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Post by horselady on Aug 2, 2015 23:55:49 GMT
I want to tell a short story relating to loading horses. i had a paint filly that was only on a trailer when she was a foal. that was brought here alone and a colt that was a foal and brought here with mom. as the training progressed on both of these horses i found great buyers for them. one 7 the other gelding was about 8 or 9 , mind you never on a trailer. i did have them in tie stalls at night almost every night. the gelding i had to keep tied in there even with a butt bar as he would escape in the middle of the night and wreck havoc with everything in the barn. I was worried about trailering the filly when i sold her. i told the buyer all of the history and i was waiting for a fight. well the filly just looked at the trailer. decided that it was a nice place to be. and walked on. 8Di was in shock. doors slamming. truck vibrations. nothing shook her up. those people still have her 10 years later. Now to the gelding. this was a smartie. he loved to jump an would jump out of a stall from a standstill. but in his tie stall he would sleep. i sold him to a lady that loved him and rode him during his lessons. she came here with a trailer and what do you think happened.? remember he never was on or near a trailer from the time he was 7 months old. he just sniffed it. put on foot on the ramp and decided that the food at the other end was his cup of tea and walked right on.  the owners still have him and he has done alot of traveling and trail rides and hunter paces and western games. i have a feeling that the tie stalls is the key, narrow enough for them not to turn around yet wide enough for them not to rub their sides. and looks like the inside of the trailer. I hope you are not bored. lol  |
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mistersmom
Junior Member
Abita Springs, LA
Posts: 3,749 
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Post by mistersmom on Aug 3, 2015 1:30:32 GMT
I'm so sorry he is giving you problems. I'm not going to try to give you any advice because it has been a long time since I had one who didn't load well. But I do remember what it was like and how frustrating it can be. Just wanted to send you  and good luck. |
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Post by ladymcts on Aug 3, 2015 2:33:41 GMT
*sigh*
Thanks everyone for your words of encouragement. I feel a little bit like anything I say is going to be three parts excuse and one part been there done that tried that. The funniest part of all is that we're only going five miles and I do believe I've spent more time now trying to get him into a trailer than it would have taken us to walk there! Believe me, before I found the trailer I had actually considered the walk. It's mainly the narrow but high mph twisy roads we'd have to travel. Would not do it without a vehicle behind us with flashers on, and even then probably dangerous for all involved.
Not to mention it's pretty mean to ask a horse who hasn't had to do any real work in two years and who's lame on both fronts to suddenly up and walk 5 miles in 85+ degree weather with humidity. I'm not looking to invite a vet call!!
So here are the ten years worth of excuses ...
he's been forced in by way of multiple men with lasso's and whips
he's had a bungie tie split in two and snap him in the face
he's been locked in the trailer for 1.5 hrs with wasps stinging him
he's done 5 rides of about 3 hrs each to do treatments for cancer
he's done an 8-9hr trailer rides 3 times while in my care, the last of which brought him to this facility
And the worst of all, 2013 happened. We actually did have a pretty good relationship in 2011-2013 where we did some trailering out to go riding. He wasn't very good about loading, but he was manageable, and once I locked him in, he would seem to settle kind of like "OK, I give up." Since he wasn't really good, and since I knew I needed to move him 400 miles away later that year, I allowed some friends to help me try to improve with practice loading. We were doing really well with him seeming to accept it and go in, but he would get a little panicky when I'd start to tie him up or close the ramp. So my friend who I trusted completely and who is an amazing horsewoman, she insisted that we leave him tied up "until he calms down." I don't know how long it was on a clock. Might've been as little as 15 minutes but memory tells me it was something more like 45 minutes. He got worse and worse and panicked more and more, and I listened to her telling me not to release him until he was calm. He ended up slipping and falling, getting a leg under the rubber mat, and scraping himself up (not a bad cut thank goodness). It was not a pretty sight.
With all of that in mind, I hired a professional shipper for the big move. He was hard to load, but we got the job done with a lot of people working at it and one broken halter. When he got to the other end, his side was all rubbed raw of hair. Not sure if the stall was truly too small, or he just couldn't quite handle the ride very well and felt the need to lean on the side of the stall heavily.
But since that awful day where we tried tying him in there "until he calms down," I've never been able to get him fully closed in (to my own trailer trying without the pro shipper).
And here's the "but I've tried that" ...
right choice easy, wrong choice hard, means work
backing him out before he chooses to
feeding him in the trailer
luring him into the trailer
tying him into the trailer
using a rope with some leverage on it to keep him from backing out
sneaking up on him to close up
loading Reggie first who (thank goodness!) is still a complete dream ... I can send him in and simply call to him asking him to back out
loading Reggie and letting Reggie eat his meal in there, with Jacques' meal ready to go if he'd go into his own stall
And lastly, here's the part that's killer ... the dang booger knows my tricks, and it's ME he doesn't trust. All this natural horsemanship stuff is about building trust with an animal, and he simply doesn't trust me and this big tin can. I think that's where we have the biggest problem. He will actually load pretty well if I don't have the truck hooked up, because he knows we're not going anywhere. He will load somewhat well if he knows no one else is around to help me close the doors. He will eye my every move suspciously, and the second my hand comes anywhere close to the trailer ties or doors, he's trying to get out. No, make that he GETS OUT.
As to the theory that he will do well in a stock load ... this new trailer does allow me the ability to remove all the divider and make it one large box. That's what I aim to try, but need some help getting the divider out. My fear is that it won't be any different to him, he'll be even less safe for anyone behind him trying to close up the ramp.
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Post by carshon on Aug 3, 2015 15:29:03 GMT
Lady M - had a friend whose horse was just like you described J- she would load with encouragement but as soon as a hand reached up to close the door she shot off. To be very very honest - worked with this horse myself many times and for many hours and she never truly became a great loader - stock trailer or otherwise. Her clausterphobia was just too great. My friends eventually sold her and had to load her with a shot of Ace into the new owners trailer. Once in the new owners opted to wait for all sedatives to ware off before hauling. The let her ride loose in the stock trailer where she chose to ride backward - smack dab in the middle of the trailer. New owners said they can haul her as a single but she has to be able to turn around and have the trailer to herself.
here is wishing you the best of luck- and a smooth load coming up.
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Post by horselady on Aug 3, 2015 18:44:15 GMT
WOW lady, no wonder the jaques does not want to load. i am sure you will figure out something. and if ace is in the plan than that might work.
good luck and safe travels.
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Post by ladymcts on Aug 4, 2015 11:45:58 GMT
Thatwaseasy. Called the vet, and can pick up a bottle of Ace today. New facility's owner will be out of town this weekend, and I have out of town guests, so will have to see if she can take us on an evening, or if it gets pushed out 2 weeks.
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Post by horselady on Aug 4, 2015 17:47:57 GMT
Just make sure you get instructions as to how much. and remember he needs to be kept quiet and calm when you give it to him. about 30 minutes before you start to load. or better yet get vet instructions. i am only saying that is what i do.
he is a big horse so get ready for perhaps two shots. one on each side. or at least 14 cc. if he is 1400 pounds. that is just an example
good luck
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Post by ladymcts on Aug 4, 2015 18:10:02 GMT
Thanks! We did chat briefly - vet asked his weight, and I requested pills rather than injection. If memory serves from using it 5 years ago, it was about 1 hr wait. But I am hoping they will have something specific written out.
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Post by horselady on Aug 4, 2015 20:15:03 GMT
That is a difference. i prefer to use injectable. but of course if Jacques does better with pills than that is what you do. just watch him. as soon as he looks a bit droopy and eyes are a bit dullish than it is time to pop him in that trailer. make sure you have halter on so you do not have to do that.
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Post by spirithawk06 on Aug 4, 2015 21:21:32 GMT
Best of luck! First time loading Apollo was a nightmare. He flipped himself even when we released the pressure. Don't know how he didn't break a halter. Got him on finally with tons of bangs and bruises on both humans and horse and it took 5 of us to do it. He HAD to be trailered at that time, otherwise we'd have taken it easier. Next time, he walked right in with no problems and hasn't given us any trouble to load since. We had a mare once that we had to use a chute to get her in the trailer. Other horses I had to load responded to coaxing or food, thankfully!
I hope the ACE works for you.
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on Aug 5, 2015 17:43:14 GMT
Maybe try backing the trailer at an angle into a corner so that when you open the doors they touch the two sides of whatever you're using for a corner, maybe two fences, so he can't get far away from it. Then he has only a very small area to be in and not be in the trailer. I've seen horse taught to load that way. Have hay in there so he gets a reward and can then get out again if he wants to. The day you move him be ready so that the second he's in and you can leave you jump in the truck immediately so he doesn't have a chance to move around. Five miles will be a pretty quick trip.
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Post by ladymcts on Aug 12, 2015 2:12:18 GMT
Success finally! This is such a load off my mind, you can't imagine.
Did give him one honest try without drugs, but it was the same story. Administered the Ace by intramuscular (I asked for pills but the vet said IM would be better, so that's what he gave me). I was supposed to wait 30 minutes for it to take effect, but I started loading around 15 minutes. I tried with just the super slowest let's take it easy kind of way, praising every time he went forward, and just going with him when he went back. After 10 minutes I upped the ante and began not letting him go back by feeding the long lead rope thru the trailer tie and twisting it so I Had leverage without it being a knot. It was like he was operating on 75% power. He was struggling and fighting, but not at full strength. Over the next ten minutes it got easier and easier to pull him in a little further and just let him struggle but he couldn't get back out.
At 6:35, he was in and "sedate" enough (literally) that he was able to stand while I ran around to the back and got the butt bar up and ramp closed.
The rest of the evening was without incident, pretty much a perfect road trip (a whopping 5 miles). The people seem real nice, and I got my board paid and worked out the feed and vet and so forth.
Headed back home to feed the youngster, and Reggie had stopped pacing the fenceline but didn't go far from the gate, presumably hoping his buddy would return. So he got to eat his feed alone for the first time in two years (or more). It was different, but I'm hoping for the best that both guys can settle into their new routines.
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redzip
Junior Member
Posts: 1,701
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Post by redzip on Aug 12, 2015 2:30:20 GMT
Good job Ladymcts  Sometimes we have to do what 'works best', not what seems best 'in theory'. Glad you had success clip-art-flowers-855285a |
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Post by horselady on Aug 12, 2015 11:17:27 GMT
Glad to hear all went well .. and let me tell you that few steps between front to back to do the butt bar and ramp are the LONGEST ever.. and hopefully reggie will settle down being a lone horse. |
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mistersmom
Junior Member
Abita Springs, LA
Posts: 3,749
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Post by mistersmom on Aug 12, 2015 13:52:43 GMT
I know that is a load off of your mind! I'm so glad you got him there without incident and it sounds like Reggie will adjust to being an only horse in no time! Good job.
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Post by carshon on Aug 12, 2015 13:59:34 GMT
Glad to here Jacques is at his rest easy home. Looking for some good updates soon.
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hugs
Junior Member
Posts: 2,647
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Post by hugs on Aug 12, 2015 18:31:02 GMT
Jacques and you will bond even more and I bet he'll get to really like being your only companion. I agree with HL that going back to close everything up is just the longest trip a person could make. And as much as I think I'm calm my fingers don't work very well. I'm getting better as Peaches has had several trips in the trailer since last year but still.
Anyway, I'm glad the retirement folks were nice, that is another big load off your mind too. We look forward to seeing how he's doing *hint*hint*
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nhg
Junior Member
Posts: 2,429
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Post by nhg on Aug 12, 2015 20:58:39 GMT
What a relief it must be. Glad you got it done! |
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Post by ladymcts on Aug 17, 2015 7:51:13 GMT
Update! So far this is working out pretty much exactly as I had hoped it would! He was a bit bratty the first couple of days, mad that the other horses got to go out when he couldn't. But he graduated from stall door to stall guards which helped, so he could hang his head out of the stall at least, as the others came by.
Then Saturday he was let out with three of his new herdmates. There was zero fuss or problem, they just went to the business of eating. And when I checked on him mid-day, it was probably 85 degrees out. He was happily lounging in an empty stall with the fan blowing on him, even tho the stall door was wide open. Yayyyyyy! Just wish I could've gotten the job done a few weeks ago when we were up in the high 90's and hit 100 a couple days.
But what's done is done, and glad it got done later than never at all. I think both boys are settling in to the new normal.
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Post by horselady on Aug 17, 2015 11:30:48 GMT
Good news he is settling in and the barn owner is proactive in the care and needs of the horses. yes. better late than never.
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and good luck.
