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Good for you, Amanda...
Congrats on your patience.....
Pat
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "A. Perez" <walkergirl@xxxxxxxxxx>
To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, May 09, 2003 7:24 AM
Subject: [RC] loading success!!! (long)


>   Finally got Idiot Boy to walk on the trailer and let me put up
> the butt-bar and close the tail gate!  And NO panic!!!
>
>   Over the last two weeks, we had done four sessions where I led
> him on (trailer has a front escape door, and lots of space to
> stand in front of the breast bar), fed him grain and carrots,
> but let him back off whenever he wanted.  My goal at this point
> was to for him to feel comfortable inside the (very tiny)
> trailer.  After the first two sessions, I added making him back
> off when *I* told him to, but still let him back off when he
> wanted (the one time I tried tying him he panicked and FLEW
> backwards, snapping the line I had on him).  Until the 3rd
> session, the minute I left his head, he would back off.  By the
> third session, he would sometimes let me walk behind him, so I
> asked him to back off by tugging on his tail.  Since he was
> backing out so much, I figured this would be the focus of these
> sessions: backing straight off, without stepping off the tail
> gait.  I use two step-in nylon electric fence posts and stick
> them in the ground on either side of the tail gate, angled
> slightly inward so he feels them if he gets too close to the
> edge of the gate (these also come in handy for hitching the
> trailer: I place one so when the truck is in the right position,
> the bumper just hits it, so I know to stop when I see it move). 
> I tried the lunge-line trick, but he was still reluctant to
> self-load, so I decided to put that off a bit.
>     Last night I went out, and someone was parked in front of my
> trailer.  They left while I went to catch Cy (who usually comes
> when called but last night decided to play
> "catch-me-if-you-can").  Then another person parked me in.  I
> asked them to move, and while I was setting the trailer up, the
> vet came and SHE parked me in... SIGH... so I decided to lunge
> Cy while the vet did her thing.  I think that was a very good
> thing, as he clearly had 'an attitude' (think the gnats had him
> cranky) and the lunging helped with that.  Finally the vet left,
> and I could hook up the trailer (of course the two men present
> felt compelled to 'help' me and basically got in my way... hint
> to guys: please ask if your help is needed before stepping in!).
>  Finally: truck, trailer and horse are ready... if only I could
> get rid of the chatty farm owner who wanted to talk!  Cy and I
> did a couple of on-and-offs, then I got the lunge line and whip,
> ran the line in, over the chest bar and back, and started doing
> the J. Lyons 'tap-tap-tap' on the butt.  After a few moments of
> giving me a 'what the heck ARE you doing?!' look, and some
> evasive tap-dancing, he walked up, and I stopped tapping.  When
> he backed up, I'd resume tapping.  EUREKA!  Actually, I think
> the chatty guy helped: since I was talking to him the whole
> time, it kept the mood calm and relaxed, no big deal.  I had set
> up grain and carrots in the trailer, so while CY ate those, I
> quietly put up the butt bar.
> No panic!  Put up the tail gate - again, no panic! (One of the
> nice things about Brenderups is how quiet they are: no metal
> means no clanks or bangs). Then I went round to his head and
> plied him with praise, pats, and carrots.  He was concerned, but
> calm.  I let him finish his grain, and after being on the
> trailer for a few minutes, I unloaded him and turned him out to
> pasture.  Next step is a short drive!
>
>   By the way - the reason I asked about the twitch is that I
> have heard people say that it actually relaxes horses, and I
> wanted him to relax on the trailer.  Is this true?  I have never
> had to use one.
>
>   What I learned from all this is that some techniques work, but
> only when applied at the right time.  I had tried the lunge-line
> and butt-tapping thing earlier in the process without luck. 
> Only after he was comfortable being lead in, and becoming
> familiar with the inside of the trailer, did this work.
> For Cy self-loading had to come later int he process.  Of
> course, this is a horse that had trailered before, just not in a
> tiny one-horse.  I understand hos concern: with the butt-bar up,
> he is almost wedged in there!
>
> I AM SO EXCITED!  Can't wait to go ride in Manassas battlefield
> park!
>
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