Frightening day yesterday - trailer and loose horse

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BeckyD

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I had such a frightening day yesterday - we had planned to take Ronnie out in the trailer, drive round the block, then unload in our show field, ride, and then put back in trailer and take back to stables. He wasn't keen to go in trailer at the outset, which is odd for him. Anyway, got him on in the end but he didn't seem relaxed. I thought he'd be ok once we got going but he was just staring out the window for the whole journey, wouldn't relax, and kicked out a couple of times. Unloaded fine in show field though he was tense and scared. Tacked up and walked him round for about half an hour untill he'd chilled, then a bit of trot and canter, then walked off to cool down and untacked him, put travel gear back on.

He wouldn't get back on the trailer, would get half way up the ramp then stop dead. In the end my OH was able to lead him through the trailer and out the side ramp, with me just guiding Ronnie in from behind. 2nd or 3rd time we did this, Ronnie just shot through and trapped OH in trailer and Ronnie got loose. He started galloping towards the main road. I panicked as there's main road and two cattle grids. I was screaming and screaming Ronnie's name and getting a bit hysterical I must admit, I was so frightened about what was going to happen. He caused another horse to break her gate and get out of her field but thank god YO and another livery were poo picking and heard the screams and saw the two loose horses and managed to grab them.

I was sobbing uncontrollably, and my little legs just couldn't keep up with him. Poor OH was injured in the trailer but is blaming himself for it, and is utterly distraught. Thing is, he got trapped and there was nothing he could do, it's not his fault. I don't think he'll ever come to the stables again, he's so upset about it.

it was awful. And to top it all, I don't understand why Ronnie was so nervy on the trailer, or wouldn't load. What do I do now??? I'm planning to try getting Ronnie in the trailer tonight to eat some food/carrots but that's all. I just can't believe he's so bad. I did so much research into trailers and 4x4s and I got the trailer that gives the best ride, the best towing 4x4, and I drive sooo carefully (about 35-40mph tops). What am I doing wrong??

Sorry for so long. I'm just so upset
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oh no, that is truely scary, I know how you feel, when I fell off George and saw him running towards the main road I was absolutely hysterical. I do hope your OH and Ronnie are ok, I can understand your OH feeling guilty but it really wasn't his fault but I'm sure you have tried to convince him this. I really hope you aren't too shaken and that you get the railer problems sorted.
 
Sorry to hear you had a scary day, with regards to where do you go from here, I would suggest working with your YO or another capable livery that you trust and do as you say, put him in each evening with his feed, leave the front ramp down because he does have to learn not to rush in and straight back out again but don't take him straight out when he has finished his nibbles as again he does have to learn to stand on the trailer and get aquainted with it, but also try not to wrap him up in cotton wool when he is in it, talk to him in a confident voice and be brave enough to walk away and do something, fiddle in your car etc so he gains in his own confidence to just stand and admire the view, leave him with a haynet maybe just as you would at a show and then when you think after 10 mins take him off again and keep repeating each night until he is so chilled, then try your trip again but perhaps just round the block and back to the stable yard, but drop the ramp and don't take him straight off, again let him just stand so he doesn't always think ramp coming down means go, go, go!

Hope that helps, time will help with this.
 
Thank you so much for the advice, that's a really good idea. I'll just keep plugging away at it. YO has been very supportive and people are very helpful so I should be able to get some help with the practising getting him on board.

It was heartbreaking after he'd been so calm last weekend and seemed happy munching his hay on there.

Thank you so much again, really needed to hear that.
 
Thank you, it was so frightening. I think we're all ok. The loose mare had filled legs last night - probably galloping down the road (she's very well-built). Ronnie didn't have a scratch on him thank god. OH's hand is a bit of a mess, bruised and swollen, but he's feeling so guilty and saying that he deserves it (which he doesn't -no-one could have held Ronnie yesterday) that he won't let me look at it.

What a day. I still feel a bit shaky.

How's your chap - is he trailering ok now or is he still kicking up once loaded?
 
He's absolutely fine - went back in stable and tucked immediately into his hay like nothing had happened, cheeky sod.

I'm wary of leaving it too long without trying it again, as I don't want that to be his lasting memory if you know what I mean. I'm finishing at 3 today for saddler so will be able to have a go in daylight.

Thank you xx
 
Thank you so much, it is awful seeing them heading towards the road, I can't believe how terrifying it was. OH feeling terrible about it, but it really wasn't his fault.

I really hope you too have recovered from the fall and the shock xxx
 
Are you sure the trailer is all ok? If there was a problem with the floor or something the horse may be sensing this and not want to load as it doesnt feel safe. A friends horse stopped loading and when they checked the trailer the ramp had broken and actually came off. When they fixed it he loaded fine.
 
Glad to hear your all ok ! lots of TLC to your OH !

Well i have been playing with the trailer, hocked it up and just make him walk through it, we are playing games at mo, i'm going to try and just keep doing this for a while, i know its down to excitement, so im trying to show him it's not that exciting !
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He just wants to go places and have fun! Well good luck at playing the games, I too will be doing that this week, making it fun for him. I'm sure it will involve lots of carrots
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Hi, Can I join your gang please?!! I got my new (Bateson) trailer a couple of weeks ago (I think we discussed on an earlier thread?!) and still haven't been anywhere with my horse in it yet!! I'm really taking my time in terms of each day I take him a step closer to how it will have to be when we actually travel, so I'm now loading him with the back half of the partition closed, and closing the front half up once he's in and he's gone from looking panicked to looking quite chilled now. When I first started a couple of weeks ago though he was just legging it through once he'd plucked up the courage to go in!! My tip is, as fill your pockets with carrots or whetever, and make just as much fuss of him for coming down the ramp slowly behind you, as you would when he goes in as that's just as important. If he barges me out of the way and rushes out then, no carrot until he does it nicely! The other thing i've been doing is using a lunge line unstead of a lead rope so if he does barge out in front you've still got hold of him (there's no point trying to physically stop him!) but make sure you wear decent gloves as they can casue nasty friction burns if they whip through your hands!!
I'm trying to convince my boy that the trailer is the nicest place in the world to be with a Lickit tied to the front of the head divider thingy, a haynet (too stressed to be interested in that yet though) and I give him a good slurp of the treat size HorseLyx, but I'm really taking my time and making sure he's relaxed with each stage before I go onto the next. I hope it works when it comes to actually going somewhere but thought I'd just take him somewhere and hack home the first couple of times so that I don't have to load him somewhere strange until we're totally OK with it.
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Good luck, I know it can be really stressful but just really take your time.
 
A likit's a good idea - thanks! I currently stand him in there eating carrots and with a Horselyx mini respiratory lick - and until yesterday he was keen to munch hay as well. Sounds like you're doing all the right things and taking things nice and slowly. I stupidly assumed that we were making good progress and I think I must have rushed him. I'll drop back a few steps and do the same things as you. Lunge line a great idea.

Thank you for the support, I really appreciate it. Good luck with your boy - you're doing all the right things so it must pay off xx
 
Yes, they're funny creatures but mine definately responds to praise and treats and there's no point getting shirty with him as it just ends up a battle of wills!
As it happens my friend dropped in an 'Understanding your horse' book round (Michael Peace I think) which is based on the Think Equus approach (mostly common sense with a bit of Monty Roberts type groundwork), and for loading problems that basically says to do what you & me have been doing, so as you say, it should work. Your boy might just need to get used the travelling element of it so once he's happy in the parked trailer maybe just try him round the block a couple of days to get him used to the movement without worrying about unloading him and loading him somewhere else.
 
Well that's comforting! At least we're going along the right tracks. Shirty doesn't work with Ronnie either, he just doesn't understand. I can tell he's never been badly treated as if I do shout at him (normally when he nips me) he just looks at me with his head tilted sideways as if to go "Hmmm?".
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He's far too innocent bless him.

I'll be trying again this afternoon, just to get him inside and give him food and then out again. Fingers crossed!
 
Patience,Patience,Patience

It's awful what happened and thank god no one was seriously hurt. It's amazing what a horse will do for you if you use kindness & patience even if they have had a bad experience with something. Years ago an idiot loaded a 6mth filly against her will and she was terrified, needless to say they ended up beating her & dragging her on the trailer and her leg got caught and was cut to the bone. Then they decided to just leave her.

I took her of there hands and nursed her back to health, she was petrified of a trailer and even the look of one sent her into a frenzy, but once her leg had nearly healed i started to inroduce her back to the trailer, it took time & patience and people told me that i would never get her on a trailer again, well after 1 month of coaxing her and taking my time with her that filly loaded and travelled with out even so much as a peep out of her.

What i'm trying to say is horses are animals of flight and they will spooke for no reason some times but they do put there trust in people and if you are kind & patient and understanding to your boy he will come round in time. All that you have wrote so far is the right things to do, just go slowly but surely and he will travel just how you want him too.

Best of luck and keep us informed on your good progress
 
Wow well done with your mare, that must have required real patience.

I'll keep you posted with my boy. He's amenable to most things but I guess I've just got really disheartened by yesterday's events and I shouldn't have - far worse has happened to others. I'm so grateful to everyone for their support. I don't feel so shaky any more, I just feel positive about "baby steps" with him.
 
I dare say eveyone on this board has had bad experiences some time or other, it's all part of the learning curb of working with animals.

It wasn't your fault or your OH fault it was an unfortunate incident that has happened and the mane thing know is to move on and learn from it.

You will all recover from it and maybe when you have cracked it with your boy and you feel happy with his progress invite your OH to come and take part, it will help restore his confidence too.

Good luck
 
Do you travel him with the partition in? If so, is it possible to remove it and just cross-tie him once the ramp is up? He may be able to balance better if he can spread his legs.

Also I would tend to keep the front unload door closed. I know it makes it lighter but it just provides him with an escape route and he is perhaps just thinking escape when he sees it. You want the trailer to become his place of safety, not his escape route. But make sure the lights are on in the trailer. Once he goes in I would also put the ramp up as soon as he is in and just leave him to stand for a bit and then unload him, gradually increasing the time he is in there with a haynet until you actually travel again.
 
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