by Rhett Russell
Natural Horse Supply:
Most of the accidents which occur with horses are related to trailer loading. You can avoid being a statistic if you do your ground work and get things working before you move ahead. Before you can even begin to approach trailer loading you must be able to longe correctly and ground drive your horse.
What you are after is a horse that will walk into a trailer without you having to get in with them. You want a "self-loader", this is not a lot to ask. You're probably thinking, yeah well you've never met my horse. Well,this doesn't just happen overnight. It may have taken 4-5 years for your horse to learn to be a "bad loader". You, or the previous owner didn't mean for this to be the case but this is what you have to work with now. Or maybe you have a young colt, the training is all the same - proper groundwork equals reliable loading.
We have all seen some real interesting trailer loading scenes - the person who "bribes" their horse into a trailer with food, or the two person loading ordeal where one person pulls on the lead rope and the other pushes on the rear of the horse, and my personal favorite - "the threesome" where two people use a rope on the rear of the horse as a sling with the person inside the trailer using a come-along or winch to pull them in. You are never going to pull your horse into a trailer with a lead rope.
Let's do some simple math and physics. Lets say that our sample human weighs 165 pounds and his horse weighs 1200 pounds. Do you think that you could pull a Volkswagen Rabbit automobile into your garage with a 12 foot rope? What if the car was in park, or even worse - reverse gear! What were you thinking? Buck Brannaman does a demonstration at his clinics where he teaches a horseto trailer load while he is sitting in the cab of his pickup truck. This is no gimmick, a properly trained horse will do what you ask if it knows what you are asking and they know how to respond.
Trailer loading is not about eating. Don't bribe your horse with food toget into the trailer. Don't hit your horse in the rear with a stick or crop- make this a good experience. It is OK to let a horse know that he is in your space. If you have to use the lead rope to direct energy at the horse to keep them out of your space - DO IT. Be safe. Approach trailer loading in steps, again you have to be able to longe and ground drive to effectively teach this technique. There is no magic time limit to any of these steps. Some horses can learn in five minutes while some may take two weeks. Be patient and make time work for you. Most of all remember to reward your horse for appropriate behavior.
Step 1: Show your horse the trailer. Open the doors. Make sure that everything is safe. Let the horse look around. REWARD your horse. Is your horse calm? If yes proceed to step 2, otherwise work on this and reward your horse for standing calmly.
Step 2: Longe your horse at a walk at the door of the trailer. Have the horse back-up, change direction, and stop. REWARD your horse. This is a new environment, make sure that this is a good experience. Is your horse calm? If yes proceed to step 3, otherwise work on this and reward your horse for standing calmly.
Step 3: Drive your horse on the ground at the door of the trailer. Ask for a halt. Drive them by the door and around in a circle, stop. REWARD your horse. Is your horse calm? If yes proceed to step 4, otherwise work on this and reward your horse for standing calmly.
Step 4: Drive your horse into the trailer. Don't worry if they stop. Ask your horse to stand. REWARD the horse for appropriate behavior. Don't allow your horse to move into your space. Use the lead rope as a tool to ask for direction and keep the horse out of your space. Ask your horse to back out of the trailer. Don't let the horse turn around to go out head first, this is dangerous. Is your horse calm? If yes proceed to step 5, otherwise work on this and reward your horse for standing calmly.
Step 5: Ask your horse to stand in the trailer. Start with 5 seconds. REWARD the horse. Work your way up to 30 seconds in 5 second increments. Remember to REWARD your horse. Ask your horse to back out of the trailer.Is your horse calm? If yes proceed to step 6, otherwise work on this and reward your horse for standing calmly.
Step 6: Drive your horse into the trailer. Tie your horse in the trailer. Let them stand for 10 seconds. Do this several times, and work your way upto 5-10 minutes. REWARD the horse. I s your horse calm? If yes you have ahorse that will load quietly, otherwise work on this and reward your horse for standing calmly.
Reinforce this every time you load your horse.
(c) 1999 Natural Horse Supply, Cloudburst Farm, and Rhett & Marilou Russell. Reposted with permission.
Banjo had difficulty getting into and out of the trailer calmly. Many
suggestions from this list were very helpful ...... what ended up being
successful going into the trailer (a 5 ft wide, 14 ft long older dark blue
stock trailer) was using the squeeze game .... or practicing getting good at
him leading past me through many different narrow places, under low tree
branches, etc. Getting Banjo to go forward once we were in the trailer was
the same process, only using the cue "walk UP" and kissing to him. We'd
practice a few steps back then I'd "change my mind" and ask him to walk up
again. We did this many times. Before, he'd get in, be scared, and blast
out backwards at 199 mph, usually hitting his head on the ceiling upon exit.
(He was right, that blue cave BITES!! lol). Lots of groundwork going
backwards over poles up and down hills, thru ditches, over plastic tarps.
Entering trailer and exiting are TWO different tasks to be mastered. He was
so unsure where his feet were, much less should be, and he's such a
hypochondriac about ANY kind of pain or mild discomfort .... he had himself
convinced it'd be a horrible experience. Once I got him in and calm..... the
next step was leaving him in by himself ..... he fretted, tried to turn
around, and stamped and swayed. Most of this worry was my own ..... he
picked up on it. Last week I had to haul him to chiro/vet ...... I was the
only adult home so I made a plan of how I was going to do this so he wouldn't
panic and try to get out. The outside door to the trailer was too far open
and heavy for me to close, so I moved him to the front, tied him, went thru
the emergency/people exit. Told him to "walk up" if he moved backwards, went
in the back door to the middle divider, closed it, then closed the back door.
It went beautifully! He fussed a bit getting back in after the treatment,
but persistence with the squeeze game was the key. He'd refuse (more of a "I
don't wanna" rather than "I'm afraid") and avoid by going sideways. Then
he'd get one, then two feet in,,,, hang out a while ....... sniff the ground
(pre-PNH I'd have urged him forward, which to him was pressure/punishment,
this time I just let him do it, asked him out, try again). Also, when he
does back out, I don't meet it with any pressure, I just let him out .....
because if I don't he panics and he associates that with the trailer itself.
I want him to know he can get out ..... When we arrived home, he was calm and
not sweaty!! Success!!! I hope this helps someone else
By Dr. Glenn "Andy" Anderson with Rahel M. Klapheke
You have probably faced problems loading a horse at some point in your career, whether
it was a one-time refusal or you have a chronic "no-loader." Not only is a horse
that does not load an inconvenience, but a safety hazard as well. In some situations, a
horse can put people and objects in danger causing serious damage. A frustrated handler
may resort to drastic measures such as drugs or brute force in a desperate attempt to
solve the problem.
A "common sense approach" to trailer loading was presented during the 1994
American Association of Equine Practitioners' Annual Convention, presents a safe and
effective way to teach horses to load and stand quietly in a trailer without drugs or
brute force. Even if you do not have a problem with trailering, read on. These principles
and concepts have applications to many other areas of human-horse interactions.
Before resorting to drastic measures or even brutality, recognize that the smallest try
on the part of the horse should be rewarded. Many people actually teach a horse not to
load by inadvertently punishing positive behavior and rewarding attempts to escape or
evade loading.
Use the following recipe to begin. The ingredients are used to encourage the horse to
make the positive choice to load and discourage his attempts to escape or evade loading.
The main objective is to convince the horse that he really wants to be in the trailer.
Here is what you will need:
A halter and a soft lead rope A chain shank should be available (though infrequently
used) A horse trailer in good repair A stiff, six- to seven-foot fishing rod A plastic bag
taped to the end of the fishing rod A positive and patient attitude
First, put yourself in the horse's position. They have legitimate reasons for fearing
or not wanting to enter the trailer. Previous experiences, shadows and darkness all cause
horses not to load. Consider these things before attempting to load a difficult horse.
Unfortunately, most horses will explore all their options before deciding to load into
a trailer. The rod with the attached bag is used to aggravate the horse when he tries to
avoid the trailer. It should never be used to inflict pain, however.
Reward the smallest attempt by the horse to enter the trailer by immediately stopping
the aggravation and by rubbing his head and neck. Sometimes, a horse simply looking in the
direction of the trailer should be rewarded. The horse should always be rewarded for
lowering its head while pointing its ears toward the trailer. Do not be concerned if he
begins to load into the trailer and then backs out. Simply aggravate him with the rod and
bag until he begins to walk forward again.
Handlers should be prepared to deal with evasive behavior as it occurs. When the horse
begins to back away from the trailer, back him up much farther than he intended to go.
This is where the chain shank might be useful. He will quickly learn that backing is not a
good choice. If he turns sideways at the rear of the trailer, continue to aggravate him
until he makes some attempt to straighten his alignment.
Never lead a horse away from the trailer when he is trying to avoid loading. This
rewards and reinforces the horse's ill behavior.
In addition, never pull or push on a horse. He clearly has the advantage. Pulling only
teaches him that he can win every tug-of-war or pushing contest.
Once the horse finally loads in the trailer, do not trap him with the back door or butt
bar. Instead, let him back out as he wishes. Then reload him until he is content to load
and stand quietly until asked to back out.
Teach a horse to unload on two cues: a tug on his tail and the verbal back, rather than
by getting in front of him and backing him out with the lead shank.
A second person is sometimes needed in front. While you tug the tail and ask him to
back, the assistant uses the shank to back him out of the trailer.
Remember to reward the horse for even the smallest try. Don't teach a horse not to load
by punishing positive behavior and rewarding ill behavior. Give the horse a clear-cut
choice. Allow him to enter the trailer because he wants to, not because he is forced to.
By Chris Christian imdplum@usa.net
I'm going to give two suggestions here. One takes quite a bit of time, the
other is a quick fix, but you don't have much time and may need to resort to
it.
Basically, you need to put trailer training on this filly in two days. There's
no reason you should have to pull on her head during this process, since
impulsion comes from the rear anyway . Rent the trailer for the weekend if
at all possible. If not, do all the groundwork you can this weekend, and save
the trailer part of the training for Monday. Give yourself at least two hours
to get her loaded. Once she's loaded, if she did it without going to Plan B,
unload and re-load several times. If you have time, take her for a short drive
around the block, unload, and re-load again, so she doesn't associate going in
the trailer with a long ride, and ending up at the vet's getting poked and
prodded.
If you have any John Lyons books, go look up his section on trailering. I
retrained my Welsh-Arab mare at the age of 15 on how to properly load and
unload. Never had to pull on her in any way.
If you don't have John Lyons books, here's the short version.
Take your filly in hand. Take a dressage whip and tuck it under your arm so
it's ready, but not in a threatening position. Work on getting your horse to
move forward and stop on command. If she doesn't want to move forward, take
the dressage whip and tap her just below the hocks with it until she moves away
from the whip. If her tail's in the way, tie it up in a knot.
Once you have her going forward and stopping consistently, work on her backing
up. If she doesn't back up upon command, tap her under the knees.
By "on command," I mean you saying, "back...back..back..back..back..." with her
taking ONE step for each of your words. The key is to get control over EACH of
her steps. You need good control of her backing for the two step trailer so
she doesn't slip or lose her balance and have to wrench her neck to catch it
again.
Get that trailer hooked up so it's stable, and start working the filly around
the trailer. Back and forth in front of it. Walk up toward it, back away,
forward, back, turn, back toward it, walk around it, everything you can think
of. Feed her off the floor of it. Go inside and sit on the floor and talk to
her from there. Do anything and everything until she pays absolutely no mind
to the trailer at all. It just becomes part of her surroundings.
When she's used to the trailer, take her in hand, approach the trailer, and
just keep walking in. Do not pause, don't look at her, don't hesitate. Just
walk in, KNOWING she's going to be right with you every step of the way. If
she hesitates, keep marching in place, giving her whatever verbal "go forward"
cue you use, like "Walk on" or clucking. Keep your feet moving at all times,
so she doesn't get the impression you've stopped so that she also can stop.
If she's not coming up in the trailer with you on her own, have your assistant
start tapping her hocks, just as she learned in her ground work. With any luck
at all, she'll move away from the tapping, coincidentally, toward the trailer.
The biggest problem she's going to have is that when she steps on the trailer
floor, it will make that hollow ringing sound. Very scary, especially to a
baby. And, she'll feel blocked in. If you can have hay in the feed bags, and
all the windows in the trailer open, so much the better. She'll have more to
go "to," and less to feel closed in by.
Once you get her in, praise her lavishly, rub her tickle spots, give her a
treat. Let her rest a minute, and ask her to back out. I use the command
"down," low and drawn out to let my horse know when she's reached the end of
the trailer floor and has to step down. This has been very helpful to her
comfort level, and you might want to incorporate it.
If none of this is working, Plan B is as follows. You will want to do this
only if you have to to get her loaded on her way to the vet. All the other
work needs to be done anyway and will not be a waste of time, even if she
doesn't want to load when the time comes.
Have your assistant stand a good 7 or 8 feet behind the filly, take a lead
rope, and slap it on the ground, hard. Not on the filly -- on the *ground*.
This will make a noise the filly isn't familiar with. She'll want to turn
around to look at it. You keep marching forward and don't let her turn her
head or her body. Use your dressage whip to tap her quarters back to square if
she tries to turn her body. If she can't see what's behind her; can't turn to
check it out, and it's not hitting her, she really can't figure out what the
heck it is, so her natural inclination will be to move forward to put as much
space between it and her as possible.
I've seen this work with babies and grown-ups alike, who were either
unschooled or sour on trailering. It's a "the devil you know is better than
the devil you don't" kind of thing. It's not traumatic to the horse at all.
Just kind of confuses them and puts a mental challenge in front of them where
the answer is to go forward into the horse-eating trailer, because at least
they can see that.
Work that filly for every possible minute, and by Monday, she'll be a pro. And
remember to praise her lavishly every time she does something right. ("Every
possible minute" should include time for mental health breaks for everybody.
)
More Trailer Loading
Checking and Driving the Trailer
