I was wondering whether anyone can offer me some advice regarding loading my heavyweight cob gelding?
He's wonderfully behaved in every way except when it comes to getting on the trailer. I have a brand new Ifor Williams 510 with plenty of space for him and he is NOT afraid. Every time we even get near he uses his (considerable) strength against me and canters off down the field.
I have bought a Monty Roberts headcollar - as someone else was successful using this with him at a show - but even with this I have absolutely no control.
Help urgently required as I am going to a show next weekend and would like to be able to take him without having to ask ten friends to help out!
Sarah Weston (Login SarahWeston) NFED Members 2009
Re: Help/Advice required: Loading!
July 2 2009, 4:12 PM
Hi,
just a quickie before i run off to the airport - make sure that you are using a 12' lead rein rather than a short one and try having your hand in a "motorbike position" i.e. palm downwards rather than an open hand. You could also do with working a far more enclosed space as each time he disappears and gets away from you, it reinforces his desire to do so. However, don;t work on a hard surface as this can be really dangerous if they react by going up. I don't know whereabouts you are but it might be worth contacting one of the other Intelligent Horsemanship Recommended Associates to see whether they can help - might be a bit short notice for next weekend though. They can be found on the IH website. I will be back at the end of July if you want further help.
My mare wouldn't load very well into a trailer with partitions in. Once I took those out and bought the full length breast and back bar she loads fine (when she's not being mareish!!)
Hi, loading with difficult horses is a nightmare. I might be able to help you as I have been working with a girl who is an unrejested IH bod who is brillianet and she has been training me. Where abouts are you and when do you need your horse loaded?? hope to hear from you soon jaime.
Most success I had was... stop trying to load him. No, really. Give yourself plenty of time and just aim to get him near the ramp. If he plants, back him up. Don't let him stand still. Learn to read his body language and sense when he is resisting and when he is about to relax and move forward. Don't try dragging him. Short sharp pulls on the rope are preferable as they make him feel uncomfortable and he won't be able to use his strength against you.
Your next step should be to get him to walk across the ramp. Once he is happy doing that, get to one foot on the ramp, then back him up. Then two feet, then 3/4, then half-way up etc etc. The last thought on your mind should be getting him inside.
It will take a long time and require a lot of patience, and often you will feel like giving up, but eventually you will be able to stand at the bottom of the ramp and send him in from there.
One of mine had an issue last year and I didn't have chance to help her with it afterwards as she went back out on the forest.
She's been in recently and I just parked the trailer in a gap between the hedges/ bushes in the field, left a haynet in there and was going to practice with her the next day.
She walked straight in the trailer without any hesitation and it was then that I noticed all the hay had gone overnight!
Anothe pony I had I spent a few hours one day, instead of letting her get to the point where I knew she was going to stop or reverse, I made her go backwards. I didn't force the issue and after 1 3/4hrs, she was walking in on her own.
As previous poster has said, not loading them is as good as anything!
Good luck and keep safe whilst trying to do it, I would recommend hat and gloves.
Please do not use a thinner halter, I tried this with one of mine, she reared up, went over backwards and poleaxed, she was dead within 5 mins. Very distressing! (We were on grass) I would also take all the partitions out open up both ends of your trailer and encourage with a bit of food just to calmly walk straight through to start with. Sarah's long ropes are wonderful, much more control, Monty Roberts halters great but you need to know how to use it, so that your horse respects it.
Try IH people as Sarah suggested will be worth it to have a happy loading horse.
Just an update for those who have difficult loaders. My pony reared up, fell over and got free last year whilst someone else was trying to load her.
Today she went for a journey, first time since August last year, with no partition and no fuss she walked straight in.
She travlled fine as well. It is a question of time, patience and sensible thinking.
My mare has spent most of her life on the forest, so to ask her to get into a confined space is a big question of trust and friendship.
If you have a larger animal, it is much better try without a partition and if that works, then I would stick to that method to gain the animals confidence in that situation.
Food, Food & more food!
If you park trailer in field & leave a bucket of food in it twice a day for a week you should solve the problem - it's taken me 25 years to work this one out & it's never failed yet!
I've been away this weekend so haven't had much time to practice, but have got him in a couple of times by leaving a bucket of feed inside and waiting for him to do it himself. What worries me is that he won't oblige on the day!.......as I'm sure you know, cobs can be very temperamental!
Think I'll keep trying on my own for the rest of the week, and if the weekend doesn't work out, I'll book some professional - long term help.
Our young mare has built up a level of dislike for trailers and then converted that to the lorry. If we coud persuade her in (using food method was most successful) we would get to an event or out for a ride, get back to the lorry and then not be able to get her back in to get her home. Took over 2 hours on one occasion, takes all the fun out of a good day. We have given up for now and sold lorry. When she is fully bodied up and jumping we will think again about transport and I will be getting a professional in to retrain her, but for now I want her to forget that she doesn't like travelling. Our little chap who was on the forest for a good 2 years loads into anything, any time - you never can tell!
hi there. I have a good track record working with bad loaders. I have been involved with local natural horsemanship person for a few years and have learnt a lot of ways to load bad loaders.
Few questions first
Has he ever loaded with you with no problem before?
What does he have on his head when you try to load him?
When you have ever got him in, how was it achieved?
When he is in the trailer does he travel ok?
When you got him had he always been used to a trailer?
Have you tried loading him in a lorry?
If you can reply back to me, i could probably help. Where are you based?
I've only had him for a few months, so don't know much about his history although his previous owner says she didn't have any significant problems. When he came to me, he was delivered in a small lorry and the driver said he was slightly difficult to get in, but loaded after a couple of tries.
The first time I tried to get him into my trailer, he went half way up the ramp and then backed up and cantered off. Once he'd got away from me the first time he just carried on doing it. He thinks it's a game. He's 16hh of pure muscle and very much stronger than me, so there's nothing I can do to stop him. I've tried using the bridle, a headcollar with lead rope wrapped around his nose and a long lunge line to hold him.
I had some help from some local boys who used brut force to get him in, but on our own my friend and I can't do anything to stop him running away. At a recent show someone kindly helped us out using a Monty Roberts controller headcollar which worked after half an hour or so. I've now bought one, but it doesn't work for me!
During the past week I have been putting his feed in the trailer and he will eventually get in and eat it, but I have no control over when! He is definately not afraid and travels like a dream when he's in there. I have a lovely new Ifor Williams 510 so he has plenty of room.
Is the head collar you are using releasing pressure quickly enough when he does submit? I've had experience with them where they don't, and consequently prefer to use a parelli type string halter (not the be nice ones as the pull tight and again don't always release quickly enough). The parelli halters are thinner and so the horse cannot lean on them as much as a wider normal style headcollar (think about what its like carrying carrier bags).
Also, have you tried making the trailer the nicer place to be? With my NF, ww would walk her to the ramp, give her the option of going in, and if she didn't then take her away and make her work hard by chasing her bum (I've joined up with her). I'd then take her back to the trailer, and let her rest on the ramp, and gradually repeat this until she went in a trailer.
Luckily, she now loads herself. I walk towards the ramp with her and she goes in whilst i stay outside. Its brilliant for solo loading, as you can shut the back up and then go to the front and tie them up rather than worrying about them pulling backwards before you make it back to the ramp.
I should probably also say that Spritz rarely goes in a trailer now, so may be deemed out of practice but when she went in 1 a few weeks ago for the 2nd time in nearly 4 years (the previous time being last summer) she still wanted to go in by herself
ETS: With the parelli style halters, it is important that the horse/pony understands moving off of pressure rather than pulling into it.
This message has been edited by Spritzy on Jul 8, 2009 4:08 PM
Im not far from you then. Where just outside Romsey are you? Few more questions
What is he like on the ground to handle etc?
Does he invade yr space by shovving etc
When you lead him, is he in front, behind you or at yr shoulder
I can come and see him if you like. I also have the person who trained me on bad loading who could possibly come too. She is getting married this month, so would need to know when and what time so i could arrange something. You can send me an email if you want a bit more confidentiality
Thought you'd like to know that food does indeed appear to be the answer! I fed him in the trailer all week and then on the morning of the show he went straight in for his breakfast.
On the way back I kept him on a very long lunge line and let him make his own way in. Fortunately the grass at the venue wasn't too lush and he was eventually tempted in by a bucket of build up mix.
Thanks to everyone who's responded on this. Will keep practicing!
food might work for now but its always dangerous to rely on that ... have had much success and on going progress i.e quicker loading time and now walking straight in by themselves using the natural horsmanship method to load however, you do have to know what you are doing so i would also suggest someone like kate robb for a loading lesson ... good luck!
we have a difficult loader. Sarah Weston worked her magic on him and we took this away and practised as well.
However a few months ago at Wimbourne he was having one of those days when we finished he wouldn't load. Sarah told us her theory is that he regards travelling as work and at the end of a show he doesn't want more work. He always refuses to load going home and food doesn't work for him.
Sarah uses gates to block them of escaping when teaching to load so we had the bright idea of pulling trailer up between 2 jumps and using jump poles to block his going backwards. He took one look, realised he was beat.. and walked srtaight in.
We now carry in the trailer a 'gate' and some cut down planks and as soon as they come out... in he goes.
Looks a bit daft at shows, blocking him around with planks of wood... but 2 mins to load as opposed to 2 hours... I don't care how daft we look.
