Any ideas for a horse who hates being boxed? Our new boy hates going in a trailer apparently and we have to take him home next friday . Feeling a little stressed already!!
boxing problems
- Thread starter mairikmac
- Start date
K
Kate&TheHerd
Guest
yes, NH all the way. see previous threads started by me for more indepth info! http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=169546
em_123
Active Member
make sure you go there with plenty of time to spare, because this situation will need alot of time.
keep everything calm, don't stress him out over it at all otherwise you won't get anywhere.
let him wander up to the trailer, don't try and load him straight away, stand and talk to him and others around you, let him sniff the trailer.
don't apply any tension on the rope keep it all very relaxed for him, act as if you don't really want him to go on it.
can the people you are getting him from spend time, feeding him near the ramp of the trailer and maybe trying to calmly load him?
if its a front and rear unload then open the front ramp for him so it is nice and open and if possible move the partition over so its a bigger more inviting space for him to go into.
be aware that you could potentially spend a couple of hours gently coaxing him on, but whatever happens don't allow stress levels to rise because you will be reinforcing the thought in his brain that it is a bad place for him to go into.
keep everything calm, don't stress him out over it at all otherwise you won't get anywhere.
let him wander up to the trailer, don't try and load him straight away, stand and talk to him and others around you, let him sniff the trailer.
don't apply any tension on the rope keep it all very relaxed for him, act as if you don't really want him to go on it.
can the people you are getting him from spend time, feeding him near the ramp of the trailer and maybe trying to calmly load him?
if its a front and rear unload then open the front ramp for him so it is nice and open and if possible move the partition over so its a bigger more inviting space for him to go into.
be aware that you could potentially spend a couple of hours gently coaxing him on, but whatever happens don't allow stress levels to rise because you will be reinforcing the thought in his brain that it is a bad place for him to go into.
E
elliebelly
Guest
Not sure if this would help but I suggested once to a friend who was really struggling to get her youngster into a box to maybe walk another calm horse who it really got on with in first. As soon as she walked he he followed her like a lamb. We then tied him up and took her out and he was fine.
E
elliebelly
Guest
Just thought though this could backfire as could react when horse then comes out. Can another horse not travel with him the riding school used to use Megan to accompany youngsters or horses who got stressed on their own.
not this time i'm afraid as we have to travel by ferry home. we will have about 6 hors. I will just have to stay calm and hope he is having a good day
The problem is, NH practices require upon time to build up a good relationship, which the OP clearly doesn't have.
I'm slightly worried about a horse who hates being boxed being on a ferry for 6 hours. Do you know exactly what they mean by 'hates being boxed'? Sometimes it is literally just 'takes ages to go in but is then fine', but if they mean he stresses and worries all journey, then you may have more of a problem. Find out which it is. If its the first one, em_123 has made some good suggestions. If its the second one though, talk to your vet about calmers etc that might help. If he really does panic when boxed they may even suggest sedation given the length of time he is going to be in the box. I'm not sure though.
eh?
he wont be on the ferry for 6 hours! we don't live that far away. We have 6 hours to wait before ferry gets in to ullapool so we have 6 hours to try and box him. He is fine when in trailer just doesn't like going in very much. Ferry a couple of hours journey at most. Which is a big ferry and far less than most peoples journeys. x
he wont be on the ferry for 6 hours! we don't live that far away. We have 6 hours to wait before ferry gets in to ullapool so we have 6 hours to try and box him. He is fine when in trailer just doesn't like going in very much. Ferry a couple of hours journey at most. Which is a big ferry and far less than most peoples journeys. x
As a one off, to get horse home, this is what I would do.....
Allow plenty of time, chill out and enlist 3 x sensible helpers (helpers that will listen and not take over and start interferring!). open windows/jockey door, move partition to make inviting. Have hay inside and bucket of feed. As others have said calmly walk to trailer ramp, do not pull on rope, just let him wander over and just chill out, have a good sniff round, no pressure. Show horse bucket of feed so he knows its in trailer. Once horse has had a good look round and is calm enough to stand at foot of ramp, attach 2 x lunge lines to back of trailer (with 2 sensible people attached to them!!) and they should slowly walk backwards.
Timing is quite important here, but if you just ask for a 'walk on' without pulling on lead rope just as the 2 people with lines cross behind the horse so the lines wrap around his bottom he should move forwards. Important to stay calm, positive, looking forwards and not blocking the horses path and NOT pulling on rope. If he plants and his attention goes elsewhere or he tries to turn you can keep his head back facing the right direction and give a bit of vibration on the rope but pulling is likely to result in rearing. hopefully horse should walk forwards and as he does the 2 x lunge liners walk forwards with lines still wrapped around bottom until he is in trailer where they should remain blocking his exit with lines until back bar is secured.
If he really plants at the foot of ramp and the lines aren't working, you can get your 3rd person to tickle his heels with a lunge whip. And I mean tickle, not hit or poke, just cause a bit of odd sensation and they usually pick their feet up because of this at at that point a little more pressure on lines results in a slight step forwards.
This is not ideal, but it has proved successful when i've needed to use it and once you've got him home you can work on his loading.
Good luck!!
Allow plenty of time, chill out and enlist 3 x sensible helpers (helpers that will listen and not take over and start interferring!). open windows/jockey door, move partition to make inviting. Have hay inside and bucket of feed. As others have said calmly walk to trailer ramp, do not pull on rope, just let him wander over and just chill out, have a good sniff round, no pressure. Show horse bucket of feed so he knows its in trailer. Once horse has had a good look round and is calm enough to stand at foot of ramp, attach 2 x lunge lines to back of trailer (with 2 sensible people attached to them!!) and they should slowly walk backwards.
Timing is quite important here, but if you just ask for a 'walk on' without pulling on lead rope just as the 2 people with lines cross behind the horse so the lines wrap around his bottom he should move forwards. Important to stay calm, positive, looking forwards and not blocking the horses path and NOT pulling on rope. If he plants and his attention goes elsewhere or he tries to turn you can keep his head back facing the right direction and give a bit of vibration on the rope but pulling is likely to result in rearing. hopefully horse should walk forwards and as he does the 2 x lunge liners walk forwards with lines still wrapped around bottom until he is in trailer where they should remain blocking his exit with lines until back bar is secured.
If he really plants at the foot of ramp and the lines aren't working, you can get your 3rd person to tickle his heels with a lunge whip. And I mean tickle, not hit or poke, just cause a bit of odd sensation and they usually pick their feet up because of this at at that point a little more pressure on lines results in a slight step forwards.
This is not ideal, but it has proved successful when i've needed to use it and once you've got him home you can work on his loading.
Good luck!!
If you have a few hours to play with that's great as you can stay calm and relaxed. Do some simple halter work exercises, to get him to understand that you can move him about and control his feet. These will be things such as start/stop/back up. If there are any jump poles about, set four on the ground in an L shape and lead him through forwards both ways, stopping and asking for a step backwards whilst in the shape. Then move onto backing him through. Go one step at a time to really get control of his feet. You will find that he will start to relax and become much more pliable and 'softer'. Continue the halter work as you get closer to the trailer, and work him quite near to it. As you approach the ramp break it down into small stages. So come forwards a few steps, then stop and back up a couple of steps. Just concentrate on moving him forwards and backwards as you are getting nearer the ramp. When he puts a foot on the ramp back him off and bring him forwards again, with release of any pressure on the lead rope and a nice stroke when he does. The important thing is to not have constant pressure on the rope, as he will start to resist it. When he takes a step in the right direction up the ramp, release any pressure and allow him time to think about what he has done, before asking for another step.
You could also try walking him across the ramp a few times, before stopping him on it and gently asking his head around into the trailer.. This often leads to the horse simply walking in!!
Do make the trailer as inviting as possible by moving the partition over or taking it out altogether if you have a full width breast bar.
You could also try walking him across the ramp a few times, before stopping him on it and gently asking his head around into the trailer.. This often leads to the horse simply walking in!!
Do make the trailer as inviting as possible by moving the partition over or taking it out altogether if you have a full width breast bar.
This si not necessarily true, however I'm not on here to argue the toss on a small point.
What Winterwood describes is very much an NH way of doing it and is probably your best bet. Reward the slightest try at every stage.
Putting people with lunge lines behind will only work if the horse does not resist and is compliant. Any resistance and his only thought is how to escape the entrapment and therefore his thoughts are the opposite way to the trailer.
I like Stick GFs suggestion. I have an addition to make to it that worked for me with a bad loader, with amazing effect!
If he plants at the foot of the ramp, get someone with a good aim to crouch / stand a good 8-10 ft away from him, get a tiny stone (and I mean tiny, the size of a 5p or smaller) and ping it gently at his rear end. It should hit him hard enough that he feels it but obviously not hard enough to hurt him. You may find (and I swear this worked for me more than once) that the sensation is enough to stop the 'plant' and get him moving forwards.
I wish you luck.
If he plants at the foot of the ramp, get someone with a good aim to crouch / stand a good 8-10 ft away from him, get a tiny stone (and I mean tiny, the size of a 5p or smaller) and ping it gently at his rear end. It should hit him hard enough that he feels it but obviously not hard enough to hurt him. You may find (and I swear this worked for me more than once) that the sensation is enough to stop the 'plant' and get him moving forwards.
I wish you luck.
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