Mostly venting - stupid horse won't load

[QueenT]

So, my daughter's 7-year old ISH who has walked in and out of the trailer without a second glance every damn week since we got him in February, decided he didn't want to go home from a show (insert swearword of choice) Show went really well, so no clue what could have triggered it, and I am a super-careful driver, my horses don't jiggle in the trailer. He didn't want to be within ten feet of the thing, I was so surprised that I basically just stood there with the lead rope, looking from him to the ramp. Luckily a lady with some tricks had better possession of her faculties, and offered to take over, so after a pretty hefty running around he loaded after about half an hour. Next day, I tried loading him again to check if it was a fluke, it wasn't... I have had some horsemanship training myself, but my impatience gets the better of me if I am not preparing myself to spend aaaaaal the time that's needed. So, I called my guru, the local cowboy, who trained with the horse for about 45 min. After some initial snorting and stomping - clearly something with the trailer had triggered this response, he walked two steps in, two steps out, full in, full out, right side in, left side in. Two days later I'm doing it myself, loading him 3-4 times within 15 minutes, feeling confident about driving out to training the next day, although by the time class is over it will be pitch dark - but the horse was a champ, loaded after about 15 min of one step at a time in darkness and gale winds - good boy! Trained again yesterday, back to snorting and stomping! Ran in 3-4 times, only to fly back out, and I couldn't get him to settle and be calm about it. There are probably a ton of things I could have or should have done - classic case of Hubris, I was definitely feeling pretty confident about my loading skills, as I had just 10 minutes before loaded someone else's stubborn pony! Just called my cowboy again, to help us back on the right track. Please, little horse, get in the damn trailer! Please!

 

[PapaverFollis]

I would have the trailer serviced.

 

[QueenT]

I would have the trailer serviced.

It was serviced 1½ years ago, and there aren't any apparent damages, tire pressure checked etc - do you still think that could be it? Any ideas what to look for?

 

[PapaverFollis]

No no ideas. Perhaps take a short ride in it yourself to check for unexpected rattles. And get in there and check the floor. If you drive him sympathetically and haven't given him a fright I would suspect he's not happy with something in the trailer for the unwillingness to come on so rapidly. Failing that I'd maybe want a vet check to see if there's a physical reason. But it sounds like he had an unpleasant journey to that show for whatever reason. And instead of branding him "stupid" after years of happy compliance with loading and travelling I just think it would be wise to investigate possible causes.

 

[OrangeAndLemon]

Yeah, I'm thinking the horse has picked up on something you haven't. Get the trailer serviced.

If it isnt that then I'd be asking if the horse is fit and well or if he has a niggle somewhere that is painful when travelling. You don't say how long the journeys were or how close to each other they were.

 

[sharni]

horse isn't stupid there's a reason for the behaviour, find the cause then try to cure the problem.

 

[ihatework]

IME for a reliable horse to suddenly not load there is either something wrong with the trailer or something wrong with the horse

 

[Pearlsasinger]

You have said yourself that it is something about the trailer, so get that checked out first. I would suspect the floor but check absolutely everything.

If there really is nothing wrong with the trailer, I would involve the vet.

Horses don't just suddenly become awkward about something for the sake of it, he is trying to tell you something, listen to him.

 

[QueenT]

No no ideas. Perhaps take a short ride in it yourself to check for unexpected rattles. And get in there and check the floor. If you drive him sympathetically and haven't given him a fright I would suspect he's not happy with something in the trailer for the unwillingness to come on so rapidly. Failing that I'd maybe want a vet check to see if there's a physical reason. But it sounds like he had an unpleasant journey to that show for whatever reason. And instead of branding him "stupid" after years of happy compliance with loading and travelling I just think it would be wise to investigate possible causes.

Will definitely have the trailer checked by someone professional, I just checked it over for normal stuff
("Stupid" is just the the venting part, I know he's not that...)

 

[Polos Mum]

It's worth having trailers fully serviced every year, things can go wrong and be unnoticed in that time because they spend so much time doing nothing.

 

[Orangehorse]

Agree with the others. Have you checked the brakes? Maybe they are rubbing which gives out a smell?

(Says someone who pulled into a petrol station to find smoke coming from a trailer wheel, where I had forgotten to release the handbrake!)

 

[CavaloBranco]

Once all the checks have been done I would take out the partition and breast bars and open the front ramp. Lead him straight through and out, maybe following another horse. Do it until you are both bored silly.

Then try feeding him in the trailer so he stands for a short while. Just take tiny baby steps but don't ever let him reverse out. Obviously wear protective kit as well.

I ended up taking the partitions out permanently for my tricky mare but I also practised loading a lot! I've since always left the front ramp open when loading, they don't feel so claustrophobic. Good luck!

 

[Midlifecrisis]

I’d lay odds on something iffy with the trailer...

 

[thefarsideofthefield]

Check the ceiling too . I remember someone having problems , checking floors , partitions etc to no avail and then glancing up and spotting a wasps nest !

 

[Henry02]

Def get trailer serviced every year

 

[Mari]

It was serviced 1½ years ago, and there aren't any apparent damages, tire pressure checked etc - do you still think that could be it? Any ideas what to look for?

18 months is a long time. Presumably the trailer “lives out”. Get it checked out, especially the floor.

 

[JulesRules]

Agree with others. Check.the trailer starting with the floor

 

[misst]

Agree with the others. Have you checked the brakes? Maybe they are rubbing which gives out a smell?

(Says someone who pulled into a petrol station to find smoke coming from a trailer wheel, where I had forgotten to release the handbrake!)

off topic but I've done that!!

 

[Spottyappy]

Years ago, one of mine didn’t want to load, which was totally out of character.
Got her on eventually.
About 15 minutes into the journey, there was a loud but dull thud.
We stopped, got out and checked the horse, only to find the thud was part of the middle of the floor had fallen through.
Thankfully, by some sort of fate, the mare was fine, just standing with her feet around the very large hole in the trailer floor.
She must have known, but we still made her get on. I shudder to think at how different the outcome could have been.
Definately Get the trailer thoroughly checked and serviced before loading Again.

 

[heres1annie]

Totally agree with everyone else about getting the trailer serviced, and takings ride in it yourself to see if it clanks or shakes. But also, don't try and load if you haven't got the time or patience to stay the cause. I mean it in the nicest possible way but the word impatience jumped out at me reading your op. Sometimes, with the best will in the world, they just need time to work through whatever's going in in their mind

 

[Boulty]

I'd be getting the floor, walls etc checked (both by jumping up & down etc yourself & professionally) & would also stand in the trailer yourself with it moving & see if there's anything rattling around that shouldn't be. Also get a vet & physio to give the horse a good check over in case he's sore somewhere & travelling is uncomfortable for him.

I've had loading issues due to dodgy lorry floor (thankyou silent & sinister roof leak!) & also due to horses back issues so definitely worth getting both checked out

 

[Lois Lame]

The floor is my first suspect.

 

[Sossigpoker]

Do you close the partition when travelling? He might travel better without the partition so has plenty of room to spread his legs.

 

[Morgan123]

I recently read something from a behaviourist about how many difficult loading cases she'd seen turned out to be niggles which weren't immediately obvious to people, such as PSD, mild kissing spines etc, which were causing pain when travelling. I agree with the others - he is trying to tell you he's not happy. I know how frustrating it is trying to work out where that stems from when it's so vague! But he's not exactly doing it for fun - it's no fun for a horse being cowboyed into a trailer, and he clearly knows that the easy option is to just get in. that's how much he doesn't want to - he'd choose to put himself through that difficult stuff in case he can avoid it. There's something wrong there.
Good luck with him!

 

[oldie48]

Rose has been iffy to load for the past week, also rather nappy to ride. I had the physio out today and she wasn't quite right behind and was sore. If the trailer is OK, worth checking the horse.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

We used to have an Appy mare who loaded like a dream onto our lorry, walked through a trailer with no hesitation as part of 'handy horse'-type class. One day she went up the ramp of the box, turned round smartly and shot back off. We did get her on again but then we had the box checked and found out that the ramp needed work.

 

[Lamehorses]

Can you borrow a trailer from someone, quick & easy way to check if it's a problem with the trailer.
Sadly for me, loading problems was the first sign of my mares dodgy hocks

 

[Tiddlypom]

Check the ceiling too . I remember someone having problems , checking floors , partitions etc to no avail and then glancing up and spotting a wasps nest !

This nearly happened to us a few weeks ago. Trailer hadn’t been out for a few weeks, so I checked it over before use and found a large active wasps nest attached to the inside of the roof at the nose cone! Luckily had time to deal with it before the trailer needed to be used.

Have now added ‘check for wasps nests’ to the usual pre flight checks of tyre pressures, lights etc etc .

Agrre that it sounds as though something is amiss with either the trailer or the horse (but hopefully not both). Hope you can resolve it soon.

 

[Annagain]

It could something as simple as tyre pressures. I'm pretty good at doing them as OH is a traffic cop and tells me some horror stories about under inflated trailer tyres but if I've even been a bit lax, Monty always tells us when the tyres need doing by doing his squidgy tyre dance as soon as we get going. Luckily there's a garage 1/2 a mile up the road so it's never got as far as refusing to load.

 

[stormox]

Sometimes horses do mess about though- I had one years ago was a perfect loader. Then one day we got to a show and she decided she wouldnt load to go home. She was whinnying after a stallion, maybe she was in season. Eventually she loaded, next show same performance at going home time. Most people had gone and in desperation I got someone to give her a single crack with a lunge whip. She jumped straight in and was never a bit of bother to load going or coming home from a show since.