Yearling will not load - need to move ASAP - offered free if anyone can load!

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Crazydancer

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DISCLAIMER!!!
This is not my horse, and I am WELL AWARE this is a far from ideal situation, but need to ask if anyone has any ideas.

So, horse concerned is a very 'spirited' and well grown-on Arab yearling (filly), has been handled, but not done much in life, never travelled.
Yard has being sold, horses HAVE to move. Yearling had been due to go to another stud, but they couldn't load her. She is currently with her dam and this year's colt, and she won't load even with them.
Owner is at wit’s end, and needs to move the horses ASAP, has offered the filly free if anyone can come and load her. Otherwise.... well... let’s just not go there.
They’ve tried a lorry, but not a trailer. (Don’t have access to one)
Last attempt to load they had the vet there, sedated her and even though he kept the sedation up, after 3 hours she was still not loaded. Owner doesn’t have her own transport so had to pay out for vet and transporter costs again.

Any other ideas from anyone (and no cattle prods please!) and please no criticism, as stated, I’m aware this is not an ideal situation, but trying to help out a lady at her wits end and getting a result for her and the filly.

Suggestions welcome, and anyone wanting to try, please PM me! Horse is in Somerset.
Thanks.
 
Wow, i've never come across a horse that is impossible to load, plenty that think they wont ;)

What's been tried so far? I know say sedation, but what went wrong, how did she react?
There are plenty of folk out there who have never been beaten, many a horse claimed to be impossible to load, and its usually best to look away when they do load them :(
I've seen one that appered impossible, chifney, 4 very experienced no pussy footing horse folk, 2 schooling crops and he didn't know what hit him, but he was on in 30secs.

Other option is to starve her on, and before any idiot jumps down my neck thinking i approve of starving a horse - I DON'T ! But as an alternative to being PTS, then i think its acceptable x
 
Have to agree, many horses that think they won't load, but in fact will. I am sure there is someone out there to help your friend, I would ask around for a trailer to beg/borrow/hire as a lorry ramp can be very high and off putting.
 
Sedate, blindfold and a couple of big strong men with their arms joined behind her bum (like they do to load TB's into starting gates) to lift/push her in?

Hope you manage to sort it.
 
missyme10 said:
Other option is to starve her on, and before any idiot jumps down my neck thinking i approve of starving a horse - I DON'T ! But as an alternative to being PTS, then i think its acceptable x
Click to expand...

Ditto! Have also heard that withholding water works well too.......
 
3Beasties said:
Sedate, blindfold and a couple of big strong men with their arms joined behind her bum (like they do to load TB's into starting gates) to lift/push her in?

Hope you manage to sort it.
Click to expand...

Thanks - I think this sounds like the best option, but I don't think she has much help to call on.
Any idea where she could get a few big strong guys from? (Serious question!)
 
If you go onto the kelly marks web site, you will find listings of NH people who will come out and load her, they won't beat her, sedate her, or starve her, they will just use very clever methods to get the horse to realise the best way to go, is forwards. They are situated all over the country, so I am sure there will be someone in Somerset.
 
Crazydancer said:
Thanks - I think this sounds like the best option, but I don't think she has much help to call on.
Any idea where she could get a few big strong guys from? (Serious question!)
Click to expand...

No idea on where to get them but she wont weigh anything like 200kgs so if you get 4 then its less than 50 each. My OH and a pal carried a 6week old foal into a trailer (and it was less than co-operative). Main problem is awkwardness of the narrow space so take out the partition. Good luck
 
missyme10 said:
Wow, i've never come across a horse that is impossible to load, plenty that think they wont ;)

What's been tried so far? I know say sedation, but what went wrong, how did she react?
There are plenty of folk out there who have never been beaten, many a horse claimed to be impossible to load, and its usually best to look away when they do load them :(
I've seen one that appered impossible, chifney, 4 very experienced no pussy footing horse folk, 2 schooling crops and he didn't know what hit him, but he was on in 30secs.

Other option is to starve her on, and before any idiot jumps down my neck thinking i approve of starving a horse - I DON'T ! But as an alternative to being PTS, then i think its acceptable x
Click to expand...

I think she is short-handed, from what I can gather (I wasn't there) and think that actually getting a few strong people would help enormously, but not sure how she sets about finding some!
With-holding food/water, I don't know if that would work, but not sure how much time she has to play with.... I think that would be something to try when there is no time pressure.
Anything too forceful would freak her out, she is VERY highly strung, they tried the lunge-line etc, she just went up and over backwards. She also has bolted in the past (proper blind panic bolt, through a fence) so she is a tricky one.
 
I'm quite interested to see the responses here.

We spent 2 hours trying to load our TWELVE year old loan horse onto a lorry last night with no luck. We had an electric fence one side and a lunge line the other but he worked out how to limbo under that. And if I stood there to stop him coming off the side (+ with a schooling whip) he just bulldozzed over me. Damn horse is too clever for his own good - he knows if he goes at us he will win.

We tried every approach possible:
Being calm and letting him take his time
Using lunge lines to 'guide' him in
Stopping if he wasn't going forwards so the only options were go up or stand
Using line behind the bum to scoop him in
Using the brute force
 
NH all claim to work, and still take ur money when it fails, because of course when it does, the claim is the problem is so serious it will take 6-8 sessions to achieve it, so great in long run, not so great for an emergency.
If the problem is that bad, the only quick way is to out strength her and force her on.
A NH trainer than can get them to walk on willingly in one session isn't really dealing with a horse with a serious loading issue, just one thats an akward begger x
 
Elbie said:
I'm quite interested to see the responses here.

We spent 2 hours trying to load our TWELVE year old loan horse onto a lorry last night with no luck. We had an electric fence one side and a lunge line the other but he worked out how to limbo under that. And if I stood there to stop him coming off the side (+ with a schooling whip) he just bulldozzed over me. Damn horse is too clever for his own good - he knows if he goes at us he will win.

We tried every approach possible:
Being calm and letting him take his time
Using lunge lines to 'guide' him in
Stopping if he wasn't going forwards so the only options were go up or stand
Using line behind the bum to scoop him in
Using the brute force
Click to expand...

As it was past his tea time we also tried luring him up with a bucket and also making a trail of food but if he couldn't reach it without touching the ramp he didn't want to know!
 
From what u say crazydancer, blindfolding her is the way forward.
Just like they do in racing, whip her on with brute force before she even knows whats happening.

I had a 2 year old that my YO said i'd never load, i never thought at time of blinfolding her, but we literally whipped her on with such speed she didn't have time to react.
You need strong and confident handlers for this x
 
Easy !!!

you need some strong people and a towel !! one on the headcoller and 2 holding the towel walk to the bottom of the ramp and just lift it in

this is how i load all of my foals - also try a smaller lorry as the ramp wont be as big

maybe a tinsy bit of sedation too incase it goes mental once you get it on there x
 
OK folks! So we're looking for 4 confident and well-built lads/lasses in the Somerset area who would be happy to carry a protesting Arab filly!
Any racing yards in that area who would have a few lads/lasses we could 'borrow'?
It does sound like that will be the only way forward.
 
PATIENCE!!!

this is what you need. forget about deadlines, dont think about it like we HAVE to get this horse in right here right now. this will only add pressure onto the horse, and its even less likely to go anywhere near the box.

is she food motivated? i hope so, as this will make life easier. put the bucket on the ramp and wait patiently until her noseyness gets the better of her. be prepared to wait.

i have seen and handled many horses who "Wont load" and they have been in very quickly when not hassled or hurried. speaking from having a horse who is 1/2 arab- if you stress her out at all then you have lost the battle before its begun. ;)

good luck, with however you chose to go forward... but my advice would be forget deadlines, and make it a calm, and freindly afair. ;)

x
 
whisp&willow said:
PATIENCE!!!

this is what you need. forget about deadlines, dont think about it like we HAVE to get this horse in right here right now. this will only add pressure onto the horse, and its even less likely to go anywhere near the box.

is she food motivated? i hope so, as this will make life easier. put the bucket on the ramp and wait patiently until her noseyness gets the better of her. be prepared to wait.

i have seen and handled many horses who "Wont load" and they have been in very quickly when not hassled or hurried. speaking from having a horse who is 1/2 arab- if you stress her out at all then you have lost the battle before its begun. ;)

good luck, with however you chose to go forward... but my advice would be forget deadlines, and make it a calm, and freindly afair. ;)

x
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Under normal circs, I'd agree 100% :)
Unfortunately there is a deadline! .... :(

Hopefully she can be moved and the issue be worked on under better circumstances.

Thanks!
 
Our baby wouldn't load when we first went to pick him up....he was 2 and a NFxcob, my dad and the owners dad held hands and basically lifted his back legs off the ground from his bum and pushed...he had to move his front feet into the trailer or end up on his head.

Try backing lorry/transport upto a barn door or something like that so there is a tunnel and no where to go off side ways.

Good luck with this.
 
Spot_the_Risk said:
Will she follow her dam when ridden? If so, could the owner ride the mare to the new premises and lead the filly alongside?
Click to expand...
Unfortunately (a) she's a broodmare and never been ridden (to my knowledge) and more important (b) moving from Somerset to Hampshire! A bit too far to hack. :)

Thanks for the suggstions folks..... keep 'em coming, we might find something yet!
 
when is the deadline? my main point is that if whoever is trying to load this horse is thinking about the said deadline and stressing about it then i cant see it ever happening.

where is the horse needing to go to? is there no way you can work something out with the new owner to relieve the pressure, and give you a chance to work on the loading.

my main worry would be creating an even bigger problem in the future with this young horse: this experience will stay with her for life! im all for a push and a shove, and a good hard belt with a horse that loads and is just being an arse, but with a youngster, to me, thats just a no go.

how long do you have left?
 
What are you trying to load her on a lorry or trailer, you could try a different vehicle sometimes it makes a difference, it wont be easy if she has not been handled much, Slavetomagic has posted on our Arab forum so someone there may be able to help you in the area.
 
I've just posted on Arabian Lines too, hoping someone might help.

As for deadlines, I'm not actually sure, but I know the land had sold and completion has been pushed back a few times, but really there is not much time left now. I will check.
 
Please please don't rush this baby, three people two at the bum, one at the head. I have done this so many times. Go in calm confident and she will go in, if only I was closer. She will fight the sedation, my haffy does. My friends Arab had an awful accident in my box last year, don't let something like this happen.
 
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