Anybody ever tried a Solo Equestrian Loading harness?

nikCscott

nikCscott

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I've posted about my WB being an occasional loader before. He loads fine to go out (we do loads of practising at home) but doesn't want to leave the party to come home. I have a 3.5 horsebox with loads of room for him and he travels a dream and is in no hurry to disembark when we get there.

We have tried the backing up (Monty Roberts theory), but he finds going backward incredibly easy and can do it all day. Generally if I have this one friend with me and a lunge line he'll go on, but if i'm by myself he knows I can't be in front and behind at the same time and although its lovely when people offer help at comps- if you get cross with him in anyway he'll rear up etc etc etc. Our last outing ending in him staying over night and me going back with said friend the next day.

I just wondered if anyone had tried one as I think the theory for him works quite well but as we all know horse don't read the theory......

Edited to say: Here the link http://www.soloequestrian.com/index.html
 
I know some one who does a similar thing using a lunge line and other bits of equipment. Works well for her so I guess this would be as good. I myself have not needed to try it so only going on their experience.
 
My horse sounds very similar to yours! I haven't used one of these yet as am currently refurbing a trailer and at the moment it has no floor, but I saw these on Ebay and thought it might work well for him. Not sure about the clipping it to the breast bar though, if you did this and your horse panicked, how would you release it? But as a helping hand without clipping it, I am keen to try once the trailer is safe.
 
I'd spend the money on a lesson with someone who specialises in loading problems. Your current kit is likely to be perfectly adequate to resolve your problem, but you may need some additional skills/techniques to deal with what your horse specifically does, on the occasions he does it!

Where are you, I may be able to recommend someone.
 
Sorry, missed this post at the time, but belatedly here is some extra information:

The harness has the same effect as using a lunge line, however it is MUCH easier! It was designed because of my big horse (as seen in the YouTube clip) sometimes had to be loaded with a lunge line and it is very, very difficult to get the line in the right position and keep it there if you are on your own, especially if the horse is fidgety.
In some cases, I don't think extra training can help particularly. The horse above sometimes loads perfectly and instantly and sometimes refuses to go in and needs the harness. There is no pattern to this behaviour. Both my other horses load instantly - I'm quite good on the loading front - so it doesn't seem to be to do with me, rather his mood!
If the horse panics once clipped in place, the harness will break and release it. The breaking strain is such that a fidgety horse won't damage it but a truly scared horse can get free. The part that breaks is easy to replace.

Hope that helps a little!
 
Yes, and for a while it worked very well, and then my beastie got wise to it.

SE.... I had trouble with the straps coming undone, I followed the diagrams but it keeps coming apart, and now i have broken a bit of it :-(
 
We have a mare that will walk up the ramp and in like a dream at the merest touch of a lunge line round her bottom. Without it however will stand at the bottom for hours, not upset but refusing point blank. So with other people around it's easy, on my own impossible. Some years ago I came up with an idea and use it to this day. I put a roller on her, thread a piece of lunge line cut to size through side ring, round her quarters, through ring on other side and clip ends together at her withers. Lead her to ramp, she stops, I pick up line at her withers and lift it against her back end, she walks sweetly up the ramp. Remove it in seconds once on board, up with the ramp and off we go.
Have no idea about the equipment mentioned but I bet it's expensive!!!!
Obviously my method would only work for a horse that needed only a little encouragement from behind, so I think may work for op, but I'm guessing the solo thing would have the same limitations.
 
I have one- it works for some horses and doesn't for others (like any training aid really)....

I don't have much use for mine anymore so if someone would like to try one out for the cost of postage + a tiny bit, let me know!

(Or if your local-ish to Worcester I'd be more than happy to run it over to you to have a go with. I felt that I knew within 5 or 10 mins the horses it would work on and the horses that it wouldn't, I definitely felt it was very successful with horses with a little more nervous energy/ worried about going in the box rather than the ones who were just being git-ish. If that makes sense??? Great bit of kit for the right horse).

Oooh we have also used it for long lining horses that haven't been backed/ can't have a saddle on else it helped keep the long reins in the right place by threading them through the 2 side loops, although we did do a minor alteration and run a length of baler twine under the girth area to help keep it straight.....

V x
 
I hvae a friend who swears by this harness for her bad loader - nothing else (lunge lines included) worked for her mare, and of course the harness means you don't need a helper either! She said it's the best money she's spent in a long time...
 
soloequestrian said:
It costs £29.50 as a kit, or £45 assembled.

Angua - that is odd, the straps shouldn't slide. Which bit have you broken?
Click to expand...

:D it would appear that I can't follow the instructions then. *chuckles*

Will get it out and have another look at it and will PM you.

Good bit of kit otherwise.
 
There is a lovely letter in Central Horse News this month from a lady who is pleased with her harness - thank you for taking the time to write!!
 
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