Re: RC: horse and trailer

[Dbeverly4@aol.com]

Hi Pam!  I just went through the same thing with my 4 year old gelding.  
NEVER had this problem before, but he absolutely refused to get in my trailer 
(straight load).  He never actually won each battle -- he ended up getting in 
even if it took two hours (which it did a couple of times).  But it just 
wasn't getting any easier.  Then a trainer showed me a neat trick (especially 
neat because I'm usually alone when loading a horse).  Make a big loop out of 
a long soft cotton rope, (Long enough to loop his rump and still have a 
length up to his head for you to guide him with)  then loop it over the 
horses's rump, stay to one side (not inside the trailer).  Then gently, guide 
the horse's head into the trailer, applying very gentle pressure to the 
hindquarters with the "guide loop".  As soon as the horse's comes forward, 
release the pressure and praise, if he wants to back up again, allow him to 
no fussing.  Then start over.  The first time we used this method, it took 10 
minutes to load him (big improvement over 2 hours!).  Next time, under 5 
minutes, now I throw the rope over his back and he gets in like a pro.  Also, 
always make sure to have plenty of goodies in the trailer so the horse likes 
being in there.  This method really worked and since then I've tried it on a 
friend's horse, worked beautifully there too.  It's not a Lyons, Parelli or 
any other designer brand trick, but it does work and you can easily do it by 
yourself.  Good luck!

Sylvia


=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net.    
Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/RideCamp   
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=