Joyous70
Well-Known Member
As some of you may be aware, i have spent the last 2 nearly 3 months trying to persuade my youngster that the trailer isn't a scary place to be, she had been out in the trailer for a few trips to my instructors yard and one low key dressage event September last year, but then suddenly downed tools and decided she didn't want to go travelling.
We finally got her out on Friday, to the same venue she visited in September last year, only intro A, test and i wont bore you with the grizzly details of my atrociously ridden test, the word "hollow" appeared on just about every movement, as she was nervous and tense, so i suppose i rode ineffectively, but suffice to say, im over the moon to have got her there, offloaded, tacked up with help from the two people who have supported me over the last few months and my lovely OH came to watch.
When time came to load up to go home, there were two horses hoolying around the field nearby which upset her, and she decided she didn't really want to go home until the two reprobates were caught and taken in for their tea. Got her loaded after this without too much hassle, although she decided she wasn't ready to go home and started banging and stampng around, but once i set off she travelled well, and we arrived home to find one relatively happy sweat free horse on the trailer, despite the back bar, bouncing out of its mounting (naughty mum forgot the peg to keep it in place) she didn't rush out of the trailer and waited nice and calmly before backing down the ramp.
Just to make sure she hadn't been upset by the travelling on Friday, I loaded her again onto the trailer yesterday, and she loaded up well and let me put the back bar across while she ate some hay.
One very happy mum
I know this is a work in progress, and will not push her to travel too far too soon, im hoping to get her out for a schooling session on Thursday this week, roughly the same journey time wise as Friday, just in a different direction, and then will attempt another Intro dressage in two weeks.
Thanks for reading X
We finally got her out on Friday, to the same venue she visited in September last year, only intro A, test and i wont bore you with the grizzly details of my atrociously ridden test, the word "hollow" appeared on just about every movement, as she was nervous and tense, so i suppose i rode ineffectively, but suffice to say, im over the moon to have got her there, offloaded, tacked up with help from the two people who have supported me over the last few months and my lovely OH came to watch.
When time came to load up to go home, there were two horses hoolying around the field nearby which upset her, and she decided she didn't really want to go home until the two reprobates were caught and taken in for their tea. Got her loaded after this without too much hassle, although she decided she wasn't ready to go home and started banging and stampng around, but once i set off she travelled well, and we arrived home to find one relatively happy sweat free horse on the trailer, despite the back bar, bouncing out of its mounting (naughty mum forgot the peg to keep it in place) she didn't rush out of the trailer and waited nice and calmly before backing down the ramp.
Just to make sure she hadn't been upset by the travelling on Friday, I loaded her again onto the trailer yesterday, and she loaded up well and let me put the back bar across while she ate some hay.
One very happy mum
I know this is a work in progress, and will not push her to travel too far too soon, im hoping to get her out for a schooling session on Thursday this week, roughly the same journey time wise as Friday, just in a different direction, and then will attempt another Intro dressage in two weeks.
Thanks for reading X
my old gelding was a nightmare to load for a long time. He was mainly just stubborn spent 4 hours trying to load him to go home from a fun ride he started getting wound up and dangerous so I had to ride him an extra 10 miles home! The next day he walked himself into the trailer no fuss.. so annoying haha! With my youngster I've been determined to give her a good start in the trailer and she loads like a dream, it makes the experience of going out so much nicer 
