Not loading coming home from shows

[Law]

Hi all
I hope you won't mind me posting in here rather than NL.

I wondered if you've got any insights and tips to help me and my 5 year old who doesn't load well coming home from places; shows, competitions, training etc
He's quite sensitive and likes to have an opinion/makes decisions for himself.

After i've got home from somewhere he will happily pop in and out of the trailer on the yard a dozen times without a second thought. It just seems like when we are coming home from somewhere he has to wait until HE has made the decision to go home.
It's really a patience thing. I've tried several things and he doesn't like being pressurised into it so i just tend to persevere with the patience.
He will always put two feet on the ramp, sometimes four, he might get halfway in then, as you add a little pressure, he shoots back out again and repeats the two feet, four feet, not moving thing.
He travels well and is quiet once he's in and just has a full breach bar on the back with the partition swung over. He's small so room isn't an issue. I try with treats, feed, front ramp down, pressure halter, lunge line round the bum. None of it works until he decides to get on.

hope you can help and sorry for the long post

 

[AdorableAlice]

We had the same problem with a teenage competition horse. If he only did one test and then had his travel gear put on he would refuse to load. (lorry)

He would load if he remained tacked up as he knew he was coming off to do a second test.

He would always load after his second test with his travel gear on.

When we showed him (hunter) he would load after being washed off and dressed to travel.

This never changed throughout 7 years of competing him. We never took him anywhere for one test which was not a problem unless it was regionals or championship. We had to fool him a few times by untacking in the lorry.

Hopefully your young horse will settle as he gets more experience.

 

[Law]

Thank you for replying. That is really interesting. Perhaps you are right. As a yearling and two year old he was absolutely fine. It's really only been this year when the pony parties have got more fun or interesting that he's decided to take his time over it.
I occasionally have to move the trailer to somewhere quieter and away from the hubbub with my older cob but he always gets on within a few minutes and a little pressure.
The youngster is so busy enjoying it all, soaking it in and not thinking about going home!

 

[Law]

Anyone else?

 

[HammieHamlet]

Mine sometimes does that too, especially if the lorry is parked on lush grass!! I've fiddled around with the whole nicely nicely patience approach, but find the easiest way to deal with it is a quick tap on the bum to tell him to get on with it..... He's not scared, it's just naughtiness

 

[Polotash]

My old dressage boy used to do this too, always loaded 1st time at home, faffed about for 10 mins to come home from the show! I think he just used to love being out and about!

We used to flap a bit of old electric tape behind him, just the sight of it made him think "uh oh" and in he'd go!

 

[D66]

When he has his front feet on the ramp tickle his shoulder with a dressage whip to get his attention, stop tickling immediately he moves forwards. Worked with my nosey, bored one.

 

[Twiglet]

Mine's the same....and reacts very badly to the tap on the bum/putting pressure on theory (when it's a normally mild mannered 17hh standing on its back legs waving at you then buggering off across the showground, you start to get the idea of what works and what doesn't).

The only thing that gets him on at the moment is letting him take his merry time - it doesn't matter if his friend's already on there, or if he's first on and has most room, if he's tacked/untacked etc etc, he just won't get on until he's ready. It's beyond frustrating and makes going out a bit of a chore. It's hard to know how to react because he's fine at home, and will practice all day long.

 

[Maisie2]

Try walking him up and down past the ramp, no stopping and not attempting to load him and def. no eating. Do this for a looooong time to start with - 20/30 minutes, he may get bored and decide that being in a trailer with food is a better option Good luck, it's really annoying as I know from experience!

 

[Skippys Mum]

I've had a friends mare to stay for the summer and she was a tricky one to load. She did load eventually but sometimes it was taking 20 minutes or so. Any pressure whatsoever from the front or the back stopped her in her tracks.

I finally got her loading first time every time by putting her in a rope halter and a long rope and more or less lungeing her in. I walked her back and forward a couple of times over the ramp sideways (on and off, not aiming for heading in) and then just got her walking round as though I was lungeing on a 5' circle. She loads no bother that way.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I have a little sod exactly the same! He loads straight away at home but at a comp? Nay chance! I have tried everything and things only ever work once. The best one was when someone took pity on me sitting on my ramp with a half asleep dartmoor that had his front feet on the ramp - she shot him up the bum with a water pistol! He went in like a rocket but that trick never worked again. You can't have anyone go behind him as he thinks he is going to be shunted in so he just reverses at full speed.

The only thing that works more often than not is parking the trailer in the corner of the field with a fence behind and to one side and use a lunge line to gradually whinch him on on a bad day, show him and he just walks in on a good day. That takes no more than 10mins - I have previously sat for 3 hours waiting for the little git! If he wasn't such a darned good show pony I would just leave him at home!

 

[toomanyhorses26]

My tb hates loading with anything too close behind him eg car parked too close,lorry parked too close,hedgeline too close but will load as soon as I move into a more open space

 

[Law]

Thanks everyone for your replies. It's good to hear what other people have tried and give me some ideas
Law

 

[PorkChop]

I would invest in a Richard Maxwell halter, I have had such good results with it. They soon learn that they are just fighting with themselves, I have often loaded troublesome horses that I didn't know with it when away competing.

 

[cobwithattitude]

mine hates being rushed and will just stand and look at you at teh bottom of the ramp, if that's the case. so we take our time and let him have time to wind down after his competing. Again, patience and knowing your horse. He jsut loves going out to a party and normally loads on anything, anywhere, just likes to make sure he's had his money's worth!

 

[abbijay]

So pleased to see this thread, I thought mine was being a bit 'special' refusing to come home until he's ready.
We've tried all sorts. My old coach used to try to turn it into a fight with him and pressure him in (it was fine for her but I was on the end of a leadrope with 900kg of horse on its back legs trying to leg it) with a lunge whip. He would eventually give up and launch himself in at full pelt but that wasn't a safe experience for any of us.
I've tried pressure halters, ropes round his bum, whips, rattling buckets, you name it but none had consistent success.
We have since found that quietly and slowly is the best way. If he needs to take his time we let him. He will go on and he will do it without a fuss but it can take 20 minutes. The important thing for us is to have no audience. It takes 2 of us: one on the lead rope the other stood inside the trailer with a handful of treats he loves, everyone else has to get in the car or go for a brew. He gets no attention from outside but we just wait until he can't resist the sweeties inside and then he will march on.
I've also made a real effort to ensure he always has a positive travelling experience. Lots of short, smooth easy journeys to fun places and a reward when he gets home.

 

[SS.89]

My 5 year olds the same. Will load with no problems at home and travels really well. However bringing him home has sometimes proved a bit of a problem. He would rather be eating the lush grass at the showground !!

So when we come home now all we do is fill his normal feed bucket with a few carrots and nuts (to make a noise) and stand at the top of the rampp and just to the side so he can get in comfortbaly. Whoever is loading him just needs to have a whip in their hand to give him a slight tap at the bottom and he goes straight up.

As a previous poster said he's definately not scared just likes to take the mick !!

SS x