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Post by bramblesmum on Nov 23, 2015 9:03:59 GMT 1
Hi all I got one of my homebred fillies back about 2 months ago as she was facing a very uncertain future sadly I am not able to keep her longterm but am trying to rehome to someone who will treat her well.
One of the major issues we have come across is loading if she gets worried she will not go on.
I've tried loading her twice once went OK following a bucket once three hrs later we had to dope her.
Her reaction is to rear when she hits any pressure she is not scared of much and goes into a closed off trance if she becomes worried loading.
I don't have the funds for an ra but wondered what groundwork I could do to build her up again towards loading?
She's a sweet girl and if we could nail this she could be loaned or sold to her own special home
Any advice would be really helpful please x
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Post by kafee on Nov 23, 2015 22:59:48 GMT 1
Mary Chick gave me some help with loading one of mine who had been fine, until the day I tried to load him when there was a pony already in the trailer, who was jumping up and down and making a fuss. I discovered it was the noise that put him off, so stopped using another pony in there, but still he wouldn't go in. She managed to get him to go forwards just by trying out lots of different ways of using pressure and release on the lead rope, and showed me how to do it.
I suggest you try the same, changing the angle of the pressure after a minute or two, from side to side, and up and down. Try taking hold of the lead rope close to her head and running your hand along the rope towards you, and then releasing. Try walking across the ramp from one side to the other. Try rocking backwards and forwards: one or two steps forwards, one or two backwards so that you have control of her feet. Timing is the key.
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Post by Steve Reid on Nov 24, 2015 0:36:50 GMT 1
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Post by kristine on Nov 24, 2015 2:06:45 GMT 1
If you have the trailer hooked up and at your disposal all the time, I'd work on it every day. If not, walk her on bridges, tarps, anything noisey. The absolute best luck I've had training scared horses and mules to load is to put as little pressure on them as possible and wait them out. I'll get them up to the trailer and just stand there, let them do whatever they are going to do except turn and leave. I've literally sat for hours waiting for a donkey to decide the trailer was alright... next day it was an hour. Following day, it was 2-3 minutes before she jumped in on her own. Sometimes, they haven't had the time to work out that the trailer isn't a big, black hole. Poor horse sounds scared to death... hope it works out good for both of you...
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Post by bramblesmum on Nov 24, 2015 7:23:06 GMT 1
I do have my own trailer and can practice with friends lorry too will try with another horse too as she loves my gelding as she grew up with him as a stally.
Tbh she's been owned by less than desirable types after the girl I sold her to sold her to some of them, they told me that they loaded her on a small cattle trailer to move her and to my knowledge they are small and nasty, she was relieved I think when I collected her but she's now stronger and likes her home so doesn't want to leave lol would be happy loaning her longterm but finding someone who wants a just broken four rising five year old is not easy
Thanks for your help guys
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Post by Beth&Rosie on Nov 24, 2015 13:23:11 GMT 1
With loading it's all about taking it slowly and making it a good experience for them. If you can take the partitions out in your trailer (in some of them it's really simple) then that's a good place to start as there's more room for them and makes it seem a bit less scary! If she's food oriented then putting a sort of food trail into the trailer can help, it also encourages them to sniff around and investigate the trailer a bit, to see that it's not going to eat them! It's also good to reward any effort to start with, even if it's just a tiny step. Walking them through the trailer over and over is good too, then building it to standing in there for a few seconds then coming off again. Feeding in there is another good way to get her to associate it with nice things. When she get's closed off and won't move, just try getting her to move in any direction, then once she's going, try going forwards again. It's a slow process with loading, but they can get there eventually. It's all about proving that it's easier to go in straight away, and that nice things happen in there.
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wills
Grand Prix Poster
Posts: 4,657
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Post by wills on Nov 24, 2015 21:24:06 GMT 1
I would go right back to basics in the school with simple groundwork exercises using poles etc to really get her listening to you, walking over tarp etc and build up to the trailer. As above if possible take everything out and open front ramp. I would start off just walking right through and then slowly building the time up as she gains confidence, when the partitions go back in again i would go straight through and build up the time with the bars and then ramp going up. Its time consuming but loading IMO is one of the most important things to teach, in an emergency its so much easier if they will go straight in, I'm sure she will get there and glad that she is back with you (even if its only temp). Good luck.
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Post by VeronicaF on Nov 25, 2015 12:00:53 GMT 1
Hi bramblesmum, homebreed horses are so diffrenet to work with, and they get treated naughty by people who don't understand them.
they are hard to back up as they haven't the flight instinct, and if they don't like something their fight instincts shows more.
you could really to with IH help, is there no way you can get help from IH? it would be worth it
I would get a trailer and park it up in an enclose area, get food outside it, leading up the ramp and in the ramp, and leave her to it.
and do what wills said sep---- I would go right back to basics in the school with simple groundwork exercises using poles etc to really get her listening to you, walking over tarp etc
do what she finds easy to do to start off with to gain her confidence, if she gets confused in what your asking for, go back to what she does understand
and put the two together the trailer has got to be somewhere nice to be an she has your trust that you will listen to her and her you she trusts food so use food to get her confience back in the trailer
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Post by bramblesmum on Dec 21, 2015 10:23:24 GMT 1
Just wanted to say thankyou I've had willow loaded twice in under 5 mins using feed and gentle encouragement she is now in a lovely new home and doing really well
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Post by alonerawnut on Dec 21, 2015 13:31:55 GMT 1
Great news - what a lovely Christmas present!
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Post by VeronicaF on Dec 21, 2015 16:29:20 GMT 1
well done bramblesmum, great news
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Post by portiabuzz on Dec 21, 2015 19:44:47 GMT 1
That's wonderful xx ;D ;D ;D ;D
Sent from my SM-G800F using proboards
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