Trailer loading problems...

[Ecarter1023]

Hey there- I’d like some advice from you well educated horse folks…

So, before telling me to teach my horse to load- she does know how to load. I have a 2h slant load step up (no rear tack- very roomy back there) and have only trailered her tied of course, with the box to herself (didn’t close the divider on her).

I spent two weekends just quietly loading, unloading and revisiting the loading again and again. She loaded perfectly (I do “natural horsemanship” with her, she knows to go forward when I “send” her, and she self loads. I would take her by myself and she would load/unload and load back up when it was time to go home.

Here is my problem:

I went to my lesson two weekends ago, and she loaded up fine, unloaded, and we had a perfect lesson at my trainer’s. This was her first time at this particular barn.

When it came time to put her back on the trailer, a large train came by and she has never seen a train before. So we waited since she was working herself up and wouldn’t load. Well, my trainer gave “loading” a shot, and then when we still couldn’t load her, she asked another person to come “help” us load. I was sitting there and thinking it was a bad idea to have another person come over- my mare is very impressionable and adding more chaos to the mix is NEVER the answer.

In hindsight, I NOW know that I should have, as her owner, stepped up and said that we should keep it as low key and not a problem as possible.

WELL, here’s my dilemna. We got her on the trailer, I took her home, made her load at home after about 30 more minutes of trying. I know that was a lot to ask of her time-wise, but she wouldn’t, for the life of her, load any more than her shoulders.

This is where it is now- she will load her shoulders, but won’t fully load.

Has anyone else had this problem? My barn is also very quiet at home, it’s just my horses so it’s not like there is chaos around. I just don’t really know what else to do. I’m asking her correctly, “sending” her, and she knows she is supposed to get in. She won’t go past her shoulders. Help?

[Eclectic_Horseman]

You should probably post this in “Of Course” which is where all horsey threads go that can’t be categorized anywhere else. This “Off Topic” section of the forums is for non-horse related threads.

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

You’d get more responses if you posted this in Off Course – but for my 2 cents, just leave her alone for a bit, let her settle down and give all of this time to fade in her mind. I had a mare who was impossible to load; it took literally years to convince her it was okay (she was in a wreck before I bought her). Forcing, as you know, was never the answer. We ended up putting the trailer (bumper pull straight load) in her paddock and only feeding her in it. It was much easier and less stressful (for us both) than forcing her to load. She figured it out and once she learned we weren’t going to wreck the trailer with her in it, she was fine.

But yes – you know your horse better than anyone, and she depends on you to be her advocate. You know this now. It took me a long time to work up the courage to defend my horses and my actions, so I can sympathize with being in that exact situation.

[moonriverfarm]

Look up Randy Speegle’s video on youtube for loading. I cannot stress enough what a great, fail-safe-no-matter-what method he teaches. Your horse will be a consistent self-loader if you practice what he teaches.

[Ecarter1023]

Trailer Loading Problems- help?

Hey there- I’d like some advice from you well educated horse folks…

So, before telling me to teach my horse to load- she does know how to load. I have a 2h slant load step up (no rear tack- very roomy back there) and have only trailered her tied of course, with the box to herself (didn’t close the divider on her).

I spent two weekends just quietly loading, unloading and revisiting the loading again and again. She loaded perfectly (I do “natural horsemanship” with her, she knows to go forward when I “send” her, and she self loads. I would take her by myself and she would load/unload and load back up when it was time to go home.

Here is my problem:

I went to my lesson two weekends ago, and she loaded up fine, unloaded, and we had a perfect lesson at my trainer’s. This was her first time at this particular barn.

When it came time to put her back on the trailer, a large train came by and she has never seen a train before. So we waited since she was working herself up and wouldn’t load. Well, my trainer gave “loading” a shot, and then when we still couldn’t load her, she asked another person to come “help” us load. I was sitting there and thinking it was a bad idea to have another person come over- my mare is very impressionable and adding more chaos to the mix is NEVER the answer.

In hindsight, I NOW know that I should have, as her owner, stepped up and said that we should keep it as low key and not a problem as possible.

WELL, here’s my dilemna. We got her on the trailer, I took her home, made her load at home after about 30 more minutes of trying. I know that was a lot to ask of her time-wise, but she wouldn’t, for the life of her, load any more than her shoulders.

This is where it is now- she will load her shoulders, but won’t fully load.

Has anyone else had this problem? My barn is also very quiet at home, it’s just my horses so it’s not like there is chaos around. I just don’t really know what else to do. I’m asking her correctly, “sending” her, and she knows she is supposed to get in. She won’t go past her shoulders. Help?

[Ecarter1023]

moved thank you!

[Moderator_1]

We merged your two threads together here in Off Course, so all the replies on on the same thread.

Welcome to the site!
Mod 1

[Ecarter1023]

Thank you!

[Eclectic_Horseman]

Hi ECarter1023-
If your mare is sensitive, as mares can be, she is just now justifiably suspicious of the trailer and your efforts to load her. You never know when there will be a train waiting!!! :lol:

Really, the thing is to give her so many positive trailer loading experiences that it makes the train incident a distant forgotten memory. She needs to have a reason to get on the trailer that will make it worth the risk she has to take to load.

Unfortunately, you have now let her thinnk that just going in up to the shoulders is acceptable. Loading is one of those things that if you let them have their way just once, then they will try to get their way as much as they can after that.

I have had good success using the method of feeding in the trailer that Alex and Bodie’s mom mentioned above. Either park the trailer in her turnout or be there at meal time to feed her in the trailer. Start slow. Let her eat with the bucket 1/4 of the way in the trailer the first couple of times, then move it a few inches further each time it becomes easy. It won’t take long before she loads right up for her dinner. Then all you have to do is periodically refresh the lesson (load her without trucking her anywhere) and you should be good to go.

[moonriverfarm]

Randy will teach you that they will self-load with or without food - it is all about the signal to move forward - mine was the worst loader from being hot-shotted while at the track. He will now walk in any trailer - with rope around neck.

[Eclectic_Horseman]

[QUOTE=moonriverfarm;7552876]
Randy will teach you that they will self-load with or without food - it is all about the signal to move forward - mine was the worst loader from being hot-shotted while at the track. He will now walk in any trailer - with rope around neck.[/QUOTE]

Depends on the horse (and the trainer.) I heard this “every” horse sort of stuff from a NH trainer in my area who claimed he could teach any horse to load easily. After half a day, he pronounced a friend’s horse that he was training, “the stupidest horse” that he had ever come across, and the horse still wouldn’t load consistently afterward.

I taught the horse with food rewards, and he became a very consistent loader.

So again, depends on the horse, depends on the person doing the training.

[Ecarter1023]

Sheesh, just when I thought I had made progress, too- it has now been raining for a solid two days here in MD- no way to hook up and move it, and i don’t want her slipping (step up trailer) so I suppose i’ll be trying this dinner time motivation. I really had hoped to not have to use food- to self load is to self load, but she is food motivated so I suppose it can’t hurt just to teach her it’s a good place to be. Will try when the weather gets warmer. Is it bad if I feel like food motivation is the “easy way out” or like i’m failing by having to resort to it? There are so many opinions about food loading that I just don’t know.

[Eclectic_Horseman]

[QUOTE=Ecarter1023;7554809]
Sheesh, just when I thought I had made progress, too- it has now been raining for a solid two days here in MD- no way to hook up and move it, and i don’t want her slipping (step up trailer) so I suppose i’ll be trying this dinner time motivation. I really had hoped to not have to use food- to self load is to self load, but she is food motivated so I suppose it can’t hurt just to teach her it’s a good place to be. Will try when the weather gets warmer. Is it bad if I feel like food motivation is the “easy way out” or like i’m failing by having to resort to it? There are so many opinions about food loading that I just don’t know.[/QUOTE]

Oh, for heaven’s sake, WHATEVER WORKS. In my view, the folks who don’t use positive reinforcement (food rewards) can’t come up with a single reason that it is harmful or detrimental in any way. Oh sure, it can be done incorrectly, such as when the so-called trainer gives the reward before the animal exhibits the desired behavior, but there is nothing inherently wrong with it.

[Emilia]

If she was a good loader before, chances are, she will recover quickly.

You might want to just back off and leave her alone for a bit, then re-visit. Sometimes, horses work out these obstacles within themselves, if given little time.

In a way, our rainy East Coast weather is your friend.

Next time, be very low-key. Make sure, you have plenty of time, horse is in a good mood, and weather conditions are favorable. Have no expectations, but be ready to load all the way, if it feels right.

When working with her, try to be peaceful in your mind, but also firm and reassuring. If you can, “pretend,” the trouble never happened. Erase it and do not imagine it. Imagine your previous successful loadings. Do everything the way, you normally do. If she objects a little, try to just glaze over, like you don’t know what “she is talking about.” Don’t push it though.

If it does not work, start slowly from scratch.

I posted a thread a couple of months ago, because I could load our horse, but could not shut the door! I got a lot of good advice here.

Our horse had an accident in a trailer long time ago and, when we got a trailer last fall, I had to overcome that. His fear was substantiated, so many “traditional” methods did not work. Just time and patience.

It took me several months to just have him get all the way in. I did it literally one step at a time. I made sure, he was truly relaxed at any of our “milestones” before asking him for more.

I did use food (alfa alfa in the trailer), but he did not care too much. He was really scared.

Good Luck with your girl!

[moonriverfarm]

All i can tell you is that my horse would have rather kill himself than get in a trailer, and nothing could force him. Randy used him at a demo. i had never met Randy and did not know of him until that day. He uses the video he made of my horse in some of his seminars because he was one of the worst. My friend Toni now teaches using same method and has never NOT been able to get a horse in using it. I am not selling anything here - just offering advice from someone who has been there. I will feed mine in the trailer after he loads if we are traveling but I dont hacvve to use the bucket to beg him to get in.