He has no problem loading!
We loaded Jazz this morning fine and set out for my friend Jean's, going 5 miles down to Macclesfield and then all the way back up to her place, less than 3 miles from mine along a quiet back road. The plan was to unload him there, where we could hack home if he wouldn’t go back in. But the weather was pretty foul and there is no stable free there to put him in while we had a brew or anything and Jazz was pawing a lot as we drove along. It really didn't seem like a good idea to unload him in a strange place and possibly have to hack home on a day like this, so we changed our plans and went to MacDonalds in Macclesfield instead. It's got a huge carpark which is always mostly empty so it's an easy place to stop.
We sat there drinking coffee and eating an egg muffin watching until the lorry stopped rocking in the carpark. We weren't going to take him home until he stopped being stupid, otherwise he will think it is because he was making such a fuss that we decided to go home. When we got home there was steam coming out of the windows and he was soaking right through the light rug he had on. Tia called and he went a bit ape, pawing madly and really bashing at the partition to get out. I couldn't reward that, and left him in there. Thank goodness we don't have a £30,000 lorry like two of my friends do!
In the end I had to go into the house and get a warmer coat, because it was taking a long time for him to calm down. Finally I was able to let him out.Then I went to put him back in again The challenge is always the second load, not the first. You have to prove that in spite of not enjoying the trip, he is prepared to do it again for you. So you haven't done anything of any value until you have got him reloaded. I led him out of his stable and he turned back to Tia. I didn’t try and stop him, I just continued the circle a full 360 degrees until he was heading in the direction I wanted again and he walked on towards the lorry. He did it once more and I did the same thing, then he went to the ramp and loaded. I was surprised at how easily he went back in. I think we can conclusively say that he has no problem with loading whatsoever, but that he doesn't like either travelling, or being confined or possibly both. He will get used to it, we just have to do more of it.
The loading technique is now quite simple. You lead him to the ramp and he puts his front feet on it. You shake a food bucket and hook it up where he can only have it if he gets in. And you wait, with the lead rope completely slack. After anything from a few seconds to a minute at the most, he gently gets in, doing a turn on the forehand to put himself sideways so that you can shut the partition. This morning he even slipped slightly on the wet rubber, but still got in with no problems. If at any time you try and force him to do anything quicker, he will simply refuse to load at all. Left to make the decision for himself, he gets in every time. But I have to say that it beats the life out of me why he is prepared to go back in when he is clearly so upset by going anywhere in it. Is he doing it for me, for the food, or why??
And talking of getting used to the travelling, I have decided that it is too soon to go and do the farm ride on Friday. We don’t know enough about how he will react to being away from home. I have decided to wait until we do our dressage (ha!) on Sunday week instead. Also the vet had messed up the reminder on Tia’s flu jab – they had her down for an annual when it is actually the third of her introductory course. So she is due a jab by Friday :-0 . I will take her to the surgery for her jab and while we are there do the farm ride instead, which she will enjoy immensely, I’m sure. I did consider taking them both, but I am concerned whether Jazz will reload when Tia is outside the box. I would have to do it that way, because there is simply no space to get him on second. The second horse has to climb the ramp and turn at the same time to slot into place and that is simply asking too much of him.
Then again, it was snowing when we woke this morning, so we may not have the weather to even go, never mind take one horse or two or have a good time! After all the emotional effort this morning, Tia had the day off and I'm off Christmas shopping!
C.
posted by cptrayes @ 1:39 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
caroline - could it be something about YOUR wagon? as opposed to wagons in general.
I don't recall you saying that there was any problem that you were told of in his history or when he arrived ... (but i may well be misremembering/not remembering, brains been a bit fried lately!)
just a thought, anyway...
Does Jazz ride quietly while you are moving? If not, you might consider that the stall in the lorry is too narrow for him. I have known a few horses that need extra wide traveling space so they could spread their legs to stand up. One of them nearly kicked apart my trailer and was fine in an extra wide.
If he does it just when you are stopped, then ignoring him is the better option. No point in entertaining him with all kinds of attention for being a brat.
One of Kenny’s things to teach patience is tying the horse for a long time in one spot. When Tucker was down there he had to stand for hours tied to the side of the round pen waiting his turn to be worked while his trainer worked the other two horses in her care. Apparently, early on, he got fed up and bent the side of the pen. Kenny never quite figured out how he’d done that, but it didn’t solve anything for Tucker because he still had to stand there tied.
I’m a bit too softhearted to do it for any length of time, but I do let him stand on the ties in the barn while I do chores. By the way, he stands quietly in the trailer wherever we go, including MacDonald’s parking lots. *G*
I think I forgot to tell the background Claire! One of the reasons why I have been working so hard on his loading is because when I bought him they told me that they had had to feed him his breakfast in the lorry for 13 days before he would load easily.
Then they took him to a showjump schooling place, just to see what he would do, and he wouldn't load to come home for ages. It bothered me that a horse which had been eating in the lorry for nearly two weeks would still have loading problems, that smacked to me of a serious problem loader who could arbitrarily refuse to load when he was two hours away from home :-000
I am just so relieved to find out that he is no problem at all to load. Now all we need to do is accustom him to travel so he is not so upset about it.
It's a good job that it's not my lorry that's the problem, because I'm not about to replace it :-)
Jean he only does it when at a standstill. He's trying to get out, not trying to find his balance. As long as he carries on, he stays in there. He is only allowed out once he is quiet. But if he hasn't actually travelled, but has just been put in the lorry and not moved, he never does it.
C
ah well, it was a thought!
I'm glad that it's lorries in general Claire - we have done so darned much to get this one mechanically sound since I bought it off some friends. I'd hate to start again with one I didn't know.
C
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