Scared Bargy Mare

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sophiz

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I bought a cob x for my daughter they said she has problems loading, I did not realise how bad, I am doing the gently gently approach and getting her on gradually but she stresses once on and when I get her off she is very strong and barges off my main concern is whether she will stress out while I drive her along, any suggestions very very welcome!!!!
 
We have a bad traveller - wrote my lorry off!!!
I spoke to someone i know who is actually a Monty Roberts person.
He adviced me to do it gradual. Get him walking in then takeing him straight out etc. When happy doing that closeing the ramp for a few minutes.
When happy just moveing the field a few yards building it up.
We do that in the trailer with realy bad travellers but the one that wrote my box off i will never try again. Went in no trouble, travelled 2 miles then blew!!!!!!!!!!
The others do learn and will walk in themselves now.
It does take time and patience.
 
Just take her on little journeys first. Just round the block and back home then unload her, ride her if possible then load her again and round the block again. This way you are not stuck out at a comp or something and she won't load again. It will give you and her time to get accustomed to be loaded and unloaded and hopefully not so bargy. I'd also use a lead bridle or control halter to help with the barging. Then increase the distance of traveling but always coming back home before unloading. When you do eventually take her out and unload her I'd make sure its say only a mile away, that way if all else fails you will be able to ride her home. Hope this might help.
 
Thats what I am worrying about getting half way up the road and her starting in the trailer! If they start is it best to stop or just drive back home. Our old pony did not make a fuss this is all new to me!
 
She also dragged me off the trailer this morning and was so strong I could not hold her back she had on a bridge with the lead rope threaded through the bottom section but was just so strong as soon as she was off she stopped but it did scare me this morning I thought I was going to go flying!
 
If you can I would load her regularly and just feed her on the lorry without going anywhere. If you keep doing it she will associate the lorry with nice things and will gradually de-stress about the whole thing. We did this with a horse I had a few years ago and did it for about a month. By the end of it she would go and load herself and wait for food! Priceless to watch! She was fab to box and would walk up any ramp thats down (even if you were just walking past a lorry at a show she tried to toddle in which is a bit excessive!) It still didnt make her good in traffic tho - if the ramp was up she was scared.
confused.gif
What can I say!
 
Don't want to put the dampers on it and hopefully the above methods will work, but after months of doing the gently / gently with the feed and allowing her to stay a few seconds longer each time, putting her travel gear on just on the yard and taking it off my mare got no better. I could not desensitise her. It got so so scary I thought one of us could die or at least be very badly injured. A big horse thrashing about in a confined space is not good!! Moving made no difference - she boshed a window out!! She would just panic and go completely off her trolley. She wasn't the boldest of horses and I think it was like a claustrophobic type reaction. She would load absolutey fine which is what most of the books / advice deal with - not with getting them to stay in!!
In desperation I rang a Monty Roberts Practitioner who told me that staying in the lorry is not part of the process I could influence and that everything i had done was logical and should have worked ie walk up stand still for 5 secs at a time and walk out etc etc. Horses are herd animals after all. I even put a question to Monty at one of his demos a couple of years ago and his answer was similar.

My mare would travel fine with company so we just gave up trying to make her go solo. It was too stressful for all concerned. We have a shetland who does a grand job - loves the outings and the attention!

I am not trying to be negative but if you do not have any joy with the above methods you are not alone!!

Good luck!
 
Just out of interest how did they get the mare to you? was it in a trailer? if so was she sweaty on arrival? if not then she probably settles during the journey.
 
You have worked out now that in a contest of strength, you will never win. All the advice given is very good - the horse has to WANT to go on, and follow you, and trust you. Don't limit your handling training to the trailer, do it on the ground every day, big rewards and praise for her when she moves off and follows you willingly and without hesitation, and praise when she halts with you. These all build towards loading training.
 
she arrived in a lorry no travel boots or rug they said she may rush off but she did not she seemed fine, they did say they had never used a trailer though and was unaware what she would be like but they had trouble loading her in a lorry but after a couple of goes and a shout and a hit with a whip she went on, I am trying the nice approach so as not to scare her more
 
I agree with other, just go slowly with just asking her to go in, maybe give her a couple of carrots ask her to stand then take her out. Then put ramp up and take her out after a few minutes. Then a short journey. If it's any consolation, my mare loads easily and quietly and travels well but is still strong coming out - but getting better. Good luck
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Tomorrow is day 3 of my gentle approach with lots of praise as each step goes further in and treats and food at the end of it, as soon as she is in though she starts breathing heavy and stressing quite bad and wants to get out quick this is where my safety then becomes an issue!! Yesterday was fine but today she got out as quick as possible and I could not hold her back!
 
If it were me, I would aim to get Richard Maxwell, Michael Pearce or similar person out. After watching Max at a demo with a bargey awkward loader, I would definitely get him out - money well spent IMHO. 11 years ago, my Icey (grey in my sig) was a terror to load - I used the Richard Maxwell halter and training methods and never had a problem again - in fact he calmly loaded himself. Don't get youself hurt and get some professional help.
 
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