Dear BD:
So glad you are able to use the acupressure on your horses.
For the
mare, try following the muscle striations from the back of the
ear staying about 2 inches below the mane line and run down
about 4 inches through the muscles with your fingers. You may
find the hole by putting your fingers down into the muscling.
She may be heavily muscled in the poll area not allowing you
to find the acupressure point.
If she
is heavily muscled in that area I would recommend that you massage
that area quite a bit as she has been bracing and holding tension
there for quite awhile. Muscling throughout the poll and neck
should be flat and even and flowing with no bulges, thick areas
or noticeable delineations.
As far
as getting her back into the trailer when you are going back
home you need to take many things into consideration.
Does she
like the trailer? Sometimes after one trailer ride they will
not get back in if that ride has been uncomfortable (bumpy,
too fast, quick starts and stops, fast turns, etc.) without
much support to sway with. For instance: I borrowed a friend's
trailer a few times this Summer and it is an open stock trailer
with no support anywhere inside. My horse leans up against the
front of the trailer trying to find his footing and support.
After I used it the second time it was a real struggle getting
him to go back in from our trail ride. The ride was too uncomfortable,
unsupported and stressful for him to do it one more time. I
did get him in by myself after about 30 minutes of ground work
leading up to the trailer. So I am looking to use a different
type of trailer now which has plenty of support and a comfortable
ride for him. He has always loaded so easily that I know he
is telling me he just doesn't like the ride in this particular
trailer.
Other helpful
ideas for you: Try some Bach Flowers "Rescue Remedy". You can
find this at any health food or organic store. It comes in a
small glass vial and you can put a few drops on his tongue a
couple of minutes before you are ready to load. This plus your
acupressure work should help a lot to calm the horse down and
settle.
I load
all of my horses by myself and the trick is to get their shoulders
square to the trailer opening. If they twist one way or the
other or they get horizontal they are not going in. They need
to be going forward at all times so you can send them into the
trailer as they continue to walk forward with their shoulders
pointed forward and squared to the trailer. Give her as much
of an opening as you can.
Before
you load her do quite a bit of ground work getting her to walk
around you and move away from the end of your rope. If you have
one hand at her head and you are sending her forward with the
end of your rope toward or on her hip she should move straight
ahead or around you, whatever you are asking. You may have to
really firm up with her and absolutely have the goal of getting
in the trailer. Until you accomplish this ground work, she will
always be able to get away from you as you go into the trailer.
She will drop a shoulder, turn her body, pull back or go around
the side of the trailer. She has to keep walking straight ahead
and on into the trailer. Then I would reward her with her favorite
treats.
I've heard
others successfully use the lunge line through the trailer window
approach. You thread the lunge line through a strong opening
in the front or side of the trailer and hook it onto their halter.
You take the lunge line that is lying outside the trailer and
begin to pull the horse in while you are using a whip to tap
her from behind. With your pressure and pulling this will keep
her straight and your tapping hopefully will encourage her forward.
You may
also want to take a professional with you once away from home
and have a trailer lesson with your mare.
It's always
easier with two or more people to help you but I'm usually on
my own and need my horse to do as I ask.
I hope
all of this will help. My next newsletter will be out this week
so stay tuned. Sincerely, Mary Midkiff
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