I'M Guted help please????

T

Timmy100

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 August 2008
Messages
93
Location
West Midlands
Visit site
Well my horse has always been a brill loader the type to drag u on..he even loaded when he was the un-balanced boy when i first had him and when he fractured his pedal bone with trips back and forward to the hospital..we have been to various shows and pleasure rides over the summer competeing in working hunter not over done him as i have my two nephews ponies aswell that have been out...The last time we went to a show he was not kean to go on eventually did off to the show no problems then to come home well 30 minutes later he went on. i use a dooley anyway hes not the type of horse you can get mad at as he was mistreated and would just say no chance lungeline behind legs freaked him out. He has regualr back treatments cranial sacral therapy which after the show i had him checked just to make sure he was not uncomfortable somewhere causing his discomfort whilst travelling..there has been no mishap or trauma what so ever nothing happend at the show..well hunting has started and this is his job through and through pulled in at 6am from field and he knew straight away what was coming i could tell trailer hitched up and still a happy excited tim in his stable then come to load...NO Chance 45 minutes and still nothing in the end i just had to give up even tried him with company im not an in-experienced hair head and thought i knew most ways around loading but no chance..the only thing ive got to try is him on a box but the trailer in four years has never caused us a problem sorry for long post just wondering if anyone has random problem like this im guted and really dnt understand..the trailer is a HB505 2006 model well looked after not a dodgy tin shed....:(
 
This is a tricky one - any chance he had a bad experience in the trailer in recent months - not saying you are a baaad driver, but did you have to brake suddenly or maybe turn a corner a bit sharp, and he has frightened himself? Sometimes it can take a few more trips before they decide not to load, for whatever reason.

When you tried with a companion, did you load that one first? Can you try the trailer in a different position in the yard, open all the doors up to make it easy to see right through?
 
I have a 505 and exactly this happened recently with a freind's horse I travel regularly. (Mine had no problems) We didn't get to the bottom of it but posts at the time suggested if there had been a problem with the tyre pressure or suspension that might have hade a difference to him even though there had been no incident as such. We weren't able to check as by the time someone suggested this the trailer had just had its annual service!

What my friend did was the classic desensitising thing. Parking a trailer in the feild with him. Walking him through it. Moving it out to the hard standing and walking him through it. Feeding him in it. Finally closing the doors for a few minutes, then driving round the block - you know the sort of thing. It took about 3 months in total - although he was doing shorter trips in about 5 or 6 weeks - he travels fine now.

Might be worth a try for you?
 
I had a pony that travelled fine for about the first 6 months i owned him, & then he decided trailers were not his thing. i was quite inexperienced with problem loaders & only 13 at the time but i had plenty of more experienced & older people around who couldnt get him near it either. again there was no event that we could identify that might have caused him to dislike the trailer, just one day he decided he wouldnt go in. what would happen was that he would get half way up the ramp & then run out backwards. We did similar to what Shay suggested with him to get him used to it & eventually it worked. he then started to just be naughty (it was very obvious he was scared to begin with but clearly turned to naughtiness later) & then we started to use a riding whip if he took a step backwards. not hard, just to remind him we meant business. a few weeks later he trotted into the trailer & we never had another problem. i think you just have to take things slowly & get him used to it again. incidently we had a 505 too but an older version (think we got it in 2000 or 2001). i think perseverance is necessary so dont give up all hope yet!
 
Thats the thing i cant even think of a moment where ive breaked or done something rash otherwise id understand i drive like miss daisy and plus using OH's truck i have to be carefull with that aswell as my very precious load behind..Going to have to do the desensitising thing, i could never even show him a whip in that situation he wud freak and totally break his confidence in me..ive had him 4years and can say now he trusts me but took a very long time he was ur typical connie x ID who had been dragged off tipperary and beaten up he was even scared of a bucket, i can use an angry voice and thats enough to know i mean buisness with him but even that aint working god knows im adament he knew we were hunting today and nothing wud ever put him off that so god knows whats going on!!!
 
Nothing new to add or miracle ideas I'm afraid but just to re-iterate that this can happen for no particular reason. My boy loaded first or last for 8 years, then decided not to. True, this was now into his own lorry, but the first few times in this lorry loaded no probs, then next time - planted! And as a stocky cob that is a serious amount of plant! It has taken almost a year of all the usual feeding in lorry, treats in lorry, much praise when feet on ramp, in and out of lorry a zillion times at once, 2 minutes up and down drive etc etc. We have, (I hope!!) finally come to the point where he has realised that this has to be done. (have of course had whole lorry, suspension, tyres, squeaks etc checked along the way). Have to say that this is a horse that would eventually load himself with no head collar to eat on this lorry, but would still not get on to go anywhere. Therefore questioned driving (at 10 mph!!), road surfaces etc. Last few times out no problem (touching all wood here!). One point - he seems a lot happier when we approach the ramp at some speed and straight up (hairy for me, amusing for spectators-good for him seemingly).
Good luck.
 
The only bit of experience I had with a good traveller going bad was when I tried to travel my mare kerbside and she kept falling down. It took a horse transporting professional to tell me this, as I couldn't work out what was wrong. Apparently some horses just cannot tolerate travelling kerbside as it is a much different ride for them.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top