loading problems!!

O

oliviacharley

Well-Known Member
Joined
18 September 2006
Messages
1,250
Location
the moon!!
Visit site
What have people done in the past with loading issues..?
How have they tempted their horses into trailer and overcome any problems...?
My horse was fine loading but once finished at our sponsored ride he stubbornly would not load, managed to hit his face of the roof of the trailer paniked once in the trailer and reared three times, smacking his head which I found very upsetting and looking completely upset about it all....he ended up cutting his face and looking very down about it all...the last thing I want is a horse that wont load...im very gentle with him and on loading in the morning he went in fine with a few people around him....after the ride he had about 12 people around him, ropes around his back end pushing him and someone ( who I wasnt happy about tapping him with a whip which sent him mad and made him kick out and buck) - I know horses can be pains but I thought it was a horrible experience and didnt really make the day enjoyable...I also broke my thumb :0(
 
Ohh dear poor you and your boy:( I had a lot of trouble with my horse last year, she did not like her trailer at all and hit her head very hard several times (See was wearing a poll guard) and cut her face open horribly. I did several things-
1. Asked people not to help me load her (ie ppl at shows) because more often they would do more harm then good, then go and leave you with a stressed out horse that Still Wont Load!)
2.Bought a new bigger lighter safer trailer (the other one was a new ifor 505 I was borrowing but didnt suit my horse).
3.Ive been putting her in there every day for the past month or so, in out in out, in the front out the back and vice versa, eating her dinner in there alot, and the improvement has been dramatic!!!!
Hope this helps?
 
thanks very much - thats great...
my friend is meant to be bringing her bigger, spacer and safer trailer up to my field for him to just get just to it...problem is Im meant to be going out with him again in two weeks time so although I dont want to rush him I am a bit stuck...although I know that I dont want to push him if he isnt ready so am willing to wait and practice....
 
You will be surprised how much he comes on in 2 weeks if you can practise enough, start with no partition untill he is really confident, then put partition in but moved to the side, good luck and let us know how you get on!
 
Had a lot of trouble with my horse too, but now travels fine but will only travel alone without any partition. We got him to load by removing the partition, opening the front, lots of patience and treats! Well worth it, travels fine now. Good luck
 
The secret of teaching a horse to load each time is by training the horse to do it quietly and gently.
Feed him quietly in the trailer each day for 2 months and he will then go in automatically. It is just a matter of repeated practice. Initially when you load him allow several hours to load him each time and tempt him quietly and gently in with food. No onlookers. Store feed in trailer so that it smells of food and have trailer downhill but secured so that ramp is almost flat.
 
I'm suspecting that since he loaded OK first time, but not when you were ready to come home that something may have happened that he didn't like whilst you were travelling. I would suggest you get your trailer checked and make sure the floor isn't slippy (put shavings down even if you have rubber mats). My horse can muck about loading, but once he realises I'm just practicing loading him, he trundles in and out qute happily (who wouldn't for a load of carrots!!). If he suspects we are moving anywhere (ie the car's hitched up to the trailer) he resists loading! So I'd also practice travelling with him, just around the block a few times first of all so you don't have to load him somewhere strang, then somewhere that you can unload him and load him quietly on his own, whatever you do don't let anyone go behind him with anything, it will just panick him.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top