Little mare wont load. Help please!!

livvyc_ria

livvyc_ria

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 November 2010
Messages
240
Location
Cheshire
Visit site
One of my mares will not load onto the trailer. ~In the past she has been fine, hesistant but after a minute of waiting at the bottom of the ramp would just wander on.
Now she just stands at the bottom of the ramp and will not move. She is not stressed,frightened,angry etc. Her face doesnt change, her ears dont go back, she just wont move.
The only direction she will move is if you give her a little pull on the leadrobe she walks backwards!!
Ive tried coaxing her on with feed but she just stretches her neck and if she cant reach she just stops trying and looks at me.
Ive tried making her follow a lead pony, but she still wont go on. Ive loaded this little pony and got her to walk on once but she's wont go on like this anymore.
Ive tried lunge lines crossed behind her and she is just not fazed by them.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Like i say she isnt stressed, or upset by any of it, she's so calm and relaxed and plays with my pockets and hair etc while i stand with her after trying to coax her on!
Hot chocolate and marshmallows for any suggestions!!
Thankyou:)
 
Someone behind chucking pebbles at the horses's bum works a treat sometimes!! Gets them moving. Obviously don't hurl them at the horse or use big rocks or bricks. That def. might cause alarm. Little bits of gravel usually best!!
 
Have all the time in the world and just stand there with a loose rein (I prefer a Be Nice to anything else, they respect it more but you must know when to give and take with one). Don't let her move a muscle unless it's forward when you shower her with praise but preferably no treats. Don't let her play with you, make her stand up straight and focus on you. Usually, when they see you're not going to play with them or give them treats, they give a huge sigh and lumber up the ramp but be warned, it could take a time so make sure you have plenty and don't focus on anything else but her.
Otherwise someone with a hosepipe or a broom behind her might work but you must be ready to go up that ramp with her, don't hang her back. FWIW, I wouldn't bother with the pony, open up the partitions and front ramp so she has plenty of room and light so no excuse for her to refuse unless she has been frightened by having a bad driver in the past.
 
I had a mare like this......

Like you we tried everything. feed, following someone in, lunge lines, brush up her backside etc etc. each new thing would only work the once and then she reverted to planting at the bottom of the ramp. We once had to leave her overnight at a friends after trying for about three hours.

She WASNT scared. she'd never had anything but good experiences loading and travelling. In fact what used to frustrate me more is she'd plant herself and then actually look at you and let out a big sigh - hardly signs of a frightened horse.

Now, I'm not into any of this 'natural horsemanship' nonesense - to me half of it is just common sense. but we tried a dually halter (monty roberts) now i didnt use it as i imagine monty roberts would suggest but i put it on and gave her such a rattle with it (short sharp tug) that she got the shock of her life and then calmly walked up the ramp. we never had a problem loading after that - i used to always stick it on for loading just in case but never had to use it so to speak.

It might not work but if you could beg / borrow one to try it might be worth a shot?
 
So annoying!-If you can open the trailer up, put some nice bedding on the floor so it looks inviting and airy and if you can get hold of one- even to borrow- a Stallion Ring (sometimes called a Controller Bridle) can be really useful for a horse that isn't scared, but is planting or refusing to load. Pressure and release ie she moves a tiny step release the pressure- and she'll get the idea. Also sometimes if they won't load and they are genuinely not scared, but planting and looking at you (or looking down on you!!!) you need to get their head lower, so you are in control and not the horse. Once she is starting to load then some of her fave treats, and keep practising-one of mine was like that years ago when he was a 5year old going through his "teenager" spell and he has never not loaded since we used the controller bridle, broom and then treats/reward for good behaviour!- he trots up the ramp now!
Good luck you wil get there!
 
Mine got fed in the lorry for 2 months, morning & night when we got him as he wouldn't load.

Started off as Maesfen said with a Be Nice & all the time in the world. Ensure they can't eat or be distracted by anything & wait them out.
 
My friends daughter has a 14.2hh mare like this - she also kicks out very acurately if you try and chase her up the ramp. She used to just sit on the lunge lines so I tried using thiner electric fence rope tied to one side of the trailer and held round under her tail (not exactly in the BHS manual and for gods sake if you do try this method dont wind the wire around your hand and wear gloves). Only had to do this twice and now she loads very well - she obviously had no respect for nice soft wide lunge webbing!!

I am sure baler twine or something similar would probably do the job as well..
 
Have you tried trotting her in? This worked on Henry when we first started loading and he was an akward old so and so.

Either that or crack a lunge/hunting whip behind her (not on horse but noise might help!)
 
My youngster was like that. Took us 2 hours to get him on first time. I already had a dually halter for another horse so used that with a technique I'd seen Monty Roberts use & it worked brilliantly. Basically you just keep making them rein back until they decide it's easier / more comfortable to walk forwards onto the ramp with you. Ypu probably dont need the pressure halter if your horse isn't throwing it's weight around.
 
My Horses have to learn to load quickly and easily as i go lot of places on my own with them. My new boy was very much a non loader but I spent one afternoon with a lunge line and a big stick on my own, loaded him 4 times (each time once he was ALL THE WAY in he got fussed and treats)
He has been on 2 outings since and i dont need the lunge line any more he loads himself!
 
My boy was an absolute git to load. Not scared just horrible - reared, threw himself off backwards etc. I use a Dually halter. Have nobody around - he likes the attention! and Patience! He now loads no probs. I never use food - not that he would eat it, he wont even take a treat once loaded, I think its his way off saying sod off:D When approaching the trailer I used to walk him round it really quietly and slowly, back him up a few times so that he backed in response to my body rather than the halter. Led him toward the trailer and backup immediately (reverse phsycology) then when i felt he was super chilled i marched on board and he would 9/10 times follow no hassle. Now no hassle and we just go up. He was young though and a few years have basically made him grow up!
 
I had exactly the same problem with my youngster, she would get so far on and then just plant her feet and refuse to move. My box is a side load renault master conversion and she is 16hh. I did not want to get into a situation of having a fight and her flinging her head in the air and banging it on the way out (as these boxes are quite low) Anyway a friend suggested Jonathan Browne at www.simplegoodhorsemanship.co.uk, who is local to me. He got her going on calmly in just one session and came back later in the week to do so again and then I did it myself. She loaded no problems for me the following weekend, there and back without any hassle. He did quite a bit of work just handling the horse before attempting to load i.e getting the horse to follow you and stop when you stop (on a longish rope), when he attempted to load her for the first time if she stopped he just shook the rope at her hind legs until she moved forward. It worked anyway! Don't know if he would travel to you but might be worth asking & would definately recommend to anyone having problems.
 
If you find away with your horse, please let me know! As we have tried everything with my mare; dually & had RA out still with success!
 
with the old fella we used the "well if you wont go forwards!!" approach & reversed him up the ramp which worked a few times, we also used the lift on foot on at a time & effectifly carry him on.
we did both of those for nearly 6 years most weekends then one day we were running late for day out & the trailer had to be moved to get other box out of yard so it want in its usual place & just as he planted to refuse the wind got up & whiped the electric tape off the polypost & up his jacksy BY GOD did he move up the ramp (mains powered, full wack for the cattle) & loaded a dream from that day onwards ;)
 
I had a two year old mare with the same problem, she got so stroppy she would turn and tow you away.

However I put a rope halter on her like this one - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Natural-Horse...Horse_Wear_Equipment&var=&hash=item6fc2b3b4f2 (I am not advertising it, I don't know the seller - I am just using this one as an example)

I used it to lead around, when she tried to go in the wrong direction i put pressure on the lead rope, once she moved in the correct way I reduced it - I did the same with the trailer and she now walks on without a problem.
 
I agree that using a dually halter or be nice and reining them back with pressure and realeasing when they go forwards works very well. Also if your mare is just being a bit stubborn rather than actually nervous i have found that instead of whips or lunge lines, a helper standing behind and to the side with a broom can work wonders! Basically when she is stopped up they nudge her back side with the bristles end which they foind uncomfortable rather than painful and then stop as soon as you have forward motion. Some horses need more firm nudges than others but together with a control headcollar is really effective.
 
"stallion ring" "controller bridle" surely you just mean a chifney, which is all well and good, but a normal bridle 9/10 works fine.

Sounds like your not particularily confident and giving her the option to not go on which she is taking.
You need someone whos used to loading horses to give you a hand one afternoon until its sorted, be it brush, hosepipe, cattle prod (JK LOL) or just who'll walk her straight up the ramp and give her some confidence as a leader.

Blackie once refused to load point blank as a 2 year old (was born at home, then boxed to field with mum, weaned when mum was moved and left there with rest of herd for another 18 months or so unhandled). was simple man handling that did the trick and a system of ropes and pulleys so she was just fighting against herself. no stress just patience and insisting that she was going forwards. took about 20 minutes before she gave in and walked up and shes trotted up the ramp ever since.
 
loopylozza - you joke about the cattle prod.....i knew of someone YEARS ago who had one for getting her horse out of the start box xc, shocking to think what things used to go on!!!!!
 
Thankyou so much for all these replies.

Im going to try get hold of one of these headcollars.

As for my confidence, that is not an issue, nor is my experience loading horses.
Unfortunately the old brush trick isnt going to work with this naughty girl as she has no qualms with double barrelling anyone who may be behind her.

Ive tried waiting her out and have been stood close to an hour and half at the bottom of that ruddy ramp!!

So a halter is, ive not used one before as im more of the yard brush, lunge line kind or persuader hehe. But this naughty girl has very athletic hind legs. And when i say she is little, she is standing at 16hh. She's not that little, I certainly wouldnt rate my chances against one of those legs!!:D

Wish me Luck!!!
 
xloopylozzax said:
"stallion ring" "controller bridle" surely you just mean a chifney, which is all well and good, but a normal bridle 9/10 works fine.QUOTE]

To clarify- a Stallion Ring/Controller bridle is not a Chifney- the Stallion Ring/Controller bridle goes around the nose and is good for handling wayward horses or for non loaders.

Heres a link to one- they call it a Training Halter: http://www.kmeliteproducts.co.uk/proddetail.php?prod=acc0021

To the op- good luck with your mare!
Click to expand...
 
well, if she's taking the proverbial P, then perhaps someone behind her with a lunge whip, just tapping her with it in an annoying way (NOT hitting) and desisting the moment she goes forward, might be a good idea? or just flicking the tip of it behind her, threateningly but not actually touching her. they can stand well out of target zone if she's a kicker (but tbh she shouldn't kick if the tapping is just annoying rather than painful, or as long as the lash doesn't touch her).
i have one who will load like a lamb as long as there's someone behind her (they don't even have to do anything now, just be there) but take ages of mucking around if i'm on my own. obv this isn't ideal at all yet, but at least she goes in with minimal hassle.
oh, and yes, i've got a controller halter, she's fine with all that, she just needs a bit of a push, mental rather than physical now.
with enough practice of going in without hassle, i think they eventually decide it's easier to just do as you ask rather than be stroppy etc.
 
SHE'S IN!

Thank god! All it took was 1hr, a bridle, an unfortunate bump to the head and some haylage.

With a bridle on i got all 4 feet on the ramp but she'd go no further, after standing on the ramp for about an 1hr she decided that the best way to avoid loading was to remove the person asking her to get in. i.e me!!

So she went up and struck out with her front legs, as she did she thumped her head on the top of the trailer, was totally shocked and came straight up in the trailer to mum, sniffling and very upset with herself.

After a nibble on some haylage, i took her out to do it again with her. Now she's walking, walking out, walking in, walking out.
We have cracked it!
 
Lol, it's amazing isn't it because she probably wonders where the thump came from, she'll have no idea it was self inflicted but she wanted your reassurance which was good.

Well done, hope she stays good from now on but naughty girl for striking out.
 
I have a rear unload trailer - Henry used to have a nasty habit of backing himself out of it in a hurry. He did once and managed to scalp himself - stood quite as a lamb in the trailer after that incident!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top