Loading help please - what next?!

Wilbur_Force

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Hi all, not strictly CR but i know that you lot are well travelled.

Cutting a long story short, Will is a pain to load - he's not scared, travels fab, doesnt sweat up, wont rush off the lorry or try to push down the ramp once he's in. You cant coax him with food generally and the pressure halter (Be-Nice) does not have the desired effect (he just pulls against it) and you could hang off it all day.

I have tried chifney, lunge lines, fed him calmers, been harsh with the pressure halter (which I hate) and he just plants himself or swings left and right for 30 minutes plus. Nothing works. The interesting part is when his blood gets up and he gets cross (rearing, skipping off the ramp etc), he loads in 2 minutes flat!

Obviously I would rather he didnt do these things and its horrible to see him upset, but he is genuinely not scared.

What next?
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thanks all
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well, if you are absolutely positive that he isn't frightened at all, then someone behind him with a lunge whip, quick reactions, and gumption. once he realises that that is going to happen, he may well decide it's easier to go in...
or...
blindfold him. turn him in circles. lead him to the bottom of the ramp. stop. lift 1 front foot on, then the other (carefully and patiently, he won't know he has to lift them up for the ramp). once he's half on, he should walk in with a lot of encouragement from voice (and whip if necessary). horses won't usually chuck themselves around when blindfolded. i always wear a good hat if doing this though, as they really don't know what they're doing...
 
It used to take me about half an hour to load my ignorant chestnut mare, waiting patiently for her to decide whether she was going to load. I always won he battle but half an hour was a bit of a waste of time, and very fustrating as she clearly wasnt scared/worried about being in the trailer.

Go for lessons with my trainer once a week, and she told me I was just being too nice to her. So, the next couple of times I got my bf to stand behind her with a whip, and smack her as soon as she stopped (didnt have to do it particularly hard).

After 2 trips out she realised it wasnt worth the argument, and now almost loads herself! Makes life so much simplier!
 
Thanks Kerilli. I will keep trying. He is in no way frightened. This is the horse that needed to go to Liverpool for potential colic surgery and in the end he stayed at the yard - luckily the colic passed but cant imagine what might have been! We tried to blindfold him then too but never used the whip though. When he is at a show he is chilled, calim and performs brilliantly. Its so annoying! As soon as he sees the lunge whip he starts rearing and jumping about and then he's on!
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Take him across the ramp over and over again - as soon as he's off it, turn and go back over it. I found they get really sick of this and then run in the trailer.
 
I was going to suggest a broom as well. good hard shove should help him.

Another thing that helped my obstinate beast was a hunting whip - if you can crack them!

Trotting him in also seemed to help as well!
 
In desperation I used to have to ride my horse up the lorry ramp - although i wouldn't really recommend it. He would always load to go the show and then not want to load to come home (prob because hard to park alongside a solid object to keep him straight). By riding him up he would go straight up and then one day after about 10-15 shows I was holding him at the bottom of the ramp and he loaded himself - we have never looked back !
 
I had a chestnut who would do it in his 'own time' and the more you tried to force him the worse he got, but we bought a richard maxwell pressure halter and it works a dream, and my current horse used to be a pain to load, but then he had some natural horsemanship training and now all you have to doo is spin the lead rope in little circles when he says no and he walks straight on =] it's a tricky thing though, some of them are just too clever!
 
When he gets angry it means you are getting what you want, hence his reaction and loading in 2 mins. My horse used to be the same, I paid for 2 sessions with Mickey Gavin - Natural Horsemanship, who not only got him on the trailer but showed me how to do it. I'm not a Parelli follower but it was basically the groundwork and being firmer (but without beating) which worked in the end.

PM me if you want more details and before & after pics!
 
I have found for the stubborn types that absolute boredom works!

Park you vehicle on hard standing, or at least away from any grass/food.

And then put horse in bridle, halter or whatever and on a long lunge rope.

Go and sit up inside the lorry/ trailer with a good book, sandwiches, a drink and a comfy seat, and then just sit there.

If necessary loop rope round partition or something and hold the other end to stop them pulling it out of you hand while you relax.

Keep rope relatively tight though to give them the idea, slack means coming forward.

This method worked a treat with a mare I had.

Once she was in, I'd tie her up, shut the ramp, give her a pat and a treat and then take her out and start again.

Eventually, she was just begging to load so that she could have a treat and something more interesting to do than just stand there and watch me eat !!
 
My lad pretends he doesn't see the trailer or lorry and looks everywhere but - its very frustrating. He will walk towards it and then pull back. Like your horse I am positive that he isn't scared. We have always had at least 20 minutes of this behaviour and it has always reached a point where I am getting really peed off and then he bounds in - its as though he realises he's pushed it too far.

I have tried all sorts of techniques - walking over the ramp, backing him up when he resists etc etc but finally cracked it a fortnight ago. Put a lunge line on side of trailer (not round him) and I got behind him and waved a whip (didn't hit him)...he looked a bit p*ssed off and then walked straight in. Not had a problem since :-) - and have loaded him on my own since with a sniff of the ramp and him walking straight in.

Think we just needed to draw a line and let him know that he would be ganged up on if he was a pain ;-)
 
I do think that not loading and bad to catch are the worst things in the world. He has been bargy before in the past but is nearly perfect to lead around now. He was a pet for nearly 7 years and then I bought him and all the work started.

When he gets cross and starts rearing we know that we're pushing his buttons. Any other method and he just swtiches off. He used to be the same when ridden - use the leg, nothing. He is a different horse under saddle now, touch and go!!

Thanks to all for the responses - I have lots to work on!!
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