loading problem............any tips??

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kcgibson

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ok, so as title suggests, my horse is a bugger to load and i need some tips!

He used to load (im talking a few years ago) every week to go for a lesson (which he didnt hate, not to say he loved it. and he would load up the following week no probs). We stopped taking him to lessons and haven't needed to travel him since. He's not had an accident or a bad experience that im aware of. However, now when i try to load him we have mega fun and games (not) and it took us 2 1/2 hours last time we successfully loaded!!! Yes, really!!!

I tried him again (after the 2 1/2 load time) and i spoke to the vet (he was going in for xrays) and he suggested sedating him with ACP (not too many so he wouldnt fall over. He's a 16.1hh TB and he had six tablets). Well he was even worse and we couldnt even get a foot on the ramp! We've tried a trailer (as this is what we used to load him onto) and a lorry and it makes no difference.

We've tried a lunge line down one side, feed in a bucket allowing him a mouthful with every step in the right direction (bearing in mind he's a greedy pig!) and even tried a blindfold (would urge anyone to never try this!) and we just cannot load him.

We used to think it was cos of his companion being in the field next to where we were loading, but the last time i loaded him and took him somewhere, getting him back on the trailer to come home was just as bad.

Now he's got a long journey coming up and im gonna use a transport company, but im terrified they wont take him if he refuses to load. Please help me!!!
 
Is loading/travelling him with a companion an option - we used to have to take a shetland pony or a goat with one of ours as she just didn't like travelling on her own! Or You could always try feeding him in the horsebox everynite to get him used to going in and out again - if you have a secure yard area you could leave the ramp down put the food in and leave him too it. I guess you have to work out whether his reluctance to load is a result of fear to travel or whether he is just being naughty (if the latter a broom up the bum can work!!!) Apparently parelli techniques works well but i have never tried it. Good luck!
 
The chances are the transport company will help and give good advice. Might be worth calling them and having a chat to them.

I use a transport company and they are brill. my horse loads fine, but they helped me learn what to do as I had never done it before !!!!! even told me to not forget my tack !!!!!!
 
I agree with cidermill. Check if genuinely frightened or just naughty. As he used to load he may just be out of practice and trying it on. If this is the case, back your lorry into a gateway/under an arch, block the sides off - I am sure you probably already do this. If it was me and you are pretty sure it's naughtiness then employ the broom technique, don't give him time to work out what it is - its the shock treatment he needs! If he runs backwards/stands up put on a chifney on him or at least a bridle but be tough! I think travel companies are great and if it is pure naughtiness they certainly won't mess around! And obviously when he loads loads of treats. Lots of things you can try with loading a difficult course - have you tried these? Good luck x
 
My TB was the same, loaded beautifully, no frights or anything then one day decided he didn't want to do it anymore - plain naughtiness. We invested in a chifney and he respected it immediately - no more problems since.
Worth a try perhaps?
 
it is def complete naughtiness as even after 2 1/2 hours he had not a drop of sweat on him. I have seen him frightened in the past and i can safely say it is pure naughtiness! How does a chifney work? Never seen or used one before, oly heard of one!
 
try it witha campanion, even if you take the companion our befor you travel. Also would it be posbale to put the lorry in a small field, tie a horse furtherdown in the pecking order in it eating hay, and have buckets of food and leave him till he goes in on his own?

You would not have to do all the above things but the more you can the do the more effective it is.

Haz
 
Does he run backwards/stand up Kat - what does he do whilst refusing to load? If he does the above I would suggest this might be an option if he plants he might need a broom/smack/lunge whip behind for "encouragement." A chifney is a bit that is a ring shape - round with a kind of triangle shape in the middle where it goes in his mouth. The idea is he stands up/runs backwards and the pointy bit hits the roof of his mouth as the full circle sits on the outside by his chin - you put pressure on it and it tilts the triangle up. Look on bits on derby house I am sure they have them - they are around £10. It sounds like he is being incredibly naughty so if I were you, I would take him on and get incredibly tough. Once he knows you won't tolerate his behaviour I bet he won't try it again.
smile.gif
 
We had the same problem with Donkey - SHE made her mind that she did NOT want to load - 2 hours on a ramp is not fun. Food is not an option as soon as she has a mouthful she is back out. I hired a local 'Monty' type chap, he did a bit of ground work with her, making her listen to him etc - then made the trailer a pleasant place and outside the trailer a place not to be - schooling whip gently around her - by the end of the session I was able to load her tie her up and walk out and put the bar across. We can now load her within minutes and life is so much easier!! Once we have the bar in place she is allowed treats - Also she travels without the partition.
 
Yes it is so frustrating isn't it?
I can honestly say I was amazed at the difference the chifney made - prior to this we used food bribes, lunge lines, broom up the bum! and all the other softly softly approaches, none of which worked, he would stand there head up, cool as a cucumber, completely sweat free. It drove me insane!!

Once that chifney was in he was a different horse, meekly walking in beside me!!
I have since seen many people sweating and swearing, trying to load awkward bu***rs in the pouring rain and have smiled to myself, thinking of the chifney in the glove box!!!
 
Mine's brilliant, use it to put anything naughty to handle straight back in their place! Wouldn't be without it tbh!
 
When we had a 2 hour loading wait at Keysoe a Chiffney was fitted and yes result
tongue.gif
So yes I do now keep one in the trailer in case.
 
my horse loaded for years by himself in a trailer, I changed to 7.5 tonner as I was not great at reversing the trailer and after 10 or so trips of loading fine he became a problem so went back to a trailer and he still funny with that. I have just got a brand new Bateson Ascot with barn doors - only used it once but less than 5 mins on each way when went to a sponsored ride other day and its been 1 to 2 hours each way each time since probs began. Horse just steps in and not likely to back out with small step as a ramp. I love it! early days but positive. Kelly Marks associate did not help with lorry - fine day he was there and then reverted back next time we tried to go out
 
he will walk up to the ramp then as soon as i step on it, hoping he will follow, he stops then backs off. i just feel that i tried everything. The chifney may be a good idea as i dont know what else to try but the idea of it i dont like - using force. But then is that what im gonna need to do to get him loaded? I dont have my own trailer (or easy access to one) so all the ideas on letting him get used to it and allowing him to eat in one wouldnt be possible im afraid. I have got a monty roberts headcollar and thought that would be useful but wouldnt i need quite a bit of practice before i see results with that? He isjust being plain naughty cos as i said, there isnt a drop of sweat on him!
 
I bought a mare last year who hadn't done much in the preceding years and was a bit of a pain to box.

All she did was put her front feet on the ramp, dither and then step off the side and try and walk past the trailer. No panicking or stressing, just taking the pee

I spent an afternoon doing the following with her wearing a bridle (no reins), headcollar underneath, brass chain through bit rings and bottom of headcollar, and all attached to a lunge line:

Opened the trailer including front ramp. Walked up ramp ahead of her. She did the usual two feet on the ramp then off the side. I stayed in the trailer, up the front and just pulled the lunge line so her head was squashed against the outside of the trailer.

After a while she decided she didn't like this so I allowed her to back up so she could get on the ramp. Didn't let her square up, just tugged her from there. A couple more times she went off the side, so I pulled and she stood with her face against the outside wall. After a bit, she realised this little ruse wasn't working and decided that perhaps she would come in after all.

I shut all the ramps, gave her a pat and a treat and took her out. Repeated this over and over again, until she walked straight into the trailer 5 times without hesitation. Any buggering about and she was back to square one. Got to load 5 times without any pissing about. Admit it took over an hour, but she got the message.

After that maybe every 3rd time I took her out she'd just once step off the ramp - I think to try it on and give herself a laugh. Then after 30 secs of being squashed up against the trailer she'd just back up, clamber aboard the ramp and into the trailer and stand there meekly while I shut everything up. I used to say ' yes, ha ha, very funny, loved the joke' She seemed pleased that I had acknowledged her wit and that would be that!!
 
My other girl used to rear up, spin round and take off. Again, not through nerves, just peeing about.

I struggled for 6 months like this often taking 5hrs to load her for my weekly lesson.

Then someone recommended the chifney (also known as an anti-rearing bit).

First time I used it, She reared, I held on. She came back down to earth, looked totally shocked and walked straight in the box. It took 30 secs. Hallelujah!!

Never ever had problems with her after that. Loaded her wearing it for about 6 months just in case, she was perfect.

Also the chifney lived in my glove box for about 5 yrs afterwards, just in case, but never had to use it again!!!
 
I had to box my horse several times as a veterinary emergency to a specialist equine hospital. He really didn't want to load but the yard staff sent me out of sight then put a broom up his bum to get him on. Coming home from the equine centre, he didn't want to load again but the hospital yard had a special broad ramp. Shallow ramp leads up to a turn round area of about 3 metres square, waist height. Secure iron fencing all around. You back your lorry/trailer up to the flat raised square, drop the ramp onto it so the ramp is now totally FLAT (ie no steep climb up) and the horse walks on as if its just an ordinary stable. Worked every time. The vet staff told me race horses are always trained to load like that and there's never any problem. Its the going UP into a dark cave that worries them. If you need to regularly load your horse, it might be worth building something similar at home.
 
Remember with a Chifney you don't use force - it's merely the horse causing himself discomfort by pulling against you and the bit putting pressure on his mouth. Never use a Chifney aggressively or pull down on it sharply - I have heard of someone breaking a horse's jaw this way
Having said that, they definately work !
 
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Now he's got a long journey coming up and im gonna use a transport company, but im terrified they wont take him if he refuses to load. Please help me!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I wouldn't worry about that - those boys will have the horse on in two minutes. I have never seen them fail, even with the worst of loaders.
 
As someone else said could be worth trying a pressure halter or a Dually to really effectively use pressure and release. Or how about clicker training? A friend had a real problem loading her boy, got him used to clicker training and he now self loads!

Everytime you bully a horse onto a trailer or lorry you are reinforcing the horse's belief that it is a scarey place to be, through your own actions.
 
ok a technique the owner of a hunter i once had on loan that never failed to get him in the box, trust me he was a big hunter and not easy to move if he didn;t want to go!
lunge line clipped on headcollar, you walk into the box with the line and wrap it over the front bar (once) then walk back out of the box with line down side of horse and place line around horse rear end(bit like a long rein), stand on one side(pref the ramp side not on the ground), line on other side, then ask horse to walk up ramp, if he backs up just take up the slack, he'll soon work out that by reversing it only tightens the pull at the front and he fights himself, keep asking him to walk forward and as he does just slacken the line slightly so he realises that by going forward it releases the pressure. I suppose it is a pressure-release system like monty roberts uses-nothing new really but always worked.
it also means that when he's fully in the box you are still at the back and can put the bar up, and as you mentioned he backs out when you go in this would avoid you going in infront of him. hope that helps
 
Chex used to be a terrible loader - until I put long planks of wood down each side of the ramp to guide him in, and used a be-nice. He pretty much walked straight in after months of trying everything else and not getting him anywhere near it!
 
While the issue does need addressing, dont worry about the professionals, I had a mare that used to be impossible to load, the professional loaders got her on in 20mins, which was about 6 hourse faster than usual! They never even thought about giving up.
 
Bean_xx, did you have trouble loading then, as its been suggested to me to use a pressure halter but im not sure.

how long did it take to get her loading properly every time?
 
We have a pony who would not load, broke away from my daughter and shot off down the road, reared, shot off the ramp sideways and was generally a real pain. We bought a dually halter (Monty Roberts original) and within 15 minutes, the same pony was walking in and out of the trailer with no rope attached. This all took place on an enclosed yard with both of us watching in case of problems. We opened the front ramp and all four of the ponies were taking turns walking through. It looked like a theme park with kids lining up for their turn. The pony loading wonderfully now. BTW this halter comes with a video which is very informative, well worth buying.
 
Sorry, you could not have clicker trained or natural horsed my boy!! He was an arse through and through!!
Chifney all the way. Do not take it personally, but I hate all this natural horsemanship stuff. Like a child, if he is bad - why not reprimand him? And no I do not mean beat up!!!!
 
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