Unloadable horse, am i doing the right thing?

[the watcher]

I know lots of people go with with the 'food as bribe' technique, personally I'm not a big fan of it except possibly in emergencies. As well as working with the trailer, do plenty of ground work away from it concentrating on working and halting so that the horse reacts immediately to your voice - in the long term this will be more effective than bribes.

 

[somethingorother]

I know lots of people go with with the 'food as bribe' technique, personally I'm not a big fan of it except possibly in emergencies. As well as working with the trailer, do plenty of ground work away from it concentrating on working and halting so that the horse reacts immediately to your voice - in the long term this will be more effective than bribes.

Hrm, he is a VERY food orientated horse. I know they all are, but he is a whole other level. He is excellent at groundwork and once every week or two i tend to take him for a walk in hand and concentrate on him going exactly where i want him to. He will trot next to me while i run and if i stop he will also halt immediately without any tension on the rope. I believe in horses being aware of where the handler is and reacting to them quickly. So he's very good at that. I do think trust is a big part of why he has come so far already, he takes a lot of confidence from having someone on the ground with him. Just a shame he forgets this when he gets stubborn.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Mmmm, it seems like he's OK to go in the trailer but baulks at eating and staying still in there. So obviously using food as the "reward" isn't working at this stage, so I'd be inclined to have a rethink, as what might be happening in his head is that he's receiving a "reward" for backing out the trailer again!!!! And you don't want him to be rewarded for doing what you don't want him to do.

I'd be inclined to go back quite a few levels and concentrate on groundwork with him. Lead him in the trailer, and allow him just to stand in there just a few seconds - then, WHEN YOU SAY SO, either back him out of the trailer or out the front ramp if you have one. That way, he will get to understand that HE's not the one who decides when he's coming out, but you are. Your horse sounds exactly like mine, a canny little bugger who knows how to get on top of a situation.

Or, as has been suggested, I'd think about getting someone to offer some suggestions. What you don't want is the sort of person who'll suggest coming up behind him with lunging whips/pulling him in, or anything like this. He's got to go in there because he wants to, not because he's made to do it - that method won't do you any good if you're coming back from a show and dog-tired, and he's remembering being chased into the trailer.

The other advantage of getting someone in to help is that they'll be able to look at the whole problem afresh, and also at the way you are dealing with the horse, and will be able to shed light. Well worth doing, but the right person is necessary. Whereabouts are you?

 

[somethingorother]

Mmmm, it seems like he's OK to go in the trailer but baulks at eating and staying still in there. So obviously using food as the "reward" isn't working at this stage, so I'd be inclined to have a rethink, as what might be happening in his head is that he's receiving a "reward" for backing out the trailer again!!!! And you don't want him to be rewarded for doing what you don't want him to do.

I'd be inclined to go back quite a few levels and concentrate on groundwork with him. Lead him in the trailer, and allow him just to stand in there just a few seconds - then, WHEN YOU SAY SO, either back him out of the trailer or out the front ramp if you have one. That way, he will get to understand that HE's not the one who decides when he's coming out, but you are. Your horse sounds exactly like mine, a canny little bugger who knows how to get on top of a situation.

Or, as has been suggested, I'd think about getting someone to offer some suggestions. What you don't want is the sort of person who'll suggest coming up behind him with lunging whips/pulling him in, or anything like this. He's got to go in there because he wants to, not because he's made to do it - that method won't do you any good if you're coming back from a show and dog-tired, and he's remembering being chased into the trailer.

The other advantage of getting someone in to help is that they'll be able to look at the whole problem afresh, and also at the way you are dealing with the horse, and will be able to shed light. Well worth doing, but the right person is necessary. Whereabouts are you?

The first problem with that is i can't get him in the trailer again at the moment. Hence the point of this thread. So half way in the trailer is the best i can get. He only gets food when he goes partly in the trailer (both front hooves about a foot or 2 inside after the ramp)

I'm near bolton, and don't really have anyone to help. His owner is around sometimes, but what can she do at this stage? Without being forceful? I understand how big a help it would be once i can get him in there fully, to get the back up. In fact that part is a bit worrying as to how exactly i would do it alone, but we're not there yet and things are seeming to go slowly at the moment so it might be a while yet.

 

[Horsesnponysarelife]

After a year of sharing/ part loaning neurotic ginger arab, i have decided i want to go places. Therefore we have started to work on the 'horse that does not load' issues. He has been known to get in a bit of a state even if in a stable where he can see the trailer out of the window. Told you he was neurotic.

Step 1: Sniffing the trailer, standing near it, having pats and an odd handful of yummy stuff (whatever's to hand). Happy to be stood near trailer and not bother with it. This took 2 sessions

Step 2: front feet on ramp, big pats, treats and hugs.
Step 3: walk over the bottom of the ramp and off the other side. Pats and treats, repeat lots. These both happened in the same session, i was chuffed to bits.

Step 4: all 4 feet on ramp and standing calmly and relaxed. Third + 4th sessions. More walking over ramp, plus the smaller front ramp just to be sure. All good so far. More treats and pats

Step 5: feeding inside the trailer. This went ok, i was made up with him. But he did have his head burried in a bucket and so probably didn't realise where he was. Walked through the trailer and down other ramp twice easy peasy. Treats and pats. 3rd time, wind blew the partition and he shot out the front of the trailer. Spent a further 30min trying to coax him in one more time but failed

Step 6: standing in the trailer and eating. This is where we are now starting to go backwards. He wants to step in, take a mouthful and immediately step back out. Attempts to convince him to stay lead to him threatening to go up and i'm worried he's going to bang his head. He's perfectly happy to go in while there's food in the bucket but would rather be outside to chew, and the second the bucket is empty his feet won't go past the end of the ramp again.

What do i do now??? Feel like i've hit a stale mate, especially to say i had him in it 3 times a week ago and now it's all i can do to get his front half over the threshold. Do i carry on or change tactic?

Throntons choccies to anyone who can help!

Have you got a good bond with him.If you have then good if it could be better then do moore ground work with him so he gets comftorble around the trailer.This may sound stupid but dont use too much force as he will resist even moore he will do it in his own time.

 

[skint1]

It seems like you are doing everything right at the moment, as with most things with horses, it always sems that as soon as you think you have cracked something you have to go back a couple of steps, patience and keep trying.
Have you tried a small bit of feed and a haynet tied up i there, so when he finishes his feed he has a haynet to keep him entertained.
Saying that i have the most stubbon mare to load, food, ignores, lunge lines forget it.
You have to take your coat off and flap it up once, she then walks on as calmly as anything, will wait to be tied up and and have partition in place, and have the ramp up. but them minute the ramp is up she will start kicking bells out the lorry, start the engine and go to move off you would no even know you have a horse in there.
They are all just different.

I have a difficult loader, I can just imagine how you'd come to discover the coat thing. "oh sod it, what haven't we tried?...I know.." remove jacket "toro toro" and on she goes!

 

[SpruceRI]

If you put him on a lunge line and stand him at the bottom of the ramp, and you go through the box and almost out the other side, and then just stand there.... for ages... would he get bored and enter?

This is what I did with one of mine. She wasn't scared, just stubborn though. We were parked on a gravel drive, so nothing she could eat in the vicinity.... eventually she got bored and walked in... for a pat/treat, be made a fuss of, and then out again. I sort of did the same as that MJump man then,... walk her in, down the front ramp and out. Over and over.

It worked for her.... though I she was a different kettle of fish to yours.