hard to load

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sulphurfire
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hard to load

Postby sulphurfire » Sat Dec 22, 2012 5:43 pm

Any advice on a hard to load horse, not explosive , passive resistance, butt rope - fail , feed - fail , burning hind legs - fail, light sedation - fail. She has sat down like a dog at the back of the trailer, laid flat on her side when we tried to lift her in it.. I'm perplexed is not a hot horse AT ALL, she falls asleep at the drop of a hat. Nothing fazes her she's not getting excited just won't load. The trailer is backed up to her stall with her feed in it.
"The rewards, whether for winning or for losing, offer almost irresistible temptations to race a two-year-old more times than are good for them." John Hay Whitney at the annual testimonial dinner in October 1963 for the Thoroughbred Club of America

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karenkarenn
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Postby karenkarenn » Sat Dec 22, 2012 6:07 pm

If she falls down why not put something there is uncomfortable for her to fall on....... Let her learn....

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Postby doublete » Sat Dec 22, 2012 7:58 pm

Those are the fun ones... Takes all sorts of patience... No real suggestions because honestly it takes a "feel" to get them on. I practice some natural horsemanship, but knowing when to fight and when to give is important.
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Postby ratherrapid » Sat Dec 22, 2012 8:41 pm

many times depends on the trailer. there are various trailer loading methods, some on You Tube. An experienced handler will get a horse in a normal size trailer forthwith.

Would be unusual for horse to decline nosing feed in a trailer, and eventually going in. Unknown what you've already tried. for immediate load, back trailer into an area so horse can avoid stepping up. use feed, a lunge line so the horse can back away and extreme patience. You'll get 'em in within a couple of hours. Sooner if u get lucky. depends a little on trailer. at some point the horse gets comfortable and will start eating. then u've got 'em.

if she gets psycho, maybe best to back off? she'll eventually go after the feed in her stall.

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Postby Sylvie Hebert » Sat Dec 22, 2012 9:28 pm

I have made lots of cash with these situations...There is only one response. You have to have time and patience and be convinced of it...
I bet you don't understand what I am saying :proof is you " tried" all kind of gimmitcks,ropes,food...Give me a day with a long rope a halter and no one around and this horse(any horse) jumps in the trailer on voice command by itself...I fed my 2 kids that way in Kentucky for 2 years...
No horse doesn't go in a trailer, and no gimmicks needed...I am an old crippled woman so I cannot start fighting...I have to outsmart them and it is a very easy task...
The sport and industry survive not only because of the champions that are remembered forever but also because of the losers that are so easy to forget...

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sulphurfire
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Postby sulphurfire » Sun Dec 23, 2012 4:54 am

Sylvie- we went about this with the time and patience needed. I know you can't hurry a horse that just causes problems. Give and take normally works

Ratherrapid- she's not food motivated at all, never has been

She's not exploding or trying to get away, but when her option is to get in the trailer or keep getting pushed, she has sat like a dog and not moved and later laid down and just sat there. She's not moving forward, doing everything opposite of any other horse I've dealt with. This has been over the course of two different afternoons. She's self loaded before when we had a baited trailer to load some un handled donkeys. and loaded quietly any other time we've trailered her.

We've tried two different trailers same response.
"The rewards, whether for winning or for losing, offer almost irresistible temptations to race a two-year-old more times than are good for them." John Hay Whitney at the annual testimonial dinner in October 1963 for the Thoroughbred Club of America

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Postby pfrsue » Sun Dec 23, 2012 6:41 am

Since it doesn't sound like she's intimidated by it, is the trailer big enough/low enough to try backing her in?

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Postby KBEquine » Sun Dec 23, 2012 7:14 am

pfrsue wrote:Since it doesn't sound like she's intimidated by it, is the trailer big enough/low enough to try backing her in?


A number of years ago we had a horse transport company & ran into difficult loaders all the time. There were some things you could try for a lot of them, but it depends on the horse.

We DID have one mare who would ONLY load backward - up a ramp to a big van, up a ramp to a 2-horse. Sometimes they are sure they won't move forward into a trailer [but backward isn't offensive to them at all].

Since she is not explosive per your description, this might be worth a try, depending on your trailer.

Best of luck. Sounds like a horse who knows what she expects & until you come up with it, she'll just wait outside the trailer . . .

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Postby zinn21 » Sun Dec 23, 2012 7:39 am

I've seen horses perfect in the gate in the morning and bad actors in the afternoon.
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Postby sulphurfire » Sun Dec 23, 2012 8:24 am

She decided to load quietly with a little feed this morning
"The rewards, whether for winning or for losing, offer almost irresistible temptations to race a two-year-old more times than are good for them." John Hay Whitney at the annual testimonial dinner in October 1963 for the Thoroughbred Club of America

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Postby ratherrapid » Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:03 am

whoa!!! Congrats. always worrisome when they refuse to load.

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Postby griff » Sun Dec 23, 2012 9:08 am

Feed almost always works

I loaded 6 very green yearlings once by feeding then in the stock trailer.. Just went out one morning and closed the gate

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Postby Diane » Sun Dec 23, 2012 11:04 am

Congrats!! I've only seen one horse act this way and TG it was not my problem.