Dilemma. Bad loader. Persevere with trailer, or get a lorry ?

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Muddywellies

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I used to have a lorry, which for financial reasons was sold and replaced with a trailer. Horse ws always awkward to load, but eventually went in, and we used to get out and about a fair bit. Now her wont go near the trailer. he's not exactly scared of it - but he just seriosuly plants himself and wont budge. and I mean wont budge. Nothing but nothing will change his mind. So, is there any possible way this horse will EVER happily go in it, or do i give up and go back to a lorry. I have missed an entire season competing because of this.
 
Have you tried getting some proffesional help? perhaps someone from the Kelly Marks natural horsemaship people. I had some help from an aproved person (they are on the website) and found it realy helpful (not loading though) a couple of sessions would be cheaper than a new lorry!
 
Get someone like Richard Maxwell out costs a few hundred but solves your problem.

I presume you've checked how your towing, tried with the partition in and out, checked the floor is OK and not vibrating (presuming you have one of the newer model trailers).

My lads happier with a lorry than a trailer but since all I have is a trailer he has to get on with it. He confused me though as he's actually better with the partition in.
 
Or go one cheaper and buy the Richard maxwell pressure halter, which comes with a how to use DVD. Works wonders when used correctly with a bit of patience
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Out of interest have you tried loading him in a lorry lately? Might be worth checking he will still load in one before/if you decide to swap back to a lorry.
Otherwise I echo the others advice- have you tried with partition in/out, front doors/ramp open/down, with food to encourage him etc? Pretty standard things which you've probably tried already, sorry.
 
There are some recent posts about bad loaders, it may be worth a search through the archives.

My daughter's mare (16.1hh warmblood so not easily moved if she doesnt want to lol) used to load perfectly and started to refuse to the point of utter frustration, although we did manage to get her in eventually it sometimes took up to an hour. She wasnt scared and travelled perfectly happily so we knew she was just being stubborn.

We used the Richard Maxwell halter after a friend saw her refusing to load and happened to have one in her car. It was a short sharp shock for her but after about literally 3 minutes she went in and has loaded ever since.

Some people recommend the Dually but we found the Richard Maxwell halter worked for us. We have never had a problem since and she has even loaded, albeit on the way home, on the last couple of occasions in just a normal headcollar.

Good luck in finding a remedy that works for you. Im sure with time and patience you will succeed.
 
KM wouldnt bother, tried myself at clinic, made mine worse!! I now have it sussed but it took ages.

Problem is if you give in to non loading on your trailer, what is to say that horsey doesnt "fancy" the lorry you get? if you can try lorry first and it goes on fair enough, but if she is now so much in the habit that you buy lorry and its still a problem.......

Mine used to do exactly that. I do use dually BUT I DONT use it as intended, my pony hates pressure put on him big time. Just causes more upset. I use it to control him at bottom of ramp rather than get dragged to many differing places as in the past. Chifney never helped, again just wound him up.

Ended up sitting on ramp for 4 hours one day, I literally sat there with a book, friends made coffee for me!! I waited it out!!!!!

not saying it will work with all but he went on eventually with no pressure, just ignored him big time, 4 hours later when he walked up, gave lots of fuss and walked him straight off and back up again, been so much better since.

Now I just grab a book or a lunge rein if he wont go on....he knows!!!
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My mare would load in a lorry, but not in my little 3 1/2 tonne van which was tough as that is all ive got, she would plant rear (she went over a few times) run round the side and just generally be a cow!!! but then I got a richard maxwell pressure halter and with a bit of time and lots of patience she now loads like a dream!!!
 
I know someone who has just sold their trailer for the same reason and the horse won't load in the lorry either, so they are well and truly stuck.
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I agree that you should try him in a lorry before you go out and buy one.
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*whispers* get yourself a dually halter, long line and a Monty Roberts DVD, I saw him on saturday with a non loader, which would plant its front feet and go no further. After a bit of ground work and getting it to walk over wooden boards he had it loading itself - took 15 minutes, no lie. but shhhh don't tell anyone!
 
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*whispers* get yourself a dually halter, long line and a Monty Roberts DVD, I saw him on saturday with a non loader, which would plant its front feet and go no further. After a bit of ground work and getting it to walk over wooden boards he had it loading itself - took 15 minutes, no lie. but shhhh don't tell anyone!

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I don't think this is just because of the halter, long lines, dvd etc - there is a lot more too it, and of course MR has been doing this for ages so can make it look easy. Also be interested to know if they used those gates to prevent it backing up as they did with mine? Not really practical to do at home, but makes it easy in a demo (although not really what I class as natural horsemanship tbh).

OP - don't give up, I have had many bad loaders and tried lots of methods (including KM/MR) and now help other people sort their bad loaders (have done a couple of HHO'ers). Every horse is different and what works for one wont work for another. Some horses are scared, others are stubborn. There are lots of methods you could try, but instantly switching to pressure halters etc isn't always the way. Where abouts are you? I could give you a hand, or PM you with some tips if you wanted - I don't charge for helping out loaders BTW, just ask for diesel to be covered.
 
I was allowed to particate in a Kelly Marks clinic/demo with Breeze as she had stopped loading into a trailer and would plant and rear and go over backwards.. (got stuck once at a show venue luckily a RS and had to hack back in morning!) food, bridle, lunge lines and lunge whip didn't work.. She preceded to load first time at clinic and then precede to rear and refuse to go anywhere! by the end I had her in and out of lorry...

Found very usefully just to get the horse to lead properly and I have never had a loading problem since as if I took the time afterwards working with her on the trailer walking her up in the dually and lungeline and then she would follow me up without anything.
Now don't use dually and a just a headcollar and leadrope and she is good as gold...
Trust me, it takes patience and time be prepared to spend hours but it's worth it in the end...
 
The Monty Roberts Dually Headcollar - I 100% recommend it. Two years ago, T would NOT load. No way. In hell. Last year, he'd go in with a bit of a fight. Now, he walks straight in. We did lots of trailer practice and schooling with the dually, and I don't know where we would be without it!
 
Get a rear facing trailer if you can. We used to have absolutely awful problems loading and travelling our grey horse in a front facing trailer. Now he loads himself - ask if you can try him in one and see whether it makes a difference. Our grey knew the difference right away, will hop on immediately now.
 
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