How to Catch a Loose Horse Without Losing Your Mind

A real-life story about patience, herd dynamics, and thinking like a horse

The Call That Changed the Evening

The other night, I got a call from a friend—we’ll call him Frank—whose horse had broken out of its paddock. The usual tricks weren’t working. Frank had already tried the hay cart. The horse said, “Nah, the grass is better.” He shook a scoop of grain, hoping for that magical moment. The horse wasn’t having it. It kept trotting happily from one delicious grassy patch to the next.

Thirty minutes after I arrived, the horse was in a stall. So what went wrong?

When Frustration Sets In

It’s always frustrating when a horse gets loose—especially at night. Add to that a black horse on a poorly lit farm, and you’ve got a real challenge. Frank was understandably frustrated, and the more he tried to catch the horse, the more it turned into a game of cat and mouse. And trust me—the mouse was winning.

The Predator Problem

When I got there, I watched for a minute and saw the issue right away: Frank was approaching the horse like a predator. We forget this all the time—horses are prey animals. They’re not wired to respond well to someone stomping toward them with a “gotcha!” mindset.

I understood Frank’s frustration. I really did. But you can’t let the horse see that. Horses mirror the people around them. If you’re tense, they’re tense. If you’re calm, they’re more likely to settle. They don’t think like individuals; they think like a herd. And when you’re the only human around, you become part of that herd.

Herd Mentality in Action

In the wild—or even just in a field—horses move as one. If one horse senses danger and bolts, the rest follow without question. That night, to the horse, Frank and I were part of his little herd. But Frank’s energy said “predator,” so the horse did what prey animals do: he ran.

Change the Approach, Change the Outcome

If a horse doesn’t want to be caught, you have to shift your energy. Don’t chase. Let them run if they want to. When they stop, then you can approach—slowly, calmly, and without an agenda.

Talk to them. It’s not about the words—it’s your tone. You could sweetly recite Shakespeare or calmly curse the situation; what matters is how you sound. Soft, kind, patient.

If the horse moves away, stop. Wait. Try again. Every time you get a little closer, it’s a win.

Eventually, you’ll be close enough to either guide the horse into a stall or slip a rope around their neck. Just make sure the stall is safe and horse-free.

A Note on the Horse

This method works best with trained horses. The horse we were dealing with was highly trained—he just really wanted grass. And in my area, that’s a rare treat.

Final Thoughts

The real trick to catching a loose horse?

A black horse peacefully grazes on lush grass as the evening sky glows with warm hues.

Stay calm. Go slow. Think like a horse.