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Posted on Thursday, Jun 7, 2001 - 8:58 am: Although I have read much of the info on this board and realize information is probably available to answer my questions, I'd like some views on my particular case. Maybe I just need encouragement at this point.This morning I tried to load my Belgian mare on a 16 ft stock trailer. She is my first and only horse. I knew she was somewhat of a problem to load from the previous owner. As a result, I tried to follow the Trailer Loading Article's recommendations. She loaded with little "tapping" with the crop and a chain over her nose. I had hay and grain waiting on the trailer. She smelled the hay and grain and then bolted out. Since she was in the front of the trailer I really wasn't in a position to keep her there with "tapping." I tried four more times (each with increased difficulty to load until at the end I was leading her on) and each time she bolted out. The last time I had led her on, tied her head and gave her a treat. But, within a few seconds she broke the rope (I have to admit it was a very weak rope for this purpose) and left the trailer. Any thoughts on where I go from here? Should I lead her on, tie her and close the door? |
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Posted on Friday, Jun 8, 2001 - 6:11 am: Hi, Gordon.Try doing leading exercises on the ground each day, both forward and back. When she seems to listen to your cue or wait for you to tell her to move forward, halt and back on the lead, then lead her up to the trailer and back up. Halt, wait, then ignore the trailer and continue leading exercises. Then try using the trailer again by leading the horse and asking for one or two front feet in the trailer, then, before she can fly out on her own. Calmly, asker her to back out, and then ignore the trailer for a few times, just asking for obedience in leading forward, back, turning, etc. Then go to the trailer again and ask for one or two feet on and repeat. Repeat ALOT without expecting the horse to get all the way on and stay on. My thought is that she was probably pushed on a trailer and trapped in there at a time before she was mentally able to handle the experience, so is fearful of repeating it. An experienced, horse gentler will be better able to show you what I have tried to explain. Key is getting her to listen to you and take her cues from you; also, take time to get over the fear. I believe you have done the right thing by NOT shutting the door behind her, and eventually, she will realize that you are not going to trap her on there. As to the leading the horse on or letting her walk on herself: a stock trailer would be my choice if I HAD to lead a horse on, but it is better if you don't put yourself in the front of a horse getting onto a trailer. Her walking on by herself is best. Holly |
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Posted on Friday, Jun 8, 2001 - 6:48 am: Hello Gordon,How tall is your stock trailer, if it is a standard height and your Percheron a standard height he may be feeling a little claustrophobic. Here are a few other observations: Because a butt bar is not there to check the horse, before you can tie your horse in a stock trailer the horse has to respect the tie. This may be difficult to teach to a adult percheron but some of the "give to poll pressure" exercises may make this a little easier. Since you are using a stock trailer to teach your horse you should lead the horse on. Unlike a "horse trailer" there is too much room for manuvering around for the horse to just let them go in. So this should be your procedure and it will take two people: I think once on I would have a handler just stay there holding the horse and someone standing outside the trailer be ready to correct the horse if it attempts to back. This continues until the horse is standing comfortably on the trailer for as long as you are willing to sit there and watch. Once the horse is standing there quitely on the trailer (AND NOT BEFORE) the handler can give the horse, very small treats once the horse is relaxed he can be tied. Unfortunately you have some unlearning to do so this will be harder to do than before. You might consider the initial tie to be a rope with a single loop around the tie run out the trailer and held by someone with gloves on. Then if the horse propels himself backward, someone can let the rope play out with moderate tension and someone at the back of the trailer needs to be waiting to correct the horse while he is attempting to move backward, he immediately needs to be urged back on the trailer and the procedure begins again. If you continue to find the horse is getting worse, stop and seek professional help with this. DrO |
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Posted on Monday, Jun 11, 2001 - 12:35 am: Hi all,I have read the others messages and there is some good tips. I trailer-load horses for a living and I am most successful in loading horses that don't feel forced. I know that sounds a little wacky, but hear me out. And Gordon, can really force a Belgian ? The horse needs time to exhaust their ideas, their ideas of where the comfort is. So they can hear your ideas. And with trailer-loading most fearful horses think that the comfort is anywhere other than the trailer. Which unfortunately you have re-enforced this idea with your horse by tying her before she was ready to stay. And I think you are very lucky that the rope broke. Setting back, or pulling back, is very, very dangerous for all involved. It can easily injure and kill the horse and handler. The door of the trailer must be closed before tying a horse in a trailer, unless there is a divider that can be shut. I understand that the stock-trailer is longer but the horse could set back and get their leg out the step and under the trailer and cause any number or really horrible accidents. Any how, back to loading. If you are pulling or "leading on" your mare as she approaches the trailer your idea is bad. Meaning, the closer you get to the trailer and she starts to resist, the more you pull, the worse it gets. So into the trailer is where you want her to go but that is the most uncomfortable place to be. Your mare knows this because the closer she gets the worse it gets for her. So I can bet money that if I came and watched you load your mare her ears and eyes would be looking for any place other than the trailer. Because she knows there is a better place than that trailer. Horses are motivated by 1.safety (their own, not yours), 2.comfort, and lastly 3.food. So your mare feels unsafe and uncomfortable in your trailer so food is not going to change her mind that the trailer is a good place to be. I know this all seems a bit abstract but you have to understand what motivates a horse so you can help change her understanding of the trailer rather than try and force her into it. So when your mare is approaching the trailer, and her mind is focused on the trailer (look to her eyes and ears to see where her focus is) go with her, don't pull or tap or anything. When she says she needs to go somewhere else. Like stop, back up, what ever help her go there. For example, a lot of horses will try and run to the side of a trailer. I let the horse go to the side a little bit and I let them see what is over there. Which is a tug on the rope from me. Firm enough they get the idea but not cruel in any sense. They might try that side 3 or 4 more times but then they give up that over on the side of the trailer is "good". I start over towards the trailer and anytime the horse stops or resists, I help them explore their ideas. But I ask for a little more try each time they approach the trailer. So getting half way in each time isn't enough. No rest or reward for place we have already been. But each time the horse makes a new or farther try, I reward this effort with a little rest and stroking. But then I start over, I back the horse out of the trailer because they need to practice coming in again anyway. The effort of going back to the start each time encourages the horse to search for the answer so they can quit. So in this case the answer is trailer loading. And you will quit asking when they have loaded and will stand quietly. Human nature tells us when they get one foot in if we just push them a little they can make it the rest of the way. But if the horse is thinking "I have to get out of here" and we tap them on the rump or where ever they think "good idea, I'll hurry out of here." They go where their mind is. Horses are motivated by safety and comfort, but we need to help them search through their ideas of where the comfort is, before they are ready to hear where we think it is. When I get a horse that approaches the trailer and then wants to back up, I go back with them, I start backing them up, and pretty soon they look for something else. Because the backing up didn't work out like they thought it would. And the instant they look for something else, and usually it is to break right or left I quit asking them to go back. Because I need the horse to lead forward to go in a trailer so when they do this I make it as comfortable as possible when they are doing the right thing. But do understand that the horse will try and back up maybe four or five times before they have exhausted the idea that going back doesn't hold any comfort. And all I do is lightly bump the rope back as they go back. It takes very little because the horse is thinking back and so any encouragement from me just sends them there a little faster. Any time the horse is going towards or trying to go towards the trailer, do nothing! All you do is encourage your horse to try a little more each time and then start over. So once you get your horse into the trailer and they can only stay a second, and then they say "let me out of here!!!!!!" go with them. Meaning help them out. But once they are out start over. Right back into the trailer. Eventually (maybe five - seven times) the horse will resist a little bit when you suggest going out and then you can encourage them up or to stay from there. But not before this point. Because if you try to make them stay before they feel safe or comfortable they go into life or death mode. Realize that any time your horse gets scared they think it is a life or death situation. The bottom line is the right thing is easy and the wrong thing is difficult. Please ask me any questions or feel free to challenge anything I have said. Good luck, KIM |
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Posted on Monday, Jun 11, 2001 - 8:48 am: Thanks for everyone's detailed suggestions. We've taken time to let her calm down and are ready to try again. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks again. |
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 26, 2001 - 8:40 am: Here's the update I promised. After waiting awhile and considering your suggestions I tried again to load the mare. She refused. As Dr. O suggested I called an expert. He got her on in a few minutes. Once on we gave her some grain and she repeated several times with less and less resistance. She stood quietly on the trailer and backed off like she knew what she was doing. We repeated several times. Next day she went on with ease for me. Day after that she again went on but with a little hesitation. We're optimistic the problem is solved. Thanks for the help. |
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Posted on Wednesday, Jun 27, 2001 - 7:00 am: Congratulations Gordon,Can you tell me what the main difference between what you did and what the trainer did? I don't believe the grain alone made the difference, why would the horse stay on for them and not for you? DrO |
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Posted on Tuesday, Jul 3, 2001 - 1:50 pm: Dr. O, sorry for late response. I thought I posted this last week. As you said, I should have tied the horse when I got her on the stock trailer. That's what the expert did. Also, the first time I tried she went on fine but didn't stay. The second time I was ready to keep her on the trailer but she wouldn't go on and I was not prepared for that. In summary, the expert put the chain over her gums and she went on. then he tied her and she stayed comfortably. Thanks for the encouragement. I now have an expert I can talk to about my horse and she has loaded easily for three days. |
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Posted on Wednesday, Jul 4, 2001 - 8:44 am: As I read your response Gordon I don't think is was the tie that made the difference, I have seen many fight a tie, but the attitude of the this fellow. If I have learned anything about horses it is that attitude is everything while working with them: this fellow took a no-nonsense attitude that is best represented as: "making the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard" and the horse understood this and decided to go down the easy course as they almost always do. Problems ususally occur when the horse is confused and thinks the wrong course is the easy course. The handlers are almost always the source of that confusion.DrO |
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Posted on Thursday, Jul 5, 2001 - 8:10 am: Dr. O, very perceptive and appreciated response. I think you're right. |
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