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Post by kas on Sept 23, 2010 18:28:36 GMT
Is it possible for both of you to step away from the trailer for a few weeks? Just give yourself a breather and re-group?  |
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Post by snigsby on Sept 24, 2010 6:11:53 GMT
Well, that's what we did in July,Kas. Just left the trailer alone and concentrated on the ground work and ridden stuff. Wednesday was the first time I've asked him to load for at least two months. I think the break definitely helped my confidence  as I took other people's horses to shows and stuff in my trailer. |
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Post by snigsby on Apr 10, 2011 20:07:11 GMT
Khan is now loading reliably. We have been on several outings to one particular local park (within riding distance in case he wouldn't load to come home) and he's been fine. Today we went to a pleasure ride on the beach. It was a glorious,hot sunny day and we scooted along and had a lovely time. And then he went into his trailer and came home.  |
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Post by kas on Apr 11, 2011 8:12:20 GMT
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Post by snigsby on Apr 11, 2011 11:15:56 GMT
I'm only being cautiously optimistic,Kas,as he still does sweat a little while travelling and he was quite emotional once he was in after the ride at the beach. Caught me on the shin (ouch,ouch!) while waving a front leg around vigorously  and was quite sweaty when we got home so I think it's still a work in progress. The weather has changed dramatically from settled and sunny to wet and windy today but as soon as possible, he'll be loaded quietly at home a few times this week and taken short journeys - hence "a work in progress". But he does go in within a maximum of 5 minutes We are using a dually (and lots of deep breathing and relaxation!) |
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Post by snigsby on Apr 12, 2012 8:17:15 GMT
Bl**dy hell! Where does the time go?! I can't believe it is a year since I last posted on this thread.
Anyway...........as some of you know,we had the inestimable help of breakfast in September to sort out the loading (which of course, was only partly a loading problem). Since then, Khan has reliably loaded first time,every time at home.
"At home" being the operative words, as I was to find out......however, this enabled me to slowly and painstakingly build up his confidence with everything else associated with loading. I spent ages getting him calm while first standing to be tied,then having the partition over and fastened,then the loading doors shut,then me stepping away from the trailer and then finally having the ramp shut.
This has never been possible before as he would refuse to load if he'd been in and I'd done anything he didn't like eg closing the partition. If I'd taken him back out,he wouldn't then go back in.
Being completely shut in took ages to have him calm-ish.
However,we finally got there and started out on some journeys. First time out,he wouldn't load to come home,aaaargh!!! Cue desperate text to Kas from car park! After some moral support,I managed to get him in (three hours later). This taught me a very valuable lesson in focus and timing as he would have gone in had I made sure he was "with" me before we started. Duh.
We then had four more outings and he was fine but again, we had to be really prepared and focussed.
Then I took him to a beach ride where he had a very exciting time and I just could not figure out how to get him "with" me to get him home. We resorted to lunge lines and half a dozen people lifting his feet and generally encouraging him as otherwise I was going to be left alone in a car park again!!!
This week,I'm just waiting for a day without freezing rain so we can go for a trip out again.
It's still a work in progress..............
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Post by snigsby on Apr 12, 2012 8:25:25 GMT
PS he has started a new behaviour,once he is in,he lunges at me as I am trying to tie him up. Not exactly forcing his way back out but shoving me out of the way with his shoulder and making it hard to tie him up.
We spend a lot of time going back and forth before he gets tied up.
PPS I once asked my mum what I was like as a little girl and she thought for a while before replying "Well,you were a very determined child".
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Post by kas on Apr 12, 2012 11:34:13 GMT
Yes, well, no comment Snigs! A sad little text from a car park in Scotland can never be ignored, luckily I wasn't in work, always happy to give moral support. He's obviously not keen on this trailer thing, but as he seems to travel OK once he's on there then hopefully the more he goes out, is driven considerately, and comes home again... it will start to become routine. I bet the beach ride was awesome! |
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Post by snigsby on Apr 21, 2012 8:53:36 GMT
Yes,thoroughly enjoyed the beach ride even though Khan spooked wildly as we came over the dunes onto the sand - and I fell off! He is a pest sometimes,he's been over those dunes dozens of times. Fortunately,the sand is deep and soft at that point  He was thrilled to be there and wanted to buck with joy every time he was asked to canter so we trotted most of the 10 miles. Weather stayed dry,that was a bonus. I have been working on his new tactic of lunging at me once he's in the trailer - he's figured out that I have to reach past him to tie him up so thought he would delay the evil hour and not let me do it. He's a lot better now. I know he is not frightened of the trailer so I have been making myself big with arms up when he lunges at me - seems to be working. Took him out yesterday in his trailer to local park and he was a bit sticky going in to come home. It took about 10 minutes of me making sure he was as "with me" as possible,moving his shoulders etc before he walked in. This is a great success!!!! Every other time he's refused,we've been there for hours,so 10 minutes is fine. |
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Post by kas on Apr 26, 2012 7:53:05 GMT
10 minutes is brilliant Snigs. |
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Post by snigsby on Mar 10, 2013 9:55:42 GMT
I have resigned myself to the fact that I won't ever be able to reliably load Khan unless I have someone else to help so, Plan B. This involves finding people who are willing to go to things I want to go to and putting their horses in first. Khan is a bit better then and I am hoping that other,easy loaders,will give him confidence or moral support or whatever it is that he needs to be comfortable with it. He travels like a dream and is learning to stand quietly in his trailer when we arrive and wait until I'm ready to unload him. Also stand in there once loaded to go home. So,yesterday we went to a Le Trec training day about an hour's drive away. Khan's first time in an indoor arena,never mind doing Le Trec. The girls doing the training were superb,they had it all organised and explained it very well. We had a demo,then a practice,then did a "test". We were all allowed to do it however we wanted,led or ridden,walk or trot or canter. Khan and I didn't canter as I was a bit worried about bucking (a la Mark Rashid clinic LOL) although he was quite chilled by the time our test came round and I probably was quite safe by then. We got marks for our walk! Woop,woop! And he did the maypole after just one practice! The bridge was a bit tricky and he absolutely refused to do it in hand but eventually consented to tiptoe over,ridden,a few times. With lots of sweeties. I was complimented for his lightness and his responsiveness to walking figures of eight and bending poles without hauling on his reins. There were 15 of us,with rosettes to 10th place. We didn't get one of those but we did get one for "most improved on the day". My clever,lovely boy!!! See,now,if only he would load for me then we could be doing this kind of thing lots and lots. But occasionally is better than never. |
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Post by snigsby on Mar 13, 2013 9:19:28 GMT
There are a couple of pictures on my Facebook page but I can't copy them because of the photographer's privacy settings. If you PM me with your name,then send me a Friend request,you can see them.
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Post by kas on Mar 13, 2013 22:46:13 GMT
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Post by snigsby on Apr 16, 2013 9:53:23 GMT
Well,after Khan came home from the beach ride and boasted to Rafferty about the great time he'd had,I thought I'd cheer the wee guy up. My latest child companion (I feel like Dr Who) is a 10 year old called Rhona who can ride reasonably well and thus off the lead rope. So I togged Rafferty up in his high viz rug and bridle and off we went for a walk! He hasn't done this for a couple of years,mainly because he is such a handful but the bridle makes an enormous difference. He loved it and so did I and Rhona steered Khan around the village very well. Rafferty likes to be in front,no surprise there LOL My plan is to do more of this until I feel confident in trying ponying Rafferty from Khan. |
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Post by kas on Apr 17, 2013 17:27:37 GMT
Oh, I wish we had a photo of that, it sounds great fun. |
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as I took other people's horses to shows and stuff in my trailer.
and was quite sweaty when we got home so I think it's still a work in progress.
