How would you solve deal with this problem?

DavidH

DavidH

BSJA-Big Scarey Jump Asso
Apr 16, 2000
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UK, Northampton
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before I say how I deal with it I thought it would be interesting to get others views as its an interesting issue.
Juno is not afraid of the lorry. She loads like a lamb once at a comp (karsteine / lilythepink can confirm this). Plods up the ramp so relaxed she's almost asleep. She happily stands on the lorry at comps munching her haynet or sleeping.
However, when it comes to loading at home to go to a comp its a different story. She will get to within 10 feet of the ramp then rear straight up and spin round (while in the air). Her issue is she doesn't want to leave her herd mates and knows she's going out.
I can hack her out fine on her own or lead her out in hand. Its only when asked to load at home.
What would you do?
 
take her for a nice ride, then get picked up. probs at someone elses yard so it was secure- not loading at the side of the road :p
 
boring answer but I'd just practice loading at home and not going anywhere. Load, give her a feed or some other treat, leave there for a bit, maybe go for a short drive, then unload. And repeat regularly. I'd maybe try and avoid returning her straight to the herd after unloading if possible so she doesnt always associate coming home to going straight to her friends.

This what I'd do in theory. In reality I am pretty lazy and if the problem wasnt that bad I'd probably just allow extra time before a show to load and hope it didnt get any worse... hehe!
 
Practice! It's a bit like teaching a dog to come, we practice loads but mostly I call her, give her a big hug, some fuss and let her go play again. She always wants to come because usually it's for fuss and love and I don't keep her long. With a horse that doesn't want to load like Juno, load her every day for a treat and some fuss. When she'll load well, just randomly take her for a hack somewhere nice some of those times. The more she goes away from home in the lorry, the more used to it she'll get. But keep loading her each day so she never knows when she's just getting a treat and when she's going out. Even brush her as if for a comp some of those times but don't go.
 
Only thing i can think of right now would be to do some loading practice with her, you took me you had a magic trick to stop her from going up in the air.
So keep doing that untill she knows that in the end she cant get away with doing it, and will walk on the lorry without fuss.
Then remove the magic trick and see how she go's, you never know she might just need the practice to get back into the swing of leaving her pals behind for a short period of time.
 
Snap!! Molly does exactly the same :rolleyes:

Only thing that has worked so far is a chifney :(

DavidH said:
before I say how I deal with it I thought it would be interesting to get others views as its an interesting issue.
Juno is not afraid of the lorry. She loads like a lamb once at a comp (karsteine / lilythepink can confirm this). Plods up the ramp so relaxed she's almost asleep. She happily stands on the lorry at comps munching her haynet or sleeping.
However, when it comes to loading at home to go to a comp its a different story. She will get to within 10 feet of the ramp then rear straight up and spin round (while in the air). Her issue is she doesn't want to leave her herd mates and knows she's going out.
I can hack her out fine on her own or lead her out in hand. Its only when asked to load at home.
What would you do?
Click to expand...
 
I’d be tempted to load her without going anywhere, load her and feed her dinner on the lorry and then take her off, load her and groom her , load a friend and then load her and then again not go anywhere and come off again. Just mix it about, load her and turn on the engine etc, go for a 5 min journey and back.

I'd also be tempted whenever she was out on the yard (depending on where lorry is) to have the ramp down and if shes coming in for groom, ride she sees it - it becomes a normal feature

Get her thought process off just thinking the lorry is for going to comps only
 
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^ I would worry that you'd then end up with a horse that didn't want to hack out either...Juno sounds clever and it might not take long before she realises that sometimes hacks turn into very hard work.

However, I'm not sure I've got a better idea. With my boy who just used to plant his feet and say 'NO' and sometimes rear and spin then a pressure halter worked - I'd just stand, not look at him and put a constant pressure on the halter (that then put pressure on the poll to encourage him forwards, not anything like a 'be nice' halter that only puts pressure on the nose). Eventually he would give up, move a foot forward and I'd release.The pressure halter discouraged his rearing because otherwise I stood no chance.
Only problem is...Max is a fairly sedate 13.2 and unlikely to explode or tantrum if I apply a lot of poll pressure. I'm not sure what a bigger, feistier horse would do!

ETA - loads have people posted since I started writing! ^ refers to loopylozza's post!
 
Sofi P said:
boring answer but I'd just practice loading at home and not going anywhere. Load, give her a feed or some other treat, leave there for a bit, maybe go for a short drive, then unload. And repeat regularly. I'd maybe try and avoid returning her straight to the herd after unloading if possible so she doesnt always associate coming home to going straight to her friends.
Click to expand...

Ditto this
 
xloopylozzax said:
she likes going to partys though?
Click to expand...
She does indeed.
Her reaction when I try to load her at home is totally extreme (thats my girl).
Lorry is kept 14 miles from yard and only goes there when off competing. Keeping it there is not an option.

ETA. Without the trick I use it is impossible to get her within 10 feet of the lorry so practicing at home would be impossible without the cheat and unnecessary with.
 
DavidH said:
Lorry is kept 14 miles from yard and only goes there when off competing. Keeping it there is not an option.
Click to expand...

Wouldnt you be able to borrow one that is kept at the yard, just so you can get some practice done with her hun??

ETA: if she was at our yard you could have kept the lorry here as well hun, then you could have practiced to you hearts content.
 
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Similar problem for me - I don't have tranpsort, hire it when we go anywhere (which isn't often) so can't practice.

In a pressure halter she stopped rearing and spinning and throwing herself about but planted on the lorry ramp for over an hour and shut her eyes. She is determined, I'll give her that :p

On the way home she always loads perfectly, can't wait to get back on the lorry (same in trailer).

If her best mates come too then it is fine - but of course we don't go everywhere together! V.annoying :rolleyes:

It doesn't help that she is built like a rhino and has no qualms about going through people, other horses, lunge lines etc etc. Ponies eh!

If there is a magic secret I need it!! :eek:

DavidH said:
She does indeed.
Her reaction when I try to load her at home is totally extreme (thats my girl).
Lorry is kept 14 miles from yard and only goes there when off competing. Keeping it there is not an option.

ETA. Without the trick I use it is impossible to get her within 10 feet of the lorry so practicing at home would be impossible without the cheat and unnecessary with.
Click to expand...
 
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