Site Menu:
This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below: |
HorseAdvice.com » Training, Behavior, & Conditioning Horses » Behavior and Training » Trailer Loading a Horse » |
Discussion on Horse fell in trailer | |
Author | Message |
Member: Quatro |
Posted on Sunday, Jan 30, 2005 - 7:35 pm: Looking to all you experienced trainers out there for some advice. Levi use to load on the trailer, just fine. He did not travel much, but I never had any problems. On a recent trip in november to the vet, another inexperienced horse that was with us, leaped off the back of the trailer, causing levi to lose his footing. He scrambled and fell under the slant. Eventually he righted himself, and did not damage himself, but emotionally he is not a happy camper anymore. The next time we loaded him it took 20 minutes to get him on the trailer. When we took the other horse off, he leaned into the wall, looking terrified.I have been leading him on and off the trailer with a bucket of grain. Letting him grab a bite, and back himself back off again. I do act like it is my idea, by telling him to back off when he seems to be heading that way. He will at least enter the trailer now without a fight, but I have been reluctant to hook him up yet. Any tips from anyone on how to get him over his recent phobia. thanks We have to head back up to the vet in 8 days! YIKES! suz |
Member: Alden |
Posted on Monday, Jan 31, 2005 - 8:46 am: Susan,My gelding fell when he was 18 months old and went under the divider, like Levi he wasn't injured either but was really ready to get out of that trailer. We used a work/rest method very similar to what Clinton Anderson has on tape. I have to hold this gelding back now if there is a open trailer because that's where he wants to be! He really likes to go and that's what the trailer means to him now. If Levi isn't healthy enough to hard work like Clinton shows on his tape. I'd work on slow flexing, giving his shoulders and backing; then rest in or nearly inside the trailer depending on how far he will go. The key is to keep his feet moving, even slowly I think, and the trailer is his relief from the work. Good luck, Good day, Alden |
Member: Kckohles |
Posted on Monday, Jan 31, 2005 - 1:11 pm: Hi Suz,I would stay away from making the trailer anymore uncomfortable than it already is for him. When you load him it has to be no big deal to you, everything is fine. Act like nothing has happened, there's nothing to fix. Load him like you did before anything happened. Your horse is going to look to you and if you are worried they get more worried. So did he fall under the slant divider? I am going to go on this assumption. I would put him in the front stall and use a long lead rope to loop through the tie hole. I take the rope through the hole and keep a hold of it so as I close the divider I can direct the horses head. I use the rope to provide support as I close the divider and if need be give a little so they don't sit back. Once I have the divider closed I take the rope and tie it off to the second tie hole so that when I unload I can untie it safely before I undo the divider and still be directing the horse. This is definitely a time issue, it will take awhile for your horse to rebuild his confidence with the trailer. But you act like it is any other time, walk him right up there and put him in. Use your judgement as to whether or not he can make it through. So don't tie him if he is really worked up. A way to judge if they are ready to be tied is after you have loaded him and is standing there and he starts to head out if you can ask him to stay and he will then he is ready to be tied. If when you put pressure on the leaDrOpe for him to stay and that makes him hurry out more, than you need to reload him a few more times. All you need to do to continue to prepare him is to keep loading him until he says "if I just have to get back in here I won't bother unloading." I think the idea of a lot of work around the trailer isn't so good. I have personally seen it go really wrong and what ends up happening in the best case is that the horse sees the trailer as the lesser of two evils but never gets comfortable with the trailer. When a horse is already troubled I can't see a good solution being more trouble. So I would apologize to your horse for what happened and that you didn't mean for it to happen and you will do everything you can to prevent it in the future. And that you are going to give him some time to build his confidence back up, but you have to continue to travel. KIM |
Member: Quatro |
Posted on Monday, Jan 31, 2005 - 1:44 pm: Thanks kim, I like that long rope Idea! That was a concern when I unloaded him the last time he was up at the vet the minute I opened the slant, he started turning around to zoom off the trailer. That should work really well. Thanks.I have been singing to him as we load up, scratching his head, acting happy and silly. the silly part is how i am in general, so he expects this of me I always wondered why they make those slants so high. They hit him right on the body, but it was scary for me to watch him scrambling. I had already untied him, so I don't know which would have been worse. If he was tied, he may have hurt his neck, but it also may have held him up. Too late now, just wondering if he should be kept tied while opening the gate. The long line through the second stall should give me both options i hope Thanks Alden, Levi is still on tender feet to work to hard, so we will just keep on the confidence building. I have been tying him to the trailer daily and hanging out sharing an apple. Horses are like elephants, they just don't forget that quickly! Hope the good will replace the bad experience. thanks |
Member: Mrose |
Posted on Monday, Jan 31, 2005 - 4:04 pm: Actually, it always slightly amazes me that horses are willing to travel in horse trailers in the first place!I just wanted to tell you that once I saw a terrible accident one winter in the Sierra's on I-80. A fellow was pulling a two horse forward loading older trailer with a Paint horse in it. Truck or trailer one hit ice and the trailer started really swaying, and came unhitched. It flipped over on it's side and slid quite a ways, & came to rest against a guard rail. Police, the horse owner and a vet got the horse out, who amazingly enough, had only some minor injuries. The owner and vet stood by the horse on the side of the road until a tow truck came for the trailer, and another truck came pulling another horse trailer. The Paint loaded into the second horse trailer just like nothing had ever happend. I later asked the vet if the horse was drugged, and he said "no." So....I'm betting Levi will do just fine wihtout much work with him. |
Member: Juliem |
Posted on Monday, Jan 31, 2005 - 11:53 pm: I know there are very few hard and fast rules in working with horses, but I believe one of them should be "NEVER open the tail gate or the devider unless you have first untied the horse." The one time the horse gets some silly notion and tries to leave and hits the end of the rope will teach you to never do that again. The thrashing around by a paniced horse enclosed in a trailer is made many times more dangerous if they are tied. Better they feel able to get out and much better for you and the trailer too. I had two broken ribs, a severely injured horse and a huge vet bill to teach me this lesson years ago. If your read about safe trailering, you will read and heed this at a much cheaper cost than I did. Best is to be able to reach in and untie your slip knot from outside the trailer before opening any doors or deviders. Of course, the horse is always fitted with a lead rope even if you use trailer ties. |
Member: Alden |
Posted on Tuesday, Feb 1, 2005 - 10:25 am: Since we are talking trailer safety I'll add a couple cents worth.Attach panic snaps to the trailer not the horse. If you think you can step in close enough to get at that snap with a panicked horse, hooves a flying, the Marines are always looking for a few good men and women. It is much easier and safer to get to the panic snap with it attached to a stationary object. I don't consider a horse 'good to tie' until they will stand quietly, tie hard, with kids, dogs, cats, umbrellas, tarps, plastic bags, chainsaws, balls, candy wrappers, or anything else I can think of running around or under the trailer. It is surprising how much fight old bomb proof Nellie has when she is tied hard and surprised by something rolling out from under the trailer. I like them to be this good before tying inside the trailer. I also teach them to back only when asked and to stop at any point while exiting the trailer. I've seen so many horses that are in full reverse as soon as they hear the snap and you couldn't stop them if there were two box cars and a ship's anchor on the lead rope. Good day, Alden |
Member: Quatro |
Posted on Tuesday, Feb 1, 2005 - 12:37 pm: Hi All, my usual routine was to walk them on the trailer, throw the lead rope through the window, lock the slant in, go outside, attach the trailer tie, undo my lead rope. The opposite when taking them off. I would open the window,snap on my lead rope, undo the trailer tie, set the lead rope inside the window, then go in the trailer, throw the lead rope over his neck, open the gate and ask him to back off grabbing the lead rope before he backed off . Worked great, but this last time as soon as I opened the slant gate, he just turned and scramble to get off, with me jumping out of the way. Hoping to get back to the good ole days. it is supposed to be in 50's here this week, so will have some nice weather to do some practicing I hope.thanks everyone sue |
Member: Quatro |
Posted on Wednesday, Feb 2, 2005 - 9:38 pm: Well, I just had to share! I got Levi on the trailer, Like Kim said, I just acted like we have been doing this for years, lets just load up. Walked on handed the lead rope through the window to my hubby, shut the slant. Then loaded my other gelding next to him. And let them hang out for about 1/2 hour. Gave them a few treats, walked away and come back to check on them. Unloading, he was still very concerned and a bit panicy. Backed up rather quickly. Will work on hopefully stopping 1/2 way back so he does not barrel off. But YEH. Also I am so happy that I had all my horses manure checked for worms. We had a seminar here in town, free fecals, My 3 boys came up 0 - 0- 0 worms. It was so nice to have good news for a change. Doing something right!It is nice to have good days |
Member: Kckohles |
Posted on Thursday, Feb 3, 2005 - 4:09 pm: Susan,Sounds good, I am glad to hear that things are looking up. With the unloading you want to approach it the same as with the loading. Don't big deal that he is worried. Then if he hurries out continue re-loading and unloading him until he doesn't need to hurry. The repetition will cause him to do something different. So if you do something over and over with a horse they look for different answers. Like the unloading, he will try different ways to unload to get you to stop loading him. Once he finds the "right" one, quit. KIM |