Mocha

I specialize in problem horses. I have always attracted them and I have always had a reputation for working through things with them. Heck, it's how I ended up with Ozzy! I am especially good at working with problem loaders and horses who rear.

Last week I got a call while Erin and I were out to lunch.

"I'm looking for Dom."
"This is she. How can I help you?"
"I got your number from a horse rescue."
"SRF?"
"Yes."
"That makes sense since I work there," I laughed.

Crystal was calling to enlist my help with the mare she rides, Mocha.
"You are our last hope," she told me.

Mocha is a 14 year old thoroughbred mare owned by a girl named Melissa and ridden by Crystal. Melissa has owned Mocha for two years. Before that, another woman had her for eight years. Before that, she was a racehorse. When Melissa bought Mocha, her former owner, the woman told her right up front that she will not get in a trailer. Apparently, the poor thing had been abused badly at the track and the trailer loading process included the use of a cattle prod. Sure enough, the mare wouldn't load. They drugged her, picked her up, and got her in the stock trailer. She hasn't gone anywhere since. In the meantime, everyone and their mom, cousin, friend, and neighbor has tried to get Mocha over her issues. Countless professionals have tried and failed.

I went out to meet the girls and their mare yesterday, and for a while it looked like I had met my match.

Mocha is dark, dainty, and very much a lady. She is fat, shiny, and everything a thoroughbred should be.Her care is obviously everything it should be and someone has clearly put a lot of time into training her to be a good citizen. The mare is friendly, easy to handle, and has great manners. She respects space and is responsive, but not flighty. She is about the calmest thoroughbred I have ever met, and I am told she's a pleasure to ride.

Crystal wants to take her on a beach ride on Sunday. Actually, she wants to buy her from Melissa, but trailer loading is a must.

It turns out the barn is Homer's new home. He passed me in the driveway and gave me this, "How did you find me?" look. I get that a lot. After I met everyone and Herbie got her butt kicked by the resident pig, Lila, I went outside to evaluate the mare. She actually marched right up to the trailer and put her front feet on the ramp. I thought, "Piece of cake."

Two and a half hours later, she still hadn't gotten on the trailer.


The biggest challenge is that this mare isn't actually afraid of the trailer itself. She didn't panic at the sound of her feet hitting the ramp. She wasn't worried about getting in a cramped space. Noises and movements didn't bother her. In fact, she seemed to know what the right answer was. She just couldn't physically bring herself to do it.

I started with my usual technique and explained what I was doing to the girls. Mocha tried every avoidance trick in the book. She flew backwards. She reared. She barged through me. She spun in circles. She stood sideways next to the trailer. A few times she even got away from me. I just let her go. She couldn't go anywhere and I wasn't about to get in a fight with her. Every time her back feet hit the ramp, she'd explode.

The good news was that the mare was definitely trying. I could see the wheels turning in her head. She wanted to please and she was getting as frustrated as everyone else.

As she had a minor melt down, the girls asked, "Why is she doing that?"
"The way you feel about her not getting in the trailer is the way she feels about me not going away right now."

I got Mocha to the point where everyone else gave up, then pushed her further. She broke, freaking out and working up a sweat. For a moment, I wondered if I'd pushed too hard. By then it was dark and it was pretty clear that I wasn't getting her in the trailer any time soon. There comes a point at which a horse is just not going to learn anything and you need to cut your losses. I decided to pick a positive note to end on. In the end, I got her standing next to me, facing sideways, but with all four feet next to me. When she relaxed, we called it a night.

I have never had a horse I couldn't load in the first session. Mocha was officially my biggest challenge to date. People at the barn were taking bets against me. Facebookers came out with all sorts of really awesome advice, which I ignored. Thankfully, Melissa and Crystal had faith in me.

"What you just did with her was incredible," they told me. "Nobody has ever gotten that far."

I went back today. Mocha came right over in the field and picked up exactly where we left off.

Unfortunately, not everything went smoothly. At one point, she lost her focus and tried to bolt for freedom. I foolishly thought I could stop her and she knocked me clean off my feet and ran over me. I had enough time to think, "O shit," as I hit the ground. I tucked into a ball and covered my head. I hit the sand pretty hard, but nobody was hurt. Thankfully, the episode seemed to scare Mocha more than anybody and she stopped reacting violently after that.

I spent a lot of time teaching her to move her hindquarters over on a hand cue to prevent her from getting crooked. I also taught her to step up when I tickled the point of her shoulder with the whip. We got to the point where I could stand in the trailer and direct her body without moving from my spot.

By then, the girls had left me to my own devices while they did barn chores. Slowly and painfully, Mocha and I made progress. First she put four feet on the ramp. Then she backed off. Next she put two feet in the trailer itself. Then she flew back. When we got to three feet on the ramp and one foot in the trailer, I cheered. We were going through cookies at an alarming rate, and I was grateful that Mocha will work for food. I don't believe in bribery, but I do believe in food as a reward. Eventually, I got Mocha with two feet in the trailer and two on the ramp. She stood quietly and I praised her.

I slipped my phone out of my chap and called Crystal. "Come around the side of the barn... quietly. I think you need to see this."

By the time they came around the corner, Mocha had three feet in the trailer. The girls gasped and asked if they could hug me when I was done. With bated breath and absolutely zero pressure on Mocha's head, I brushed her shoulder  and clucked my tongue. Mocha dropped her head and walked into the trailer. I thought Melissa and Crystal were going to cry. But Mocha wasn't done. She took two more steps into the trailer, cocked a foot, and waited for her treat.

I promptly backed her out of the box and got tackle hugged.

Mocha looked at us like, "That's all you silly humans wanted?"
Amanda's Ozzy walked away. "I told you the answer was get in the trailer."

I can go back to saying I have never met a horse I can't trailer load, but of course that's just the first step in the process. Tomorrow I go back to see if Mocha has learned anything or if it's just a fluke. The immediate goal is to get Crystal to her beach ride, but long term, I want the girls to be able to load the mare themselves. Eventually, it would be great to get her over her fear of trailers all together. This week will be about giving Crystal and Melissa the tools they need to get Mocha quietly and comfortably into the trailer.

"You have the patience of a saint," Crystal told me.
"I get that a lot."