Last night and this morning, I worked on trailer loading with Dude. I haltered him and led him over to the feed shed to obtain his nightly feed in a bucket. He leads really well. He respected me while I was carrying the feed bucket. I had the trailer ready -- hitched up, back door open, butt bar open, escape door pulled "to" but not locked. Dude followed his nose (me with the bucket) into the trailer almost immediately. He stood well (eating) and I practiced banging the trailer sides and top, shaking it, stomping my feet, etc. Only a slight reaction to the shaking. No reaction to anything else. Chomp, chomp. I was still holding the lead rope, standing in there with him.
I decided that maybe the more he backs out the slower he will get. So, I put my hand on the lead right under the halter and said "back up." The first time, he ZOOMED back so fast it was unreal. I, of course, let go under his chin, but still had the long end of the lead rope. I got out with him, petted him and told him good boy and all and said lets get back in. I got back in and he followed readily. Resumed eating. I went back to making noise. I tried slamming the escape door and that made him back out fast, but not as fast. Again, he readily followed me back in and I slammed the escape door some more times to which he didn't react.
The next time he backed out it was on my cue. We got in and out a few more times and he got a little slower backing out each time. Still faster than I would like, but not break neck speed. He could slip and get hurt he is going so fast.
4H&H, I don't know if I could stop him during back-up at this point, until he slows down enough to be a little more reasonable.
I gave him lots of praise and pats and put him away for the night. Left the trailer hitched up for this morning.
This morning, Dude was a little reluctant to be caught, but finally realized I wasn't going away or feeding him. He came up and stopped for me in his feeding spot in the pasture. I had the trailer ready again. He followed me right in. He backed out on cue, still fast, but slowing down a little. I "futzed" with the escape door some more -- no reaction. I opened the escape door and climbed out, climbed back in, no reaction. Chomp chomp. I climbed out again and jumped up and down outside the door, stepped up and popped into the doorway and said "Here I am!" He slowly turned his head toward me, but was mostly unconcerned, continued to chomp.
Once, he anticipated my cue to back up before I gave it -- I was actually reaching to push the feed back together, but he thought I was reaching under his halter. I didn't like that anticipation, but we practiced in and out a few more times. The school bus came and went noisily, he looked out at it, but didn't spook. He slows down a little bit each time he backs out. I gave him lots of praise and reassurance each time.
Here's the thing... I want to try tying him with the bungee trailer tie that I bought and climbing out the escape door. I dread the broken halter that I am pretty sure will result, but I have to try it sometime. He may surprise me. The bungee tie has a quick release snap, but, if he's really freaking and pulling, I'm afraid I'll be too fumble fingered to get it loose. If he will stand tied while I go out the escape door, I will try going around and putting on the butt bar. Then, finally shutting the back door. Wish me luck. I'm only going to try the tying up today.
ETA: Mr. Eddie suggested that I try letting Dude get in ahead of me and then shut the butt bar. Its pretty sturdy, although I've been told not to shut butt bar or door until horse is tied up. It wouldn't matter with Dude, since he'd probably pull back and break the halter anyway and then end up hitting the butt bar. I might as well find out at home whether he's going to bust through the butt bar and/or the door rather than on the road, I guess. I am planning to go slowly enough that we don't have any wreck at all in the process, but it pays to envision the worst case scenario ahead of time.
Tuesday Pictures
3 weeks ago
2 comments:
4H&H said: You misunderstood or I wasn't clear. I didn't mean to stop him on the way out - but rather when loading him IN, start walking him into the trailer, stop with one foot in, back him out. Then progress to further and longer, but when you load him IN, not when you are taking him out. I know he will load, so if you can work on stopping at different points while loading, that may help..... .although, it seems like you have done well the way you are doing it. What I said is just another option, and it may still help you.
Actually, I have always heard that you should shut the butt bar first, especially when loading a horse yourself. That's how I would always do it. Be careful of the bungee, I was somewhere with my farrier, and the person had bungee crossties. He mentioned how they were very dangerous, because if the horse DOES manage to break them (or the snap), you in essence have a giant rubber band with a piece of metal attached snapping back towards either the horse's head or perhaps the handler.
Oh, on the way IN. That makes a LOT of sense. I will try it. I didn't end up working with him yesterday -- time, time is always getting away. You make a good point about the bungee tie -- it would probably break at the snap and put someone's eye out. Plus, if it whacked Dude, he might never get over it. Better just use the lead rope and tie it.
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