Do you have a horse that doesn't load? or Do you have a horse that loads ok but doesn't travel ?
I have first hand experience of how upsetting and frustrating this can be.
There are lots of individual reasons why horses do not like to load or travel. As with all other behavioural problems with horses, there is always a reason behind it.
I've witnessed and heard of many tricks used to try and get horses to load:
Whips
Lunge lines
Brooms
Riding the horse on
Putting feed in the lorry/trailer
Putting friends on board first.
But whilst some of these methods can work for some of the time, you will not be getting to the root cause of why your horse does not like to load/travel, and as such your horse will often revert back to not loading and possibly using bigger displays of behaviour in his/her attempt to tell you something is not quite right.
I will work with you to establish the root cause of your horse's problem with loading or travelling. Once this has been pinpointed and alleviated, there is a kind and effective programme for getting your horse loading/travelling again.
The key to resolving behavioural issues with horses (including loading) is by truly understanding the nature of horses and how this nature will affect their ability and willingness to load.
The horse's nature - a few simple facts:
A natural claustrophobe - in their natural environment horses are in wide open spaces and because of this, often do not like to be enclosed.
A herd animal - likes to be with other horses. He/she feels safest within a herd environment
A prey animal - constantly on the look out for predators and will want to run at the first sign of trouble.
Likes to conserve energy - Your horse generally only worries about the here and now and won't want to expend any unnecessary energy arguing with you at the bottom of the ramp. Your horse may need his/her energy to run away from a predator. If he/she is planting his/her feet, rearing up or pushing you off your feet, then this is something he/she needs to do, and this behaviour should not be seen as anything other than an attempt at communicating with you. Afterall, it would take far less energy to walk up the ramp and stand there, then it would to rear up.
The Horse's tolerance for these changes from his natural environment will vary hugely.
Fear will play a big part in loading problems and there are four different types of fear to look for:
Flight - the most natural equine reaction to fear - to run. Fight - if the horse feels he has no other choice or that no one is listening he may have no choice but to resort to this. Freeze - planting the feet - this is where horses are labelled 'stubborn'. Faint - this is the worst kind of fear that a horse can display and certainly the most distressing to see as the horse will actually go down to the ground with fear.
How your horse displays his fear is individual to him.
Equine Behaviour Therapy - The Four Phases to Successful Loading
There is no quick fix for difficult loaders and you should allow a minimum of three weeks for the following work to be completed and to achieve successful and consistant loading. It is not about getting your horse on once so that you can get to a show. It is about over coming an issue, so that your horse loads first time, every time. Safety checks will also need to be made to ensure that your lorry/trailer is safe to carry your horse and that the vehicle itself is not the issue.
Step one - Physical Assessment Always rule out a physical problem. Does it cause your horse pain to load or to travel? Your horse does not have to have a major physical issue to cause him/her not to load. Lots of little problems can soon mount in to one big problem.
Step two - De-stress Using simple massage techniques you will help to keep your horse's anxiety levels as low as possible throughout the entire process. It is when anxiety levels have risen that you will start to see changes in behaviour.
Step Three - Control of movement and balance This work is the most important because if you can't maintain enough control of your horse in a quiet, controlled environment, then you can't expect to have any at the bottom of a ramp. This section aims to build a level of trust and understanding between you and your horse that you will be able to carry on long after your loading problems are gone.
Step four - Time to load Loading day itself will have to be chosen carefully so that your horse is set up to succeed. Loading day would not be a windy, rainy or stormy day. It is also preferrable to be in an enclosed environment and working on a non slip surface. Your horse will be given plenty of breaks for food and water and the work will be taken at a gentle pace to allow your horse all the time he needs to conquer his loading problems.
Disclaimer: Owners must be aware that any advice given is not a substitution for veterinary treatment, and owners should inform their veterinary practice of their intention to consult a therapist
