Ideas for training a youngster to understand a lorry ramp

[ChrissieW]

For those that don't know Daisy, my filly's history - she's 20 months old and been travelled twice in her life, both these times she has travelled like a pro once in the box, but has been loaded like a baby - ie linked hands behind and carried up the ramp.      The last time she travelled home to me, we spent 5 hours trying to coax her up the ramp of the lorry before she was carried up.

Obviously I need and want to get her over this, not immediately, have no time frame and don't plan to attempt any proper loading till the longer days and summer, but I want a bit of plan as to how to proceed.

Her issue I believe is not that she is scared, she travels literally like a pro, stands in the box calm as anything, unloads calmly etc etc.     Will approach and stand at the bottom of the ramp calmly and will even put her front feet on, but I don't think she understands what a ramp is and how to approach getting herself up there.

I have a loose plan of working with the clicker, so no pressure - maybe a target.     Also had ideas of getting her walking over strange surfaces etc in the school - may be towards a target.

Up to this weekend she hasn't been near the lorry since she came to me in December, but on Saturday my sister had it out and the ramp down, so I just let Daisy approach it and I was extremely pleased that she was happy to do so and stood quite calmly and interested at the bottom of the ramp.     I clicked and treated her for standing calmly, then touching the ramp with her nose and we finished with her moving a front foot forward to reach a treat a bit further up the ramp.     I left it at that and was really pleased.

Clicker people or anyone else really with any ideas (doesn't have to be clicker orientated) - am I on the right lines, any other suggestions/ideas.

I thought that maybe if I got her targetting something consistently and going to the target over tarpaulin in the school etc, it may help her to understand she goes up the ramp to touch the target?

As I say, I have no time frame on this, she doesn't need (hopefully!!) to go anywhere.    If she learns how to load and is happy doing it, we may do a short trip to an in hand show in the summer, but if not, that will wait till next year.

Wasn't sure whether to put it in here or clicker training, but whilst I think clicker may be the way to go (she loves her food!), I'm not adverse to any other ideas.

[shoveltrash]

CT is a good way to approach this.  also i have found that youngsters sometimes benefit from seeing another horse walk up the ramp .

[ChrissieW]

Thanks ST, luckily Minnie will walk up and down a horsebox ramp all day and stand quietly in as long as she has food, so that is a definite possibility.     We tried that on the day we brought Daisy home, but she didn't know Mins, but is very bonded with her now, so am hoping that will help.

[ros]

One thing we did backalong with a yearling learning about loading was to put a piece of carpet at the bottom of the ramp to cover the gap between ramp and the ground. As soon as the whole thing looked solid she walked straight up.

[ChrissieW]

Thanks Ros, that's another good idea, will add that to my list of things to try.

[janehon]

Do you have a bank you can reverse upto? Making the ramp appear more level has always worked well for me with youngsters. Living in a hilly area has some advantages!

Straw over the ramp is another thing that seems to help if it a distrust of the ramp but can make it slippy depending on the ramp covering.

I had a similar thing with my neddy only she disliked (hated is more like it) the ramp on the trailer - walking her across it gave her more confidence. She is still not good at loading in the trailer (a pressure halter for encouragement normally persuades her) although practically loads herself into lorry!  My nice dad has done up our 30yr old box though and put it on a new chassis for us so we don't need to worry now!!

[ChrissieW]

Hmmm......well the horses live on the top of a hill, so I should in theory be able to find somewhere like that.        See another good idea, that I do know, but hadn't thought about the possibilities in this instance! 

I think I will have a bit of a recky round the yard at the weekend and see if I can find any good places.

I honestly believe that once Daisy realises what she has to do, she will be fine, as she has proved to be an absolute angel in every other situation and even with the loading, she isn't bargy or scared as such, just a bit 

[Heather]

Kelly Marks did a great exercise for this at a loading demo. She had a wooden structure made, and with it lying flat,  led the horse over it. Horse baulked a few times then nearly jumped it, then started to walk over it calmly. Kelly then had someone put a round pole under it, so it made a slight slope and then tipped the other way as soon as the horse reached the fulcrum point, a bit like a seesaw. Within a few more mins, horse was calmly seesawing on the ramp substitute. Within a few more mins, the filly was loading like a good'un, up and down the ramp of the lorry without hesitation.

You could probably get away with even an 8x4 piece of ply or sterling board, and then just introduce the pole or a slightly higher log as Daisy gets used to it.

Heather

[renta]

In difficult situations I have reversed the trailer to the stable door (or to the riding hall door) no space between the ramp and the door. It has worked. I could load that horse mostly alone..but sometimes she decided not to go??
In your situation I hink it´s better to progress with small steps as it´s told earlier here .

[ChrissieW]

Thanks Heather  , I have been trying to think of how I can build a low ramp like structure to use in the school, but couldn't quite figure out how to have a ramp without having a drop on the other side - didn't think of a see saw type thing 

Will have to get my carpenter brother in law on the job I think on ideas.

I think this might be a good way forward, as I could then work independently of the lorry to get Daisy's confidence up.

renta, good idea, but unfortunately the way our yard is built there is no way you could even get a trailer down to the stables, as they are small yards with stables facing each other and only about 1.5 horses width for the yard bit.

Thank you all though for your ideas, its given me lots of things to work on and I agree renta, I think breaking it all down into little tiny steps is the way to go.     I think I need to make sure I have it all clear in my head as to what I'm aiming for each session before I start though.

[Larri DB]

Conversly I have see the practise on a ramp substitute not work at all when it comes to actaully loading onto a box.

Safi's breeders (despite having a box on the yard ) practised loading her by walking her up and down an old horsebox ramp they had between two levels on the yard.

She'd go up and down that all day long, but go up one into a large echoey box...not on your life mate 

When I had to retrain her and Bally I used gentle pressure and release and broke it into to very small stages with a little progression each time -  lots and lots of praise as well as pressure release as a reward for any tries. To the point both of them surprised me by going on earlier than I had planned!

There's lots about it in Bally's blog from last year Chrissie if you don't mind wading through all the guff

[ChrissieW]

Thanks Larri, I have been meaning to recheck your blog as I thought I remembered you did a lot of stuff with Bally.      Will try to fit it in this weekend I think, as would like to make a start with Daisy once the clocks go forward next weekend.

I was very pleased with her the other day, as she did happily put a front foot on the ramp, so will just get that consolidated and then try to move for two feet, then a back foot etc and see how we go from there.

If it takes all year, it takes all year, I'm not bothered - except if she outgrows the horse box in that time!!!! 

I've also had the offer of trying her with a trailer by another livery, so may give that a go, although would prefer to get her going in the lorry.

[Larri DB]

I think it's a good idea to get her used to going on both a lorry and a trailer if you have the chance, you never know what might happen in future 

If Daisy is happily offering steps on already then you really are off to a flying start - what a good girl she is!

[Jane C]

I use CT & the approach and retreat method to teach loading - first of I just do a bit of targeting my first and then using that to get a walk forward.  I also do some back up from the halter.  All of this is done near the lorry/trailer. Once we have got targeting and backing up going nicely - I then start targeting so that we walk towards the ramp - a few steps forward and then back up - but one step less so wear slowly get closer.  I just keep this forward and back going and when we get to the ramp, I walk backwards up it and ask for a stretch target at first, so that they have to stretch their noses out, but don't have to step up and them immediately back up. 

Depending how concerned they are about the ramp/lorry/box - it could take quite a lot of forward and back on the ramp or sometimes they will happily follow you up.  The main thing is to stay relaxed and no pressure and always back them out/off so that they get a double reward for doing the difficult thing - the click to tell them that is correct, and backing off to remove the pressure of standing somewhere they feel uncomfortable.

Daisy sounds like she has made a great start so you may well find that you are up the ramp in no time.  Just keep making a CT game of it on a regular basis  given her age and I am sure you will have no loading problems

[ChrissieW]

  Thanks Jane, that's really useful step by step for me, I really appreciate it.    Has made what I need to do much clearer in my mind 

Now I just have to find the time to do it, roll on the clocks going forward!!