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 Expert
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| My good 1d mare is the type that you have to hold her back or she will fly into the trailer ! Lol suddenly last weekend, out of the blue she does not want to load. My trailer is brand new , aluminum, and she has been hauled in It several months. I checked for wires or other things that might be bothering her. Nothing. Lol once she is in , she rides relaxed and normal ! I’m wondering if it’s just her hormones. It’s that time of year !!! Lol |
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 Shelter Dog Lover
Posts: 10277
| I have one that when he balks loading I know to take him to the vet because he is sore somewhere. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
 
| Have you noticed any different behavior going from a brightly lit area to dark? Like coming or going from the barn or in/out of a stall?
A horse I leased as a youth and showed in the 2’9-3’0 hunters was sold to a gal who was going to use him as a confidence builder mostly over much lower jumps. A few months in he started refusing even cross rails and she figured it was her, didn’t matter she was enjoying dressage more anyway. Long story short the vet came out months later for a different issue and she asked him to look at one of his eyes that had been weepy. Wouldn’t you know, horse was completely blind in one eye and mostly in the other. Looking back they went through a period where he’d balk at the barn entrance or coming out of a stall or getting into a trailer. Once the uveitis progressed farther changes from light to dark stopped bothering him.
Just something to be aware of if everything else is a-okay, as the balking was one of the early overlooked symptoms. |
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Expert
Posts: 5293
| Thanks all! She recently had a lameness exam and routine hock injections. Her performance IN the arena has not changed. Has been exceptional actually. You would think if it was a blindness issue it would affect her performance. Can’t be easy to run barrels blind. Lol she did have a watery eye the week before but it looks fine ??!!?? I guess I could have it checked out. |
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 Horsey Gene Carrier
Posts: 1888
Location: LaBelle, Florida | I would have your trailer double checked on the wiring, esp the ground wire. Horses are extremely sensitive to electrical things. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 133
| I've heard of horses being electrocuted stepping in or out of trailers. Scary.
Edited by SaritaStorm 2017-11-26 11:37 PM
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| kasaj2000 - 2017-11-26 9:04 PM
I would have your trailer double checked on the wiring, esp the ground wire. Horses are extremely sensitive to electrical things.
I second this! |
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 Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
Location: Louisiana | Could it be the horse she's loading behind? I have one gelding that's afraid of another, and I routinely forget and load them the wrong way. The "bully" doesn't kick in the trailer, but the scared one doesn't wanna take that chance lol. That's the only time I can't get him to load. |
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Expert
Posts: 5293
| dashnlotti - 2017-11-29 12:35 PM
Could it be the horse she's loading behind? I have one gelding that's afraid of another, and I routinely forget and load them the wrong way. The "bully" doesn't kick in the trailer, but the scared one doesn't wanna take that chance lol. That's the only time I can't get him to load.
LOL That is what I am going to try this weekend! She is a BOSSY mare ( THe one that won't load) and if you load HER FIRST, any horse that loads behind her she queels and makes a fuss, but its harmless, I have dividers. lol My other horse in front of her is harmless to, but maybe she is just irritated with him. We will see! Can't hurt to try it! |
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Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
Location: Louisiana | FLITASTIC - 2017-11-29 3:46 PM
dashnlotti - 2017-11-29 12:35 PM
Could it be the horse she's loading behind? I have one gelding that's afraid of another, and I routinely forget and load them the wrong way. The "bully" doesn't kick in the trailer, but the scared one doesn't wanna take that chance lol. That's the only time I can't get him to load.
LOL That is what I am going to try this weekend! She is a BOSSY mare ( THe one that won't load ) and if you load HER FIRST, any horse that loads behind her she queels and makes a fuss, but its harmless, I have dividers. lol My other horse in front of her is harmless to, but maybe she is just irritated with him. We will see! Can't hurt to try it!
Sometimes it's so simple LOL, hopefully that's the case! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 929
| FLITASTIC - 2017-11-29 1:46 PM
dashnlotti - 2017-11-29 12:35 PM
Could it be the horse she's loading behind? I have one gelding that's afraid of another, and I routinely forget and load them the wrong way. The "bully" doesn't kick in the trailer, but the scared one doesn't wanna take that chance lol. That's the only time I can't get him to load.
LOL That is what I am going to try this weekend! She is a BOSSY mare ( THe one that won't load ) and if you load HER FIRST, any horse that loads behind her she queels and makes a fuss, but its harmless, I have dividers. lol My other horse in front of her is harmless to, but maybe she is just irritated with him. We will see! Can't hurt to try it!
All of the posters before had great advice, but barring anything medical with your horse or mechanical with the trailer- it is probably this. Or if you have had to come to a sudden stop or brake hard for whatever reason your horse may just not be confident. Sorry...it's rough when they tell you no. LOL |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
| dashnlotti - 2017-11-29 4:15 PM
FLITASTIC - 2017-11-29 3:46 PM
dashnlotti - 2017-11-29 12:35 PM
Could it be the horse she's loading behind? I have one gelding that's afraid of another, and I routinely forget and load them the wrong way. The "bully" doesn't kick in the trailer, but the scared one doesn't wanna take that chance lol. That's the only time I can't get him to load.
LOL That is what I am going to try this weekend! She is a BOSSY mare ( THe one that won't load ) and if you load HER FIRST, any horse that loads behind her she queels and makes a fuss, but its harmless, I have dividers. lol My other horse in front of her is harmless to, but maybe she is just irritated with him. We will see! Can't hurt to try it!
Sometimes it's so simple LOL, hopefully that's the case!
Had this problem and we had got a new truck and it turned out the horse didn't like the echo of the truck in the trailer as he loaded, so I have to load him with the truck off. Silly horses. |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | if you have not changed the trailer she loads in recently I would think something is physically bothering her. It may be something as simple as bruised back feet that cause her to not want to put all her weight on the hind end to step in the trailer.
If they are also getting cinchy or showing some other ill behaviors I would look into lameness as well, as changes in behavior can precede obvious lameness or problems on the pattern.
I've had one case of each of the scenarios I mentioned.. Horse just started getting ill tempered and grouchy about everything, including loading.. pretty much screaming at me "I'm hurt, I don't want to go"
The other time was with a really nasty abscess in the left hind foot, encompassed a lot of sole and took months to get rid of. Hurt her to shift her weight back to load in the trailer.
I had another horse who is difficult to load now because her knee is trashed and its hard for her to bend her leg enough to get in, so she takes a bit of encouragement to load. She's an extreme example of reluctance to load due to pain....but nonetheless an example. |
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