me again loading

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itsu

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Still trying to get my horse in the trailer. Had a friend over yesterday to help. Now my horse is very easy to handle just will not go in the trailer, well yesterday he reared and reared and reared almost turning himself over a few times really scared to go in. Just don't understand it on the very rare times we have be in he stands like a lamb and travels well. Never rushes out no sweating or nerves when he is in just lovely. Don't know what to do next HELP
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Can you get 2 or 3 knowledgeable helpers?
Park the trailer up by a fence if poss so that blocks off one side, boot him up well and stick a poll guard on. Clip a lunge line to the other side of the trailer and get someone strong to bring it round his bum and heave, the person holding him must keep him constantly facing into the trailer.
If no fence to park alongside get two people on the lungeline, one at each end.

Shock tactics work best, keep it very calm and dont allow anyone to introduce violence but it must happen quickly or he'll have time to work out ways around it.

Dont drive anywhere to start with, just allow him to walk through (if front unload)
 
Measure the width and height of the space he will have in the trailer. Then look on the Rice website to see the standard sizes for horses. It may be that you are trying to get him into a space that is too small.
It would be worth checking.
 
My sister's horse reared, we had no alternative but to use a chiffney. Once we gained more control it stopped being such an issue, now she loads herself. My sister did have to change her trailer for a lorry, because for some reason her mare started having problems with balance. There are lots of different methods, just about finding the right one.
 
Try feeding him on the ramp every day and then gradually move the feed bucket into the box over several days. And just get her used to being around the trailer so she gets happy being round it and hopefully in it!! Once you do get her in I wouldn't take the trailer out with her in until she is loading properly. I am currently teaching my 17hh hunter to load, admitedly in a horse box, but she has never been in a confinded space as my horses live out, so she has never been in a stable. We just spend time getting her used to the ramp comming down and standing next to it. Once she went in she get her dinner in it, let her stay there a few minutes then straight back out. Next in and out a couple of times getting a feed in there again. Next time travel the box 10 minutes back to where we started, and gradually building her up that way.

My other horse who is 26 and should know better throws her head in the air and runs backwards when you try to box her. So I lead her upto the ramp and get someone to walk up behind her and gently driver her forwards she then goes straight in the box, as she can't fight against the rope if I'm not pulling it. It's just about trying different things and seeing what works for him and trying not to turn it into a big issue or fight and make sure when ever you are going to work with him and the trailer that you and your helpers have plent of time. Good luck!
 
He had the chiffney bit in his mouth at the time he was rearing never had one in before i think it was making the situation worst. will try other side of the trailer you never know that might work. has anybody got any comments on all the diffrent halters you can buy are any of them any good to stop your horse going backwards
 
I have just spent 24hours having a horse retrained to load by a professional.

He had several views, firstly that you should never need food (he said this is usually used by women owners and bribery builds bad habits), secondly that the horse should respect the handler, so get it obedient on the ground first before you go near the trailer (he used a slip halter to reinforce this- it only took 10 minutes), thirdly, when you get to loading, the horse must always face the ramp - never turn it away and walk up to the ramp again because you have lost..back it up if necessary.

So he started with the slip halter and ground schooling then led her to the ramp..she reared and resisted and tried to duck out to the side, so a schooling whip either side discouraged that (only used it once so she knew it was there and meant business)..she went on after about 5 minutes of messing around and was walked through the box.

We took out the partition and walked her through at least 20 times, halting on the trailer until I could throw the rope over her neck and she just followed me on, then we put in the partition and did it lots more times. Every time we stopped on the trailer we made a huge fuss of her. We never looked at her, never applied pressure, just expected her to follow, and only used the tiniest pressure on the headcollar if she showed any sign of thinking about stopping.

Yesterday evening we practiced again, loaded her and brought her home, and then walked her through twice more at home to reinforce the training.

Several points were made - it is worth using a professional, they do it all the time and have seen everything and won't mess about, you must be consistant and use the same words and gestures and tone every time, on the ground and when loading, and several handlers should all use the same techniques. Lastly raising your voice at any point is totally counterproductive.
 
My dad also uses boss's method. He used to move the horses and ponies for the local riding school and most of them hadn't been travelled very much and so were a pain in the arse. It does sound a bit harsh but it does normally work fairly quickly.
 
I have to say I disagree that using a food reward is a bad idea. My boy definitely responds to "carrot" not "stick". He gets a small feed regularly in the box and now can't wait to get in, using a whip would not work for him, he would fight more and get upset. Positive reinforcement is the key, not negative, as it is with dogs too!
 
totally agree with positive reinforcement which is why a big fuss was made every time she walked on and then stood on the box..and as a reward that is also ok..but those who resort to the 'trail of crumbs' method of luring a horse onto a box are destined to fail in the long term, and having food in the equasion can easily lead to this
 
It is easy to reduce the food quickly and still get them in. As long as you reduce it each time they load. My horse has now been in the box about 8 times and started with feed and trails then with not showing her the food until actually in the box and the last 3 times with no feed at all. Of course she got lots of praise as well, much to the neighbours amusement!! But as long as you reduce the food side of the reward gradually once the are loading OK shouldn't be a problem.
 
Interesting, because we are going through the process now of getting a mare loading before Monday. One of the suggestions has been feeding her once in the lorry. When I was teaching a yearling that was how she was taught, she went in & was fed, then came off. Never once in all the following years did anyone every have to resort to lines, whips, or more food. I agree though that the horse has to respect the handler & have basic manners, ie not walking into your space. There is no way on this earth that our mare will tolerate a whip, so it is food or lunge lines.
 
I've fed in trailers, not using the food as a bribe, but building the trailer in to the horses everyday routine (i.e. it was not extra feed, but regular feed, at regular time, just in irregular place! I don't then use food to get the horse to load, as once it is used to the trailer it doesn't seem to be an issue.
 
I've done everything that has been suggested in the past and that includes chifney's, lines, feed etc.

I have to say that now I follow the route as described so well by the watcher. Only difference is I do use a dually halter. I would add I did get a professional to teach me first time.

All of the other methods may or may not work at some point, but they are not clear and consistent enough to persevere with at times of problems.

I've helped lots of friends with none loaders and got their horses loading.

The BIG mistakes they were making in my experience was :

1. stopping and looking back at their horse
2. not being positive in their body language
3. turning the horse away and re approaching
4. attempting to lead from the shoulder as opposed to going ahead of their horse and showing it where it should be going by example.
5. not laying off the horse quick enough when it made inclinations in the right direction.
6. using feed, as this sometimes worked but was dependent on the horses choice - not the horses faith in the leader.

Things need to be very black and white, and I would say get a professional to help at first.
 
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