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HorseAdvice.com » Training, Behavior, & Conditioning Horses » Behavior and Training » Trailer Loading a Horse » |
Discussion on After she's in | |
Author | Message |
Member: joann |
Posted on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008 - 10:45 am: Hi, anyone have any tricks for shutting the slant after they are in. My mare stands pretty quiet now but gets nervous when I move for the slant door. We are at that stage and I move to the back of my 3h/gn and talk to her and then start to close the door. She is turning and I go back to tapping. Just wonder if there's any comfort tool I'm missing. I'm reintroducing her since the last fire evac she banged her head pretty good on a friend's rig. Joann |
Member: sonoita |
Posted on Wednesday, Mar 19, 2008 - 8:54 pm: I would not be in a hurry to close the door for awhile and just let her stand. |
Moderator: DrO |
Posted on Thursday, Mar 20, 2008 - 5:53 am: I agree with Wanda the lesson is not to just load but to load and stand quietly. A horse that unexpectedly rushes backwards off the trailer before asked is a danger in half a dozen ways. Just having her stand there will gradually get her to relax. If you feel the horse needs something to do I see no problem having a hay net the horse can reach, but only when they are fully loaded.DrO |
Member: cgby1 |
Posted on Thursday, Mar 20, 2008 - 2:46 pm: Did you spend much time unloading and reloading her? That's what I recommend you do and while she is off the trailer make her work. Then let her rest in the trailer as long as she wants to stand still. After a while she will start to see that trailer as a great place to be. When I trained my mare I also taught her to move sideways and stand up against the big door. If you don't have a big door use a wall or the side of the truck and teach her to move her hip over on command and stand there.Cynthia |
Member: joann |
Posted on Thursday, Mar 20, 2008 - 4:33 pm: Thanks everyone. I have been working with her every day since daylight and she's been in and out 30 times now. I've put the clock on her and we stand for 25 minutes so far and if I tap her hip she moves over. When I move back towards the gage and the rear of the trailer she looks as if she is going to turn. We'll keep at it its getting there. |
Member: alden |
Posted on Thursday, Mar 20, 2008 - 9:44 pm: Sounds to me like she's wanting (thinks she should) follow you. I just put my hand, open flat, up towards her eye. You don't really touch her, it's just applying pressure to just the head. Once she faces forward release the pressure and step back a little. If she follows do it again, she get the idea that she's to stay there.Good day, Alden |
Member: joann |
Posted on Thursday, Apr 3, 2008 - 4:09 pm: Sorry, been away and now back to trailer loading with the mare. Put in the big 17 h TB the other day and she loads great but this buddy thing had her fidgty and she was anxious and so calming voice and soft hands I tried to make her comfy (this is only practice) Her buddy was tied up outside by the trailer. She started backing up and flew back of course knocking her head. I'm sure she had quite a headache and I escaped a vet bill problem. I've ordered a head banger so hope they work. When things happen fast they are annoying but I just have to deal with it. Buted her just in case. I am ready to load them both and go for a ride hopefully somewhere I can off load and reload. Suggestions on the next move. The Arab is doing great and we stand there for over half hour, shut the partition and stand more. She is on the trailer bungee but is acutely aware that she is tied and fusses a little. More info to help me get more comfortable. joann |
Moderator: DrO |
Posted on Friday, Apr 4, 2008 - 6:27 am: Hello joann,I find it best to ignore inappropriate behavior. When you reward fidgety, anxious behavior you will tend to get more of it. Better is to reward when the horse is doing what you want. Providing a hay net so the horse can reward itself when it settles down would be my recommendation during the training phase. DrO |
Member: stevens |
Posted on Friday, Apr 4, 2008 - 9:26 am: I agree with Dr. O. I was once helping someone load a horse that simply did not want to stay in the trailer. He'd walk into the trailer, then fly out backwards after which the owner would pet and "soothe" him. The third time I asked her to please stop rewarding the horse for backing out of the trailer. |
Member: lilo |
Posted on Friday, Apr 4, 2008 - 10:01 am: I will add my problem here - because it is so similar. Both my horses load reasonably easily (Parelli method) - and, when travelling alone, the unloading is not problem, although the mare is more anxious to get out of the trailer.I have a 2 horse slant load, and the mare, being the bigger horse, goes into the front slot. Now, when I trailer them both, the problems start. By design, the gelding gets unloaded first. I take him around to the side where my mare can see him through the window, so she knows he did not leave her (she is very herdbound). However, when letting her out, she flies out backwards. I realize this is dangerous, and have worked on unloading, step by step, but that only seems to work when the gelding is not involved. This summer I will continue working on it - but am following this thread for any more suggestions. Lilo |
Member: jerre |
Posted on Friday, Apr 4, 2008 - 10:29 am: For horses that fly out of the trailer, you can make more progress in the loading phase than the unloading phase.Load your horse one foot at a time and back him out. Then two feet, and back out. Then two feet and the body, back out. A tricky part is three feet and back out. If a horse is confident enough to do that then the unloading will get better and better. See if the horse will stop calmly at any stage of loading and then go either in or out. Often it is confusion over how to manage a confident, controlled exit that creates the panic exit. We tend to get so focused on getting the horse IN the trailer, that the incremental in and out doesn't "make sense" to us. But it does to the horse. Jerre |
Member: dtranch |
Posted on Friday, Apr 4, 2008 - 11:09 am: Ditto to Alden and Jerre's comments.When teaching a horse to load, I do it in increments as I am teaching unload at the same time. One foot on, rest and back off, then 2 feet. Once they get 2 feet on, I like them to rest as I reward with lots of praise and stroking of the eye, ears, etc. This is a good position for them to get comfortable with as it will help on the unloading phase, then I will back them off again. Then, like Jerre says, I get them to stop right at the point the 3rd foot comes on and rest and reward some more and then back off. Once the horse is all the way in, I praise and reward, and use my hand as Alden describes to keep them in place. Then I will back them off and do it all over again. I can't tell you how many people want to slam the door as soon as I get the horse in. I always remind them, we are teaching the horse to load, not just getting them on the trailer. If they have a fear of going in, we don't want to do anything to reinforce that fear. If the horse wants to pull back at any time, I just let them because I don't want them to panic and bump their head, etc. Then we will do some hard work outside the trailer and start all over again. Obviously, I have done a lot of groundwork previous to this so they understand forward and back cues and sending exercises. I eventually teach to just let me send them in the trailer. Just remember, teaching to unload is every bit as important as teaching to load. One last point .. usually when you start this process, there will be no shortage of well intentioned volunteers to help you get that horse on the trailer, with all sorts of methods aimed at forcing the horse on. Politely explain that you need to do this yourself so that you can do it alone in the future. Good luck DT |
Member: jerre |
Posted on Friday, Apr 4, 2008 - 11:46 am: Other trailer comfort ideas:To get your horse ready for the clatter of closing the divider or door, bang on your trailer, swing doors, etc., with your horse on line at whatever distance it is comfortable. Approach and retreat until you can create a noisy commotion with your horse right at the trailer, and then in the trailer (again, with 1 foot, 2 feet in, etc.) until the noise means nothing. It's important to keep your body language really relaxed and neutral. You're not making your horse endure it -- it's just happening while he's standing there. That will remove the impulse to leave as soon as "extra" noise/movement begins. On backing out: Don't teach backing at the trailer. Do more backing with your horse everywhere. Back over a pole on the ground, back through gates or the stall door. Back through cones or patterns (great practice for trail classes!) Back UP onto something. See how close your horse can back to a fence or wall. Can he touch it with his tail? Pretty soon, the trailer step or ramp will just be another obstacle. Jerre |
Member: cgby1 |
Posted on Friday, Apr 4, 2008 - 6:00 pm: Hi,I would like to add to Jerre R's suggestion on backing up. I have a filly that would back up just fine, until I tried to back her out of the trailer. I did the one foot loading at a time but when I tried to load the third foot she would jump in with both back feet. Then she would not back out! That's when I found out that I couldn't back her off of even the edge of concrete 2 inches high! So make sure you have your horse back down off of whatever you can. Find or make a sturdy platform about 6 inches high. Once I got her backing off things with some height my problem was over. Now when we bring the trailer into the yard to clean out, she will climb in and back out all by herself. |
Member: lilo |
Posted on Saturday, Apr 5, 2008 - 11:02 am: I agree with all the suggestions above about loading and unloading one foot at a time.But in my situation it is the fact that the mare's buddy has to go out first, being a slant load. Then the mare is so anxious to join him, she rushes out. This is the same mare that can't stand it when the gelding gets out of sight in his large paddock. So - it is really the herdbound behavior that is the problem - I guess that belongs in another thread. Lilo |
Member: joann |
Posted on Saturday, Apr 5, 2008 - 7:07 pm: hi, and thanks for all the advice. I will keep practicing and then we will take a road trip. Both of these horses have been in before i.e. evac during the fires, etc. but they were pushed hard. I am trying to rebuild confidence now. The TB is so bossy and she needs to be loaded first as she is big. Then the other. Assuming all goes well I will try the road trip with two only. We have a Chevy 3/4 ton with braking device installed and also a break away break. I'm hoping we will be able to haul three animals but anyone have anything to add please do. I going over to another subject as now I'm told the mare has ringbone. I will read up then post. Thanks everyone |
Member: alden |
Posted on Tuesday, Apr 8, 2008 - 6:50 pm: Lilo,Maybe another subject but she should learn to exit the trailer calmly all the time. So this is a good opportunity and I'd setup the same situation when I had a couple spare hours, even better when you realize the gelding is getting tie training at the same time. Attach the trailer, tie the gelding and then start trailer training the mare. I won't repost all the good tips above, but remember the foundation is rest in the trailer, work outside the trailer. It won't take too long for a smart horse to figure it out and will no longer be in a hurry to goto work Good day, Alden |
Member: lilo |
Posted on Wednesday, Apr 9, 2008 - 9:24 am: Alden - thanks for responding. I was actually thinking the same thing - that I needed to set it up and then work with it.One thing about my mare - when I first started to train her, she was much happier working in circles outside than being in the trailer! It just seemed safer to her - and she doesn't mind being worked. However - we are over that and she really has been loading very well. I might have to set this up in the arena - because space is restricted her at my house. Lilo |
New Member: emilee |
Posted on Saturday, Aug 2, 2008 - 10:13 pm: Hi all- here's a loading question. I have a 17 year old TB mare- when we bought her she loaded like a dream into my trainer's 3 horse slant. Since then, we have had increasing problems. First problem was at a clinic coming home- she gave some resistance and I (stupidly) allowed well-meaning people with more credentials than I to take over, and she was treated in a more coercive way than I liked. Since then, we have had increasing problems with loading, most particularly coming home from an away event (she seems to understand the lessons at home, then needs re-teaching every new place we go). I have been working with her doing a Parelli-type "send" and moving her backwards and/or moving her haunches on my command when forward motion stops or there is resistance. She will eventually get on, but seems panicked by the idea of the butt-chain closing behind her, and is constantly looking for opportunities to explode backwards out of the trailer. Today after hours of failed attempts I finally turned her around when she was halfway on and backed her on- she seemed less anxious about the closing of the butt-chain when she could see it.So my questions are: (i) any advice about this apparent mental block she has about being penned in (we have done LOTS of loading without locking her in for practice, with food available once she gets on- does not seem to make a difference); and (ii) is there anything wrong with the backwards approach if it makes her calmer? |
Moderator: DrO |
Posted on Tuesday, Aug 5, 2008 - 9:06 am: Welcome Emily,It you would repost your question in a new discussion rather than at the bottom of joann's. This will get you more responses faster. If you will click on Trailer Loading a Horse above it will take you to the article on this topic with the start new discussion at the bottom of that page. By copying this post before you go to the article page you will not have to rewrite it. DrO |