Leslie om lasting…

Hun tar for seg et typisk eksempel. Hesten spaserer rett opp på rampen men bakbena står plantet godt i bakken. Hva nå?

All tekst : Leslie Desmond.  

1 . This is a typical case of a horse who is actually unclear about the job he has when being asked to get into a trailer. What appears to be a refusal to get in, is just his sureness, as you can see from the position of his forehand, and the willingness to place his front feet on the ramp, that it is not his job to place the back feet underneath him and complete the loading process.  You can easily see from his demeanor (mood) that he is not generally resistant to the idea of getting near, or in, a transport. His hind legs, which are naturally responsible for the movement of the forelegs, appear to be stuck. In fact, he is waiting for someone else to come and load the back half of his body up the ramp....as he was taught to do in former times!
 
2.  - I always encourage a horse to prepare to unload from the trailer calmly before I ask him to get all the way inside.  This way, if he has to come out because he is not yet confident enough to stay in, and cannot  stand still while tied in there, he has a clear idea that just "getting out" is not safe enough, or good enough. A horse who has a habit of blasting out backwards, or sideways, or tipping over in the trailer in an effort to relieve the fear of entrapment is dangerous to be around. A horse that can unload calmly using the good balance that two independently operating diagonals provide, is worth his weight in gold. It is worth taking whatever time it takes to build in this foundation so the horse, and all the people who will load him after I am long gone from his life, will have a safe and reliable experience. Te ensure this, the horse needs to be very clear about the job he has, and the way he is expected to do it. 
 

3. - Before he can learn how to get in using feel and release instead of the force-and-fear combo he may have learned at some earlier time, we first have to remind him, and show him, that the old way is no longer the plan!
So, we let him stand there. No hurry. Mentally, he is already in the trailer, His head is facing the right direction, he is not stressed, he is waiting to see what I will do next. I use this time to let him think about how he will start to use those back legs and step up underneath himself, a step that will shift his balance in a way that encourages him to walk up the ramp on his own.  In former times, it was a two-person job to load the horse. Soon, it will be effortless, and he will understand how and when to place his feet to get himself loaded up and ready for the trip!
 
4 -  After some few minutes, I ask him to step forward again. It is easy to see in this photo that, again, he is unsure if he is supposed to step all the way up the ramp on his own, or wait for someone to load his hips up on the ramp  there for him.  A horse like this has traditionally been handled on the left side by a right handed person, and so his default response (meaning usual and, generally, first response) to pressure on the head that is presented at the shoulder, is to get defensive or heavy on the left shoulder. As he has no previous experience being lead freely into a trailer, or driven past someone into a trailer, this re-training job is a step-by-step procedure. If enough time is taken and you proceed slowly enough that he can pace with the program mentally, then soon he will physically be able to reflect his new understanding of this simple task: "Please, step into the trailer!"  I always smile when people with horses that do not load easily tell me they have no other problems with their horse!  "Does he lead up freely? Can you tie him?" I often ask. "Oh, sure, I can lead him anywhere, and tie him anywhere.  Honestly, that is no trouble at all, he just won't load!"  Well, then, if he can be lead and tied anywhere, please lead him into your trailer and tie him up so we can go!  Of course, at this point, the horse is clear that they are not clear about the real job, and it is a matter of time before wise owners and trainers discover the error of their previous ways.
 

5 -   A little break for comfort and reassurance between efforts to change an old habit. Horses, it must be remembered, are thinking, decision-making beings who, when given the chance, are able and willing to do their best to help us with our work, whatever job it is. Changing any pattern takes time and should not be rushed. Think of the person who is, for example, "trying to stop over-eating", or "starting tomorrow" going to "try" to stop smoking. Biting t he finger nails, drinking too much, yelling at loved ones, and so on. What we know, and what we are able to DO, is not always the same thing and takes time to develop. With a decision to change, and regular practice of new habits and patters, muscle memory changes in 4-6 months and there is little chance that an old bad habit will return. First, however, the decision to change has to be made. "Trying" and "deciding" are not the same thing.
 

6 -  Another attempt to step up onto the ramp himself.  I offer him a  little suggestion at the halter knot to step forward, and then I am prepared to wait and let him think. If I am clear that my job is to prepare him to be able to get in, not just to get in, then there will of course be no thought about hitting him or hurrying him while he sorts out the new procedure. After 12 years of doing things one way, he needs time to think. So, I let him get ready, and let him decide, so that when he does finally step all the way in, and stand still waiting for me to shut the back and tie him, the achievement will be 100% his. We must remember that to "triumph over a horse", or "win" the battle at the back of the trailer just ensures that future battles will also have to be won, or lost. This is not only a tremendous waste of time and energy, but sets up an undercurrent of bitterness in the relationship that carries over to other negative expectations under saddle, when the vet or farrier comes, and at the pasture gates, at feeding time, and so on.
 
 

7 - Here, I take the time it takes, so he is sure. 
 

8 -  He is ready! And up he goes! The days when it took two people three hours to load the horse are a thing of the past! 
 
 

9 -  He is ready to stay in there by himself for a while!   When I reach this point with a horse that has been historically tough to load, this is exactly the time I don't shut the door and tie him up!  In a situation like this, if we can just change his expectation of human beings long enough, he will draw new conclusions about what it means to be loaded, shut in, tied and driven around in a dark, loud, stuffy box that puts him off balance at high speeds!   He can overlook the inconvenience, he can adjust to new presentations and expectations, when he is given the benefit of the doubt, and enough time. Of course, there is the matter of feel and timing that has to be considered here, and when a student of the horse takes the horse's point of view into consideration, that is when the real growth takes place  -- not only in those two individuals, but between them as well.
 
 

10 - Now, after standing in there for 5 minutes or more, instead of taking a road trip,  I unload him step by step. In this way, his understanding about the job develops another dimension, and he breaks the pattern of resistance, and reciprocal fear and force that has existed in the previous horse-human dynamic.

En stor takk til Leslie Desmond som har tatt seg tid til å skrive og vise dette case steg for steg . Denne hesten var ”deltager” ved et av kursene Leslie hadde i Norge i vår.