Trailer - Ramp vs Step-up

Question
QUESTION: Hi Rick,
You have helped us in the recent past with getting our mare on the trailer. The issue now is our gelding. We have a ramp style trailer and have done all the desensitizing with him to get him used to loading. Our mare learned it quickly, but our gelding is having a brain fart.
He wants to get in, but continues to try and "step-up" and doesn't understand the "ramp" part. He takes a HUGE step and tries to step over the ramp. It's almost like he has a depth perception issue or something. He stops at the end of the ramp and lifts his leg to step over the ramp. Poor guy- you can tell he wants to get in, but isn't really sure what the ramp is. My mare saw this yesterday and then just to be a "mare", she poo-pooed the load too! She was just being disrespectful though because she normally loads like a dream. It took a little discipline (she was backed up and then tried again) and she hopped in. Just a test I guess, but poor Jack is having an time with the ramp. I looked on your website but didn't see anything that pertained to ramps. What can we do to help him? He's not afraid of the trailer or the ramp and wants to load, he just has a hard time judging the ramp. Maybe he needs horsey glasses,,,,
I don't know if this makes a difference to you, but he is used to a step-up style trailer. His prior owner had a straight-load step up and we have a slant ramp style. That's why we went through all the steps to set him up for sucess BEFORE we ever loaded him. Any ideas you can offer would be great. Like I said before, it's not a fear issue or a disrespect issue, he wants to get in, he just has a hard time with the ramp perception. We were patient with him and he eventually got in, but there's got to be an easier way. I don't want him to become scared, then he won't get in.

ANSWER: Stop blaming him, it is you. You are not helping him you are stuck on doing it YOUR way. All hroses have dept perception issues and I discuss this on my horsemanship web page. This horse is being a normal horse, he has to taught hot to walk on a ramp and trust it, you are so busy trying to make him it do it your way you are listening to him.

Help him learn the ramp and stop focusing on getting him the trailer.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: C'mon Rick, Give me some credit here. I ask you alot of questions and take alot of grief from you, but I listen because your pretty smart when it comes to horses. BUT, I don't think you read EVERYTHING I said. I am not blaming him. The first umteenth zillion times we introduced him to the trailer had NOTHING to do with getting him in it. We never even tried to get him in the thing. We did everything your video said to do on trailer preparation and he still needs help with the ramp. The trailer preparation with our mare worked like a charm. Our gelding needs another idea. I am NOT trying to do it "my way" I am trying to do it the right way - The way a horse understands. You say help him learn the ramp - THAT'S WHAT I AM ASKING ADVICE FOR! I don't want him to get in the trailer - I want another idea that will get him used to the ramp. I am not trying to be "marish" here, I just wanted you to understand I am not trying to load him - just help him learn the ramp. I know you think most people are idiots and I get that - really I do. But I really am trying to get it right so my horse understands. I don't want to be "an idiot". :-)
I would rather be "an idiot in training".

Answer
OK WHERE IS THE LIST? This was important enough for you to email me twice and tell how you are not an idiot so I asked for a list of 10 things and now two days later, still no list? Was it not that important since you did not get the answer you wanted? Did you not have the time to work on it yet? Did you figure it out?

lol, see I gave you more credit than you give yourself, you mean to tell me that you are not smart enough to look at this a different way, you can't change what you are doing and do something else, you can't come up with no other way than what you have done????? come on, if act like an you are a idiot then what should me and your horse think?

Your brain is 20 times bigger than your horse, use it.  You are not coming to me for advice, you are thinking like human, you are looking for an easy way, you giving me more credit than I deserve.  Step back and think what is going on. Your horse is telling you, he is screaming that what you are doing is not working.  SO FREAKING CHANGE WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you have always got............

You are doing the same thing and your horse is not learning...............CHANGE WHAT YOU DO

You want to tell me you are not an idiot, then stop acting like you can't figure out how to help this horse. This is not rocket science.

What would you do if you could not write me? I guess you would just give up and never load this horse again, or maybe trade your ramp load in for a step up.......give me a break.

Necessity if the mother of all invention....   if you really want or need to teach this horse, you will do it.

Don't make this about me or my answer, this is about you and this horse. I am not giving you an easy answer, learning is part of lesson, if you write me with a list 10 failures, give me a list of 10 different things you did that did not work, then I will give you my answer.  My guess is if you pull your head out try 10 different new ways you and your horse will get it. You will grow, your horse will grow and you will feel dependent on me to give you the easy fast answer.