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[RC] re: advise on first time ride for baby - A. Perez"I recently bought an 8 month old colt. When I bring him home this weekend it will be his first trailer ride. I have two trailers one ramp one step up, both stock type two horse. Any thoughts on what one to use would be great. Also any advise on how to go about loading him for this first trip would be nice." 1. If at all possible, work with him on loading BEFORE the first trip. If that's not possible, plan to get there early so you can take your time loading him. Feeling hurried or pressured by time will make you anxious, and the baby may well pick up on that anxiety. 2. Don't just lead him to the trailer right off the bat. Take a few minutes to talk to him, brush him, lead him around, etc: take some time to get acquainted. 3. Use treats to bait him on to he trailer if needed. Lavishly praise and treat each step in the right direction. Ignore, or cally and quietly correct any back-siding or fussing. Give him all the time he needs to think about it. Don't get impatient if he decides to back out after getting half way on. Avoid ALL temptations to hurry him or to use force to get him on the trailer. If he started getting scared or seeming confused, take a break: lead him away fromt he trailer and ask him to do something he knows how to do (pick up his feet, etc). Give him some time to regain his compusure before trying again. Gently tapping on this rump with a crop or lunge-whip may help if he gets 'stuck' halfway up the ramp, but don't escalate to whacking on him if he is scared or really resisting. 4. If at all possible, load and unload him a couple of times before loading him 'for good'. I have found that horses often fear being trapped in the trailer, and settle down once they have figured out that they can in deed get out of it once they are in it. Of course if getting him on the first time has taken hours, and it's now 3:00 am, you are justified in shutting the doors and getting while the getting is good! 5. Once he is on, take a few minutes to feed him and praise him before shutting him in. Enjoy your new baby! ________________________________________________ Get your own "800" number Voicemail, fax, email, and a lot more http://www.ureach.com/reg/tag =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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