Cant get her off the lorry!

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winchester

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Help!!!!

Planning to take the 3yo to a show in 2 weeks time – she has never been off the yard before so thought i would have a little practice of loading...

She followed me straight up the ramp on to the lorry (with the help of a bucket of feed) and just stood up there eating and let us shut her in the partition and was not fazed in the slightest! When we tried to bring her out she was taking baby steps forward and slid her foot down the step bit of the ramp – panicked and pulled it back up! With a little bit encouragement to take a big step forward – missing the step we managed to get her back down off the ramp!

We thought we would have another little go yesterday – again she followed us straight up the ramp not fazed at all – but getting her off was a different story: and what a little madam she wouldn’t budge!!!

We tried the gentle approach (moving her legs forward/food/gentle push behind)
Padded the step out with towels so there wasn’t a step anymore)
We put another horse up there with her to see if she would follow him off
We tried the waiting game – left her on the top of the ramp and went and finished the rest of the horses off – came back 40 mins later and she is still standing there
Moved the lorry so the ramp was on the entrance to the ménage so less of a steep hill
Blind folding her
Walking her backwards
Water pistol behind her
Putting our linked arms under her bum & lunge rope

After 3 hours we were running out of ideas! She wasn’t scared and was quite happy to stand at the top of the ramp!

In the end we had to drive the lorry in the field where he friends are and after about 15 mins she lept off it to be with her friends!!

Any ideas where i should go from here? I know i have to keep practicing but how am i going to get her off?

She is only 13.2 but very stubborn and very strong for her size!
 
ha, i've seen this before, little minx i was transporting with a friend eventually launched from where she was and completely cleared the ramp (not advised obv).
i'd try to park it where the ramp will be as flat as possible, and put some straw on the ramp to encourage her to trust it.
if she doesn't go, i'd probably put a really big fat sheepskin noseband cover on her headcollar, so she has to drop her nose to see where she's putting her feet - i think this is the problem, they're gazing around, stick a foot out... feel nothing, and think they're going to plummet into the abyss.
i'd also try a bucket of feed held very low so she has to track it with her eyes, and then tempt her forward with head down, so looking at the ramp too.
hope those ideas help. fwiw i'd never blindfold a horse to exit a horsebox, but i've used one to get a really stubborn horse in.
 
I have the opposite problem (i.e. the far more common, can't get it on the lorry). Much better since we took him to Monty Roberts demo, but still tries it on occasionally.

Yesterday however was in a proper grump, and would NOT go all the way in. At one point though he lunged forwards, landed half way up the ramp and stopped next to me.

I don't know why, but I just wrapped my arms around his head and gave him a hug, and the little blighter took himself into the lorry of his own accord!!

So my advice - give her a hug :p
 
hi had this with our 3 yo last year, jumped from top twice, breaking peice of hoof, scard stiff he would really hurt and scare himself. good as gold to load [ lorry ]. friends dad used to have lots of unruly babies said it happens , use loads of straw in lorry , all over ramp and all round ramp on the grass. really good advice for us, tentative to start with but trusted consistent look of surface. gained confidence ,gradually reduced amount of straw used , fine now, thankfully, but we made a hell of a mess at our first few shows.not easy raking up straw on windy show ground! good luck
 
Phone your local equine vets and see if they have a grass loading ramp - ie a grass ramp that you drop the lorry ramp onto to make a flat surface. If they have tell them the problem and ask if you could pick a quiet time to take your horse and lorry over to let her practice walking onto the ramp without it immediately being a steep slope. If you're really lucky they'll have a couple of different heights so you can gently introduce the sloping ramp.
 
Our new 4yo did this, stepping down then stepping back up in reverse. We have a ramp that we can lower ours onto, its rarely used so overgrown with greenery. He came off a treat, not sure if it was that the ramp was flat or that it was covered in green but it worked. :D
 
My youngster is the same - leaps in the truck without a qualm then either dithers at the top for ages or happily leaps off.

Can you take her somewhere that has a loading bay where you can have the ramp level and walk her back and forwards over it. That is my next plan of action to see if I can get her to step onto the ramp.

I even had my ramp replaced with a thicker one, carpeted and rubber treads so it wasn't slippery - at great expense but she still did the same.
 
Are you near a racecourse, some have ramps where the lorry ramp will be level with lorry floor.
I think you need to do lots of in-hand grid -work and you will find that she is napping at an earlier stage, what you need to do is to find is the first thing to cause a problem and work from there.
 
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