|
|
 Regular
Posts: 58
Location: Pa | Anyone have any advise on getting a horse into a trailer? This hose has been trailered many times before but always refused to get on. He will rear and swerve away from the opening. I've already tried taking a rope behind him and pushing him in, also tried a whip for encouragement . Nothing has worked . It takes multiple people every time I need to load him .. Any ideas? Food is worthless also . | |
| | |
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 316
| Have you tried backing the trailer up to a ditch so that he doesn't have to jump. Open the escape door so it doesn't look like he is loading into darkness and can see outside. Another horse in the trailer first. | |
| | |
Regular
Posts: 58
Location: Pa | I have a ramp so he does not need to jump. Yes I have put my mare who is is very attached to in first and he just stands there looking at her but won't go in. I've also left both doors open so there was plenty of light . It's a straight load 2 horse. | |
| | |
 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 317
Location: Idaho | can you swing your divider over to one side and make his side look bigger? Then once he is loaded put the divider back in place and load your second horse? | |
| | |
 Strong Willed Woman
Posts: 6577
  
Location: Prosser, WA | I use a whip but mainly for tapping. I first teach them to lead forward by tapping them with the whip. As soon as they take one step I stop tapping. I teach this away from the trailer before even thinking of loading. Then when they have learned that I lead them up to the trailer to where they stop. I start tapping with the whip and as soon as they take a step forward I stop tapping and reward them by petting and letting them stand there a minute. Then begin again. As soon as they put one foot in the trailer I let them relax a minute and then back them out and start over. I do that with each additional foot. The only time you get aggressive with the whip is if they start going backwards fast. This whole process can take awhile but usually once they get it they get easier and easier. I would not try to teach a horse to load on a time limit. Work on it when you have no place to go. | |
| | |
 Chicken Chick
Posts: 3562
Location: Texas | We bought a horse years ago that the owner hauled for us to try a couple of times before we bought him. (I was a kid). I remember him having to use a whip to get this horse in his 3 horse slant. The horse would about lose his mind but would eventually load, I felt so bad for the horse you could tell he was scared. That was really his only problem. My mom ended up buying him anyway. With our trailer he was the same way (2 horse straight load), so my mom took the divider out. He loaded right up. For the next 15 years you just point and he would load. Our trailer was broke down at some point, friend offered to haul us. Their trailer had a divider, Buckwheat would not load. Turns out he was just a little claustrophobic lol. It didn't matter what trailer, if it was a tight space you were going to have a work out trying to get him in. If it was "open", he would walk right in. He was like that until the day he died. Not saying that is every horse's loading problem, but occasionally it may be something about the trailer they don't like that you can change.
Edited by pinx05 2015-07-06 12:19 PM
| |
| | |
| kakbarrelracer - 2015-07-06 12:16 PM
I use a whip but mainly for tapping. I first teach them to lead forward by tapping them with the whip. As soon as they take one step I stop tapping. I teach this away from the trailer before even thinking of loading. Then when they have learned that I lead them up to the trailer to where they stop. I start tapping with the whip and as soon as they take a step forward I stop tapping and reward them by petting and letting them stand there a minute. Then begin again. As soon as they put one foot in the trailer I let them relax a minute and then back them out and start over. I do that with each additional foot. The only time you get aggressive with the whip is if they start going backwards fast. This whole process can take awhile but usually once they get it they get easier and easier. I would not try to teach a horse to load on a time limit. Work on it when you have no place to go.
This ^ if he has a ramp then half the work is done (some horses don't understand they can actually step up into the dark scary box). Don't rush him, put one foot at a tiime, and then let him relax - give him hay, feed, scratch him, whatever. And then back him out and do it again, but next time bring him one more step. Once (if) he gets all the way in let him hang out. then back him out and do it as many times until he gets in with no resistance.
I would also try getting him respecting you and trusting you on the ground (Clinton anderson type methods). Basic exercises to get him moving his feet when you ask will make him respect you, and trust you with everything you ask him to do - such as getting into the dark scary box. | |
| | |
 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | Izzy+coy - 2015-07-06 11:40 AM Anyone have any advise on getting a horse into a trailer? This hose has been trailered many times before but always refused to get on. He will rear and swerve away from the opening. I've already tried taking a rope behind him and pushing him in, also tried a whip for encouragement . Nothing has worked . It takes multiple people every time I need to load him .. Any ideas? Food is worthless also .
How are this horse's manners otherwise?
I'll bet that there are problems elsewhere too. Not that they are big glaring problems but it could be the horse stepping into your space; or not leading briskly next to you; or rubbing their head on your after a ride; etc. All these things are subtle things that simply mean: You have a ground work problem. (Or if you like the term better, you have a leading problem.)
Just like in the saddle when you ask a horse to move somewhere with your legs, you expect them to oblige and do what you ask. We work with them on going past the scary banner on the arena fence, or the scary monster inside the chute when you are trying to get into the arena for a barrel run. Why does it become different when you ask them to go into a trailer? Why should you let them "get away" with not doing what you ask?
Granted, you do need to make sure your trailer is appropriate for your horse. How big is your horse? Does he FIT in your 2-horse straight load?
How about the slant divider? Is there enough space from the divider to the floor so he can adequately stand with his legs far enough apart to balance himself?
So while you do need to make sure he is comfortable on the trailer and it is appropriate for him, he should still load when you ask.
I would recommend you take some lessons from someone who is good at ground work, and getting a horse to move their feet on the ground. This is definately a problem and it will be hard to break, as it sounds like it has gone on for some time.
I used to have horses that were hard to load .... then I figured out what the problem was (ground work). Now all my horses (even one I've only had for 3 weeks) will hop right on the trailer when I open the door. All I have to do is point them at it.
I copied/pasted this from another board but this is the method I use. But it still would be helpful for you to find someone to help you in person.
Prepare your horse.
You need to prepare your horse before you actually introduce the trailer. Ground work is key! Your horse should lead respectably beside you (not in front of you, and not behind you). Your horse should always respect your space and never crowd you. Your horse should move his hindquarters away from you (disengage) when you tap his hip and ask him to move over. He should also move his shoulders away from you when you tap his shoulders. And he should back up freely when you ask.
Teaching your horse proper ground manners will take weeks, or even months. This is not something that can be learned in one session. And it is something that you must always expect your horse do. Don’t ever “slack off” and let your horse get away with bad ground manners. Always expect perfection. And if the horse screws up, that’s okay! Correct them, and go on with what you are doing. Horses are like humans in that they will make mistakes. But that’s okay because that’s how the horse learns.
The best way to teach ground manners is to work specifically on it every single day for 10 to 15 minutes.
Also remember, when teaching your horse ground manners, you don’t need a death grip on the halter or lead. In fact, go ahead and give the horse a foot or two slack in the lead rope. This teaches the horse that they still have to behave and listen to you, even if you aren’t directly beside them. Ideally in the end, you should be able to move every part of your horse’s body (head, shoulders, hip, and all four feet) without your feet ever moving one step. THAT’S control. And that’s the level of ground manners you need from your horse before you can ever expect them to respect and trust you to load into a trailer.
I find it very useful to use a stick (about 4 feet in length) to act as an extension of your arm to move various body parts of the horse. However, as an end result, you should be able to move your horse’s body with your body language.
Key point: Your horse must respect you and trust you with excellent ground manners before you even introduce the trailer.
Introduce the trailer.
One mistake that most people make when introducing their horse to the trailer is that they must get the horse onto the trailer during one session. That is incorrect. The very last thing you should do is expect your horse to fully load. And I’ll explain more on that below.
When you introduce the trailer, it is simply going to be a mere obstacle for you to work around. Make sure your trailer is parked in an area with good footing and plenty of room. If you have a smaller bumper pull trailer, it is safest to have it hooked up to a pickup, or else appropriately blocked. You wouldn’t want the trailer to move if you horse puts weight in it. Larger gooseneck trailers are often heavy enough that it isn’t necessary to have a pickup hooked to it, but you should still block the wheels for safety reasons.
For the first couple of sessions, open up the trailer and just work your horse near it. Continue doing the same ground work exercises you did before. For example: You stand at the trailer opening. With a lunge line and “stick” ask your horse to move its body to the right in a half-circle. Then ask your horse to go the left. Change directions again. Etc. Basically, you are keeping your horse’s feet moving by asking the horse to move in various directions. Remember: The horse should be moving; not you! (If you did your ground work correctly.)
If you horse ever wants to stop and sniff/smell or otherwise investigate the trailer, allow them. It is okay for them to show curiosity toward the trailer, because that means they have their attention on it.
So for your first couple sessions (remember: we are working with our horse every day for 10 to 15 minutes), you are not even asking your horse to put one foot on the trailer. This is what most people don’t understand, because they think they *have* to get that horse in the trailer, which is incorrect.
Begin teaching the loading process.
Now that your horse has great ground manners, and can still uphold those ground manners when the trailer is present, you are ready to start teaching the horse how to load and unload from the trailer.
Some people will tell you to lure your horse onto the trailer with grain. That’s fine and dandy, but what will you do when your horse is not interested in treats? Giving your horse treats does not actually train the horse to load onto the trailer. It can be used as a reward/praise, but it should never be used to trick a horse into loading.
Some people will also tell you to park your trailer in the horse’s pen and put your horse’s food and water in the trailer. The idea here is that the horse will become so hungry and thirsty that they will get into the trailer to nourish themselves. This is not only animal cruelty, but it also does not train your horse to load because the handler isn’t even there! And there are some horses out there that would rather starve themselves instead of setting foot into the trailer.
So, we want to teach the horse to load when we ask it to. Not only when there is food present. And please note it does not matter what type of trailer you have (stock, 2-horse straight, ramp, etc). Yes, a wide open stock trailer will be easier to train, but you can train a horse to load into anything with patience.
We start the trailer loading process by asking the horse to load ONE front foot ONLY. Standing off to your horse’s left side, tap your horse’s hip to encourage him to go forward. Do not stop asking the horse to go forward until he does. But when he does comply, you must immediately stop asking him. You don’t need to coddle the horse every time he does something right, but you do need to remove the pressure (you tapping his hip to go forward) for the horse to get his release and reward. If your horse steps sideways instead of forward, that’s okay. Use your previous ground manners training to straighten him up again. He must face the trailer opening squarely in order to load, so you must keep his body square to it.
Again, if he sniffs or investigates the trailer, allow him to do so because he is showing interest in it.
Be patient. Keep on asking your horse to go forward until he places one foot into the trailer. Once he does so, allow him to keep it there and think about it. But you need to be aware of his body language. If you sense that he is about to take that foot off the trailer again, you need to beat him to the punch and ASK him to back up before he actually does it. That way, he thinks it was your idea to back up; not his. Then repeat! Ask him to load only one front foot and then unload it.
Remember to always end your daily sessions on a positive note. And remember that horses have bad days too. Maybe yesterday he loaded one foot just fine, and now today you are having issues. Instead of drilling him for 45 minutes to get that one foot on the trailer, go back to just plain working on ground manners because it is something that he can do correctly. End on a positive note, quit, and try to load one foot the next day.
After several sessions (and several days) of loading just the front foot when you horse is consistent, then you can start asking to load both front feet. Go through the same process you did before of asking your horse to move forward by tapping him on the hip, and releasing immediately when he moves forward correctly. Then asking him to back those feet off. This is an “approach – retreat” sort of method. You are telling the horse “Hey, I would like you to come forward.” and once he does you tell him “Oh wait, I changed my mind. I want you to back up.” By asking your horse to go forward and backward in a non-chalant manner, you are teaching him that trailer loading is no big deal and he is able to listen to you on where you want his feet to go.
On a side note, you as the handler have never yet set one foot into the trailer. Why? By staying outside of the trailer, you are slowly teaching your horse to self-load. Especially for slant load trailers, this is much safer staying outside of the trailer, and only entering the trailer to close the divider behind the horse.
After several session (and several days) of loading both the front feet, you can begin to ask the horse to load three feet. Do NOT allow your horse to load fully. He is not ready for that. Ask him to load and unload three feet over and over again in your daily sessions, using the approach-retreat method.
Key point: It should have taken you a couple weeks to get your horse to the point of loading three feet in and out of the trailer. This is not a process to be rushed. You must stay patient.
The final step: Loading your horse into the trailer.
When your horse is successfully loading three feet in and out of the trailer easily on command, you are finally ready to ask the horse to load fully. Use the exact same process you were doing before. You are just simply going to ask for all four feet to be in the trailer at the same time. And then you are going to ask the horse to back off the trailer.
This is why we’ve spent weeks (or even months) of preparation for this moment. We’ve perfected our horse’s ground manners. We’ve introduced the trailer as a non-scary object. We’ve got excellent control of all four feet and the horse’s whole body. This is what is needed to have a horse who loads into any trailer without question.
Just as we’ve done everything else in baby steps, you will NOT load your horse completely for the first time, slam the divider shut, and take off down the road. You will instead load and unload your horse several times over the period of several sessions. When your horse is comfortable with that, then you can close the divider (if your trailer has one) for a few minutes. Do that for a few sessions. When your horse is comfortable with that, you can completely close the trailer for a few sessions. When you horse is okay with that, then you can take them for an easy drive around the block for a few minutes. Often, this step is much more calm if you haul your horse with a buddy who travels well.
Conclusion
As you can see, to properly teach your horse to load (or to fix any bad habits) this is a long process over the course of weeks or months. It requires patience and it requires your horse to respect and trust you.
And remember: There is no shame in seeking the help of a trainer if you have a hard-to-load horse, no matter how old you are or how long you’ve owned horses. Everyone can always learn something from someone else.
I personally highly recommend Clinton Anderson’s trailer loading DVD. It goes through most everything I just talked about, and along with more details and video to see what is going on. I’ve had great success with this method with my horses.
In the event of an Emergency.
Things happen. We know that. Maybe a wildfire is on the way, or you have an injured horse that needs veterinary attention. And maybe you haven’t gotten through the entire trailer loading training yet. There are a few “emergency” loading techniques that can be used. But it should be warned that these methods should only be used as an absolute last resort. Doing these things will create stress and frustration on the horse’s part and will often set you back in loading training, because you are forcing the horse before they are ready. So if you use these methods, be prepared to have to backpeddle in your training.
--You can use a butt rope around the horse’s rear in the same fashion we’ve been working with: Apply pressure to ask the horse to move forward. Release pressure immediately when the horse moves forward. The difference here is that you ARE asking the horse to load all the way right away, and you are more forceful about it.
--Use corral panels to creep closer to the horse to encourage the horse to go into the trailer. (You will need several helpers to do this.)
Again, these things will get a horse to load in an emergency, but it could cause a panic situation. That’s why it should only be used when there is no other choice. You should instead take the time NOW to train your horse to load so that they will be a willing partner to go wherever you ask them to place their feet.
| |
| | |
 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| A lot of horses hate to get in the trailer because they do not like the ride. Assess your driving. One other thing, the paint in my avatar would not load when he had EPM because it hurt him to back out. | |
| | |
 Expert
Posts: 2258
| We were using a mare for rodeo that would not load with a ramp unless I put a few shavings on first and this mare had hauled 1000's of miles in her life. She also didn't like to go in her stall with mats if it didn't have shavings. I guess it was just the way she saw it and it scared her. | |
| | |
 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | My colt (he's a 3 year old) was bad about loading, but I learned with him is do not give up and make sure that the trailer is a place of reward (grain, hay, rest, whatever). An article I read in a magazine recently said that when you have a horse that doesn't want to load, take him a short distance from the trailer, then lunge him. Then ask him to load again, and if he doesn't, go lunge him again and keep doing it until he realizes getting in the trailer is much easier than being lunged. It worked for my colt (and food), and now I have absolutely no issue getting him in the trailer. I expect a few hiccups here and there because he is still young, but at least I now know how to deal with it. | |
| | |
Veteran
Posts: 139
Location: Abbotsford B.C. Canada | I have an older horse who refused to load when I took her over at 15 years of age. Old problems who knows.
I had a cwoboy names Darryl Gibb come out to load her and it was just like the movie horse whisperer. My horse put up a terrific battle but he never wavered nor lost his temper. His comment was the horse had never been taught to lead properly and always managed to get her way if iy suited her hence lots of issues. She was mean and masty as well, and would run people out of the stall and kick people and rear and strike like a stallion.
So what we did was line her up and work with her and we opened up the stall divider in my old two horse king trailer and opened up the front put food in the whole deal none of which really worked of course. Then he proceeded to load her. She jumped around, went side ways at the trailer and generally flew back and reared as if to strike and lots of other drama.
What he did was kept her focussed on the trailer and tapped her until sshe came forward and worked away at this from about noon to 4;00 PM ( yes be prepared to spemd time at this!!). Then she was still fighting so he took her up to the round pen and laid her down . He took off my stirrups so she would not break a rib, then he used a rope to tie up the left front leg and then another on the horn and gent;y pulled her down. Then he let her sot for a while and strokes her and petted her, no rough stuff at all. Then he let her up and back to the trailer.
Then he worked her as before, and she nearly went in. Bit more fuss so he laid her down again. The back to trailer and she went in.
THe next morning he watched me load her and she was good, trailered her a couple of hours and back and she was fine and i could load her after that.
Then she got injured and I had to leave her for a year almost. She forgot what she had learned. In the meatime we actually removed her ovaries as she showed such awful heats I thought something was wrong. Dr. Bryant at Snohomish vet clinic found that while there was no outward sign of any issues, she had a tumor that was secreting testosterone in one ovary. Maybe that was the root cause. Ultra sound showed she was ok and regumate helped but in the end we actually did the deed on a hunch.
A year later I retired and moved her with tanquilizer as we were back to square one on loading.
Over here I had a new trainer Severin Peterson (could not track down Darryl) and he was great. He was a very good student of how my horse reacted and he used a different tack by standing on the ramp, having her face the opening in a two horse large straight load . We opened up the front, had some hay in. He used my Johnathan Field rope halter and tied it a bit more secure by putting it under her jaw. Then he held the lead close to the head and did not really ler her crank her head around and get sideways one of her tricks. He stood to one side at her head and tapped her shoulder with a Perrelli stick. steady and firmly but not beating on her.
I thought you had to tap their rear ends but her said no, just encourage them to realize if they step forward they get a relief, if they do not come forward, the tapping goes on. The key I had missed, was that she would blow up and fly back and I would quit. He said let her blow up as this is her trick that always worked, but do not release her . This time he let her blow, fly back, but he kept a hold of her and went back with her. Next came the rearing and striking, and he kept the same pressure on the line but a little longer. So she flew back reared and when she finished he still had her and was tapping on her shoulder again . If she swung her hind quaters around he would tap them back. He never relented and she eventually came forward to the trailer and stepped in.
Then he let up tapping, let her rest, and took pressure off the lead line. Just a tiny bit but the horse read it as relief. He let her rest a bit but unlike me who rewarded a half effeort, he then started tapping again continuing if she moved back, keeping her head facing the trailer and eventually she came back in and moved a bit more forward. This was rewarded with relief on the halter but just a bit. He rested her a bit then started to ask her again to move forward .
I used to quit at this point rewarding the try and that was all I was teaching her was trying halfway then I quit so she quit. He did not quit. He kept at it pwith ressure and relief and pressure and relief and after 2 hours she went in totally and he let her rest a bit and pushed her out.
Two weeks later we repeated this with the partition in (the above was out first try) and it worked again in about 1 hour.
I think I read the blow up as time to quit but he said it was her ultimate weapon to avoid loading so just go with , keep the tension on the shank but longer so you do not get hit and keep the head facing the trailer. Then do not reward a half try if she half loads, keep at it until she loads. Do not lose your temper, do not beat the horse just tap her . I was surprised tapping her shoulder worked as I thought you had to tap the hip to move a horse forward, or be behind her.
I suggest you get a trainer who is a natural horseman /woman and show her this and see what can be done. I had trouble reading the exact moment when to release her when I tried to load her but actually could do it under his guidance.
I may need a follow up lesson and cannot find this trainer so may be hooped, but I think it can be done with the right approach. My mare was the mare from hell I can tell you, and she scared the daylights out of most people. I was given the horse because it was so difficult. Maybe a vet check would help you sort out an ovary or other issue and maybe a helmet for the horse would help , i do not know why my horse had this issue as no one knows her background really. Probably tranquilized when shown and sold to the girl who had her.
I may have missed some things here , but I think a good trainer who is a natural type girl can get it done and show you the techniques to apply. Forget the hitting her with a broom and other sage advice I had , and you can push her in maybe but that is a disaster waiting to happen. I used to just whip a horse on the back of the hocks (yes I was an idiot many years ago) so go with making the horse understand she must go in and it is unpleasant (not painful just unpleasant ) to not go in and you mean business. The blow up is the final trick and the horse actually may give up rather easily if you stick with her through that and do not get rough, just hold on and proceed as before after she blows. (kinda like a teenager eh!) .That is hard work for her compared to just going in and she will eventually figure that out.She may pull that stunt a few times but it is tiring for her.
It takes time and be in an arena where weather is not a factor. I am not saying lay the horse down, Darryl just said it helps some horses refocus and is painless and quicker for certain horses. It shows trust pretty quick as he made sure she knew she was safe with him. She still had the ovary issue with him.
The old ways scare a horse in but that will eventually not work just when you need her to load the most like an emergency to the vet or heading to that barrel race when you are late!
I need to follow this up as we used a friends trailer second time, and need more practice, but thought you may find this food for thought. Get a good trainer and you may be surprised how well it works. You need to get a feel for the horse.
Cheers,
Coastal Rider
So | |
| | |
Veteran
Posts: 139
Location: Abbotsford B.C. Canada | Incidently I think the article on loading as per Clintin Anderson sounds great, and try that for sure. I am just telling you about my horse who had a specific problem and a real personality issue and how we solved it. More of like correcting a bad habit, she knew how to load, she just chose not to, and she was not afraid of confined spaces nor noise or anything else, she was just plain nasty and dominant and maybe hurting from the ovary deal or out of whack and got away with this stuff for years before I got her. Run all this by a professional trainer.
Cheers,
Coastal Rider | |
| | |
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 364
Location: Texas | Lunge, Lunge, lunge. Try to load him and when he refuses don't go but maybe 10 - 15 feet from the trailer and make him lunge until he is ready to drop then go back to the trailer and try to load him again. Do this until he loads. A cowboy taught me this. NO food. It creates more problems then it's worth ( I learned the hard way). This will work. It might take some time but it's worth it. My gelding didn't want to load in my 2 horse straight load. He was nasty about it. He pinned me against the gate on more than one occasion. Now after doing this he will jump right in on the first try. He Will load w/ or w/o another horse in the trailer. But you have to make the trailer a place of rest. If he gets his front feet in he trailer then backs out- go back and lunge him some more. Do NOT let him rest until He is standing in the trailer. Show him that you will not take anything less than 100% from him. I like doing this to get a horse to load because it is a great way to make him think about what HE is doing to make his life harder but yet you don't have to get rough with them to get the point across. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 618
| I have a gelding that refused the trailer and was a pain to load. My daughter took him to a clinic and they pulled our trailer into arena and taught her how to load him or any other horse. We lunged him at a trot right at the back of the trailer. After a few circles we'd direct towards the opening, if he refused, right back to lunge IMMEDIATELY. It works every single time, every horse. Once loaded, I reward them with lots of praise and a cookie. I continue with this lesson daily leaving them in longer each time until the hesitation is gone. I do not load and unload one multiple times in one day. Once they load, the lesson is over and I reward them and move on . Good luck! | |
| | |
Meanest Teacher!!!
Posts: 8555
Location: sunny california | one thing to consider. I remember years ago, at a show and these people got a new horse. he loaded just fine at the end of the show. as the season went on he got worse and worse. I saw this coming a mile away because i could see his crappy driving a mile away. anyway finally they could not get the horse loaded and asked me to help. I went over there and got him loaded and it didn't take all that long. they asked me why he was gettting worse. and after biting my tongue i finally just came out and said. It is because your husband drives like crap. that horse is tired of slipping and getting banged around. she looked at him and started yelling I TOLD YOU!!!!! hubby started driving slower and the problem did get a whole lot better | |
| | |
Regular
Posts: 58
Location: Pa | I just bought this horse a few months ago.. This weekend was the first time I ever attempted to put him on a trailer. He was delivered to my house by the privious owner. That is a good point though, maybe the last owner was a rough driver. That could be why he won't load onto my trailer. He does fit into mine just fine.. | |
| | |
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1028
| Definitely check out Clinton Anderson's loading video on YouTube. I think it might've been called "a reluctant star"? He even uses a two horse straight load on the episode. I followed his method on my hard to load youngster and it worked like a charm. | |
| | |
 The Vaccinator
Posts: 3810
Location: Slipping down the slope of old age. Boo hoo. | My mare was rather witchy about loading when she was younger. I used Clinton Anderson's method -- worked perfect. Often I just load and unload her a few times if the trailer is parked out from under the shed to keep her focused. I can point to the trailer and she goes in... his method really works. It's just become something she does nicely just as she lowers her head when I touch between her ears -- consistent practice. | |
| | |
  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. |  | |
| | |
Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | Do you have anyone that can handle the situation and teach the horse ..it seems silly but all the other rickrash of beating and ropes and wearing horse out etc.. doesnt usually work.. in the end is you need to get respect from him and he needs to learn to just do it.. its not up to him..it may take some time but usually end result is well worth it. | |
| | |
Expert
Posts: 1695
Location: Willows, CA | I recently bought a three year old that did not want to load. I have a lot of experience in getting a horse through this so I told them not to worry about it, if they could get him to me I would sort him out. Well, I really had more of an issue getting him to just let down and know that the trailer was OK than I have ever had before. Three loading sessions to was two more than it has ever taken before. If there is a "trick" to this it is patience. First he needs to know how to be sent by you. Once you can do that, the opening of the trailer needs to be more comfortable than avoiding it. Most people put too much pressure here to start with. Inconvenience is better than big pressure here. Stop the pressure when he make an effort in the right direction. Eventually the result of this will be him getting in. The most important part for me is not closing him in, but letting him out and starting over to prove that the trailer is not a trap. If you do not have the time or temperament to work on this with a horse that is already spoiled, you would be much better to find outside help from someone who does. | |
| | |
Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | Bibliafarm - 2015-07-08 5:29 PM Do you have anyone that can handle the situation and teach the horse ..it seems silly but all the other rickrash of beating and ropes and wearing horse out etc.. doesnt usually work.. in the end is you need to get respect from him and he needs to learn to just do it.. its not up to him..it may take some time but usually end result is well worth it.
I agree.
I used to do more of the lunging method with my old horse who was a hard loader. Usually worked but not always. I much more like the method of controlling where their feet are, because it doesn't require making your horse tired to make them load. It simply requires making them respect you and listen to you.
Plus, who wants to haul their TIRED horse to a barrel race?!?!
| |
| | |
 Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | All great points about working on foundation, moving forward when asked, giving to pressure. I will also second that butt ropes, etc don't work - they need to learn to go on by themselves.
The other point I want to make is that just because a horse gets on a trailer without a fight it doesn't mean they know how to load properly -- it just means you've been lucky & they've been willing.
I've spent as long as 6 hours getting one loaded, and have worked as long as 3 years off & on to get a horse truly comfortable with trailering. It's not something that's fixed with just a few sessions. It's a process. Teaching them to go on the trailer is one thing, teaching them to be comfortable is another.
They need to go on and off that trailer a million times until it's no big deal. What gets most people in trouble is asking for the next step before they're truly comfortable with giving you what you're already asking them for. Same thing goes with locking them in. Don't shut them in if they won't stand there.
A word on safety....Make sure you don't snap your horse in until he's locked in by the divider. Also make sure he's untied before you open the divider. Otherwise, they panic & pull back. | |
| |
|
Loading issues