How well does your horse load?

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chaser81

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I have always been used to having a horse that walks straight onto my trailer without batting an eyelid. My new horse goes on but pauses on the ramp and needs a bit of encouragement just in the form of a pat on the bottom to go the rest of the way, whilst it never takes more than a couple of minutes to get him on I worry about it! A friend said her horse always needs a bit of encouragement so maybe I was just spoilt to have such a good horse previously! Horse is 15.1hh and trailer is an Ifor 505 so plenty of space and once on he travels fine. Should I be doing more training between outings with him or will he just get used to going on with the more we go out?
 
All mine load straight away and in fact will load themselves if you give them a chance. Little fellow had never been in a trailer and had a quick look but it only took once before he was bounding up the ramp
 
All of ours load perfectly (we brought a 3 year old gelding in from the field today who has been there for the last 15 months and he loaded onto the box which was parked in a layby next to a straight main road). However we have one who doesn't like unloading from the lorry. He stands right on the edge but won't budge, and if you slacken the lead rope he turns back into the lorry. Someone has to stand behind him (no need to touch him but he knows you're there). He started doing it at the racetrack but it gradually became an issue at home too. Still haven't found a solution to it (we travel them up to three times a week so he has plenty of practice).
 
She didn't load well at all, nor travel well, now she loads and travels very well. Took a while, but she thinks the trailer is a great place to be. She will walk up open front ramps if given the opportunity, but won't entertain anything old and rickety.
 
One of mine loads himself and is a doddle!

The other is a little more hesitant - he will always load, but only walks in first time as long as he knows there is a treat on offer once he is in. Some might say that you shouldn't use treats, but I know he is guaranteed to load this way and is hassle free for all parties. After hunting he does load without a treat as is anxious to stuff his face, and always travel with a net so he sees the lorry as a 'good' place to be.

With your horse I wouldn't be too worried, unless he gets more hesitant, then maybe more frequent loading could help.
 
Larry basically runs up the ramp! He needs no encouragement at all, and travels really well too. He used to sometimes jump out a bit but seems to be better now.

Bailey loads really well but needs plenty of space while travelling. He just plods out again too.

They're both ex racers so obviously done plenty of travelling in their time.
 
My yearling will just walk on happily whereas I have to load my sixteen year old mare in trot/fast walk so I can get her on before she changes her mind. But if there's a haynet hung up she'll spot it a mile off and jog on happily. If there is another horse in there already though...it's a bit of a fight. She's a bit of a princess and doesn't like sharing her space, put another horse on once she's in though and she just pulls a face. For unloading we have to reverse because she gets so excited that she's arrived she will miss the ramp completely and leap out. At home she walks down it perfectly calm but somewhere new...she just can't contain herself.
More training certainly wouldn't hurt, maybe giving him some feed every time he walks straight on would help encourage him a little. If you can put the front ramp down as well then I would do that and just lead him straight through, pause when he's in the trailer, give him a treat and then lead him off and go straight round again.
 
My mare can be a madam, always has and I imagine always will. Her preferred make of trailer is Ifor Williams 510 (took me over 2 hours to get her on a big rice richardson - go figure?!?) won't go in any trailer with a side ramp - not for lack of trying. and hasn't been in a lorry for years. The method for getting her in has varied over the 10 years I've had her but currently lunge lines and 2 people just stood holding them each side does the trick. 9/10 she walks straight on no problem but I know that if I didn't have the people on hand to step in quickly then she'd be a complete bu**er!
Now I've finally passed my trailer test we can now practice properly and she if we can perfect loading on our on. Ironically she gets really excited when seeing the trailer being hitched on or being plaited so I get the impression she does enjoy her outings. There is no point that I can recall which could have possibly caused to become such a pickle about loading.

ETA: she always travels well, never sweats up etc and walks off the ramp at the other end like an angel..
 
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My first horse was an tb ex racer he used to take 4 hours min to get in at the start, poor boy was terrified!!
My current horse Better than I thought. When I first bought my mare me and her old owner we expecting a long time to get her in the box but she just waltzed straight on :)
 
I've never had a horse that loads badly, but they haven't had reason not to. 'Course that may not always be the case, horse rationale can be a law unto itself sometimes.
 
Mine hesitates slightly before walking on, I don't rush him as I know he will load. I've had him a year and at first it was a couple of minutes til he walked on - before he had a posh lorry so he's probably thinks he's sluming it ! Now he is much better and I don't really think about it. He always gets a treat though for loading nicely.
 
One of mine loads perfectly, the perfect gentleman. However my other one i've had to stop competing due to the fact she won't load! We tried absolutely everything with her but she just doesn't load! She also gets quite dangerous if aggravated too much so my mum and I and basically stepping on eggshells with her! :(
 
My old TB loaded 9/10 times perfectly but on the 10th occasion he'd run back but not if he was in a controller halter, always loaded straightaway in one. Recently sold horse liked to pause at the bottom of the ramp and consider his position. He always loaded within a couple of minutes and because he was a bit opinionated, I was happy for him to feel it was his choice rather than rushing him. New horse walks up without a second thought but was a bit hesitant at first, however he'd not travelled in a rear facing 3.5ton box before, so it was understandable.
 
Mine is 95% perfect to leave the yard, although he very occasionally decides to back off before I can get the back done up. Only ever if I'm on my own of course! He loads himself every time to come home.
My share horse is hilarious. Every time, he'll duck out the side first time, I then turn him round and he then loads himself. It's like he's saying, "I don't have to do it you know, I'm only doing it this time because I'm a really good boy!" I pretty much lead him past the first time now, it saves the pretence!
 
Both of mine march straight onto a lorry. Little mare takes a bit more persuasion to load in a trailer, but not much. I wouldn't even attempt to try and load the big ginger lummox into a trailer, I just know it would end in disaster!

Has your lad travelled in trailers before, or is he used to lorries?
 
Reg loads himself happily, just travels badly (well, he's good as gold but sweats a lot and if he gets bored when we're still too long rocks the lorry a bit... Impossible to stop him because eventually we do move again and hey presto, his lorry rocking worked!). Smokes loads like a lamb, behaves impeccably the whole time and is generally adorable. He doesn't dash up the ramp, just potters up after you.

We've had some bad loaders, but generally as long as we know they haven't had a bad experience then we're just firm but fair. They're going on the lorry, and if that means starting 2 hours early we will! We haven't been defeated yet. and have never resorted to any more than 2 lunge lines and gently tapping their legs while bribing with food. And they do tend to come round if they get enough practice!
 
Both mine load fine on my own vehicle but on something new or if she has not travelled in ages the mare will often have a look or stop but always goes on after a few seconds, my gelding took a while to get used to my new lorry first few times he stopped and looked but he just walks in now, maybe it will just take a while for your new horse to get used to a different vehicle.
 
My mare loads ridiculously easily, I'm very spoilt. Don't think it's anything I've done specifically, it's just the way she is.
 
Just walks up the ramp and on, no bother. I tried him a few weeks ago when the YM had just come back from a show in her lorry. Straight up, no bother, even though he hasn't travelled since his last show some years ago! Star pony!
 
Bearing in mind Pie was brought over from Ireland by a low-end dealer and was a nervous wreck in the early days, the first time I loaded him he took about 5 minutes to pluck up the courage to go up the ramp. Since then he has walked up straight away and is an absolute sweetheart to travel, happy to wait in the lorry until I am ready to take him off - and politely walks down with me. Even after 12 years of having him his attitude still delights me, he is an absolute pleasure to own!
 
Previous horse was a doddle to load - the only problems were keeping up with him as he wanted to canter up the ramp, and stopping him from loading onto any lorry or trailer he saw with the ramp down. So it was a bit of a shock when I got my current horse and he turned out to be a bit of a ****. We've done lots of work on groundwork, leading and basic manners and as a result he's improving all the time.
 
Some of mine have been tricky to start with, all end up loading themselves.....

It would not worry me if there was a hesitation, if you have a nice box and are a good driver the hesitation will melt away IMO.
 
Afraid I'm another with a horse that pretty much loads themselves! G was stubborn once before I had my own transport, and before I could blink the transporter had shoved a broom up her bum. She never hesitated again after that! She travels beautifully, you don't know she's on the box.

Fanfare stopped at the bottom and looked when I picked her up in the 3.5t, and again when I first got my 7.5t. I think she just needed to figure out where she had to go as she then went up and in without fuss and was straight in every time after that.

I feel if you give the horses a good ride then the travelling shouldn't be an option, although of course there will always be exceptions!
 
She will canter and jump up the ramp of any big inviting lorry, she gets overexcited and can't get onto it quick enough as she knows she is going somewhere fun. However 2 years on we have not managed to get her near our lovely 3.5t as she has always travelled in enormous HGVs in previous homes and will not even consider it - same goes for trailers.
Our second horse hates travelling (nervous wreck following bad experience) but is a total sweetheart and will always walk on to anything you ask him, and just panic when he gets going - we don't try to take him anywhere anymore as he gets so upset about it. Pony will go on anything - would even go in the back of a land rover if you asked him to!
 
Put him in and out multiple times til he just walks on. Then repeat repeat repeat. 4 of mine were bad loaders when I got them. They all just trundle on no problem now. I also make sure they will stop on the ramp, back up, go forwards again etc.
 
The only time my TB has refused to load was when he was going to a new home, now back with us for life, my trotter x can be stubborn if he hasn't finished having fun, the WB mare refused point blank to load, my fault not hers, moving four horses in limited time, I rushed her, threw her back in the field and she loaded perfectly on the second run, baby cob will follow you anywhere
 
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