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Trailer Training

3K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  jeddah31 
#1 ·
I have an older pony, maybe about 20 yrs (though she doesn't act like it). She's always been a little tough to get on a trailer, but after a bit really good about it, especially if we loaded another horse first (she also has extreme separation anxiety). Last trip, she figured out she fits under the butt bar. Since then, I can get her maybe halfway up on the first try, then she flies backward, even with another horse there or with the divider pushed over and the escape doors wide open. After the first try I can't even get her to stand still near the trailer (my intention was to stand near it, eat some grass and just get closer every day). Any tips?
 
#2 ·
I don't have any advice, but I will say that I will DEF. be watching this thread.

My 14 year old mare is the same way with trailers... I can get her halfway into one, then she freaks out and flies backwards and won't even get near the trailer afterwards (my girl is scared of dark, enclosed spaces)...

We can load another horse first, and she still won't load. I've offered feed inside the trailer and she'll try to get it without stepping up in the trailer and if she can't she'll walk away. My girl sidesteps and backs up, jerks backwards, and all this other stuff...

So yeah, I'll be watching this thread... I've been trying to get my girl to load for the last year and she just won't! XD!
 
#3 ·
it is obvious since something "scary" occurred to her she is afraid. The only thing to do is to build her confidence up again. Like you said, grazing near it is good...but is she afraid of the trailer or afraid of inside of it? These are seperate issues...or is it both? I can't answer your question until you me which one is bothering her. But i'll keep an eye on this thread! :lol:
 
#4 ·
I know everyone has their own methods...but this worked for me:

1. Open up every door the trailer has so as much light enters as possible

2. Attach a lunge line to the halter

3. Don't fidgit around - when you are ready to walk up to the trailer, don't be holding this or that, securing this door or another; be prepared to *attempt* to walk right onto the trailer.

4. Encourage them to walk on with you as far as they will go

5. Once they reach their stopping point, let them stop --- but don't let them move backward. **if they try to move back, continue to encourage them to move forward until you are back at the original stopping point. This could go on for a while - so be prepared :)

6. If your horse has stood in that spot for 1-2 mins without attempting to back up, ask for another step. You will probably have to repeat step #5.

7. Once you get another step out of him, let him stand there for 1-2 minutes, rub him - then back him off (but make sure that it is your idea!)

8. Walk far enough away from the trailer to where he won't catch himself on any doors or ramps, and let him graze for about 30 seconds.

9. Repeat steps 1-8 until your horse is all the way in and standing for 1-2 minutes.

After my horse was comfortable being in the trailer, I began asking him to load where I stand at the back of the trailer and encourage him to go forward; we haven't perfected it quite yet, but we are almost there - good luck!

PS - I don't give treats for getting on the trailer - - I tried that about 10 years ago with him, and he would snatch the treat and backout quicker than he did before every time! (Same reason I don't feed grain (take a bite, back out, take a bite, back out)

Edited for : Spelling
 
#5 ·
trailering

I can say that my biggest pet peeve is a horse that will not load. As a result all of mine simply walk in. The best advice I can give is to be patient and act like you have all day. Don't get upset, don't discipline, just keep trying and trying. It is something you will have to work on regularly. Eventually the pony will just give up and go in. The biggest thing though, is not to get upset at her, to stay calm. The longest its ever taken me to load a horse (that wasn't mine) was 45 minutes. I couldn't get her near it, soon I was sitting on the ramp holding on to her rope while she was 'checking it out'. After a few minutes I got her front feet on and let up on the pressure and praised her. Then we went a little further and a little further. She backed out several times, but we just started over, taking a little less time to get back where we had been. If you make it a good experience each time, it will get easier. I've watched people trying to load horses and its taken them a couple of hours and a lot of discipline. Be patient, You'll get her.
 
#6 ·
If you have a stock type trailer with removable divider(s), try without dividers first. My experience has been that some horses have 2 different 'fears'...first is getting use to the hollow feeling/sound of being in a trailer/on a floor (similar to going over a wooden bridge) and the second is the more claustrophobic feeling of being in the chute with the dividers.
 
#7 ·
Ray Hunt's trailer loading method is to lunge the horse near the trailer door (door open) After some time, stop at the opening and give her a chance to enter. If she doesn't, put her back to work. If even part of her enters, give her a break. If she comes back out, put her back to work. After awhile, she will start to associate the trailer with rest and will be happy to stand inside. I know I may have made this sound awful simple and quick; in reality it may take a lot of work, but it is effective

As for being spooked by the hollow sound, you can try loading without a trailer first, using a box. ( I wrote a squidoo lens on it here: http://www.squidoo.com/trailerloading)
 
#8 ·
i would like to retract my previous post. While this method did work for a while...it has outlived it's usefulness, as I do not have all day every day i want to take them somewhere.

a friend of mine put it in really simple terms: leading is loading and loading is leading. basically, when you point your horse on the trailer, it should load. period.

i tried this with my guys with a short crop (for tapping, not striking). pointed their noses onto the trailer, kissed and tapped. when they tried to back up, more kissing and more tapping (not striking) - when they moved forward, praise and a little let up on the tapping and kissing. then....voila! both of my horses walked right on. this has worked now 20+ times for each horse (we practice 3-5 times per week).

boy did i feel like an idiot after my friend just stood there while justin walked on the trailer! she just smiled and said, "they know what you want".

so that's my new method. sorry to have confused any of you!
 
#9 ·
i would like to retract my previous post. While this method did work for a while...it has outlived it's usefulness, as I do not have all day every day i want to take them somewhere.

a friend of mine put it in really simple terms: leading is loading and loading is leading. basically, when you point your horse on the trailer, it should load. period.

i tried this with my guys with a short crop (for tapping, not striking). pointed their noses onto the trailer, kissed and tapped. when they tried to back up, more kissing and more tapping (not striking) - when they moved forward, praise and a little let up on the tapping and kissing. then....voila! both of my horses walked right on. this has worked now 20+ times for each horse (we practice 3-5 times per week).

boy did i feel like an idiot after my friend just stood there while justin walked on the trailer! she just smiled and said, "they know what you want".

so that's my new method. sorry to have confused any of you!
 
#10 ·
This is probably the most useful thing I got out of the parelli stuff and thats to recognise when a horse is trying. She is trying when she first gets on the trailer. try if you can to stop her before she hits the panic button, praise her and take her off. Repeat this and try to get even one step further each time.If shes not even going on go to that point where she stops and wait and praise her and walk away. You should find that each time she gets a little closer and less panicky.

Another thing my Aunt did once was to park the trailer in where the horse can be fed in it. starting at the tailgate and eventuslly working her way up. This can take some time though! GLuck :)
 
#11 ·
Trailer loading

I agree with Ray Hunt and also Clinton Anderson about letting the horses go in before you(self loading) It leaves you to be on the outside of the trailer. What i would do is attatch a twelve foot lead rope and just fling it over the neck so you can get a hold of it a little ways from the chin and use a dressage whip or crop as a extention of the arm only or to tap the horse when it goes backward. Every little step the horse takes forward, let them stand there for a minute then take them out and circle them around. Make sure that you are the one that tells him/her when to back out. Pretty soon, they will like the idea of going into the trailer. No food or treats needed!
 
#12 ·
My mare is a bad one to float. She also(used to) walk on half way then back off and be too nervous to go back near it.

A few tips I can give
-When attempting to load, don't look your horse in the eye, this is a preditor thing and it can make the hrose feel threatened

-Never get angry, stay calm and constantly talking to your horse

-Reward for EVERY single step forwards.. even if they just pick up a hoof and put it back down in the same spot, ease all preassure and stroke on the neck(avoiding patting,, horses prefer patting and it relaxes them)

-Use pressure release method. Tap on the back of the should with a whip, by tap i mean no harder than say tapping your pencil on a table when your bored. AS SOON as they make ANY form of move forwards, stop tapping and stroke. At the same time as patting, ease on a small amount of pressure to the back of the halter, if they fight and run backwards, just let them go, theres no use fighting,they will win. Just take a step back and start again.

-Your horse will find happy place. For what you guys have said, has been halfway until they stop and run backwards... find they're happy place and see if they will stand there. If your horse runs backwards and wont stand still, dont ask them to walk up so far, just 2 hooves on the ramp is a start. once they find a happy place, ask them backwards. do not let them move forwards, after doing this enough, slowly ask them another step or two forwards, see if you can move their happy place up the trailer, all the time, asking them to back off. This is a kind of reverse phycology, backing up is harder for a horse, and by telling your horse to go backwards, it'll just get bored of it, and want to go all the way on, and learn that it's not a dangerous place, your asking them to leave, then letting them back on.
Gradually build this to finding a happy place, and only asking them to back off one or two steps. stop for a few minutes, then move back forwards, so they dont leave the float each time. Vary the amount of time between each time they stand, and back off, so they don't anticipate it, and back off before you ask
 
#13 ·
Right on the money, Curly horse. That will work every time. (Well, as with anything with horses, I should say ALMOST every time.)

And Jeddah, Thank you for saying to rub the horse instead of patting. The horse is so sensitive to touch. If you've every notice your horse flinch with just the feel of a tiny fly landing on her back. I know it doesn't technically HURT them, but I've always hated to see people pounding on their horse's shoulder after they just completed some wonderful task.
 
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