Well I finally rode today ! I actually made it out to the barn yesterday with the intent to ride but I ended up trimming feet AGAIN (just did it wednesday !) His fronts were a little wonky and I had to redo some stuff to get them right.
Anyway, I did go on a nice trail ride today. I brought along a newish boarder and her horse today, he was great on the trail. The only issue with Cowboy was the grass arggggggg but he did eventually settle down about that. He ended up getting a little workout because I kept trotting him to catch up after he would sneak grass breaks.
But, then there was drama part. The other gals horse shoots out of the trailer like a ROCKET !!! We put him about 1/2 back on and made him back out slowly and nicely a few times, apparently the only time the owner had seen him come out of a trailer was when he was brought to the barn and there was an issue with the the trailer. So anyway, he loaded fine etc. When we got back to the barn however, we put the ramp down and the horse started trying to slam himself out. He ended up bending the top door. And yes, it gets worse, he stops and then Im trying to get the butt bar off and the owner was supposed to be unhooking him and about that time Cowboy things he has to come and I said NO to Cowboy (who immediately stood still )but the gal thought I was talking to HER and she didnt unhook him! So he came slamming out of the trailer, the tie didnt break until he was all the way out and had reared up twice. Gosh it was SO ugly and scary !!! So now we have this horse freaked, we have Cowboy still on the trailer going WHAT THE HELL and Im trying to calm HIm down while they get the other one. MAN ! The horse didnt hurt himself amazingly. And I got Cowboy off with no problems. But what an icky ending to a great ride !
Im trying to come up with some ideas to make it safer for his owner to work with him on this issue. So far Im thinking not to tie him ? Im thinking you gotta put a butt bar on him but thats his cue to shoot out like a rocket ? I dont know, Ive never encountered this problem before, mine have always been getting horses ON a trailer. Im open to any suggestions !
9 comments:
Yeah, trailering is always nerve-racking. Even my horse, who is a saint about everything else, is a crappy loader...I have to use some serious motivation to get him on.
As for the backing off thing...when i'm alone, I untie first and just let them chill out until they aren't pushing against the butt bar. Only then will I take the bar down and give a tug on the tail to unload. If the horse were freaking out to get off the trailer...I'd let em work it out on their own in the trailer. No way would I chance taking the bar down and having them plow me over. I've just gotten to the point w/ trailering where I realize there is nothing I can do if the horse decides to freak out and panic. Just let it happen and stay out of the way. Now, I do always protect their legs and some cases, use a head bumper.
I had a trainer teach one of my horses how to load/unload one foot at a time. He used the tapping method where you tap their hip w/ a whip until they step up...then stop. He also made her load halfway, then back off. Rinse and repeat until she learned that loading/unloading was no big deal.
Oh man...I can empathize (somewhat). Pro's super getting on the trailer but if he has to back off, no way. We were at MacNair's once with someone else's trailer and it was a step down that he couldn't turn around in. He refused to get off. I think people were giggling at us - the horse that wouldn't get off.
Trailer stuff is SCARY though, I agree. Maybe Alex can chime in with some trailer tricks, I've heard she's a whiz. :)
But at least you had a great ride!!
I'm glad your ride went well! Sorry to hear about the crummy drama part, though! Be careful! I think Gabby's suggestions are good. That is pretty much how I did it in a 2 horse. In fact, I very much like her suggestion on how to handle it!
I hope you don't mind my sharing this, I am just so impressed with my baby boy! Deuce has learned to not start even expecting to step down until I tap his shoulder. I have a 3 horse slant, and he is usually in front. So I untie and back him, and when his feet get to the step down I tap-tap-tap his shoulder and he steps down in back, tap-tap-tap and he steps down in front. I have tried to teach that to other horses and they never seemed to get it. I realized Deuce did by accident one day, when I put my hand on his shoulder when I turned from untying him. He backed all the way to the back on his tip-toes waiting for the step down, poor fella!
wow, thats scary. I cant believe he wasnt untied. I can just imagine this horse being all over the place. Im glad the other horse was good though, unlike the trailer. Can the top door still shut?
Well, I'm glad you had a good ride, even if the trailering part wasn't so great! (Glad everyone was ok btw!)
I'd use Gabby's suggestion. Most of the horses I worked with knew the word 'STEP' and you could use that while trailering. When they get to the edge I just say STEP and let them figure it out on their own.
thank GOD Pepsi does NOT have loading/unloading issues!
yeah well unfortunately I think this guy will tear the trailer apart trying to get out. I dont think she will be hauling him anytime soon but I hate it for her, shes a sweet woman and this horse is otherwise a dream of a horse.
I don't think I'd be volunteering to haul her anywhere anytime soon!
Thanks Kate!
That sounds like an ugly trailering experience for everyone. I happen to LOVE trailer problems.
For unloading. I prefer to unhook the horse and throw the leadrope over his back. Then walk around and undo ramp/door. Take the butt bar down when they are relaxed and then pull their tail as the cue to come out.
To teach this I start by making sure my horse can back nicely with minimal pressure. Then I start having someone add pressure at their head while I pull on the tail. (make sure you are off to the side and not askign your horse to back into you) A voice command can help a lot here too. Once I can lift their tail and have them back a few steps we add ground poles. You want your horse to trust you to put his feet in a safe place. So he will need to be able to back over things.
Then we add the trailer. Plan a day when you aren't going anywhere and you have time. Never be rushed when you are working. Be patient and forgiving.
Load the horse count to 10 and back him off. Keep doing this and adding time until he can stand there for 30 sec then start adding time with the butt bar. I wouldn't worry about tying him for a while.
I would do this as often as I thought about it until I could shut the trailer for 5-10 minutes and then unload a calm horse.
People get so anxious about loading that they pass a lot of that onto their horses. Try to be relaxed and "settled". You want them to follow your quiet energy.
Whatever you do don't trap him on the trailer the first time he loads quiet. Let him get off and on many times....as long as you are cueing the off.
Let me know if you have questions.
"Once I can lift their tail and have them back a few steps we add ground poles. You want your horse to trust you to put his feet in a safe place. So he will need to be able to back over things."
I like this!!! Maybe that was Pro's issue with the refusal to step down. He'd put one foot down and say ummm, nope. I bet the backing over poles would help with trust in general, too.
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