Tips for dealing with a stubborn loader!

[Sophstar]

My 15hh cob is generally a very good loader in that though he may give you that 'what the hell' expression on approach to walking on a trailer or box he gets in! last week tried to load him into my horsebox which is nearly identical to the one he was moved in to move yards and looked promising as he marched towards the ramp, 2 feet on, stop, reverse, walk forwards 2 feet on, reverse, walk forwards all 4 feet on the ramp and he changed his mind and reversed out. This went on for an hour with the use of an entire buckets of treats and 3 people helping me by holding lunge lines. Touching him with a lunge line is a big no no as he throws a paddy but just by blocking his reverse option he gave in and walked in. At no point through this battle was this pony scared, just STUBBORN AS A MULE. He fell asleep whilst half standing on the ramp, he was chewing and resting his back foot at every opportunity. This would be fine if I had 3 people with me on every outing but I want to be able to load and go out by myself and be sure I can get him back! Anyone else dealt with a stubborn loader? A natural horsemanship guy has given me his number to give me some pointers and a woman at the yard has said I can use her natural rope halter to travel him in but anybody else with breaking the stubborn front of their horse??!

 

[Shazzababs]

I'm gonna get shot down for this but it he was mine I would have got rid of the people and the lunge lines, put a bridle on him and got out Mr Schooling whip. He sounds like he is taking the P rather than being frightened or aprehensive.

If you want him to be keener you need to load him every day, and either feed him in there, or take him somewhere very exciting.

 

[competitiondiva]

when you say travel him in a rope halter, if it is a pressure one, don't tie him up with it. I would however suggest you place the trailer so that it is alongside a building or fence line (building is better) so it reduces the sides he can evade to. Then use pressure/release method using a pressure halter, whether that be a be nice halter (my personal favourite!) a dually, a simple rope halter. When he plants, just hold a constant pressure on the halter, when he steps forward release the pressure etc etc. He should learn pretty quickly that forwards is positive, also open the top door or entire front of the trailer. If you can take out the partition so you are offering a nice big area for him to go into too.

 

[*hic*]

Firstly, try getting someone very experienced and unbothered by loading to try. He's almost certainly picking up on your tenseness about it all and taking the michael.

Convince yourself that he's being an idiot and messing you about and that you can load him first time, every time by feeding him in there for a week. If he won't go in for food then make a pen at the bottom of the ramp, food and water in box and leave him to it.

 

[Mince Pie]

If you have time to take a day (it shouldn't take that long!) then go to load him with a headcollar and lungeline, sit in the box and just wait him out! Take a book if you have to. If he takes a step back wards just let out the lungeline a bit - don't move, and keep the line tight.
The trick I found is to be just as stubborn as they are, they will give in eventually.

 

[jumpthemoon]

http://www.karasel.co.uk/aerborn-comanche-calmer-headcollar.html

I use one of these on my lad, I had major problems getting him to load, he would rear, tank off, plant and simply refuse to go in. Now, he plods in behind me no problems, it's brilliant. Someone on here recommended it to me and I haven't looked back since PS. clearly not for tying up in though!

 

[meesha]

sounds like my chap ! If i dont put a chiffney on him he will stand on the ramp all day happy as larry but being as defiant as possible - he is not scared and goes in on his own if you leave the thing open and he knows he's not going anywhere.

I therefore use the carrot and the stick method - ie. chiffney on with slight pressure which is released as he walks forward and a pot of pony nuts in the trailer which he gets once loaded - works everytime and takes about 5 mins max to load - he thinks its a game so if no chiffney no loading mummy !

Obviously be careful using the chiffney as it is harsh and make sure it comes off as soon as he is loaded

 

[clevelandbay]

Different things work for different horses. I have one that goes into reverse too! The sitting and waiting it out option doesn't work for her. I've used a bridle to load or a pressure halter and find both to work the same. If she's in a really stubborn mood we'll ask her to walk through the trailer a couple of times first (not an option with a lorry obvisouly). I just use the pressure release. Gentle pressure till she takes a step forward and immediate release when she does. However, the main thing for our mare is that if she's not going forward it's not pleasant for her. If she's walking forward in the direction she's supposed to that's fine, but when she's stepping backwards she gets turned in circles and strongly asked to back up etc. After a few minutes of this you can see her say - "oh, OK then!".

From personal experience, this method is working at the moment, but I know she'll probably think of a new evasion tactic soon and we'll have to try something new!

Also, as i think someone else has said, the more people get involved the worse the stress is. You need 2 people who are both calm and like minded - 1 front and 1 back. All the bystanders (in my experience) just make you more stressed and turn the air blue (or maybe that's just me).

Good luck and let me know how you get on.

 

[Louby]

I'm gonna get shot down for this but it he was mine I would have got rid of the people and the lunge lines, put a bridle on him and got out Mr Schooling whip. He sounds like he is taking the P rather than being frightened or aprehensive.

If you want him to be keener you need to load him every day, and either feed him in there, or take him somewhere very exciting.

Sorry but totally agree with the above. He may well have a paddy but its just like a child throwing himself on the floor. They are very clever animals and it sounds like he is totally taking the p.

Im not saying beat him, just let him know you mean it with your body language etc and once he knows he cant get away with it then you shouldnt have a problem in the future.

Goes off to hide

 

[Sophstar]

i know how stubborn he can be...he thinks he knows best and as he's the herd leader he thinks everyone should do as he wishes! it was my day off and despite the people helping me getting thoroughly fed up, my horse meets his match with me for stubborness. there wasn't a hope in hell he was getting away with it and i did get complimented on my patience! there's no point in getting riled up as he would have fed off that and stuck his heels in even more! only took 5 minutes to get him in on the way home. stupid thing was he loved his day out after the battle of stubborn owner vs stubborn horse!

 

[jaquelin]

He does not sound like a serious non-loader - just needs to do it enough so it's a non-issue. A couple of points, whatever method you use: keep your back to him (don't look at him); I think pressure behind ( lunge line around hindquarters) is effective. Have a nice big haynet in horsebox, NOT in his stable. When taking him somewhere, NEVER feed him anywhere but inside the horsebox. Basically, get him to associate horsebox with food. Good luck, I am sure you will get there.

 

[bex1984]

My very stubborn pony got an almighty mega smack with the schooling whip for not loading once...has gone on first time ever since. He likes to load himself, which he can do providing he doesn't p about and gets straight on. I always have the whip in hand when loading him though.

 

[smiffyimp]

Sorry but totally agree with the above. He may well have a paddy but its just like a child throwing himself on the floor. They are very clever animals and it sounds like he is totally taking the p.

Im not saying beat him, just let him know you mean it with your body language etc and once he knows he cant get away with it then you shouldnt have a problem in the future.

Goes off to hide

I hide as well but agree here. oh and DONT feed! Think about it. He stands on the ramp refuses to move, you offer treats, he takes and goes back. Cycle repeats until he's full and you still arent on the box! Once on, tied up etc, treat all you like. My horse was a serious non loader, took 3 years to sort that one out - buy being nice, patient and cross! In the end I got rid of the crowd - he loves the attention. No eye contact. No treats (until on). Oh and when he tried to kick me on the way up, he did get a bloody big wack!! I used a dually halter. Now he walks up no probs. Slightest hesitation he gets a good shouting at and loads straight away.
Different methods for different horses, but stubborn is not scared and with stubborn you can give em a thick ear!

 

[Rachaelpink]

" clevelandbay: Use pressure release. Gentle pressure till she takes a step forward and immediate release when she does. However, the main thing for our mare is that if she's not going forward it's not pleasant for her. If she's walking forward in the direction she's supposed to that's fine, but when she's stepping backwards she gets turned in circles and strongly asked to back up etc. After a few minutes of this you can see her say - "oh, OK then!"

Totally agree with the above. My horse is very stubborn and would stand all day tied to the box with her feed in the box and not go in. The key is using a pressure halter and making it not pleasant for her to stand still. I do this by either moving her side to side at the bottom of the ramp or applying pressure to the halter so standing still at the bottom of the ramp is uncomfy for her. Also tried tapping her bum continually with a whip (not whipping her) whilst putting the pressure on. Making sure the pressure is released as soon as they go up the ramp is important. If you beat them up to get them in it's likely to make the situation worse (plus if their mega stubborn like my mare she'll take the beating and still not go on). I give her a feed when she's in too. Also I put a mirror in.

At one point my horse wouldn't get in the box for three months. She tries it on now every now and again but as long as we're firm she's fine.

 

[gill84]

my mares a stubborn old cow as well!! i have to make it seem like her idea to load. i load her in a bridle stick a bucket of feed in the near the fron of the trailer and i have to stand near her girth area and try and "drive" her in. she takes a step back so do i. she can be encouraged with a tap (not a smack coz shes the kinda horse that would take the whip off you and beat you back) from a whip but it always comes down to not standing in front of her shoulder. she also travels without a partition coz she had an accident where she got her saddle caught on the partition with her last owner, and her routine is shes got to walk through at least once coz if we try and trap her in first time she shoots out backwards and thats dangerous for all involved. sounds a bit silly but shes never not gone in after that. shes taking the P also i know that but weve tried EVERYTHING and this monotenous routine is all that works! there also cant be anyone about, my helper has to hide in waiting til ive got her in and tied up. stubborn cantankerous old cow, just like its owner as my other half informs me every time

 

[LouandBee]

OP - sounds a bit like my girl, she was always fine loading until we were trying to load to come home from a show one day.
She stands at the bottom of the ramp and appears to fall asleep, but....I don't think she's being stubborn, she just seems to shut down and its her way of coping - she won't accept any treats etc which is a good sign that she's stressed as she's into her food big time. Anyway with lots of practice we seem to have it cracked (fingers crossed).

Personally I wouldn't hit a horse to get it in - I think it's a temporary fix but not the answer. However each horse is different, so might work with some?

 

[albeg]

I'm gonna get shot down for this but it he was mine I would have got rid of the people and the lunge lines, put a bridle on him and got out Mr Schooling whip. He sounds like he is taking the P rather than being frightened or aprehensive.

If you want him to be keener you need to load him every day, and either feed him in there, or take him somewhere very exciting.

Have to agree with S. My lad has recently started taking the p*** with loading. He will load perfectly once, then refuse the next time. So now we put the bridle on straight away, have a whip ready to give him one tap if he stops, and he goes in no bother (sometimes the sound of the schooling whip flicked through the air makes him cop on, so if that works we do that, then resort to a tap). I don't believe in battering a horse in if they're scared, but if they're simply saying "I don't feel like it", a quick tap does no harm to send them forward.
However, I do have a lunge rope at the ready, as he tends to try jump off the side of the ramp and tank off, so it just acts as a safeguard if he manages to get the rope away from me.

 

[irishdraft]

I have a youngster that is a stubborn loader when coming back home ?? what I do is clip a lunge line onto the side of his headcollar then take the lunge line around the back of him and then hold the head collar on the other side whilst pulling up the lunge line and walk into the trailer, it puts pressure on the back of his legs, with this method I can load on my own and he goes straight in.

 

[showqa]

My horse is always at his worse when being loaed to come home. Why would that be???

 

[Starburst]

My horse is totally stubborn with loading. We got a natural horsemanship person out for an hour one day and now all we need to do is swing a lead rope behind him and he walks straight in. Highly recommend it! We tried lunge lines, whips etc but the more you harassed him the more stubborn he got!!!

 

[Sophstar]

Round of applause to me Took the stubborn boy out by myself today. A rope halter and long line were my saviour. No shouting, no treats, no arguments just persistence! Admittedly took us 25 minutes to get on but once he realised I wasn't going to let go of the rope when he wandered off backwards and did the most pathetic half hearted rears as he stropped that I got him on the ramp, he gave in. At the other end, he walked straight up second time...woooooooo. Definitely be investing in a rope halter as I nicked my friends...worked miracles!