Loading tips!

[Adoni123]

Now I've seen a few naughty loaders and had a few myself who would go a bit mad trying to get in the box and being quite dangerous!

My new boy is a bit different. He isn't dangerous or naughty in the slightest - he just won't move. He isn't terrified, he actually looks quite chuffed with himself with his front feet on the ramp and just stands. Lunge lines worked the first few times but now he won't move with those. Takes around 1 hour of tugging, bribery, pushing etc but in the end none of that works and he just walks straight in. It was his choice all along. He isn't scared of the box in the slightest. When he's in he's perfectly behaved and a happy boy.

Problem is - how do I speed this up when it's completely his choice! Treats and feed don't work (and he loves his food so that shocks me). I've been making a huge fuss when he does go in - just not quite sure what else to do!

Going to take the box out for hours tomorrow to practice so give me some tips if you have any.

TIA x

 

[scruffyponies]

I find that the more you try to put pressure on them, the more likely they are to stand still.

For a horse new to loading I like to lower the breast bar and put a bucket of food down in the front. Walking them up to the back, showing them the bucket, and stepping right back out of the way with a loose rope usually results in them walking in to get the bucket. It's so much more effective if they think it's their idea. I like to give them a few minutes unmolested to just eat the food before the breast bar goes up and we get going.
Once box=bucket your boy will load himself. Currently he's suspicious because you're trying too hard.

 

[FlyingCircus]

what happens if you put his bucket feed in the box/trailer and let him eat it in there for a few days?

 

[oldie48]

It's so annoying isn't it? Couple of things you could try is to get someone to shoot a water pistol at the horse's back end, sometimes the shock will get them moving, a cup of cold water will also do if you haven't got a water pistol. Another thing to try is just to irritate the horse with a schooling whip, soon as he moves his feet you stop but if he plants, then the irritation starts again. I'd rather deal with one that runs back or comes off the side of the ramp than one which plants. If a bucket of food works then it's easy but with the ones I've come across it hasn't.

 

[scruffyponies]

If you want to put pressure from behind (and be careful, because he MUST NOT associate the box with pain or trauma), I find a light repetitive tap with a schooling whip on his bum which stops THE INSTANT he moves forward is usually effective. The point is to annoy, not to hurt.

Better if he will go in without, obviously.

 

[SpizWiz]

Mine is like this, and he’s a very balanced rearer if I try to put too much pressure on him.
Unfortunately a lot of it is practice, and determination! I open the jockey door and swing all the back partition (trailer) to the side to give him a more inviting walk through, and walk next to his shoulder, if I go in front and pull he sets against me. If he plants move the shoulders or tickle behind with a long whip. No point losing your temper and starting a fight or I’ll never win!

 

[Adoni123]

I've tried the schooling whip to both annoy and to give a sharp tap too - he goes slightly backward or he doesn't do anything! I think I'll try taking the pressure off as scruffyponies says, I'm probably going over the top as I'm used to the more dangerous ones before and trying to do everything to get him in.

He's a very chilled out soul so maybe I need to try and be one!

 

[oldie48]

I've tried the schooling whip to both annoy and to give a sharp tap too - he goes slightly backward or he doesn't do anything! I think I'll try taking the pressure off as scruffyponies says, I'm probably going over the top as I'm used to the more dangerous ones before and trying to do everything to get him in.

He's a very chilled out soul so maybe I need to try and be one!

Sometimes you do just have to try different things. Rose will always go straight up the ramp if there's someone behind her making a growling sound, that's all it needs! However, I'm usually on my own so I tend to let her have a think about it, ask nicely but if she doesn't go in after five minutes or so, she gets a very firm tap with the whip, she'll give me a look and walk on, it wouldn't work with every horse though!

 

[paddi22]

we get rescues in and most are terrible loaders. the tactic that usually works for me is to get a horse box and lower front and back bar and remove breast bars. walk directly ahead of horse up ramp with a. bucket of feed, when it plants, I don't even look back, just lean forward so you are keeping a contact heavyish weight on rope. then I just lean, it can take ages but eventually they get sick of all the pressure on their head and will usually take one step forward. once they take any forward move at all I release pressure and reward them with some bucket feed. then I turn around, look forward and lean again. eventually you get another step. once they are on I let them eat from bucket and the. just walk them out front ramp. if you repeat this for a few days they usually load easier. when they are walking up I put the breast bar back in and hang a bucket of feed from it. eventually they just associate loading with a bucket of feed hanging off the breatssbar and they go up! it's work on every horse I've ever got in.

 

[JulesRules]

Honestly, I recommend you get professional help ASAP. The longer you try unsuccessfully the more ingrained the behaviours become and the harder the habit is to break.
I struggled with my mare for years, and initially struggled when I bought my gelding as he'd never been in a lorry. I got help from a pro about 2 and a half years ago and have never looked back. I can't believe I didn't do it sooner.
I'm lucky because I have someone very local who specialises in loading issues using natural horsemanship so it actually cost me less than £50 and was a total game changer. The pro also taught me the tools to use if I start having issues again.
My mare generally loads perfectly these days with a little encouragement and my gelding almost loads himself. I often see people out at shows struggling and pass on the name of the person I used.

I used to have palpitations at even the thought of loading my mare as it was so stressful. She would plant and then it escalated into rearing to avoid going on. When i finally got her on she would drop her shoulder and turn and charge off before you could get the rope on or close the partition. She got to the stage of being really dangerous.
He might not be showing signs of fear, but he must be uncertain otherwise he would just go on. Food won't help because horse's no.1 priority in life is to stay safe, and food is a lower priority.

Not sure what area you are in but I can give you a name if you are anywhere near Warwickshire.

 

[Adoni123]

Honestly, I recommend you get professional help ASAP. The longer you try unsuccessfully the more ingrained the behaviours become and the harder the habit is to break.
I struggled with my mare for years, and initially struggled when I bought my gelding as he'd never been in a lorry. I got help from a pro about 2 and a half years ago and have never looked back. I can't believe I didn't do it sooner.
I'm lucky because I have someone very local who specialises in loading issues using natural horsemanship so it actually cost me less than £50 and was a total game changer. The pro also taught me the tools to use if I start having issues again.
My mare generally loads perfectly these days with a little encouragement and my gelding almost loads himself. I often see people out at shows struggling and pass on the name of the person I used.

I used to have palpitations at even the thought of loading my mare as it was so stressful. She would plant and then it escalated into rearing to avoid going on. When i finally got her on she would drop her shoulder and turn and charge off before you could get the rope on or close the partition. She got to the stage of being really dangerous.
He might not be showing signs of fear, but he must be uncertain otherwise he would just go on. Food won't help because horse's no.1 priority in life is to stay safe, and food is a lower priority.

Not sure what area you are in but I can give you a name if you are anywhere near Warwickshire.

Hi and thanks - no where near Warwickshire but I appreciate it!

Going to have a good try over the next week and practice - he's only been loaded 3 times in 5 years so I do think practice will help. If not I will definitely consider getting help out

 

[bubsqueaks]

I have tried an awful lot of things - I still have a backward thinking stubborn cob & the trick is to get them forward thinking & the only way to do this successfuly is to purchase a pressure halter - I use the Richard Maxwell - then get them moving on a small circle, change the direction, get them backing up, walking forwards, turning on the forehand etc, after 5 minutes or longer in the 1st attempts they are forward enough & self load - having previously tried repeat loading, feeding, lunge lines, schooling whips, bribery, pleading, begging, its the only tried & tested format I return to time & time again, depending on her mood we might need it we might not - good luck.

 

[LEC]

I never appreciated the nunaces of loading until recently. Probably because I had fairly amenable horses and ones who didn't really have an issue. I knew enough and can get most things loading. I recently had one who was absolutely awful and I was never going to solve it so got a professional in whose work I highly respect. I have learnt so much especially in minor nuances that can have a massive impact. Where I am standing, what I am asking to happen, work before I even try and load the horse etc. I am far from perfect as had to had an online tutorial last week after a massive fail, but its back on track again with this very tricky horse who I managed to load in under a minute at badminton fun ride yesterday. Get expert help, its not something to be screwed around with and usually means there is another issue which needs to be resolved.

 

[LegOn]

No major experience of it myself but I have see the frustration with friends and as JulesRules said above- a session with a pro is usually worth its weight in gold if there is one local to you!

I did see a friend who's horse sounds like your -just stood there, no fear, no nothing, just standing, and eventually could be an hour or 2 or 20 mins, just like a switch would flip and he would just walk straight in!!! So what she did was back him up when he decided to stand, like reverse him down the yard, back back back back, if he didnt want to go in, she would make his life harder by going backwards - which obviously wasnt as easy as standing around for an hour getting fed or coaxed - every time he stopped on the ramp, she would back him up and keep backing him & then walk him on again - after a few times, about a good half an hour the first time, he just walked straight on. After that it only took backing him up like a couple of steps and he would get fed up with not getting his own way & just walk straight on. He doesnt like the bother of it anymore so just loads to avoid the hassle!!! Sometimes making the right way, the easy way - is a good way to get around them!!!

 

[scruffyponies]

No major experience of it myself but I have see the frustration with friends and as JulesRules said above- a session with a pro is usually worth its weight in gold if there is one local to you!

I did see a friend who's horse sounds like your -just stood there, no fear, no nothing, just standing, and eventually could be an hour or 2 or 20 mins, just like a switch would flip and he would just walk straight in!!! So what she did was back him up when he decided to stand, like reverse him down the yard, back back back back, if he didnt want to go in, she would make his life harder by going backwards - which obviously wasnt as easy as standing around for an hour getting fed or coaxed - every time he stopped on the ramp, she would back him up and keep backing him & then walk him on again - after a few times, about a good half an hour the first time, he just walked straight on. After that it only took backing him up like a couple of steps and he would get fed up with not getting his own way & just walk straight on. He doesnt like the bother of it anymore so just loads to avoid the hassle!!! Sometimes making the right way, the easy way - is a good way to get around them!!!

Absolutely spot on, and also works with people!!

 

[Maryann]

I am another fan of the Richard Maxwell pressure halter. Two people could always load the pony but I need to fly solo and arrive on time. I use it rarely enough to have to think about how to put it on but it lives in the lorry just in case.

 

[Celtic Fringe]

If you want to put pressure from behind (and be careful, because he MUST NOT associate the box with pain or trauma), I find a light repetitive tap with a schooling whip on his bum which stops THE INSTANT he moves forward is usually effective. The point is to annoy, not to hurt.

Better if he will go in without, obviously.

I'd agree with this. A friend of mine is great at loading horses and essentially he lunges them in - so gentle pressure/annoyance from behind rather than pulling/tugging/pleading from the front - but as Scruffyponies says be careful!
My old horse was sometimes a little sticky and I'd just stand with a loose rope, sigh deeply and tell him it would be a VERY long hack if we couldn't go by trailer/lorry. Never failed

 

[scruffyponies]

One of mine wouldn't go in after a hack and had to watch his friend driven away in the trailer. My daughter hacked him 6 miles home. Funnily enough he has not once hesitated to load since.

 

[Quigleyandme]

I had success with the Michael Peace method which I found in an old magazine. The horse was huge and a very difficult loader and I got him in without any stress whatsoever in minutes using this method which you would think is just rewarding bad behaviour. In a nutshell; when the horse takes one step towards the ramp release all pressure on the rope and give him a pat and tell him he is good. Ask for another step and repeat. It works.

 

[Marigold4]

I have tried an awful lot of things - I still have a backward thinking stubborn cob & the trick is to get them forward thinking & the only way to do this successfuly is to purchase a pressure halter - I use the Richard Maxwell - then get them moving on a small circle, change the direction, get them backing up, walking forwards, turning on the forehand etc, after 5 minutes or longer in the 1st attempts they are forward enough & self load - having previously tried repeat loading, feeding, lunge lines, schooling whips, bribery, pleading, begging, its the only tried & tested format I return to time & time again, depending on her mood we might need it we might not - good luck.

I have this type of pressure halter too and it works brilliantly for difficult loaders.

 

[BSL2]

Time and patience. My arab was a bit cheeky. Would stand with front feet in trailer then flick head and pull me as he backed up rapidly. I use a dually head collar now and he loads like a Saint. I'm not an expert so I won't try to teach you how to use, but worth speaking to someone knowledgeable who can show you how to recognise very subtle signs to enable correct use. Good luck, so frustrating, but things can get better.

 

[Surbie]

I had success with the Michael Peace method which I found in an old magazine. The horse was huge and a very difficult loader and I got him in without any stress whatsoever in minutes using this method which you would think is just rewarding bad behaviour. In a nutshell; when the horse takes one step towards the ramp release all pressure on the rope and give him a pat and tell him he is good. Ask for another step and repeat. It works.

Absolutely this. Mine had turned into a toad to load on his own and he's also huge. He's not scared, he just didn't wanna. Bribery didn't work. Any whips, lunge lines, water, extra people and he tanked off.

Got a pro in to help for a few sessions - no gadgets, just pressure and release and he's on and off with minimal hesitation. The pro said I have to keep up the practice and get him out and about so loading becomes habit for him rather than something he does twice a year for a fun ride.

 

[Adoni123]

Thanks everyone - practicing tomorrow so will let yous know

 

[9tails]

Sometimes making the right way, the easy way - is a good way to get around them!!!

This is always the way!

 

[adamntitch]

What happens if you load him so he's facing backwards ie load him from the front using the door he would usually be unloaded from knew a few horses that preferred traveled backwards

 

[ownedbyaconnie]

If you want to put pressure from behind (and be careful, because he MUST NOT associate the box with pain or trauma), I find a light repetitive tap with a schooling whip on his bum which stops THE INSTANT he moves forward is usually effective. The point is to annoy, not to hurt.

Better if he will go in without, obviously.

I use exactly this for when my mare had a sudden planting habit if she knew we were going to the school (there was a different mounting block for hacking!). Now all I have to do is move towards her bum with the whip and she moves forward.

 

[thefarsideofthefield]

Absolutely spot on, and also works with people!!

We fostered a teenager who would ' plant ' - anything she did/didn't want to do , if she didn't get her own way over anything ( food, clothes, activities ,bedtime, going out , going home ) she would just stand there , wherever we were , head down , refusing to move or speak . For hours on end . All her previous placements had broken down because of it .
I dealt with it the same way I deal with a planting horse - I just stand there too and wait it out . No coaxing or cajoling , no conversation , no eye contact , no pressure . Just mirror the horse/person - all day long if that's what it takes . Stay calm , stay focused and know that I will always win .

NB Re. the child (in case you're curious !) . She did it 3 times in the first two days . The first one lasted over 3 hours , the second around 2 , but I didn't waver . On the third one , as soon as I mirrored her stance she screamed at me " Oh FFS - you are the most stubborn f*****g person I have ever met . You seriously need to grow up !" and stomped off to do whatever it was that I had wanted her to do in the first place .

All our horses have been good loaders too !

 

[Translationsneeded]

I have one of these. Tried all of these suggestions! A couple of weeks ag however I took the back bit of the partition out and this seems to have helped. I’m not sure how long it’ll last but we are now loading in 5-10 mins rather than and hour

 

[Adoni123]

We practiced loading in and out of the box - took 25 mins and he went in 5 times after and was having a lovely time with lots of treats!
Went XC on Saturday - loaded in 5 minutes - way home he took 20.
Going to practice again this week and keep chipping away at it. It's not the end of the world just slightly frustrating!

 

[Dasher66]

If your horse is tricky loading to come home consider he may have ulcer pain and try giving some chaff before the return journey to line his stomach.