Loading a horse on the trailer can be one of the most frustrating experiences you can have with horses. Fortunately it doesn’t always have to be like that. There are many easy, stress-free ways to teach loading the key is to think like a horse. The first loading technique works best for horses who have been loaded into a trailer before and now have a mild resistance to it, or horses who have never been loaded such as foals and yearlings. If your horse has a serious loading problem trailer loading method two or three may give you better results.
Time and Patience
Before you start thinking about loading your horse in the trailer, be sure to give yourself plenty of time. Do not wait until the morning of a show to try and load your horse. You want to practice loading days or even weeks before your event if you know your horse has had a problem with loading.
When practicing loading, think of your horse as a kid in kindergarten. You wouldn’t get mad at a child in school if they didn’t recite the alphabet correctly the first time, neither would you do the same thing with a horse who has never been on a trailer or has a fear of it. If you like it or not, you are training your horse every moment you are with him, for better or worse.
Pressure and Release
Like everything when training horses, trailer loading is all about pressure and release. Before you load your horse in the trailer he should lead well. By leading well I mean that he walks when you walk and stops when you stop. He doesn’t crowd your space or run over you. If your horse does either of these things fix it before you try and load him. If your horse leads well then you can hook up your trailer and begin practicing.
Horses tend to load easier in open stock type trailers, then two horse straight load ones as they are more open and roomy. If this is your first time at teaching trailer loading I would use the stock trailer first, and once your horse is easy to load in this type try loading into a two horse. If you don’t have access to a stock type trailer that’s ok, this lesson works on any type of trailer it just may take more time.
- First, walk your horse toward the trailer. If your horse stops on the way, keep steady pressure on the lead until he takes a step forward. When he does release the pressure on the rope by moving your hand forward.
- Walk your horse up to the trailer as far as he will go. Once he gets to a point where he doesn’t want to move forward anymore hold light pressure on your lead rope until he takes a step forward, then release.
- Keep doing this until your horse figures out what you are asking and gets into the trailer. Once your horse is inside or even half way in let him rest a moment and relax. You don’t want your horse to feel trapped once he gets inside. Don’t allow your horse to turn around inside the trailer to get out, back him out one step at a time instead.
- If he tries to back out, let him but keep pressure on the rope. Don’t pull or hold tightly on the rope or you can cause the horse to pull back and hit his head on the roof of the trailer. If you let him back out when he wants then automatically ask him to get back in you are allowing him to move his feet and figure things out without him feeling claustrophobic or worried.
- Once completely inside the trailer let your horse rest and rub on him, or leave a little hay or grain inside to reinforce that being inside the trailer can be a comfortable place.
- If at any time your horse tries to bolt, rear, or any other bad behavior, stay calm and keep the same amount of pressure on the lead until your horse stops and steps forward, he will soon figure out that the answer is moving ahead.
Remember to take your time and be patient. The first few lessons may be lengthy, but each one will get shorter as your horse understands what you want and that the trailer is a good place to be.