I need you 'knowledgeable' folks opinions!

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Winklepoker

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Good morning,

I am hoping to gain some much needed advice...
As many of you know what happened to my boy whist travelling him home, I wont go rambling on (if not, the thread is here... http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=440663 )

Okay, so I have tried loading into a trailer (a little half heartedly after what happened) with no force/rush/shouting! And he put 2 feet on after an hour gave him a pat and put him away. I then loaded him in a small ish sideloading lorry - little reluctant but walked on ate dinner and walked off.

Lots and lots of pats and 'good boys' later and I havent done it again since (2 weeks ago). Mainly due to not having the cheek to ask for the loan of the lorry!

I am half thinking I should save and buy a lorry rather than persevere with a trailer due to the terrible time he had and avoidance of it ever happening again.

What would you do? he will be happier in the lorry I am sure but bare in mind I am driving round in a Disco with a towbar as our only car, so shame not to use it for the purpose it was bought for.
 
I would do some more work with the trailer and don't do it "halfheartedly" as doing it that way you are not convincing horse that there is nothing to worry about. You need to be firm but fair. Imagine he is a small child that is afraid of something but has to get over that fear as a life skill. You comfort them, cajole them and ultimately give no option but to face the fear yet by remaining calm and consistent you will be supportive. I would try taking the partition out...anything could have caused the spook and jump over the bar. I saw a perfect traveller go berserk once in a trailer....he had been stung by something! Once he had been in box again a few times and realised that it wasn't happening again. On a purely practical level if you ever had to sell him some people may be put off if he didn't travel in a trailer! Perhaps ask somebody else to do some loading work...he may be picking up on your fear and you as much as him have ot get over the horrible fright you both got!
 
I totally understand, thank you. Someone else was doing the trailer loading but he became very unsettled when I walked away ( stepped aside mainly because, as you say, I knew I was frightened too) the noise and smell of the trailer are horrid for me, hate to think how he feels. Reading the loading thread on here, do you think it would be worth me getting a pressure halter?
 
I think you almost need to get over the fear first,
Can you practice loading someones safe and confident loader to get confidence that things go in, and are happy to, so you remember what its like.
if the smell and sight of the trailer is putting you off - imagine what kind of impression that gives him.

Did the old owners have a trailer for him??

I would keep going with it - he loaded ok when you fetched him, and it would be a shame to not get that back.

Personally I would keep going with the trailer, and if after the summer he is fine, but you still worry - save for a lorry :)
Quite an ordeal I can understand you worrying!
:o
 
As others have said, your worry won't help things. Ideally you want someone confident working with him and the trailer every single day. Walk on and off initially, then progressively work on getting him to stand still in the trailer. Feeding in the trailer may also be helpful. It's just one of those things that take time unfortunately!
 
I didn't have as scary an ordeal as you but my horse failed to load back up after a competition, refused blankly going in trailer or lorry so I had to hack back the 15miles back home. I let him chill out for a couple of weeks and then got in an IH practising lady who used the Monty Roberts halter and encouraged him to load. I can safely say the ifor williams trailers are very well made!!! I then had to lead him in stop and lead back out frontwards again every day for a week and then load shut back and lead back out again and then load close all doors and then open and lead back out again then load shut everything and drive around the block and then get back and lead in and out a couple of times and then finish. There was no quick fix but 2 weeks of this and he now loads (in a fashion).

I used no food in this process as I didn't want to him to associate the trailer with food, he is a little food obsessed considering he is a TB.

It really does involve patience, which I thought I never had but obviously I do.
 
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