hmmpf loading ideas needed please ..... pretty please

[Sanolly]

If pony is sensible and won't throw himself on the floor, get a long rope or lunge line and wrap it round the breast bar and hold it. Every time he relaxes a bit, take up the slack. He will probably have a paddy (hence need to know he won't throw himself on the floor). Just keep doing this until he gets to the point of no return.

This is exactly what we did with a friends Haflinger who was a stubborn pig about loading even after being used as a Kelly Marks demo horse! Works nicely because the horse is pulling against himself not you.

When I was teaching my mare to load if I got at her she would just argue back and then it was pointless. So I sat at the bottom of the ramp an waited. She was not allowed to go sideways or backwards, eventually she got bored and walked in I'd take a book though as I was there for hours lol however the more I did it the less time it took. Now I stand at the bottom of the ramp, schooling whip in right hand, pony in left. Tap tap on the shoulder and in she pops.

I never ever use food to get a horse to load. I feel that I should be able to load a horse without it, what would you do if you needed to get the horse to the vet, it wouldn't eat and therefore you couldn't load it? Nope time and patience are your best friends.

 

[winterwood]

Well, training is the key to loading. It's not about force, it's not about the trailer. It's about you and your horses confidence in your leadership.

All the tricks may work once or twice, but they are not a proper solution.

Very true. I have posted this link before, but maybe worth doing so again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TU6L9uz3ktg

Breaking the loading down into small chunks is very effective. And asking for a step at a time from the horse allows the handler to change focus from loading to simply moving the horses feet. This change of focus/intent can change how the horse views the whole situation.

Intelligent Horsemanship do have Recommended Associates covering Essex/Suffolk/Norfolk that may be able to help you, if you continue to have problems. Sounds like your instructor is doing good stuff with you, so hope all goes well

 

[dafthoss]

Ok thanks. He now walks in first time every time, we have set up a little routine and he knows what happens and when I have finished I tie him back up on the yard and feed him so he gets no food in the trailer apart from a net when traveling. We now have our own trailer so we have been practicing several times a week and he is getting better all the time, the big test will be on saturday as we are going to a competition.

 

[Piglet]

Try the Natural Horsemanship method, use a Parelli Halter and so the pressure release method. My horse was a s**t to load, I did the old pressure release and now I load him in my own, leave him standing on his own untied while I nip around and put up the rope behind him and then tie him up and put the ramp up. None of these I could do before I used the NH way.

 

[cornwallexracers]

If your horse was a baby then patience, patience and more patience would be my only advice, but it sounds as though he knows theres nothing to be frightened of and is just taking the proverbial.

In which case I would highly reccomend Richard Maxwell, who is I think near or in East Anglia? I've had him do two horses of mine in the past that would not load, point blank, and both of them ended up being fine to load afterwards. I have to be honest, when it was first suggested to me I rolled my eyes and thought yeah right!! However, I was impressed with the results. I don't think that if I had tried using his methods myself initially I would have got the results, as he's fairly 'strict' shall we say, and doesn't take any mucking about from them even though my mare gave him a run for his money!! However, once he was done setting the principle with the horses, he then handed them both over to me to make sure I could do it without help, and following the clinics I never had trouble loading them again. Might be worth looking into???

 

[meesha]

Poor you - I sympathise as I have hacked 10 miles home before now as my chap wouldnt load - he does now load in minutes but I have to use a chiffney as he knows he can drag me round without it. Getting into a battle with him never worked ! I would try yours in a chiffney and then be very very calm when loadiing , clip lunge line to one side of trailer then very calmly get someone to walk round back of horse with it while you load from head - do this very very slowly stopping if need be - there wont be anything to panic at or fight against and hopefully you should get good results (would also def wear good pair gloves and hat) Good luck it is soooo frustrating ,,,,,,

 

[canteron]

Sorry, haven't read all the posts, but I had the queen of all difficult loaders. I would firstly suggest that if the horse has had horrible journeys, it will understandable be unwilling to get back on a box, so here are my thoughts.

1) If they are difficult to load it is normally because they had have/are having horrible journeys. So first thing is to take all partitions out of the box/trailer. This can sometimes work like magic. All horses balance better if they have more room.

2) I now 'bore' my horse into loading. This is kinda taken from a Monty Roberts demo. Essentially walk the horse around the trailer, a few steps forwards and then backup a few steps. Every now and then present them to the trailer in an organised manner and if they don't go up just go back to forward and back. The only place they get away from your annoying habit is if they stand on the trailer. Its not necessarily quicker, but it is a hell of a lot calmer then electric wires, eggs and other weird stressful methods.

3) Do 2) often, load even if you aren't going anywhere.

4) Stand in the back of the box/trailer when someone is driving and just check there isn't' a broken spring or something making the journey really horrible.

Good luck!!!

 

[dafthoss]

Its ok now guys but thanks any way. As I said above we now have a routine that we follow and it works he loads first time and just walks up the ramp with out any questions. He wears a chiffney as he respects it now he understands what is acceptable and whats not and knows the consequesnes of being stubborn. We now have our own trailer so we have practiced loads and are going out to a competition on saturday so that will be our first big test.

 

[Hollie15]

Seems there are quite a few of us with stubborn horses!!!

I'm same, practised tonight, could get her to put two front feet in trailer then no more! If you leave her be though with a bucket inside, she'll go in for a mouthful, then back out, then back in etc.

I got the same problem, if you back her up she then won't move forward again. Today I was giving her a slap every time she backed up without being told to (seent hat somewhere on here before).
To get her up ramp I was stood sideways alongside her shoulder/belly with arms both out, so front arm with lead rope trying to encourage her and other arm waving around, taping her belly/bum (v lightly) with crop to annoy her to going in.

Tried gettin her to follow me through narrow/low obstacles on the ground, which she done fine. Wish I could get in her bloody mind!!

 

[Buzzby84]

Blindfold, cant see so ccan't object.
Andyspooner that is of no help what so ever.
LouS not matter how good the groundwork if a horse says no and means it nothing will change that situation.

 

[bliss87]

My hunters a stubborn loader and can get very handy with his hind legs (once having broke my arm trying to load him) the way we load him maybe unconventional but it works and after having him bolt around a showground i wont risk it, he has to wear a chifney with lunge lines around his back side... this normally works but if hes deciding rearing and striking out is a fun game he has the chifney tied between his legs to a leather roller and stuff thrown at his arse with no one in kicking distance (suprisingly the next time you come to load hes a saint)

 

[jhoward]

can i just point out, a horse will not understand going off and being sent in circles as a form of punishment. all you have done is removed the horse from the situation it doest want to be in!

sorry i did read u had now made progress but it bugs the hell out of me when people think chasing a horse around on a tight circle will make it see sence!

you may aswell waggle a finger and put it to bed without any dinner

 

[Tnavas]

A bum rope works well, A long soft rope, around his bum and tied at the withers in a bowline knot, then through the throat and ring of the head collar.

When he stops pull the rope and generally only takes a few hefty tugs and they go on.

Can also be done with rope folded on too, and twisted over the withers and then passed on each side of the neck, through the throat & ring of the head collar. This is good for the ones that wriggle, keeps them really straight.

This is one of my youngsters tied up at a show with a bum rope on as it stops them pulling back

 

[Vickijay]

This is one of my youngsters tied up at a show with a bum rope on as it stops them pulling back

What a good idea for a puller backer. I have used bum ropes on my foals when teaching them to lead but never thought about using one like that

Pressure and release to get a bad loader on. Put pressure on rope when you want the horse to move a step, as soon as horse thinks about it and moves (even the smallest bit) take the pressure off again. Then repeat. The removal of pressure is a reward and you telling the horse that you want it to go forwards. Take your time. Be calm and do a little bit at the time. Dinners in the trailer are a good idea.

Remember short term fixes (like whips, shouting, buckets of water etc) will not give you a consistant fix. The more time you spend fixing the issue, calmly and nicely, the better it will be fixed in the end.

 

[winterwood]

My hunters a stubborn loader and can get very handy with his hind legs (once having broke my arm trying to load him) the way we load him maybe unconventional but it works and after having him bolt around a showground i wont risk it, he has to wear a chifney with lunge lines around his back side... this normally works but if hes deciding rearing and striking out is a fun game he has the chifney tied between his legs to a leather roller and stuff thrown at his arse with no one in kicking distance (suprisingly the next time you come to load hes a saint)

I take it from your post that he is a saint to load now?

 

[PuddingandPie]

Anyone know of someone good in Cornwall? Thanks.