zack.

Just go into the round pen with him BUT,don't do anything, just sit down & ignore him, stay quiet & relax, at some stage, he'll come to you, but don't stroke him, just let him investigate you until he shows signs of relaxing, ie liking & chewing & going to sleep. Leave the pen!
Do this a few time before trying to touch him when he offers himself to you.

I agree - slow down veedubs; its not about "doing Join up" its about building trust and a relationship. Just write it off as a learning experience and start again :-) If you approach him with the feeling of failure that you are conveying here he will be wary of you and sense the anxiety and negativity. None of us get it right every time honest :-) He will forgive you as soon as you forgive yourself and start again from the beginning. Good luck.

He is still a baby so there is plenty of time. Just concentrate on building up the trust and leave another attempt at join up until he is a bit older and you have a suitable venue.

Hi, adding my two pennies worth. Has your cob grown up in a herd? I'm guessing yes because he showed you the 4 signs, but he is only used to it by other horses, he would have been very young the first time a herd leader would have accepted him when he was first added to the herd.
Translating join up to a youngster on a human / horse relationship is possible, even with grass around but you might have to change things slightly.
It would be good if someone could record you doing it so that you can look at it and see what expressions your face and body is saying. If you have a youtube account you could upload it there and we'll all be glad to help.
All good advice from the guys above, but with a yearling you'll have to slightly change it, when you offer your shoulder to join up and he doesn't come, return to him, stroke between the eyes then invite with the shoulder again. If he doesn't, then go back and stroke him again but this time hook the lunge rope to his halter and then offer your shoulder again then use the line to ask him to come with you too, no need for words until he follows then praise him. Keep on walking as you would as if he'd joined up and followed up on his own, lots of circles etc.
\
He does already trust you else he wouldn't have just stopped and grazed.
\
What you'll be teaching him is how to join and follow up. In a herd it might not have been necessary to join and follow up so you are now teaching him this. Try doing that once then leave it until you want to teach him something new ie put a saddle on his back etc.
I had the pleasure of introducing a foal (9 months) to it's new herd a couple of months ago. She's only had a head collar on for a week and they had been pushing her around to try and get her to move.
My first move was to join up with the lead mare and she accepted my leadership nice and quickly.
With the foal first a bit of dually training, nice and gentle and a lot of patience to get her to walk without being pushed. In the field first I was her leader, she had to stay with me on lead rope until I knew she was listening, then she was allowed off, but she still had to stay near me and I'd send all the other horses off if they tried to crowd her, then I introduce the foal to the lead mare and invited the lead mare to take control, which she did. It took 3 days of the mare sending the foal away before she let the foal come closer to the herd. There was no join up and no follow up, steadily the mare just let her get closer and closer to the herd and only when the foal was listening did the mare stop sending her away.
Point being that join up and follow might not have been taught to a foal, this is something we have to introduce them to.
\
With him running away whilst trying to catch him, pause and think what is your body language saying. Are you relaxed and breathing properly, is you mind clear of the days tasks and problems and are you pussy footing around sort of trying to catch him but then he goes away? A big must is your body language if you're seemingly big and loud in your body he will go away, so hunch your shoulders a bit, droop you head and as you get closer hold your hand out relaxed with palm facing down, in doing this you are creating a muzzle with the back of your hand and offering it to him. He will think about it and should come forward. Remain still just looking at your hand/muzzle, if he doesn't come forward, nod down to your hand and stretch your nose out a bit like the horses do when they meet a new horse, still no eye contact. He will either come forwards and touch your hand, if he does say good boy and walk away. do the same again after a few minutes, then when he touches your hand just rub the end of his nose with the back of your hand, so your hand is passive.
If he goes back to grazing instead of touching your hand, then send him away by snapping your eyes straight on his and raise your arms, make yourself big and march forward not taking your eyes of his, as soon as he moves out of that spot become passive, turn away from him then stand in the space he was just standing in. Wait a few moments without looking at him,just twiddle your thumbs for a mo, then do the same again, relaxed shoulders, relaxed head, and breath out a long breath, do not look at his eyes whilst you are approaching and keep your lead rope very still at your side.
You might find a zigzag movement across him will get you closer to him to offer your hand.
When he stands still for you and lets you rub him, he should then stay with you to put the head collar on,unless you make sudden movements.
What's your horses name???

Mel
x

Remember each time we think we fail, we're actually learning something new ;) So never really a fail. x

Make you smile, the herd consisted of 3 x 17hh warmbloods and the foal was 15.2hh, towering above me. ;-)