Best training methods for a horse that WILL NOT load without a battle?...Ggggrrrr!

Chloe_GHE

Chloe_GHE

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So we have our lovely new lorry and S & D happily load and travel in it.....BUT....my mother's pig headed horse is being a total ASS about going in the lorry!

Firstly he used to load perfectly in the trailer

we tried to load him in the lorry, and in he went, out he walked, and we represented, and he said NOPE!

2.5hrs later he finally went back in!!!!!!!

Now this horse is UBER STUBBORN, and not adverse to kicking, biting, or rearing up on you to get his own way. After 2 hours of trying to get him in the box he wasn't even warm, he's not AT ALL scared about it coz when he goes in he's totally calm has a treat and a pat, turns to look out and then slowly wanders down off the ramp, not a scrap of fear or nerves, just lots of bl**dy minded attitude (he's wbx could you guess?... ;) )

so bearing in mind getting angry or too tough with this horse just doesn't work (we got him because he had been badly treated) so this is what my mum is currently doing...

driving the lorry into the arena (safe place)
placing a blue barrel by the ramp ends so he can't keep swinging his quarters
putting a pressure halter on
every time he stops or goes backwards, keep gentle pressure on the halter, and if he rears or has a flid and won't go fwds again he gets lunged
then back to the ramp
and repeat for 2+ hours

today he finally went in because the yard cat went in and he followed it up!!!!

there's no logic to why he decides to go in, just that he suddenly say ok

so..........are there any other industry ricks or methods that could be used on a horse like this to get it to load a bit quicker than 2.5 hrs later????? my mum is going to be doing the same loading trainign with him all week so hopefully by day 7 it will be 20mins rather than 2 hours!!!!

bloomin' horses hey?...

:)
 
My mare did this (we have the same sort of lorry as you) and I can safely say the only way is by doing what you are doing, he will get the idea!! My mare was horrid, she would go in eat then run straight out (so not scared), The only thing which may help is to take the partition out to start with, to allow more room, and if you havent already have a leadrope tied to the ring so you just have to swap ropes in the box and not tie another, means they cant run staright out.

Good luck I feel your mums pain!!
 
Sounds like you've got most of it covered, maybe build a funnel with jump wings as well as barrels? Try carpeting on ramp and out onto arena floor, sometimes you can kind of con them on when it's the same surface all the way, they don't realise they are getting on iygwim?
Just keep going eventually he'll give up
 
lui23456 he doesn't run out, he just stands there looking out like 'huh? what's all the fuss about I was always going to go in, just when i felt like it'

ajn1610 a funnel might be a good idea, carpet would freak him out then he would have an even bigger excuse not to go in!

I just hope when he gets the hang of going in, he then gets it at the other end, the prospect of 2.5hrs trying to get him in to go home is not a fun one. If he was mine I think I'd just set him loose in the wild if he did that and pick up a copy of H&h on my way home to look for his replacement! ;) (can you tell im not his biggest fan?....)
 
You say you are using a pressure halter. Do you mean a dually? If so, and please don't shout at me, but are you timing your pressure and release right?
No I'm not an NH fanatic, but I had a Monty Roberts RA come out to me earlier this year (freebie from Horse magazine), she used a dually and taught me how to use it properly. Up to this point I had dismissed them as useless as I'd never seen the used right.
Stubborn Cob now loads, occasionally he has a nope not doing it but it never takes more that 5/10 mins and if I stick a dually on he gives in straight away.
Might be worth getting someone out to show you first hand how to do it correctly. Appologies if you've already done this.
 
kerilli said:
i'll pm you. i have a fairly failsafe method...
Click to expand...

I would love to know your method K - we have a horse with a very similar problem - fine to load with others but a total a**se on his own. No fear, and if you try to force him in, he will fight back, kicking, rearing, going over backwards.....
 
blakesmum it's a richard maxwell halter, and it is being used right i think, keeping pressure on when they go back, and instantly releasing as a reward when they come forwards, that correct?...

Optimist glad we aren't the only ones, should we start a support group? ;)
 
Does a broom up his bottom help, or just make him worse?

How about trying to trot him up the ramp?

Hunting whip cracked behind him?
 
Support group - or survivors group! ;)

They make you feel such an idiot - none of the methods that have worked on every other bad loader I have ever had do the trick, in fact generally it makes it worse!
 
Have you tried chucking the contents of a bucket of water up his arse? Worked for one stubborn bugger I knew, and worked to take it home too! Maybe not the best of methods but useful for an emergency.
 
I know it's not a nice method but a chiffney worked for my wb. She use to get so stressed and rear and flip over when loading but once we started using the chiffney she tried rearing once, realised she couldn't and then walked straight on. It saved a lot of drama and time.
 
One thing worth trying is to park the lorry up in a field, then lunge, hard, at the bottom of the ramp until they are begging to come back to walk. Ask them to walk up the ramp and offer them the lorry as a place to rest. If they hesitate/jib, straight back out on the circle working again. Repeat until they get the picture - the lorry is a nice restful place to be, outside of the lorry is really very hard work. I can guess Ks method tho, and would hazard that it gets faster results ;)
 
When we really have run out of time we have used a blindfold with 100% success......but I would try the NH methods first - very similar to what you are already doing I'm afraid!
 
Another one who would like to know kerilli's method please. Although for now we seem to have sorted it but any ideas for just incase.
 
I would get an intelligent horsemanship rep to come out and help you.
My last mare was a biatch to load and the rep got her on in 20 mins and I never had a problem again.
You are kind of using the halter right but it's so much more then that. The rep teaches you how to have total control of the horse on the ground first before you go anywhere near the lorry. You have to learn how you can move their feet using pressure and release on the headcoller. She had me backing up my mare through a zig zag maze of poles before going to the lorry and the actual loading you pretend the lorry isn't there and use exactly the same methods. The thought being that the horse should want to be with you anywhere (you representing the safe place) and if that's in the lorry well so be it.
It was the best £60 I ever spent, saved me no end of hassle.
:)
 
Optimist said:
I would love to know your method K - we have a horse with a very similar problem - fine to load with others but a total a**se on his own. No fear, and if you try to force him in, he will fight back, kicking, rearing, going over backwards.....
Click to expand...

Me too! please can you send me the same message!!!!
 
We have one that used to do what yours is doing. Wouldn't rear/pull away or anything nasty would just plant his feet and refuse to budge then fall asleep in the sun. We had a long lead rope and just stood in the trailer keeping a firm pull (but not too firm, basically just keeping the contact) on the lunge line until he gave in. Now he just walks in on his own because being stubborn is boring. It took us just under 2 hrs the first time but was time well spent for the future. It also seems to work if when you walk them up to the ramp of the trailer/lorry, when/if they stop at the ramp push them backwards immediately then lead them back towards the ramp again. keep doing it continuously until they get bored of going backwards/forwards. Hope that makes sense.
 
Optimist said:
Support group - or survivors group! ;)

They make you feel such an idiot - none of the methods that have worked on every other bad loader I have ever had do the trick, in fact generally it makes it worse!
Click to expand...

survivors! :)

this is exactly it everyones suggestions of

lunge line
bucket of water
yard broom
yard cat
chifney etc

would make him 100 times worse, he's not bothered about a battle, and his pain threshold is clearly really high because people in the past have tried to beat him into things, hence the nightmare attitude he has developed, and we now have to try and work around

I think kerillis method might just be the key.......:) that and lots of lunging!!!! at least he will be nice and fit by the time he ever gets to a competition! ;)
 
I had a mare who was not scared of anything and was actually quite nasty at times. We were desperate for some help with her so tried NH. She went to their yard for a month of ground work. The NH chap really struggled to get her to join up. In the end what worked was shaking a tub of gravel in an old supplement tub to scare her then she wanted some reassurance so joined up.

This is going back 10 years plus and I was only 16 years old so I may not have the whole storey right but I wonder if you were to shake the tub behind your horse whether it would wake her up a bit and force her to want to listen???
 
I'm seriously relieved to see I'm not the only one with a horse that behaves this way - ie doesn't load until ready and throws toys out of pram if induced.

Most people seem to think I'm being wet when I insist that we have to be patient and wait for the silly b*gger to go in.

Read somewhere that Corlato has the same party trick, and the Stockdales have spent many patient hours awaiting her deciding to load.
 
I have a horse who can be stubborn about loading - like yours, lunge line, broom, chiffney, trotting up, whip etc would all make him 10x worse. Lunging him would also make it worse. I've found however that if I just stood on the ramp and applied gentle pressure he eventually walked on (quicker and quicker each time). The key is not to let it escalate into a fight. The first time I found that letting him climb on to the ramp from the side was the only way he'd go on (!).
 
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