Horse that will NOT get on a float

[Treehugger]

So when we brought my horse he came on a float and obviously was fine because he was in there for hours.

for the past few days we’ve been trying and trying to load him onto the float, but he just will not budge whatsoever. He might take half a step on but won’t go any further. We’ve had him to the point of dripping sweat and he still wont touch the float.

We believe he has had a traumatic experience in the past with floats.

So I need some ideas on how I could get him onto the float

 

[MissTyc]

Just because he arrived on a trailer unfortunately doesn't mean he was OK with it. You don't know how he was loaded on the other end, etc .
That said, I know many many horses who will load for one person but not for another, so I'd highly recommend identifying a reputable groundwork trainer near you and having some training sessions with them so that you can't better understand your horse's reaction and how to deal with it.
Horses are prey animals - no need for a traumatic experience for them to not like something! I have worked with horses that would throw themselves to the ground, sweating, lashing out, etc, for their owner, only to follow a stranger on like a lamb. They're funny like that - they respond very well to calm, consistent, and kind handling.

 

[Birker2020]

Can you not start feeding him on there? If he's really hungry he might be tempted to step on for food.

 

[Brownmare]

How long have you owned him? You need to build trust first and do plenty of groundwork away from the trailer before attempting to load. Also, never get them stressed. In my experience, the moment you start upsetting them you have lost the battle. Keep everything calm and never be afraid to end the session on a tiny positive note without getting him loaded. As Birker says, food is a good incentive, or try using a stooge horse to load first if he has a friend he can follow.
It is worth bearing in mind too that if he has only ever travelled to move homes he will be expecting to do the same now. He has no way of knowing you only want to travel to a competition / lesson and straight home again.

 

[julesjoy]

I use a method similar to one on YouTube by Ryan Rose 'horse won't load after injury'. Even without injury the principle is the same. All very calm and steady.

 

[Reacher]

I read a book (I’ll dig out the title when I have a minute) which explains how different a horse’s vision is to ours and why it makes a float/trailer look terrifying to them (dark enclosed space). It takes a lot for them to overcome this fear and put their trust in us and be willing to load

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

I read a book (I’ll dig out the title when I have a minute) which explains how different a horse’s vision is to ours and why it makes a float/trailer look terrifying to them (dark enclosed space). It takes a lot for them to overcome this fear and put their trust in us and be willing to load

Some horses are much more comfortable getting into a wagon than a trailer/float, because they do not have to walk into such a small dark space.

 

[Gloi]

If he was in there for hours and did not regularly travel before that it could have put him off wanting to go in again.
Feed him there starting with it on the ramp until he starts to associate it with nice things rather than a bad experience before you make it a big deal about going in.

 

[Reacher]

Book is “ Horse brain human brain” by Janet L Jones PhD
The book talked about how it takes horses much longer to adjust to dim light than us and it did make me panic a bit on XC courses when you go from bright sunlight into a dark shadow area and can the horse see the jump which it is about to jump! ?
(Of course he did still jump it beautifully!)

 

[Birker2020]

These are the floats that the Houston SPCA use in America. In all the episodes I've watched of Animal Cops Houston I've never seen any horse refuse to go in them, they have a step up and have partitions across the width of the trailer to seperate animals. Sometimes they are tied by rope directly to the bars of the float (and I worry about thinning bailing twine before tying up!) and they seem to travel fine.

In this country we'd be horrified by such an outfit, but when its reguarly 100F over there its no surprise they are open sided.

 

[Lyle]

Groundwork for a few weeks away from the trailer. Lots of exercises you can do, yield HQs, yield FQs, backing from driving pressure, lunging. Build the respect and the trust, work on the relationship. Find a reputable GW person to either come and work with you, or study online a method. The groundwork control must have been established prior to facing them at the trailer. E.g, If they don't know that a 'cluck' is a cue to move forward, they won't learn it in front of the trailer, nor will they know to move forward. Have a plan and stick to it. Expect it to take a few sessions, if not weeks ? patience is the key.

 

[Lois Lame]

View attachment 83899View attachment 83900These are the floats that the Houston SPCA use in America. In all the episodes I've watched of Animal Cops Houston I've never seen any horse refuse to go in them, they have a step up and have partitions across the width of the trailer to seperate animals. Sometimes they are tied by rope directly to the bars of the float (and I worry about thinning bailing twine before tying up!) and they seem to travel fine.

In this country we'd be horrified by such an outfit, but when its reguarly 100F over there its no surprise they are open sided.

Gosh, those floats look interesting.

I have heard that American horses step up onto floats quite willingly. We have ramps here, and horses aren't so fond of them, especially when backing out.

I am a little concerned with the width of those bars though as they look as though a hoof could fit through if somehow a hoof was able to get up there.

 

[sunnyone]

I think it might help if we knew what type of trailer/float you're using.
Typical modern UK trailers have ramps at the back and at the front. Horse loads from the back and walks through, my almost feral New Forest ponies would self load into one, one at a time, they learned that there was food inside. Putting head collars on them, grooming and foot trimming then became possible and easy.
Fautras, and some other European trailers, expect horse to step up and in, and then back out if too big to turn round. Not easy to build confidence imo.
Cheval libertés, also European, have ramps which convert to doors so the owner can choose which method of loading to use.
I prefer ramps when starting a beginner , I initially reward for each hoof on the ramp, then when they are happy with that, it's reward time for hooves in the trailer. Yes it takes time but they are learning a skill for life. Once they are loading happily they go for short runs round the block so they know do not associate trailers with a life changing experience.

 

[Annagain]

Is there a well-respected professional in your area who could help you? If so, I'd always go for that option. I had trouble with my new boy - he loaded really well for six months, then we had a break for a few months due to covid and when we started again, he didn't want to go on. I got a local professional with a very good reputation to come to help us. We did two sessions and it's the best £90 I've ever spent.

The basic premise was to change the focus from "getting him on" to "helping him feel good about going on". We had to create the conditions that made choosing to go on the easiest option rather than forcing him on.

We'd start by just leading around the trailer with a loose (long so you can keep hold of him if there's a problem) rope. To start with just being close to the trailer would increase his stress so we'd just graze around it or stand and have a scratch, basically do anything except focus on the trailer. Once he was comfortable (almost bored) with that, we'd start getting closer and closer as his state of mind allowed. He was allowed to stop but he wasn't allowed to look away or go backwards - that resulted in an increase in pressure (just very gently with one finger) on the rope, if he got a bit 'stuck' so was just standing and not focussed on me, the pressure would increase a fraction. As soon as his head turned back to the trailer or he made the slightest forward movement (maybe just with his nose) the pressure was released. If it was a decent forward movement we'd take him away from the trailer and let him chill for a little while before coming again. At no point are you asking him to come onto the trailer, so if he says 'no' he's not being naughty. You're simply suggesting to him that he might like to come and take a look.

Look for signs of stress - head high, irregular breathing, wide eyes etc. If he's stressed don't push for the next step but don't turn him away either. When you spot the signs that he's relaxing, take him away. The idea is that you gradually build up his comfort zone but he always leaves that zone in a good frame of mind so he remembers that it was easy and the next attempt will then be stretching that comfort zone slightly further. We had my boy on within 30 minutes doing this. We'd then lead him straight through a few times, then ask him to stand for a second and then gradually increase the time before we could put the front bar up block his front exit. We'd then undo it straight away and let him off and again increase that time, then put the back bar across and built up from there. By the end of the second session, he was putting himself on, allowing me to stand at the back to put the breaching bar across. Obviously US trailers are different but if you can find one with two doors - even if it's just to borrow for this first step it's a big help.

 

[Leandy]

I concur with getting a good professional with a good reputation for loading to come and help. If it isn't working for you then there is no use plodding on failing. It just teaches them they don't have to do it at all and that it is something to be worried about. I'm not sure what you mean by getting him to the point of dripping sweat? This is really not the way to go. The horse is clearly stressed if he is in that state (and likely you too). You need someone who can change the horse's mindset and get them to want to do it. I take it you are not in the UK so cannot recommend anyone but there are miracle workers out there who can work with you and the horse and get the horse to understand fully what is expected without stress and, most importantly, teach you to read and use the appropriate body language to get you there. A good professional like that will likely get the horse happily walking in and out in one session, albeit that you will need to do lots of homework too. It is absolutely money well spent, even though it may not be cheap. Just compare the value of a horse which refuses to load as compared to one which does it willingly and the value of paying for help is obvious.