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Post by hannah on Dec 11, 2006 1:01:44 GMT -12
Rowan and I are having a slight difference of opinion regarding the trailer at the moment. It began about a year ago with him just thinking about not going in, then walking in perfectly on the second attempt. He is basically getting progressively worse. He travels perfectly and seems perfectly calm in the trailer, has never had an accident and dad is amazingly patient when towing, he has never been above 45mph. I will not hit him in, but I have tried smacking a whip behind him (on my leg!), using a bridle, a pressure headcollar, tempting him with food. But he usually just stand there like he couldnt care less! He stands at the bottom of the ramp and looks about, and after a few attempts he will start throwing himself off the side, then standing and looking unimpressed. HELP!! He loads if he doesnt think he's going anywhere, but otherwise its the whole palava... and its making me cranky!! haha. ANY TIPS? Im not using whips or anything like that....
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Post by cubic on Dec 11, 2006 1:11:25 GMT -12
Have you tried using two lunge lines to keep him straight and encourage him in? I don't mean using them harshly, just putting some pressure behind him and the lines down each side make him less likely that he'll make a dash for it off the side (if you've only got one helper, parking up against a wall can help a bit).
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Post by hannah on Dec 11, 2006 2:22:24 GMT -12
Havent tried that yet Cubic, might be an idea. You know what I mean about hitting him in, I reckon that would just get him angry and he wouldnt go anywhere near the box. I might try that...
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Post by heathside on Dec 19, 2006 1:11:24 GMT -12
one of mine wouldn't load for 3 years several atempts were made but it became a battle of the wills. I sold my trailer a bateson and bought a Richardson ultra supreme and with a pressure halter he loaded first time. try to keep a calm approach if not let someone else try
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Post by echodomino on Dec 19, 2006 3:19:33 GMT -12
My friend has a horse that was pushing dangerous to load. He'd do the same - just stand and look at it. He wasn't frightened, just being stubborn!! She tried whipping him in - I nearly got a faceful of 17hh IDx! Tried to lunge line him in - pretty much the same as the whip and then decided to start from scratch with him. Lots of practice. She would just stand with him either at the bottom of the ramp or half on and he'd get fed up before she did and start to walk on the ramp or would just walk in. She'd feed him all of his dinner in there then bring him out and put him away. She'd put his pressure halter on but wouldn't apply pressure, it was purely his decision and eventually cottoned on that it was ok to load. He had the opposite problem afterwards, he'd load to go somewhere but didn't want to go home I seriously think that's because he was unsettled at the yard we were on and don't think you'll have the same thing - he's moved yard now and is absolutely fine ;D It's just patience and practice. I had to do the same with Nelson. He goes in now sort of second attempt third if he's in a strop, he's only ever walked straight on once lol
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Post by nat on Dec 19, 2006 9:11:02 GMT -12
Hannah - there is always a reason for bad behaviour and I bet you he is worried about the trailer. Why don't you ask for a Natural Horsemanship person to come along and help you with your loading. A friend of mine did that and she was amazed in what a difference it makes. You just need to establish your leadership role a bit more. Try not to bully him into the trailer by making noises behind him as in the long run this will be more damaging to his confidence.
Nat
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Post by squonk on Dec 19, 2006 9:29:00 GMT -12
I had a natural horseman come and help me to box the rabbit, iot took him about 20 minutes to have him walking in and out with confidence. Then once I had been shown how to take him iinto the box we used to take him out for a short drive and bring him home, just so he knew nothing untoward was happening (hre had a bad experience when he was brought down from wales) Eventually took him to shows and he generally loaded ok, but I was never worried that we would be stranded or have to hack home! Best thing I had even paid for
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Post by suew on Dec 19, 2006 9:40:13 GMT -12
We spent a whole summer with Tilly being dreadful to load, she wasn't scared just very very stubborn. We tried everything, the more we pushed or pulled her the worse it got, I though she was going over backwards a few times. She would always get fed up after a while and walk quitely in and then travel perfectly and unloaded easily. I felt like shooting her.
We eventually found that one person standing behind her with a lunge whip in each hand pointing forward and slightly out worked. We never hit her but sometimes cracked the whips gently. Eventually she decided is wasn't worth the trouble and now loads herself, two years on I dont even carry them anymore.
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Post by echodomino on Dec 20, 2006 0:19:00 GMT -12
Forgot to mention: Have you tried loading him without the partitioning? That was another thing my friend had to do with her horse. She had to buy a full length breast bar and travel him without partition. He had space issues, including his stable, thinking about it they were too small for Nelson at the old yard let alone a nearly 17hh horse.
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Post by aster on Dec 21, 2006 8:43:53 GMT -12
I so agree with Nat and sqounk. We had a lovely lady called Hannah from the Natural horsemanship help us with Seymour. She suggested lots of ground work and confidence building exercises. She came 18 months ago and still keeps in touch although she is now managing a riding school in Mustique. With patience we manged to get him mobile but he always hated the trailer. We can now load him fairly easily on the lorry and he travels well. As Nat says it was money well spent. I think you sometimes need an outsider with a fresh approach to make progress.
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Post by dogndobbin on Dec 21, 2006 9:03:49 GMT -12
I agree we needed Hannahs help to sort out Seymour. If he is hesitant to go up the ramp we just use a lunge line behind him to encourage him forward.
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Post by echodomino on Dec 21, 2006 9:36:27 GMT -12
Not sure if it's a good idea, I've never tried it but it's something I shall always remember: When I first went down to the old yard there used to be a friend of the YO who came down quite a lot, he'd had horses/ponies for a very long time and bred as well as very successfully shown arabs and palominos, any way, we were talking about difficult loaders and he said one of his pallys was really difficult to load and they tried everything. Apparently he'd go in eventually but when he was sold and the new owners came to get him and he wouldn't load at all so they got a big bottle of pop, shook it up and then unscrewed the lid behind the pony and the noise made him go straight onto the lorry. They then had to do that everytime they loaded him after that. Not sure if it's true but I have no reason to disbelieve him. It also seems nicer than shoving the horse up the bottom with a broom handle like someone did when I went to XC.
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Post by Spider on Jan 2, 2007 12:01:32 GMT -12
In the end I think it comes down to trust. when I first got Spider, the owners said he was great to box and that he travelled better in a wagon. So a wagon we bought. He walked in first time but never again. Turned out that he had a bad accident in a trailer.. it went over with him in it! The wagon was forward facing.. So when we travelled him, we swong the partition over so he travelled almost sideways. he was still bad to load but would go in, in the end. I changed the wagon to a herringbone one... just abit better to load. Then got a horse whisperer type of guy out to him... and bobs your uncle & fannys your aunt.. after 15 mins of joining up, he walked straight into the wagon. and after that day we never had abit of bother with him The guy showed me how to do it and have never had any trouble since. With any nag I've had. I tend to stay away from people having a hard time loading nags.. but sometimes I will go and give a hand I've only had one, that wouldn't load in 15 yrs... I think it was a mule cross!
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Post by hannah on Jan 2, 2007 20:45:28 GMT -12
Well Rowan and I have been practising. I haven't taken him anywhere, just loaded him, given him huge cuddles and pats, a bit of a carrot and unloading him. So the first day we did it he was a NIGHTMARE. I put on all of his travel stuff and boy was he fooled into thinking we were going somewhere! Anyway, we put the trailer up against the side of the barn to block him going out the left and then used his headcollar and he was having none of it. He stood, then started to work out if he put two feet on the ramp, he got a reward and then he'd take them off again, calm as anything. Out came the bridle. I often find it makes him concentrate a bit more, though I obviously dont pull him in by the bit! He decided going backwards was the answer now, or completely ignoring me. So before anyone got frustrated, dad took the reins, literally just holding them, and I tickled (!) his willy and in he went, happy as larry! We kept practicing until he went in with just a headcollar and me leading him.
So two days later we did the same again, only this time he was in a headcollar and he walked straight in first time.... Cured? I'm not convinced so we will keep practicing!!!
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Post by dogndobbin on Jan 3, 2007 2:45:51 GMT -12
Maybe not so surprising Hannah, after all that is where men keep their brains isnt it? Whatever gave you the idea of tickling his willy though?
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