Outing number 6 today..... happy, happy, happy :)

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Took the small TB out for his 6th ever outing today - the day did not start well as he took an HOUR to load onto the lorry!!! Little s*d is not frightened at all, he is pig-headed and stubborn and just didn't want to go on - he is also incredibly bargy and rude for such a small horse, not sure who has let him get away with that in the past but I don't like it at all! Any recommendations for loading/stopping barging gratefully received....

Got to the venue and he had sweated up well as usual and was dripping... sigh.... but once he got off the lorry he was OK, and luckily for us the warm-up was quite quiet. After a brilliant lesson last Wednesday I've given myself a kick up the backside and instead of sitting there today remaining relaxed while he was an idiot, I gave him some parameters on how I would like him to go. Amazingly, it seemed to work :) The venue were brilliant and swapped my test times (I had been first to go) so I had time to warm up.

The tests were indoors, which is always good for us as there is less for him to look at and be stupid about, went in and did our best EVER test :) :) :) :) He even did a really good free walk with no jogging, he was flexing a lot better and was nice and rhythmical. I was really pleased with him, came out with a big grin on my face!

Took him back into the warm-up and he started being an idiot, doing his usual trick of running sideways. I persevered, we went back in to do his second test, and he was good again :) Not as good as the first test, more tense with a bit of jogging in walk, but overall still shedloads better than any previous competitions.

Loaded him onto the lorry ("only" 5 minutes this time....) then went to pick up my test sheets - 65.43% for the first test and second, 65% for the second test and third, there were around 6 or 7 in each class so genuine results this time :D I am delighted with him, he has come so far in only a few competitions :) :) :)

Then in the lorry on the way home he pulled off both hind shoes.....ah well........
 
Well done. Brilliant report and you must be so pleased.I have a Tb and know how challenging some of them are. How one art did he manage to get both hind shoes off?
 
Well he had dislodged one on the way there (I wasn't sure we would be able to compete, but he turned out to be perfectly sound!) - I think he stands on his own feet? We had an incident where we had to reverse back down a narrow lane when we met a 4x4 and horse trailer coming the other way, he got a bit stressy and started stamping, so suspect that was when it happened. Next time I am trying no travel boots and using over-reach boots instead :)
 
Congratulations on your scores and the improvement in behaviour!
As a side note, if he's arriving so sweaty and is managing to get his shoes off, I would suggest that he's difficult to load because he is worried about travelling - it clearly stresses him out.
 
Yep that is the conclusion I am coming to Apercrumbie :( I am thinking I might have to hand back my loan lorry and go back to hiring a 3.5T lorry, he seems to travel much better in one :(
 
Lévrier;13056171 said:
Well he had dislodged one on the way there (I wasn't sure we would be able to compete, but he turned out to be perfectly sound!) - I think he stands on his own feet? We had an incident where we had to reverse back down a narrow lane when we met a 4x4 and horse trailer coming the other way, he got a bit stressy and started stamping, so suspect that was when it happened. Next time I am trying no travel boots and using over-reach boots instead :)
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I used to work with a horse that used to pull his shoes off in the box - he was always travelled in over-reach boots and he wore a donut boot as well. Just in case your lad is pulling his shoes off regularly :)
 
Fantastic results! Especially with the nobbing about in the box beforehand. If he travels better in a different style box it may be worth staying with that type for him?

Very well done though and an impressive improvement in a short amount of time.

x x
 
HashRouge said:
I used to work with a horse that used to pull his shoes off in the box - he was always travelled in over-reach boots and he wore a donut boot as well. Just in case your lad is pulling his shoes off regularly :)
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Thanks for the ideas HashRouge - I'd hoped it was a one-off last time he pulled a shoe off but I guess not now he has done it again!
 
Anyone got any ideas where I can get a donut boot from? I have tried googling but don't seem to be able to find any?

Sorry - found them now I've looked for sausage ring boots!
 
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Great results :)

Hope you can get the loading sorted soon... Do u load using his bridle or a control halter or just normal headcollar?
Our mare won't load in a trailer as she hates them but loves our herringbone lorry...

Fiona
 
Thank you very much everyone for your congratulations, I really really appreciate them all even if I haven't thanked you individually :) And thanks to whoever marked this with 5 stars lol, I am such a sap, I loved that :D :D

Fiona I tried to load with an ordinary headcollar and leadrope today, I have realised the error of my ways and swapped to a bridle for the journey home! Also going to investigate a Dually headcollar as it has been suggested they are good?

I am now debating how long I keep trying with the 7.5T lorry - I want to give it enough of a chance for Frodo to get used to it, but don't want to stress him totally by trying for too long....
 
Try to adjust the partition so he can face more diagonally backwards if thats what he likes.

My welshman behaved if I just put headcollar rope round his nose..

Fiona
 
Dually! Everytime! Do some basic ground work in it first to teach him pressure and release and it will be fine. Mines a 14.2hh HW cob. He is the strongest and most wilful horse I've ever met! He can lift me off my feet and has no issues just casually walking off and dragging me. Bridles make no difference. When I picked him up from his loan home it took me an hour to load him and I spent most of that being knocked and dragged about.

A Dually was bought, a bit of ground work done, then I hired a lorry for the day. Took him 5 mins to go on the first time, and then he walked on and off hundreds of times, went for a drive, unloaded and loaded up a few times, and we have never looked back :)
 
Only just caught up with this news, VERY WELL DONE, excellent result. Hope you get him happy and settled travelling very soon, good advice on here. xx
 
Thanks all :) I've ordered a Be Nice halter today which is on it's way (had a real dither between that and the Dually!) so fingers crossed :) Otherwise I might have to just buy my own 3.5T lorry if he prefers them :p
 
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