Loading problems............. any advice?? Long sorry

lochpearl

lochpearl

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I bought a lovely horse in November however, he seems to have been beaten up previously as wasn't trusting at all to start with, you cannot touch his ears as he has been twitched and he is very headshy. I have been spending the last 3 months bonding with him - join up and giving him the TLC he needs and wow what a different horse - I can massage his ears now!! Problem comes when loading - he wont and even with gentle persuasion he will not put his feet on the ramp he jumps from bottom into the lorry. Travels beautifully and comes off nice and quietly. Problem is that his jumping in the lorry is getting dangerous for both myself and him and he always needs persuasion (someone running behind or something - no nastiness) I've tried feed, join up and he just doesn't want to help. I'm gutted as I have re-schooled this horse from being a showjumper who could not canter a 20 metre circle to a horse working medium dressage moves at home and I want to start competing him, but I want to do it properly and make him want to go on the lorry and not be scared... any ideas?? thanks
 
Thanks for that, I think I am doing everything that everyone has suggested. There is no forcing, lots of praising, i've had the bedding on the ramp, haylage in the box, bucket of nuts, so much talking and praise. I lift one of his legs on there and he can hold it there for an hour, but as soon as you ask for more he leaps away. He walks up to the ramp sometimes trots and thenas soon as he gets there stops dead, we have tried trailers, larger lorries alsorts but nothing - it is almost like a fear of the ramp - perhaps he has fallen off one in the past. I was recommended Michael Peace but I worried that he might go on with him and then not with me days later. I spend as much time as need be with him and trying to gain his trust but am wondering whether it is worth getting the professionals in - Maxwell is reletively close to me. And as I have said there is no problem with travelling, it's just getting him safely up the ramp without leaping from bottom to top. x
 
Definitely worth speaking to Richard Maxwell... this is exactly what my mare was like. She was terrified of being on the ramp or even near it most of the time
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I have never looked back, and she is a pleasure to load, even my non-horsey husband can take her straight up with no pressure at all
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It sounds like you are doing a fantastic job with him, he's a lucky horse to have found you.

The good thing is that he is going on the lorry and travelling well, but I can understand why you don't want him leaping up the ramp every time. Sounds like he's been reluctant about loading in the past, and someone's been mean to him about it.

I don't really have any experience of this, but I wonder if he just needs time? If you are patient, and he gets used to loading without being beaten, he might eventually calm down and being to walk up properly.

Have you ever tried following another horse up the ramp? Do you think that might help him?
 
Hi Becky, sorry to sounds nosey but how many sessions did you have with richard and did he come to you or are you local to him? Also what type of thing did he do with her and was it a lot of money - sorry for the millions of questions but I really think that I shoudl look into this as although I have no time issues I don't want him being stressed with all the practising!!!
 
Have you tried walking him over a wooden bridge? I was wondering if you could find an old (but safe enough for him to stand on) door you could lay flat on the ground and get him used to walking over that and do a natural progression from that?

Failing that, have you tried loading him from a loading ramp so that the ramp of the box is almost flat and the sides of the loading ramp encourage forward movement? Lots of big yards/studs have them, perhaps someone near you would allow you to hire/borrow it.
 
hi Dibbedy, thank you it, has been a hard slog but I do think that we are finally getting a bond and i am desperate to get him to trust me as I really think he has had a really bad past. Other horses make no difference if they are already on the box or if he is following them - he isn't a clingy horse which in this instance is a pain!! i guess I will just persevere and see how he comes on............... x
 
i haven't found any bridges nearby yet, but I am trying to get him leading over strange things like strapped down bin liners and so on - trying to build some trust that way, but damn good idea
 
I only had him out to me the once and then he left me with lots of homework that I needed to do for that week... it was lots of loading, unloading, small trips etc etc.

It did not help other horses being already on the box, or even loading in front of Hannah... food did not work (and Richard said he would rather not bribe them in as it doesn't always help in the long term), and Richard was my last port of call.

Because of how he worked with her, I never ever worry she will not load. I have been able to breed off her successfully, travel her and the foal (she loaded first time perfectly then stood quietly and waited for us to encourage him up) and then loaded when it came to weaning time.

If I ever had a problem loading again, I would call up Richard Maxwell and get him there asap... never again will I struggle with a bad loader when there is such an outstanding solution!
 
sounds great. I will definitely give him a call. It is always nice to hear of sucess stories and he is not too far from me at all so it's great thank you so much. x
 
Agree with MFH on trying to take slope out of ramp. Had a friend's mare who wouldn't load, spent best part of two afternoons (with breaks!) trying everything to load her.

Then put her in a stable which was up a slight hill with a concrete slope, backed lorry to stable and put down the ramp. The ramp was then completely flat and she just walked right on in as if she loaded every day of her life.

Must be someone nearby with similar set up? Or could you build a sloping earth mound at home? Use muck heap or something inventive? All things possible when you are desperate to sort loading issues...

Obviously no help when you are at a show, but once she has got confident you can increase the angle until she will walk up and down slope...
 
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