Every last trick in the book for problem loader....

[lottiepony]

Right lets hear them every trick you've got for a stubborn horse who won't go in a lorry (will go in a trailer but prefers ifor williams lol) currently trying to find an area where we can try and get the ramp as level as poss has been on in the past but must be about 5 years ago! (Also will quite happily stand with all four feet on the ramp)

my forever gratitude for the person who solves the problem lol

 

[9tails]

Time, patience, no food ANYWHERE apart from a net in the trailer/lorry. Absolutely no grass within reaching distance and wait it out.

 

[chestnut cob]

Stubborn or scared?

Assuming it's simply stubborn (I have one of these, I know how frustrating it is)... mine will not load in a lorry alone, simple as that. I have to put another horse on first. Is that an option, if yours will follow another on? Mine would follow another horse to the ends of the earth!

I've tried the natural horsemanship bit, it works for a while but doesn't last. I mostly go places in a trailer without another horse (and mine won't load on a trailer if there's another horse in it). He usually fine to load leaving home but I always make sure he is hungry as then he'll follow food on. To come home, I load in a bridle. I had a few probs trying to load him after hunting last season which resulted in a couple of no-nonsense hunting folk helping me out... since then as long as I have the bridle on, he only briefly thinks about not going on.

So... load in a bridle or chifney, load him for food when he's hungry. You can also try lunge lines behind him (that does work eventually with my horse but I need a couple of big strong men who have plenty of time on their hands...horse has huge tantrums about lunge lines so the strong men are there to make sure they keep hold of the lines until horse has realised tantrums don't work).

End result for me was that I've been and bought a new horse who *does* load, and PITA horse will now only ever go places with my sharer who travels with other people in a lorry so horse can be loaded after another horse!!

 

[albeg]

Time, patience, no food ANYWHERE apart from a net in the trailer/lorry. Absolutely no grass within reaching distance and wait it out.

This. And act as if you have all the time in the world. If he wants to stand on the ramp, fine, but he's not allowed turn away. Use a bridle for a bit of extra control, my lad went through a phase of not loading in a headcollar, pop on the bridle and he would almost do the bar up behind himself!

 

[9tails]

Agree about not turning away, you don't want to teach them about backing off as they can get rather good at it a lot quicker than getting on. I used a rope halter and lunge rope attached, though I didn't use any pressure on the halter and could have done it in a normal halter as it turned out.

 

[chestnut cob]

This. And act as if you have all the time in the world. If he wants to stand on the ramp, fine, but he's not allowed turn away. Use a bridle for a bit of extra control, my lad went through a phase of not loading in a headcollar, pop on the bridle and he would almost do the bar up behind himself!

I disagree about letting them stand on the ramp. Mine has endless patience and he'd stand there all day. The best thing with him is actually to make just standing there pretty uncomfortable for him.. he can either walk forwards onto the trailer, which is a nice quiet place to be with food, or he can stand on the end of the ramp and be annoyed, pestered, whatever. Look at horses in the field... they'll happily stand around doing nothing all day long. So it's no skin off their nose if they stand around at the bottom of the ramp for hours (I saw one horse at my old yard do this for SEVEN hours!!).

 

[kirstykate]

Wet really spikey yard brush

 

[lottiepony]

these were all great to read and some certainly made me smile

In response
- Horse already on makes no difference
- Stubborn or scared, I do think she poss has some issue somewhere but mainly her stubbornness comes across as doesn't sweat, panic, look in the little bit concerned!
- Have tried bridle etc makes no difference, usually try in a parelli halter
- Even if I haven't fed her breakfast and she's out with bugger all grass at the min before she moves paddock, makes no difference
- Lunge lines used but to no effect
- Parked up against a wall so only one side to 'swing' to try and make it easier
- Brooms made no difference lol
- Moving her feet works until she decides shes gone too far up the ramp them promptly reverses

Also I can't get her on a equitrek trailer, no steep ramp there go figure!

 

[Mince Pie]

I had this with my welshy, I just sat there with pressure on her headcollar -as soon as she stepped forward the pressure was released. I also used to tap her shoulder with a schooling whip if on my own.

 

[kirstykate]

Possible back problems.

 

[ClassicG&T]

I had this problem with my stubborn Fell.
We tried everything, and i mean EVERYTHING to get him on, spending a record 3 hours trying to load him after the beach.
But what we have been doing latey which is working is walking him through the trailer every time he comes in from field. I give him his feed in there and then he goes in his stable for the night. I then took the feed away and he still walked in eventually. I then loaded him, took him for a drive and put him in field. I have just had to build it up from there and he is getting better but it takes time.

i feel your frustration!

 

[lottiepony]

Possible back problems.

def not have always had her back done regularly and her last session was only last week

she will load on a trailer quite happily (after some work there) but it just seems to be lorries now, i dont know whether she just looks in and thinks 'nope i cant see a way out so i'm no going in' who knows but it is possibly the most annoying thing!

 

[charleysummer]

My pony used to be an awful loader as she would about kill you to avoid getting on it. Would get within 4m of the ramp and she would rear- spin on her back legs, buck and usually end up tanking around the field in her travel gear... she'd do this despite any means of getting her in. I remember using food temptation, lunge lines, pressure headcoller, whip on the bum, tapping the heels, forcefully picking each hoof up and moving it forward inch by inch , loading with another, blindfold... sure tried just about everything!

She would eventually go on after a long time of spinning round, combining the above with each other, loosing her in the field etc- and each time we tried to load her the 'trick' to get her before failed to work again. It would take hours sometimes to get her in and many missed shows and lessons!

Eventually after attempting to train her to load for a few days- I stood on the ramp in 30*C and removed all gadgets from sight, normal head coller on and got her front hooves on the ramp with a carrot in my hand. I put a slight pressure on the rope- too much and she'd back off but enough to know what i wanted and stood there for 30 minutes- she walked on had a carrot and stood there calmly- I then took her out and retried it, a little hesitation but went on straight away so got another carrot, then back round again and eventually she followed me in without a headcoller or any thing on and off the ramp!

Sounds like something you'd read in monty roberts book but she has never refused to load once since and trots merrily up the ramp every time

 

[Sophstar]

My cob was a nightmare to load and I needed to know I could load him by myself, no faffing, no assistance and no arguments. He was not scared in the slightest...stubborn as a mule. Would walk up the ramp, even get his front feet all the way in and then just decide to amble off with his full strength backwards.

Friend and I put aside an afternoon and dedicated to getting him on the box. He was wearing a halter, put him on the end of a lunge line and just opened both rear and side ramps. There were tantrums, rearing (in a how far can I test your patience way), going either side of the ramp, purposefully walked into the ramp gates so he could reverse again. No shouting, no whips, the odd treat on the ramp and ALOT of patience. I had to hand him over to my friend for 10 mins so I could walk away and come back again before I snapped but after 2 hours he just casually walked up the ramp. He got a carrot when he stood still and walked him straight back off. Repeated this over 10 times and by the last round he walked up before me Repeated it the next day and walked on straight away

There is now the occasional 5 minute 'no i'm not going on' but compared to the nightmare he was, he's a dream to load now!

 

[albeg]

I disagree about letting them stand on the ramp. Mine has endless patience and he'd stand there all day. The best thing with him is actually to make just standing there pretty uncomfortable for him.. he can either walk forwards onto the trailer, which is a nice quiet place to be with food, or he can stand on the end of the ramp and be annoyed, pestered, whatever. Look at horses in the field... they'll happily stand around doing nothing all day long. So it's no skin off their nose if they stand around at the bottom of the ramp for hours (I saw one horse at my old yard do this for SEVEN hours!!).

Suppose it depends on the horse. If my lad decides on the ramp that he doesn't want to go further, standing with him, not letting him turn back works, but he doesn't like hanging around too much. If he stood for too long I suppose I'd do things differently.

 

[maxine1985]

Personally id invest some time in using a Monty Roberts Dually headcollar, ive had 2 awful loaders in the past, tried everything with one, including trying for 6 hours to get home from somewhere (ended up hacking 3 hours in the dark!!)

20 minutes pressure and release in the school for a few days, walking backwards & forwards yielding to the pressure so they understand what's being asked of them, next loading session horse went in lorry almost instantly with dually headcollar on and has done ever since, same with my other horse, they need it to be their choice to go on otherwise they will never be really settled with loading if done through force or tricked by feed!

Have seen Monty roberts headcollar work in almost all cases, the horse must understand how it works first though!

Good luck, I know how frustrating it is!

 

[kirstykate]

def not have always had her back done regularly and her last session was only last week

she will load on a trailer quite happily (after some work there) but it just seems to be lorries now, i dont know whether she just looks in and thinks 'nope i cant see a way out so i'm no going in' who knows but it is possibly the most annoying thing!

Ramp on a trailer isnt so steep as a lorry one, had a friend with a ponio and I dont want to scare you but it was the first sign of kissing spine. xx

 

[meesha]

I use chiffney which tells him he can't bugger off but I don't put too much pressure on him and make a big fuss if he moves forward and immediately release pressure. Horseworld loaded v awkward pony by constantly backing it up (with their back to it and doing chicken impressions with arms) eventually it got so fed up of going back it chose forward !

 

[CBFan]

Time, patience, determination and more stubbornness than said horse... with a bucket of feed as a reward once in.

 

[winterwood]

I know this clip is of working with a horse and trailer, but the basic principle is the same.
Make sure he understands that you can move him about on the ground, forwards and backwards. He should not overtake when being led, even when you stop.
Break the loading down into small steps. Reward for a movement in the right direction. If he chooses to back off the ramp, let the line slip through your hands (use a long line), so he doesn't pull you off the truck/ramp. Then ask for a forward movement. Use pressure and release. Be patient and consistent. Try to get some movement, if only from side to side, rather than letting him stand still for too long.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU6L9uz3ktg

 

[Bluejazz]

Been there and got bored and cold standing waiting for stubborn mare to load.

Only thing that works is Monty Roberts - do join up (there are lots of video on youtube) then practice monty roberts the handling on a daily basis. Then after it works in hand, load in box.

ONE THING - when you try it after doing joinup put the lorry in place you have never tried loading in before to avoid association of bad behaviour.

My mare wouldn't load, so I did join up and got her in. 10 mins later on the same day I put trailer back in old loading place where i had trouble and she went back to being naughty. So moved it away from there and she was good as gold

 

[lillith]

You may well have tried this but how about opening the jockey door to the outside and the one into the back of the 'horse space' of the lorry (if you have both) to make sure the horse can see daylight shining in? The whole yes to a trailer no to a lorry thing made me think of it.

 

[madeleine1]

mine is scared of the vet and the owners befor would put the horse in a trailer so the vet was safe to vaccinate. this didnt bother them as they didnt want to travel her.

this is the most anoying stupid lesson that anyone can teach a horse lol, that a trailer means pain.

so now she has a quick twitch on and vet does her.

and we used to make sure someone was loaded in first and then with a whip to encourage and a lunge line to stop her backing up we were firm but understanding and she went in. after only about 5 more trips she was perfect and we dont need another horse in altho there usually is and we dont need the lunge line.

also when we were first doing it we would open the front and park it down the drive so it just looked like she was going to walk through it down the drive.

i never did join up and i dont think she would appreciate it. i think whichever method u use you have to stick to.

now she goes in my friends equi shuttle and loads sideways with just me, no lunge or anything.

 

[lottiepony]

thanks everyone for all your suggestions

I do try and have everything open to create as much light as possible and bless her this really is her only fault, her ground manners are second to none will move forward, backwards, sideways and stop with little instruction required and has complete respect for my personal space, we have done parelli games in the past and found them a doddle I've got a quiet weekend coming up so going to try again and try a few other things and see how we go....

 

[soloequestrian]

I produce a loading harness (Solo Harness) that is intended to be a safety aid for when loading on your own. I have had a lot of feedback from customers who've used the harness with problem loaders, and for many it helps enormously (for some, it actually solves their problems). I had one particularly effusive American lady who said that not only did it help to load her very skittish mare, it also actually seemed to have an all-round calming effect on her - we think it might work a little like Temple Grandin's squeeze machine or the Tellington wraps. I will PM you the website - not allowed to put it on here.

 

[CazD]

My friend had a horse that was a bad loader. when she had to get out of a yard at short notice we spent two hours one night trying to load him - with no luck. He'd get part way up the ramp then plant, spin or threaten to rear and then run backwards. Just as we were about to admit defeat someone suggested blindfolding him, like they do in race stalls. So we stuck a towel over his eyes, turned him round in a circle- and he walked straight on!

 

[charlene88]

I normally have to share with someone because i dont have my own transport and have found people to be very impatient one woman letting me tag along picked up a piece of plumbing pipe and hit the horse. After this i borrowed a friends trailer and loaded him on and of just soothing him he seems to respond well to that rather than force. So now when we go out i ask people to just back of and let me sort him out rather than using their forceful methods.

 

[Mike007]

sadly ,in my experience,the biggest problem with a bad loader is the human factor. We fight the little ******* for hours and then he loads and we think whoopeeee. lets go home while we are ahead. Actualy no! That should be the point that you take the little **** back off the lorry and do it all again and again and again!Reinforce the positive. !

 

[Mike007]

Hmmmmm, I felt those were perfecly acceptable equestrian terms for a pony that wont load, wonder why they were deleted!

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Hmmmmm, I felt those were perfecly acceptable equestrian terms for a pony that wont load, wonder why they were deleted!

OP is it side loading lorries/trailers she doesn't like (I noted she won't go in a Equitrek either)? Perhaps it is the whole loading/turning think she does get.