Clambering aboard

[glenatron]

This evening we checked how the ponies are about loading on the new lorry, which is different from the old one in having a side ramp rather than one on the back.

Small hopped in and was fine. Zorro found it a bit more difficult- he was really good about going up the ramp but stopped half way up and just couldn't seem to figure what I was asking him to do. We realised that if he's not really travelled on a side-loading lorry in company he probably couldn't figure out what he was meant to do at the top and thought I was walking him up the side into a wall.

We opened up the partition but by then I'd lost a lot of try on Zorro's part and it was a lot more difficult. He was of the opinion that if I'd paid him proper accord at the start the job would be finished by now. The tricky thing is that I know he was right, but I don't know what I could have done differently, except maybe starting in a different place.

Either way, we ended up having a bit of back and forth- at one point he got right into the lorry but not being accustomed to having to turn around pretty much ran back out of it, getting his emotion up even higher- and we'd have got there eventually but he was getting quite irritated, throwing his weight around and generally being unimpressed. In the end we put sleepsy_mouse in the lorry with a dinner bowl with a handful of feed in it. Zorro pretty much dragged me up the ramp. We went in and out twice, pausing for tasty noms in the middle and that seemed to make for a cheerful cob.

I just hope I didn't use up too much of the positivity we've been building in our relationship lately. It's probably fine, but I hated the way we went from him following the gentlest feel to me having to use a lot of energy to get him moving forwards while we were working on it.

Comments

[makoiyi.livejournal.com]

Whatever works, and if the food worked then use it until he's happy and then gradually lessen it? Forex B's trailer had a side ramp to come out. Merlin is accustomed to backing out, so he leaped out in surprise, but I kept it quiet, and that's the thing. So easy to get frustrated with the loading thing and it sounds like you kept your cool.

[glenatron.livejournal.com]

I don't mind using food for this- he just needs to know the lorry is a nice place to be and if that does the trick then great. Also it gives him something to do while he's in there so he doesn't just turn around and come right back out.

The thing was that before we went over to that it was as though he really wanted to fight. He seemed angry more than anything else and it seemed to me that he felt I could have offered him a better deal on this. I think I probably just missed an opportunity on that front.