Latest from Horse & Hound in Loading-a-horse

Jason Webb’s blog: a visit to Australia and how to load your horse

Jason Webb — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 09:55:43 +0000

I have been having such a great time visiting my family, and spending time on the farm in Australia (pictured top). I love being among the cattle again, and seeing all the foals and youngstock produced from the line of horses that I grew up riding, and that have given my family so much success over the years; I just wish I could fit them in my suitcase home!

Before I got back to New South Wales, I stopped in Perth to catch the Australian Polocrosse Nationals, where members of my family were representing New South Wales. The level of play, horsemanship and quality of horses was outstanding, and made for a great spectacle, especially during the evening games under lights with a couple of beers.

I was very proud of my sister, Sandra, who unfortunately could not quite get the win against Queensland in the ladies’ final, and my nephew, Dan, who came away with a win in the under-16 boys’ division. Dan, who is 15, also won a best player award, and best Australian Stock Horse with the family’s home-bred Silver Hills Pearler. Pearler’s dam was Sandra’s outstanding mare, Doondi Sapphire, who won champion horse at the 2006 nationals. As for Will Weston, my brother-in-law, he won the men’s division and best male player of the whole competition. He has been deservedly selected for the Australian team at the 2019 Polocrosse World Cup, to be held in Queensland in April, and I am looking forward to meeting him on the pitch once again, as I represent the UK! As you can see, polocrosse really is a family affair for us.

After all that excitement, it has been nice just to relax and catch up the rest of the family. It is also giving me a chance to reflect on the past year and make some plans for the future. It is so difficult to get this “thinking time” at home, as there is always another horse to ride, another job to get done, or another school run to do!

I have been busy thinking about the demonstrations I am scheduled to do at Your Horse Live, which will be based on dealing with spooking. I was thinking about doing a loading demo, as it is one of the most frequent handling issues I get asked about, but watching the loading process can get a little boring. I thought it may be interesting to include this video of me loading a beautiful unweaned foal for the first time as part of this blog (see below). The aim was to make the process stress-free and safe for the foal, while enabling his owner to be able to travel him to a grading show. It is quite different working with a horse that has no preconceptions about the horsebox, and it demonstrates how loading is just an extension of teaching the horse to lead correctly.

Being away usually makes me a little nervous about what is going on at the yard at home, but I have full confidence in Hamish, who has been my assistant trainer for the past year. He really is becoming an excellent trainer in his own right, and it is great that I can get off-site without having to stop work at the yard. It has also been fantastic having Camilla Kruger, an Olympic eventer, on-site, and we’ve been having fun jumping the fences that she leaves up for us after her schooling sessions; Hamish is definitely a lot braver over a fence than I am!

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(Image credit: Reader)

Jason Webb’s blog: what makes a horse a superstar? I have the answer…

Jason takes a look at some of his favourite horses, both that he owns and those that he trains, and

Millie having a jump (Image credit: creditUnknown)

Although we’re both busy with our own work, Millie and I have spent the odd morning helping each other out with certain horses, and we all keep our ears and eyes open to pick up extra tips when she is having lessons from her trainers, Hannah Biggs and Darrell Scaife; quite a perk for Hamish and I. Millie kindly gave my 10-year-old daughter a jumping lesson the other week on her very sprightly 25-year-old pony, Gilly. Rosie now won’t stop talking about how Millie has changed her and Gilly’s jumping in just one lesson and how amazing she is! Poor old Gilly won’t know what has hit him, and Millie definitely has a new fan, although I’m not sure Penny and I could watch Rosie flying over those huge cross-country fences any time soon!

Jason

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My horse won’t load — what should I do?

Gemma Redrup — Thu, 27 Sep 2018 15:25:21 +0000

Jason Webb of Your Horsemanship is a renowned UK-based horse trainer with a passion for starting young horses, solving equine problems and teaching riders of all abilities and ambitions develop and strengthen the partnership they have with their horses. Here Jason helps one H&H forum user who is having difficulty loading her horse onto both a trailer and lorry

Q: “After having to move my horse several times in quick succession, he won’t load. He is not a bad traveller and not frightened, he just will not walk onto either a lorry or a trailer. I thought I was over it after spending a week practising where he was loading with oats as a bribe but we’re now back to square one. He has had a bit of re-training with a rope halter, and will walk backwards, but to be honest he is very bloody minded, and is not willing to accept the groundwork involved. What advice can you give me?”

A: Loading horses can be a very frustrating and time consuming activity and it is something I get called out a lot for! Problems can be exacerbated by the excitement of a show environment and often people can be left close to tears of frustration, following a long day competing and they want to do is ‘get home’, while their horse may have other ideas!

Of course, practising loading at home will help. However, it is your groundwork that you have to develop first so that you have the ability to calmly step your horse forwards, backwards and sideways. Most importantly for loading, I teach the horse to move forwards by giving him light taps with a schooling whip on the shoulder while maintaining a light pull on the halter. When they step forward, I stop tapping and release the pressure on the halter so they understand they have done the right thing. By repeating this process, a tap on the shoulder becomes the cue to walk forwards.

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This is then the technique to use when presenting your horse to the ramp of your horsebox or trailer. If your horse is reluctant to move forward to light pressure on the halter, tap them on the shoulder with the schooling whip until they step forwards. Again, as soon as they take one step forwards, reward that movement by releasing pressure on the halter and stop tapping. It really is a case of ‘one step at a time’ and patience is the order of the day!

At a show, their attention invariably wanders, which may cause additional problems loading. Regain their focus by lunging in small circles near the bottom of the ramp before representing him to the horsebox. Make them really work hard by regularly changing direction and keeping the head turned slightly towards you, especially if they have a tendency to keep looking around and not in your direction. This will also have the added benefit of making the horse think that the lorry or trailer is the ‘nice, easy’ place where they get a rest, and outside is where they have to work!

I have a loading video that can be downloaded from www.yourhorsemanship.com that explains these techniques further.

Visit Equo Events to find out more and to attend and take part in Jason’s Your Horsemanship clinics

Will my horse ever travel confidently again?

Gemma Redrup — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 15:25:27 +0000

Jason Webb of Australian Horse Training is a renowned UK-based horse trainer with a passion for starting young horses, solving equine problems and teaching riders of all abilities and ambitions develop and strengthen the partnership they have with their horses. Here Jason helps one H&H forum user with a loading and travelling problem after an incident on the road that knocked his confidence

Q: Travelling a horse after an accident: “I’m looking for some advice. My horse has always been fine travelling. He started playing up loading a little bit but would always go on with some carrots and a bit of pressure. He had always had good journeys up until recently when I took him to the vets for a lameness work up which resulted in hock injections. He travelled fine on the Monday — the transporter said he didn’t make a peep and I followed behind, but then we picked him up on the Friday (this time I travelled with him) and we had a bit of a trauma.

“I knew he wasn’t quite right when I went to load him as he went into rearing straight away even without pressure — usually rearing is his way of having a tantrum if I don’t quite release quick enough when he moves forward. I managed to get him on but he was stressed from the word go, kicking and striking out and then as soon as we got on the motorway he started rearing. On the final time he went right up and put his foot on the anti-weave grill and got stuck. Luckily the transporter pulled straight over and with a bit of brute force we managed to get him down; and fortunately the grill gave way. He was visibly very stressed, was dripping in sweat and shaking. I called the vet and they came within 20 minutes and gave him a fair whack of sedation and we managed to get him back safely.

“He is now back to normal (this happened around two weeks ago), but we are looking towards summer shows and booking transport to go once a month to a local riding club around 20 minutes drive away. I can hack there but it’ll take around an hour and a half. So my question is do I dare travel him again? When do you think is too soon to start travelling again? Should I leave him until the start of the show season (April) and then just try then or get something booked in monthly for some practice — short 10 minute drives building up to 20 mins for example?”

A: Ground work is the key here.

There are gaps in your ground work if your horse is reluctant to load and rears when you insist on a forward movement. The two most important pieces of ground work for transporting a horse are movement and patience. Getting your horse to stay calm and consistent when being moved forwards, backwards, left and right is something that can always be improved whether it be on our part or the horse’s.

The simple task of a horse standing patiently is not as easy as you think. If you stood still for five minutes holding your horse would they start to fidget or annoy you? If the answer is yes than your horse hasn’t learnt to switch off enough. To teach this I start with tying up first — I have a great exercise I do which is called standing on the tie, it’s easy and very effective. You can full training videos on these topics on my online training resource Your Horsemanship: www.yourhorsemanship.com

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Loading

You might be wondering why your horse was worse coming home from the vets than normal. It’s not because your horse has been treated badly. Your horse has a low tolerance threshold. This means that they will only put up with so much before they revert to their survival instincts fight, flight or freeze (fff). Each horse has a natural tolerance level some high, some low. This needs to be taken into consideration but it is important to realise it can be improved through correct handling.

Unfortunately, while your horse has been at the vets, he’s been given injections and moved into unfamiliar places etc. Then taken out after days of this and expected to do something else he’s not that keen on, loading and travelling calmly. This was the last straw and can bring on the type of behaviour you experienced. It’s what I call an accumulation effect.

I hear this time and time again with people taking their horses out. They load (“after a small hesitation”) at home and won’t load to come back. It doesn’t make sense to a lot of humans but to the horse, loading again is too much and they let you know!

Travelling

One of the rules of training horses is that they remember the last thing they did.

So if a horse is stamping their feet on the box and trying to jump over you when you take them off then they will associate that behaviour as the answer to being let off the box.

Another fact of training horses is that when they’re put somewhere they don’t want to be, their survival instincts will be their first option before they become thoughtful and look for another alternative. This is why things can get worse before they get better. The trick is to take them off the box when they’re calm. This tells the horse that their flight instincts are not helpful in this situation and they will be taken off the box if they relax and wait. If you groundwork is good and you repeat this process you will overcome loading problems and travelling problems.

It’s not always easy to do, I know. I’ve been there when a horse “kicks off” and your every being is saying get them out. From a training point of view this isn’t going to help but I don’t want a horse to injure themselves or their handler either. This is why all training should be done with process in mind. The first few trips I do, I take all the partitions out so if they do panic I know there is nothing in there that can injure them and often they settle a lot more the more space you give them. I can then be confident if they become unsettled that I can wait until they calm down before taking them off.

I have loading training videos on www.yourhorsemanship.com along with all the preparation work.

Jason Webb (Image credit: creditUnknown)

For more information on Jason Webb and his online training base Your Horsemanship, where you can learn a foundation in horse training with online lessons in groundwork, starting, and ridden fundamentals, visit his website

Gary Witheford: how to load a young or difficult horse [VIDEO]

Horse & Hound — Sat, 24 Jan 2015 12:52:01 +0000

Having a horse that’s difficult to load can scupper your plans for competing — and leave you feeling stressed and frustrated before you’ve even arrived at the event.

Horse & Hound visited natural horsemanship expert Gary Witheford at his Wiltshire base, to learn his techniques for loading a young or nervous horse.

Gary Witheford: teaching a horse to load

Tappers

Gary uses ‘tappers’ to help with loading. The light and narrow three-foot-long modified lunge whip is ued to ‘tap’ the horse on either side of the hindquarters, to encourage it forward into the horsebox. By standing either side, it can lessen the danger of being kicked, and help keep the hindquarters straight.

Loading the horse

Gary stands on the ramp so that the horse is a good distance away — 1.5m — and as he moves back the horse follows, responding to the pressure and release technique that Gary uses with his halter.

The ‘Double Diamond’ brand that Gary uses is a nylon rope halter with knotted pressure points on the top of the head, under the chin and under the throat: while you don’t pull at a horse, if it backs off and pulls at you, the knots tighten.

But as the knots are half-hitchers, if the horse stops pulling back, it eases off — providing pressure when needed and release when the horse comes forward.

Unloading the horse“Coming back down the ramp, the worst thing you can do is put a horse to the side of you,” says Gary. “Everyone’s taught to lead the horse down the ramp, but that’s giving them an opportunity to jump off. I always stand in front of the horse, and then I turn him and stand in the middle of the ramp and look straight at him. I don’t let him go by me — my body language and eye contact stops him.”

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Gary Witheford: how to deal with a problem horse [VIDEO]

H&H visited Gary Witheford at his Wiltshire-base to find out what the first steps are that he takes when dealing

Keen to find out more about Gary’s work? If Horses Could Talk by Gary Witheford with Brough Scott is now available at Racing Post books, priced at £20. Visit shop1.racingpost.com

Horse & Hound advises you to wear appropriate safety wear when loading

Jason Webb’s blog: Moving forward off the leg

Jason Webb — Sat, 24 Jan 2015 09:15:24 +0000

We’ve well and truly got into the swing of 2015 now and I even have to forgive all the rain last week as it gave me a new training tool in the form of a massive lake (pictured above).

Needless to say the horses that are in for training at the moment shouldn’t have a problem with water jumps in their future careers!

We also had our first coffee morning of 2015 where I worked with a tricky loader (pictured below) among other horses. Although loading could take up pages of writing, my main tips would be to establish a clear forward cue first and to never force a horse onto a horsebox or trailer no matter how frustrated you are.

I was reading the ‘Decoding and demystifying dressage’ article in last week’s Horse & Hound and was struck by one of Lars Petersen’s ‘Training gems’ (see box page 27, Horse & Hound magazine, 15 January 2015).

“All collection starts from the hind leg pushing. If the horse isn’t forward, there’s nothing to collect.”

What a great statement and while I am not necessarily looking for collection in the young horses I take in for starting, I am looking for them to push forward when asked. I like to think of this push as being an instant response to my leg with the horse making an effort, rather than a laboured pull forward.

When training starters, there are two points at which you may find resistance or objections from your horse. The first is when the horse is scared and goes into flight mode, which can result in tension, rushing or even bolting. The other is when you first ask the horse to push forward, or to ‘try’, which can lead to kicking out or ‘planting’ his feet.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

However, it’s not just starters that can have these resistant points. I have a beautiful dressage horse in at the moment for training that is currently working up to medium level who shows a lot of inconsistency off the leg, sometimes going forward but at other times bucking or kicking out. When a horse resists like this, it can cause the rider to back off and as a consequence, the horse may learn that they don’t have to push forward off the leg if they don’t want to.

This mare has done exactly that, and although she has come along way in her training she is now being asked to collect to a higher level without a consistent push from her hindleg, which I feel is the root of her problem.

These inconsistencies can begin to be solved by learning to recognise when he pushes forward with an instant response to your leg, and by being consistent in your asking to push every time, even if only for a stride or two.

However, before starting any work on tackling resistance to going forward, I make sure that the horse is fully loosened up and that I am able to disengage my horse’s hind end so I can take the energy out of him if he decides to resist by rushing or bucking, or I can move his feet if he decides to “plant” himself.

World Cup preparation

On a completely different note, I have just come back from a weekend at Onley Equestrian Centre, near Rugby. As player/coach of the UK Polocrosse team, I led our first training session in the run up to the World Cup in South Africa this July. I took three of my young horses, and considering it was their first run out in the company of others, I was extremely pleased with how they went.

I am also delighted to have been asked to do some more work for the charity Happy Endings Rescue. The sister to Claydon (the wild rescue pony that I took on a few months ago) is coming to stay this week. Like Claydon when he first arrived, she too has had very little human contact, so I shall aim to get her used to being handled and ridden so that she can hopefully be re-homed in due course.

As for Claydon, I am very happy to report that he has settled in really well with his new owner and is continuing to make good progress.

Jason

Jason Webb’s blog: Riders, don’t hang on to your horses!

Jason Webb — Tue, 21 Oct 2014 16:49:38 +0000

I have just returned from a very successful and enjoyable three-day camp held at Goonbell Equestrian Centre in St Agnes, Cornwall. Run over the Thursday, Friday and Saturday (17-19 October) the aim of the clinic was to encourage riders not to hang on to their horses.

Some riders are under the misconception that holding on to your horse is the same as maintaining a contact, whilst other more nervous riders hang on in order to create a (false) sense of security.

I wanted to get everyone attending to realise that they don’t need to do this and that by relaxing they can allow their horse to travel with much more freedom and have much more fun in the process.

Working with two groups of four, we worked on a number of exercises to encourage relaxation. Over the three days everyone had a go at a variety of different skills, including jumping, polocrosse and mounted games.

It was amazing to see the difference in both riders and horses by the end of the weekend. Challenging the riders to try something new and fun meant that they concentrated on the new skill, rather than hanging on to their horses and many actually began to push their horse forward.

Solving a problem loader

On the Friday night I did a demonstration that included a problem loader, getting a really unresponsive horse off the leg and an exercise with a renowned spooker.

As it turned out, the loader did not so much have a problem with loading as with his ability to focus on me. Once I had managed to gain and then maintain his attention, the loading came easily. Success for the owner too!

The second horse I used in the demo had become really unresponsive to the leg. By not repeatedly kicking when the horse was actually doing the right thing (ie not nagging) but expecting a response when I did ask, the horse began to respond much more positively.

Finally, I had great success with the spooker. I used an umbrella as a spooky object to try and teach him the idea of not needing to spook. By the end of the session, he was happily following the umbrella around. Whilst I am not suggesting that I have cured the horse of spooking, I hope I have given the owner a platform to work from.

Bridleless riding

Back on the yard I am still working with Claydon the rescue pony who is coming on really well. This morning I had my first ride on him. This went as smoothly as I could hope for – but more of that next time!

Diesel is also getting a lot of attention from me and the girls, as we prepare for a big event coming up.

I have been doing some work without a bridle which has proved to be a very interesting experience. It has really focused my mind and helped me to understand how my body, and even the tiniest of movements, influences my horse and the way he goes (see video below).

Food for thought and plenty to work on!

Jason

Loading harness wins innovation award

Horse & Hound — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 13:57:43 +0000

The invention of a harness to help a lone handler load a horse into a trailer or lorry has won an Aberdeen University lecturer £4,000.

Cath Brown took first place in the staff category of the university’s Blue Skies Thinking competition to produce an innovation for which there could be a market.

Miss Brown, of Laurencekirk, explained to H&H: “The harness will use a strap made from a type of Velcro, to enable a handler to apply pressure to a particular muscle group at the rear of the horse, encouraging it to walk forward.”

The equine science lecturer got the idea when she’d had trouble loading one of her own horses: “My 17.1hh Thoroughbred sometimes refuses to go into a horsebox and when a horse that size plants his feet in the ground there’s not a lot you can do without getting rough.”

Professor Dominic Houlihan, who co-ordinated the competition, said: “The judges were won over by the novelty of her idea and her strong business plan.”

The harness is currently patent pending but Miss Brown, who developed the idea at home, intends to manufacture it regardless.

She said: “A British company which doesn’t currently produce equestrian products is interested.”

The harness should be on the market by December retailing at around £100.

The academic has now been bitten by the entrepreneurial bug and is pursuing other ideas to benefit the lone equestrian. Last week the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) agreed to provide £5,000 worth of support to help her develop her business.

For more information visit: www.soloequestrian.com

Why some horses don’t want to load

Horse & Hound — Tue, 30 Jul 2002 00:00:00 +0000

If your horse is a happy loader, you’ll want to keep it that way; if he’s difficult, working out why is the key to his retraining.

We look at what might be on his mind as you lead him to the ramp…

“I’ve got no faith in your driving!”This is probably the most common cause of loading problems – if a horse has had a bad ride, it’s not surprising he subsequentlyshows reluctance to go into the vehicle again to repeat the experience.You simply cannot be too careful; it takes only one bad journey to undermine a horse’s confidence – or to shatter it completely if he’s already somewhat dubious about travelling.Don’t forget to take into account all those bumpy showgrounds you may visit. If possible, unload before tackling really rough or potholed areas and parking up – and if not, at least slow down.
“I don’t want to go to a show”Any negative thought connection a horse makes concerning a trailer or lorry will cause him to become awkward about being loaded.Bad experiences are obvious factors but these associations do not always relate to the actual journey or loading process.One owner I knew travelled her horse to shows or to clinics almost every weekend – sometimes both days.While she enjoyed these outings tremendously, her horse was less enthusiastic and soon realised that a journey equalled a hard work session. He became more and more difficult to load for the outward journey, but loaded happily when coming home.To prevent this happening, or if you suspect your horse may have a similar frame of mind, try boxing him out for some long hacks so that he makes a positive association between the box and a nice day out.
“I’m not going in with that bully”Not all horses travel well together so give some thought to compatibility.Although the presence of a confident horse may give a nervous one reassurance, this can backfire if the poor traveller ends up frightening the good one.Friction can also arise when horses are placed in such close proximity in a confined space. I heard of one livery owner who agreed to take her friend’s horse along with hers to a competition but was horrified to find on arrival that it had attacked hers over the top of the partition.It left one side of her horse’s neck cut and bleeding to the extent of needing veterinary attention and for sometime afterwards he was very reluctant to enter the vehicle again.Obviously this was an extreme example, but various levels of bullying do occur without the driver being aware and lead to unpleasant associations being formed.High partitions may help stop actual physical contact and injury but doesn’t stop a degree of intimidation from occurring.
“There’s no room to move in there”Ensuring your horse has ample spacewould seem an obvious point to make but surprisingly enough it’s not always obvious to everyone.One horse who was reportedly ‘impossible’ to load was hacked over to a yard I was working at to see if we could do anything to remedy the problem.The first time we tried loading him in our own trailer, we expected the worst.But although a little anxious, he clumped obediently up the ramp. Subsequent efforts to load him were also trouble-free and we were puzzled.But when the ownercame to collect him, her difficulties became immediately apparent as she led him up the ramp. Her trailer was far too small for him, both in terms of head height and length.It’s also vital that the horse has enough room widthways to spread his legs to help balance himself. When tied up inside the leadrope should be neither so slack he can begin to turn himself around or get his head caught under it, or so tight that he is unable to use his head and neck to balance.
“These boots are bugging me”Travel boots can be a godsend -they are quick and easy to clean and to pop on and off. But unless comfortable and a really good, secure fit, and the horse is already accustomed to wearing them, they can cause anxiety.If they are a little stiff he may feel as though his movements are restricted, causing him to become restless.This in turn can lead to the boots slipping and panicking him still further as he feels some unseen monster flappingaround his legs.One horse this happened to became so terrified he virtually destroyed the central partition of the trailer, kicking frantically at the loose boot.
“I like my feet on terra firma”The ramp of the lorry or trailer can itself cause some anxiety especially if it is lightweight and ‘bounces’ slightly under a horse’s weight, giving him the impression that this particular piece of ground is not very safe to stand on.This feeling of insecurity can also persist once inside and if the horse starts to panic a little and fidget around, this will increase the amount of movement occurring – thereby increasing the horse’s worries, so that it jumps around a little more and so on.Lorry ramps do tend to be heavier than those on trailers and give a more solid feeling beneath the feet, as does the floor of the vehicle, but they can often be quite steep.The change in sound as the hooves leave solid ground and move onto a ramp can alsobe alarming for some horses.While on the subject of noise, it’s also worth thinking about what your horse can hear when you’re in transit.Don’t tie haynets to the outside as they may bounce around (as well as becoming polluted by exhaust fumes) and try to avoid low over-hanging tree branches or passing too close to hedges in narrow lanes especially when pulling over to allow other vehicles to pass.The noise made can be extremely loud in the horse’s compartment, not to mention unexpected.
“I can’t balance when it moves”Another commonly experienced problem is that of the horse having difficulty in balancing while the vehicle is on the move.Research has shown that the majority of horsestravel better when they are facing backwards.While this arrangement isn’t always possible, it’s certainly worth experimenting with other positions, such as standing the horse diagonally, which may be a more comfortable position for him than facing directly forwards.Partitions can be a source of trouble too in respect of a horse’s need to move his feet apart in order to balance himself. If there is a gap at the bottom, the horse’s feet can slide beneath it and get wedged, causing a major panic.
“I simply won’t follow you”Lack of obedience and trust in the handler can lead to problems when loading whereas if your horse does have faith in you, you can use this relationship to encourage him to overcome his doubts.To increase the bond between you and your horse, try some training in one of the control halters marketed by horse behaviourists such as Kelly Marks and Richard Maxwell.If you use one of these to load though remember toswap it for a regular headcollar for the journey – never use it to tie him up with on any occasion.Read more travelling advice:
Top tips on loading
Q&A: Travelling a foal
Coping with a breakdown

Top tips on loading your horse

Horse & Hound — Tue, 18 Sep 2001 00:00:00 +0000

Horse behaviour specialist Richard Maxwell believes that traditional methods such as lunge lines behind the horse or even brooms up its backside are not the answer to solving loading problems.

“If you go behind the horse, he’s wondering where the pressure is coming from and thinks backwards.”

Instead, Max uses a pressure halter and body language to show the horse that it is more comfortable to load than to refuse.

There is no pain and no shouting; really difficult horses might throw themselves on the ground, which is why he insists that vehicles must be parked on good footing such as that provided by a manege, but they have to learn to be accountable for their own actions.

“We treat the horse as an intelligent animal and give him the options. You can’t train through negative reinforcement: I’m not going to tell a horse he’s wrong, he knows he’s wrong because he’s uncomfortable.”

Max stresses that pressure halters must be used intelligently and to “make the horse accountable for his actions.”

He starts by schooling the horse in the stable, teaching him that the comfortable place to be is near the handler. The horse learns that to make himself comfortable, he needs to step towards the handler when pressure is applied. “Using the halterlike this gets their minds at your fingertips,” says Max.

A pressure halter should never be used to tie up a horse. If he pulls backwards and meets unrelenting pressure, it may lead to panic and injury.

When he moves on to actual loading, Max uses a long leadrope so that he has enough room to move out of danger. It is important to be aware of the horse’s body language and adjust your own – Max stands on the ramp to encourage the horse on, but does not look him in the eye or take the aggressive posture so often seen when frustrated owners attempt to drag their horses on board.

“When the rope is slack there’s no pressure, and when it’s tight, the horse is accountable. I’m the ‘comfort zone,’ so if I am on the trailer or lorry, that is where the horse should want to be.”

Max’s tips for loading are:

Make sure the horse has safe, secure footing such as sand.
“If the horse becomes angry, let him be angry on his own. If we allow ourselves to get into a fight, the horse is always bigger.”
Do not turn the horse away from the ramp. “If you turn away, he’s scored a point against you. He can walk on to the ramp, he doesn’t need a run at it.”
However long it takes, see it through – it is an investment for the future.
Take partitions out to give more room to move around.
If the horse gets “stuck”, back him up a little. “Be careful, because horses can suddenly explode out of it. This is whyyou need a long enough rope to allow you to step out of the way.”
Unloading is just as important as loading. Get the horse used to standing for a while when the ramp has been lowered and waiting for you to tell him when to go down it.
Make sure that the right moves are easy and comfortable for him and the wrong ones are difficult and/or uncomfortable.
When you are schooling a horse to load, don’t stop as soon as you get him on board. Make sure he goes on and off happily several times.