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[flaboy+]

Ok, here's one for you. The "oh poor horse" folks won't like it but this is what we did. As a kid my dad had a 1 ton Ford truck with a cattle body built on the back. If you don't know at a cattle body is, don't read any further. We used to hunt off of these horses years ago. There were three, two mares and a stud. When we left the barn we loaded them with a ramp we backed up to. When we got to the woods to go hunting we would back into a depression and back them out. The body was usually AT LEAST still two feet above the ground. Many times there was no depression or too muddy so we would turn them around in the truck and jump them out. Now here's the kicker, we would ALSO jump them back in and it was at least a three foot leap to the bed of the truck. The mares would not go in if the stud was in so we jumped them in first and then the stud. He would make a hole when he went in.

All this after riding them pretty hard for several hours chasing deer and dogs. They actually seemed happy to jump back in that truck.

 

[Stepper]

SliverCharm,

My wife barrel race's and i have trail horse/pack mules. I have broke and trained all of my own horse's/mules, one barrel horse. When i first started i learned real quick that i did not have the foggiest idea as how to teach a horse to load. Some of my wife's barrel horse's are high dollar horse's and she babbie's them to death. When i first met her she would not even let me pull a trailer with her horse's in it. She was affraid that i would throw them down in the trailer. Well since then we have bought differant trailer's to haul in. And had lots of trouble with some of our horse's getting them to load. Alot of time's we haul to indoor pen's and rodeo's. And i remember several time's when we would get ready to leave haveing to spend several hour's tring all the differnt method's recommended to us tring to get a horse into the trailer. I can not tell you how many people who claimed to be professional horse trainer's would stop and was going to show us how to get that horse in the trailer. And when they finally realized they was not doing any better than we were they would disappear in the lime light. We tried the old feed them in the trailer deal and several other things that ocassionaly would get the horse in but none really worked.

So finally a close friend of mine now. Who has forgot more about training horse than most people will ever learn in a life time taught me how to teach a horse to load. And true probably what has happened to your horse is that when it slipped has it a little spooked about the ramp. But even so that should not be a big problem. So from my experience this is what you should do. You need some one stought enough to lead the horse up as close to the entrance of the trailer as the horse will go and hold it's head with a lead rope facing the trailer entrance. Then have another person with a larit rope get behind the horse far enough back as to not get kicked by the horse should it be a kicker. And have this person flip the rope at the heels and hock's of the horse continously to encourage it to get on up into the trailer. The horse will probably fight at first and try to turn away from the trailer. This is where a stought person keeping the horse's head facing the entrance come's into play. This person will need to keep it facing the trailer entrance as best as they can. And eventullay if everything is done right. The horse will hop up into the trailer with in just a couple of minute's. After your horse is in the trailer walk in with it. And pet it really good telling it good horse as a reward. Then back it back out of the trailer and repeat this performance again. Although it probably wont take as much if any whipping at the heels to get the horse back into the trailer this time. Do this 4 or 5 time's during this one session and your loading problems should be history. I have taught horse's with a whole lot worst experiences than slipping on a ramp to get over there fear of getting into a trailer to load using this method. And i have yet to have met the horse that this method has not worked on. I told the man who taught me this that he should write a book on training horse's. He is just a old cowboy who learned how to train from the old school. So give this a try and let me know how it works for you.

 

[SilverCharm]

I did finally get my horse to load a couple of weeks ago. Now she just follows me in without me even pulling on the lead rope. My friend got on her bareback with small, non-rub spurs (this probably was not a very smart idea) and after a while, she went in. After that, I slowly backed her out and half way down the ramp, I walked her back in. I kept doing this and eventually I walked her all the way out and back in.

 

[Stepper]

SilverCharm,

That is good. One horse that my wife has is a fondation bred quarter horse. She raised it from a foel. She let a friends husband break the horse. This was before i met her. And this guy was suppose to be a professional horse trainer. When he was done with the horse and she went to pick it up. It would not load into the trailer. So this guy run a larit rope through the front of the trailer and out the back. Attached the rope to the horse's halter and attemped to drag it up into the trailer. The horse slipped and got both front legs underneath the trailer. The guy continued pullint it until he pulled the muscel's(flesh) off down to the bone's. The vet wanted to put the horse down. But my wife after 2 years of doctoring. Doctored it back to health.

I would be real leary of anyone who calls themself's professional's. I have noticed arround here lately there are several women who barrel race's with my wife who we both know real well. Well these women will buy these green borke or even sometime's older horse's that have some training or might even be decent barrel horse's that they only give $800 to maybe $1500 for and then turn arround and put them up for sale for ungodly price's. Anywhere from $4000 to $20000. I know of one woman who is asking $30000 for a horse who is just an average barrel horse that she paid a couple of thousand for. These women advertise these horse's on the internet and the papper. And they claim to be trainer's and beleive me. They do good to be able to ride a old seasoned horse let alone train one. They will take and stable a horse for people and put like 30 days riding time on a horse from anywhere to $500 up and heck they might not get on the horse a half dozen time's through the 30 day period. So i would really do some checking on the background of these so called horse trainer's. That is just my opinion.

 

[Carlos D.]

friend of mine ,years ago bought an ugly horse at a sale it had belonged to a rustler . ---rustler went to jail and they sold his horse --but the horse could come at a full gallop and jump into the back of a 1/2 ton truck --- teaching them to load in a trailer should be pretty simple.

 

[dianab]

The first time I tried to load her, she did try to go in the trailer but she slipped on the ramp. Maybe this is why she is refusing to load.

BINGO! Now we know what the problem is. She thinks that ramp isn't a safe place to walk, and she if right! Attach rubber trailer mats to the ramp and have patients with her. She has a right to be scared. If there is some reason you can't modify the ramp, you might put rubber boots such as the Easy Boot on her feet. If she slips again she will never trust you about this trailer.

 

[putnamd]

say, I didn't read anybody suggesting to use the old arms around the butt routine. you know where 2 people lock hands and hold on to the trailer and someone else is on the lead rope in the front and the other 2 w. locked hands apply pressure to the rear end. or use a rope in place of the arms- one end tied to the trailer and pulled thru the handle so constant pressure can be applied to the rear. hasn't anyone done that before? obviously if its a kicker you dodn't want to use the arm method.

glad it all worked out-see diligence won out - not sure exactly how she did it w. the rubber end spurs? did they ride her in? not sure that would be good.

 

[dianab]

say, I didn't read anybody suggesting to use the old arms around the butt routine.

There is a similar one we use at jumer barns. It takes 2 jump poles and 5 people. One on the lead shank, one on each end of the poles. Cross the poles in an X and bring the center of the X up to the horses butt to push. With 4 people pushing you can be pretty persuasive and if the horse throws a fit you are out of kicking range.

 

[jbar]

take the time to teach,dont force,dont start unless you have time to finnish may take all day and half the night but dont start unless you have time to finish,about the time most people give up is just before the horse figures out what you want.when i was a kid my dad was big forcing in the trailer, but we have leaned better to train them to load. we never load till we wanted to go somewhere do nat do this, train your horse to load before you have to haul him some where.

 

[dianab]

take the time to teach,dont force,dont start unless you have time to finnish may take all day and half the night but dont start unless you have time to finish,about the time most people give up is just before the horse figures out what you want.when i was a kid my dad was big forcing in the trailer, but we have leaned better to train them to load. we never load till we wanted to go somewhere do nat do this, train your horse to load before you have to haul him some where.

So what do you do when your horse loads well at home, and you finally go on that outing, or to a show, only to have the horse refuse to get back on the trailer to go home?

 

[jbar]

you always let your horse rest in the trailer,teach him its a safe place to be, with a little work at home he'll want in the trailer where ever your at, more so away from home because he knows the trailer is safe. prep. your horses at home and you'll see a big impr.