Help/Advice needed for moving Ace to new yard

k8te

New Member
Jun 8, 2008
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Ringwood, hampshire
Right the time has come to move Ace to his new/old home, and i am starting to panic. All the times i have moved him it has been horrific, him getting a leg stuck through a window, climbing over the partition........

I think his problem is that he has always travelled in company, so have asked friend if i can borrow one of hers, which she said yes. But i just tried to get him in the lorry by himself for his dinner, as plan is to start exposure to the lorry. He goes in fine, its when you start to shut him in he starts to panic. And even though he didnt do much, he wasnt listening and in no way was going to budge over. Walked him out, and then back in...Oh i dont know I feel so sick, having flashbacks of what happened on previous journeys.

I wish he was fit enough, and not as nappy as he is as i would really consider walking him, but it is about 9 miles. Not sure i could walk that :redface: I have sedative, but not sure i want to use it, as it isnt helping the matter just masking it and if he starts to come round he may really freak!

i just want a magic wand and be there :cry: Any advice or support will be greatly received x x
 
Could you hack him there with a very fit foot soldier, or even someone with you on a bike - just at the ready to get to his head if things get a bit too spooky?

Even if he isnt fit, under the circumstances, I would much prefer to hack him there, just set out early at a slow amble? Doesnt matter if it takes all day does it? Or how would he be if someone hacked with you?

The last horse we trailered freaked out and ended up on the floor, under the bars and up again and facing the back on the other side of the trailer. My Oh flatly refuses to tow ANY horses EVER again - and I must say it has shattered my nerve for travelling them a bit too! So I do know that sick feeling you speak off.:frown:

9 miles isnt actually that far, used to hack a horse 10 miles to the gymkhana, compete and hack home again. But she was fit I have to say.
 
I know that sick feeling only too well. I've walked a pony 8 miles to a livery yard before as he didnt trailer at all - lorry yes, trailer no.... Friend came with me and we actually had quite a nice time:smile:

Sedate him if you need to - it's only 9 miles so I cant see it wearing off before you get there. this is for travelling btw not hacking just incase someone reading this get the wrong idea!

Good luck and try not to worry too much about it - I was making myself feel sick with the thought of moving Archie last Saturday but we survived and so can you
 
Thanks for your replies.

I have got my dad to look for any bridal paths which i could use if i was to walk/hack him, as the road we would use for some of the journey is a 60mph :hot:

I think i will try him again in the lorry and see if friend can put hers in also and see what he does.

Just dont know what to do for the best...........Will update tomorrow, thanks again x
 
Can you leave the lorry open for him with some hay in so he can come and go in it for a while - dont know if this would be so feasable with a lorry, its what we did with our trailer, left both the front and back ramps open and let them wander about it for a few days in their field.
I think I would use the sedative if you cant get him used to the lorry before, it will only take you about 15 mins to drive down, it wont have worn off by then,get everything else ready before you load him last.
We had to sedate one the other day to be clipped and he was out of it for about 4 hours!
And dont forget to breath :wink:
Hope it goes ok for you - how exciting :smile:
 
My concern with him being sedated is getting him to walk in and out of the lorry, as ramp quite steep, he trips over his own feet when straight! :giggle:

It is exciting, but getting stressed by it all. I hate moving :cry: x
 
ry. He goes in fine, its when you start to shut him in he starts to panic. And even though he didnt do much, he wasnt listening and in no way was going to budge over. Walked him out, and then back in... x

actually, that sounds quite positive for a first attempt for a while

How long have you got to practice ? Can you do a couple of days just going in and eating without shutting the ramp?

Also sedation doesn't have to be knock out. You could try a syringe calmer, if they work on him, or talk to your vet, explaining exactly what the problems are. A decent horse vet should be able to give a fairly accurate dose, to calm him down without making him drunk;)
 
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hi!

we hacked our horses about 11 miles to their new yard as my friends cob wont load very well and no-one had transport they would lend us for some time to get him happy....it went really well, even had to cross a massive flyover, they were stars :)

also i am currently teaching a friends horse to load onto a trailer, she's very panicky when being locked in, i am keeping a mini diary if your interested! http://www.newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=228980

also agree start with little and then you might be surprised how much they want to progress :) our first day trailer practising was no pressure whatsoever, just wanted to see what she could cope with - and that meant only standing on ramp and poking her nose in the trailer, now 5 days in its going great! we still have a LONG way to go, i feel when the trailer is somewhere else and not in her paddock she will freak out again....but hey we will get there i am sure!
 
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Jack didn't travel well.
When it came to coming home from vet he didn't stop and climbed straight over the breast bar. He hung like that while we run to get two vets to help get him off because you couldn't lift the dam bar!
We selected to sedate, it was hour journey and we were ok. So i would opt for this if you are worrying. Worry transfers down your rope .
 
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I've got awful anxiety when it comes to loading. I wish they made a 'loading and trailering with confidence' hypnotism cd, like the one for hacking with confidence lol! That in turn transfers to my horse and he just doesn't trust me.
I have fingers crossed things go well for you. Hopefully the other horse will be a calming influence.
 
Ok so after a few tears last night, woke up this morning afresh. Went out and put electric tape off the gates of the lorry as it is just outside Ace's field, put his breakkie in it and a haynet, took his fly mask off and opened his gate up. He was watching me all the time so knew his food was in there, he was a bit hesitate at the ramp but i decided to let him do it in his own time, and i wen and sat on the bench, looked at me and up he went. I decided to move away as could feel my heart beating, and didnt want him to pick up on it, so started to poo pick his field. He came out twice to have a look, then went back in himself.

Him loading has never been a problem, its the shutting in he doesnt like, but have decided to do this again tomorrow morning, then on Friday have the partitions open but close the gates and see what happens, if all ok do this for a couple of days, then try and close his partition. May do this all with his little friend, to make it easier but he does need to learn to travel by himself also, i'll see how brave i am.

He stayed in there for almost an hour, i sat back on the bench he came out to say hello, then back in to eat, typical forester!

Thinking to all the times i have had to load him, they have all been so stressful and i think i am just going to have to keep at it in a calm manner, and if all else fails i have the sedative! x x
 
I've got awful anxiety when it comes to loading. I wish they made a 'loading and trailering with confidence' hypnotism cd, like the one for hacking with confidence lol! That in turn transfers to my horse and he just doesn't trust me.
I have fingers crossed things go well for you. Hopefully the other horse will be a calming influence.

I wished they did also, maybe one for them to listen too :giggle: And thanks i hope it all goes ok also x x
 
Good luck - nothing much to add apart from use the sedative if you need to. Depending on what you have it should last up to 5 or 6 hours. We got the vet out to give one when Joe had to go to the hospital.
Positive vibes to you!!
 
Well 3 more attempts of him loading himself for either his breakfast or dinner. Today was the first time he never came back out for a noisy :giggle: Even when my friend came up to feed hers, did turn round and have a look at hubby though.

I just dont seem to have time, i should have started this ages ago. Hopefully tomorrow we can load friends pony first then Ace and attempt to close the partition :hot:

Was speaking to RI, who used to travel him twice a week either in a lorry or a trailer, and she says he is much better in a trailer, but then she never had the problems i do! Funny enough when he talked to the horse whisperer, on the report, she asked him about the climbing out of the lorry, and he told her he prefered a trailer :giggle: So anyway she is speaking to this lady to see if she can come with her trailer and one of his old pals, and if he goes on and stays on, i am buying myself a trailer.....

When in the lorry today i went up and stroked him, he was calm as anything, asked him to budge his bum over so he would be in the right position and i thought here we go, but turn did a full circle instead of a few side steps, i started to move the partition towards me, and he was looking and i decided best not, with him with no headcollar on,me in the way of his bid for freedom if he so choosed, and my hubby and dog right at the bottom of the ramp, but i just held it closer then it has been, he just carried on eating his hay with his ears on me.

Here's for tomorrow x x
 
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