Loading My Horse what a stress :(((

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Davina

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Hi to everyone i am new to the forrum and need some advise (help) with regards to my 16.2 Warmblood Oliver he is the most wonderfull Horse on and off the ground, so willing to please he is 9 i have had him since he was 5 I purchased my first Lorry 2months ago and was so excited :0) so that i can go out and about and compete, and do clinics and genrally learn and have some fun. Now for the problem, He will not load :0((( I have tried everything we even got him in the lorry twice with food but then you try the next day with food and he wont go in?? :( and hasnt since? we didnt even put the ramps up we just fed him up there and pated him so a nice experiance I do not beleive in getting angry with him and try all the natural horsemanship techniques but feel so frustrated when i see others boxing there horses up and driveing out of my yard in 5 mins although very happy for them of course :0) I have even tried for upto 4 hours without sucsess. Oliver has slight stringhalt on his hinds and I did wonder if he may find it difficult walking up the ramp. We have even gone to great lenghts to create a dip with our teleporter scooping out a large amount of ground to drive the lorry over to make the ramp lower and that still doesnt work. Drastikly I'v even thought about selling him so i can get something that does load but Oliver is amazing he jumps anything i ask him to looks stunning and most of all I really do love him so what do I do?? any usefull advise soooo welcome. :0)
 
Welcome to the forum. :) Sorry to hear you are having problems loading - I know from experience it can be a real pain.

Davina said:
We have even gone to great lenghts to create a dip with our teleporter scooping out a large amount of ground to drive the lorry over to make the ramp lower and that still doesnt work.
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What's a 'teleporter', other than something on Dr Who/Star trek?
 
Hi there thankyou for the welcome :), a teleporter is a all terrain Folklift with a big bucket Farmer stlyle lol.
I have found myself recently watching horses go into Lorrys either on You Tube or Tv and it has got to the point that i find it amazing cause i'm not used to it. I just dont no what to do next?? not to mention the wast of Tax and Mot on my Lorry sitting there doing nothing :(
 
My horse is sometimes stubborn to load. She was terrible last week at a show and I had to have a guy help me get her in so decided to get a pressure halter to see if that would work.... And it did :-). It came yesterday and I went straight to the stables to practice the backing up technique etc and after only a few hesitations she walked straight in the box! We did that many times and she was fine! I even went back later to pick her up for show jumping and again she walked straight in. She tried it on when it was time to leave the show but it only took about 3 mins of backing her up everytime she refused to walk to the box and then she went in :-).
 
You need to figure out why he is not loading?

Just being stubborn?
Doesn't like the ramp?
Doesn't like the horsebox - does is seem light and airy or is it cramped
You can rule out him being frightened by bad driving since you have never travelled him but do you know his history before you had him?
Have you tried to load him in a trailer?
If so, how is he? Does he load in a trailer without fuss? or does he rush and worry getting off. Sometime trailers are easier as the horse can see 'an out' and you can remove partition to make the space big.
How is he with another handler?
How is he with lunge lines down the sides of the ramp which two people pick up and wiggle (not hit the horse or go round the bum)
Does he fully understand pressure and release?

You will know your horse but ensure you can lead properly and practice walking him on difference surfaces etc...

Everyone on here will have suggestions from their own experience but they may or may not be helpful to you and your horse as we cannot tell exactly what is going on.

I would not give up easily as these things can be worked through. You just need the right help and good amount of patience. There a variety of tips and tricks that you can use to get a horse loading but there are so many variables, that you may be best getting some knowledgeable help with loading issues to sort you out.
 
This is probably one of the most problematic routine things horse owners have trouble with.
Horses which are reluctant to load don't do it just to frustrate us, there is always a key somewhere, just finding it is the hard bit.
With regard to Natural Horsemanship techniques, unless it is your ethos and something you do wholeheartedly with your horse on a daily basis, just dipping into bits is rarely successful.
What I would say is that to get successful loading you should do something every day and set small targets. Be satisfied with say one or two feet on the ramp today, then quit, and perhaps four feet on the ramp by the end of the week.
You do right not closing the ramp once he is in. He should be confident walking in and standing in the box before you even consider closing him in.
It takes time, but a couple of weeks getting it right leads to a lifetime of problem free loading.
Good luck with it :)
 
One of the controversial ideas when people are loading is the idea that Pale Rider has suggested, of allowing the horse to stop when it's part way in,and then returning to the practise on another day. Some people think that if you let the horse come back off the ramp without loading they have somehow "won". Given that the horse is almost always dealing with some level of unease or fear, that seems a bit unfair to me. I think that what matters is what is your idea. So allowing a horse to stop after he's thrown himself out backwards might not be great, but if you could get him to a point where he's calm with two feet on the ramp, and then walk him away when it's your idea, it's probably fine. The key really is to end each session on a calm good note, but making sure you avoid teaching your horse to always just put two feet on the ramp and think the job's a good 'un.
I don't know much about stringhalt, does it make him uncomfortable? One of mine only started to be bad to load when she was showing signs of a strange lameness. Which turned out to be kissing spine and some pelvic problem. Meaning that travelling was probably a pretty uncomfortable experience for her, what with all the rocking backwards and forwards. She also started to refuse to reverse down the ramp, but would insist on turning round (in a trailer!) and coming down forwards. All made perfect sense when the vets finally diagnosed her problem.
 
Tinypony said:
One of the controversial ideas when people are loading is the idea that Pale Rider has suggested, of allowing the horse to stop when it's part way in,and then returning to the practise on another day. Some people think that if you let the horse come back off the ramp without loading they have somehow "won". Given that the horse is almost always dealing with some level of unease or fear, that seems a bit unfair to me. I think that what matters is what is your idea. So allowing a horse to stop after he's thrown himself out backwards might not be great, but if you could get him to a point where he's calm with two feet on the ramp, and then walk him away when it's your idea, it's probably fine. The key really is to end each session on a calm good note, but making sure you avoid teaching your horse to always just put two feet on the ramp and think the job's a good 'un.
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^ This. If you are already using NH techniques you will I expect be using pressure and release to back your horse up when he is unwilling to go forward etc.
imo it's a time and patience game. Practice little and often.

As you are in Mersea/Colchester you could always in the end get Richard Maxwell out - that would cost around £400-£500 but he is good and I think guarantees success. Good luck :)
 
kirstyl said:
Hi! Can you explain what he is doing (and what you are doing) when you say he won't load
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Hi there I am so pleased to hear from you all, :)
When i eventually get him on the ramp (with his food) he will not go into the Lorry Part, it is a 7 1/2 ton lorry so plenty of room we even had the tack area tacken out to creat moore space within the lorry body, as he is a very long Warmblood. I purchased a Dually Headcoller and watched the DVD 100 times so pretty sure i am handleing him correctly, i no when to release otherwise he'l go up. The trouble is he'l stand on the ramp for so long his hind legs seaz up because of his stringhault. I try walking him away backing him up you name it ive tried it but he doesnt want to no. We even put another horse up there and he was looking the other way:rolleyes: we'v used lunge lines but he will not shift:(. He is a typical warmblood and very trusting so i don Not get angry with him as all that happens is his heart rate shoots up and he paniks, bless him and he'l rear up. Iv worked in Hunting Yards in the past and no the difference between a horse thats generally takeing the micky and a horse thats generally worried and i feel he's worried.
 
kirstyl said:
Hi! Can you explain what he is doing (and what you are doing) when you say he won't load
Click to expand...

Hi Kirsty I am so pleased to hear from you all,
When i eventually get him on the ramp (with his food) he will not go into the Lorry Part, it is a 7 1/2 ton lorry so plenty of room we even had the tack area tacken out to creat moore space within the lorry body, as he is a very long Warmblood. I purchased a Dually Headcoller and watched the DVD 100 times so pretty sure i am handleing him correctly, i no when to release otherwise he'l go up. The trouble is he'l stand on the ramp for so long his hind legs seaz up because of his stringhault. I try walking him away backing him up you name it ive tried it but he doesnt want to no. We even put another horse up there and he was looking the other way we'v used lunge lines but he will not shift. He is a typical warmblood and very trusting so i don Not get angry with him as all that happens is his heart rate shoots up and he paniks, bless him and he'l rear up. Iv worked in Hunting Yards in the past and no the difference between a horse thats generally takeing the micky and a horse thats generally worried and i feel he's worried.
 
Thanx for the info. I have tried feeding him on the ramp and makeing it a happy place then puting him back in his stable many times so that he sees the lorry as food and nothing bad and leaving him feeling relaxed and calm, but the next time i try he just stands his ground on the ramp and he is so heavy he is not doing my ramp a lot of good. I will have a look on the internet for Richard Maxwell techniques. thankyou
 
Hi there Pale Rider, thank you for your advise I spent 2 weeks feeding him on the ramp makeing lots of fuss then backing him up when i was ready then puting him back in his stable with his mates but the 3rd week when i was pleased with how he was behaving decided to encourage him further up with the pressure and release technique he just goes of the side of the ramp getting his legs in a muddle and if i hold for to long instead of him comeing foword to me, and me releasing he will rear up ?? all he wants to do is tip his food over onto the ramp and stay there, so frustrating
 
I would suggest getting someone experience in dealing with problem loaders out to help you. It is all very well watching a DVD or reading about techniques on the internet but your speed of reactions and reading the signs are very important. Therefore I would get someone like a Kelly Marks RA, or Richard Maxwell, or Michael Pease out to help you in person. Not only can the get Oliver on the box but they can also show you what to do and teach you the best way to do it.

It is difficult to tell from what you say whether he is worried, stubborn, not understanding or just plain taking the mick!

However a 7.5t box does tend to have a pretty steep ramp, and they can be quite dark and unfriendly to look at. It would be interested to see how he went on a nice light airy trailer. Or even how he reacted to a step up trailer rather than one with a ramp.
 
Hi Kat
I recently sold my trailer to buy the lorry (typical) he had issues in the first instance with the trailer but we took out the middle partision and opend the front ramp to allow lots of light through and i backed him out and walked him through and genrally spent time doing this. The trouble was we went to a lesson and hour away from home and when it came to putting him back on the trailer he didnt want to go on?? we travelled him there so smoothly you could of put a cup of tea on the foot well and it wouldnt of tipped. We had people come out with lunge lines and he eventually went in, 30 mins later and again going home a very smooth journey. We got the lorry so we could have the liveing area for my Husband and our 16month old baby daughter, so they could relax while i do my riding where-ever we go. So this has kind of burst our buble at the moment.
 
Hi and welcome :)

Whereabouts in the country are you? I'd strongly recommend a chap called Mickey Gavin. He's helped get our bad loaders on and we can get them on every time now without stress.
 
It sounds like you have tried everything within your capabilities, and you sound experienced enough to load a normal difficult loader. IMO I think you have got to a point where you need professional help because any sort of stress at the point of loading will create bad memories of that situation, especially when you are not successful, he has learnt that if he creates a fuss and rears up, you give up and then he gets a release from the pressure to go in. So in effect he is rewarded for objecting by rearing up.
It sounds like the stringhalt problem won't be playing a part in this IMO because you say he will jump anything for you, which will involve him using his hocks and back legs. Also, if he is very willing in all other ways, I can't see that it would be pain relates because it would show in other areas of your relationship.
So my advice would be to stop trying yourself and get a professional in.
If you can afford it, Richard Maxwell is one of the best and you certainly would get your moneys worth. He won't just come and load your horse, he is continually talking and passing on his knowledge and would make absolutely sure you and your horse were confident in loading before he leaves you, and you get telephone support from him afterwards too.
Alternatively, Intelligent Horsemanship web site has a page where you can locate the nearest Recommended Associate here http://www.intelligenthorsemanship.co.uk/specialist-horse-training.html who will come out to help for a fee.
Good luck ;)
 
I would look at getting help in your position, i would not however have the money to use the people suggested so far (i would love to be able to afford robert maxwell), I am not too far from you and there are a couple of people i would suggest. PM me if you would like their contact numbers.
either way good luck
 
Mine was a complete nightmare (and I really mean that), eventually I bit the bullet and had Richard Maxwell out. It was £400 well spent, the world is our oyster now :D

I couldn't do what he did and when the day started by my horse putting Richard on the floor and standing over him I didn't have high hopes but it was a "If he can't get him in, who can" so just let them get on with it

He will still have a tantrum when he sees the trailer but he goes in and comes out quietly on the first or second ask and when we are coming home from an outing he doesn't even hesitate walks straight in and stands quietly

I can load him and unload him without any help and I NEVER thought I'd be able to do that, even after Richard had been.
 
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