TIPS ON TRAILER LOADING

When Jackie Krygier called for some trailer-loading advice, she already knew the trailer wasn't the problem. She just couldn't pinpoint what she needed to do differently. Throughout our conversation, I could tell she had already spent plenty of time laying the foundation for a wonderful relationship with her horse Beau. I got the feeling Jackie didn't need to do things differently...she just needed to do more of what she'd already been doing. More building of more trust and of more cooperation. Here are some tips I shared with her. 

First things first, don't overthink things about horses and trailers. Keep it simple by thinking your horse is happy to give you what you want, you just have to be very clear about what you want. Of course you want your horse to get in the trailer, but if you make it all about the trailer you'll lose focus and confuse your horse. Keep the communication between you and your horse... not your horse and the trailer. Try looking at it like this: you want your horse to step forward in a straight line, calmly and cooperatively, despite the fact that a trailer happens to be sitting there.

Jackie had access to a stock trailer, so she
practiced loading Beau in it first before moving
on to her own two-horse straight-load.

As the leader, it is your job to set the tone. To get calmness from your horse, you must remain calm. So pay attention to how you feel. Beau presented Jackie with an arsenal of challenges, so she had to get really good at keeping her emotions in check. Each time she felt frustration rising, she quit what she was doing, walked away from the trailer and took some deep calming breaths.

To get cooperation from your horse, you must offer cooperation. For example, as you approach the trailer, your horse will let you know when he's getting uncomfortable by coming to a halt. Offer cooperation by letting him stand there for a few seconds. If he moves his shoulders or haunches, line him back up in a straight line and relax. Proceed only when he is calm too. 

A good way to proceed is by asking your horse to take one step forward and two steps backward, then two steps forward and two steps backward, etc. This gets your horse paying more attention to you and less attention to the trailer. Keep in mind you're asking for straight steps. So if your horse moves his shoulders or haunches out of line, use your whip as an extension of your body (like a really long arm) to move him back into place.

Jackie reaches the whip to Beau's far side, and then his near
side...moving it back and forth as needed to remind him
to keep his body in a straight line.

Beau was a bit insensitive to the whip in the beginning, so we tied a plastic bag to the end of it (pictured above) to get his attention. It gave Jackie the edge she needed to prevent him from barreling his shoulder into her when she asked him to step toward the trailer. (Whatever it takes, make your horse understand that running into you is not an option.)

Once that challenge was solved, Beau began backing away from the whip instead of moving forward from it. Since horses prefer to walk forward instead of backward, asking your horse to back up more than he originally wanted to often solves that challenge. You can also guide your horse to back into something (a tree, a fence line, etc.) to get him to stop.

Not to be outsmarted, Beau then tried rearing a few times to get Jackie to back off. While rearing is a very normal, natural behavior for a horse, it can be pretty intimidating the first few times you're faced with it. But rearing can only hurt you if hooves come into contact with your body. So keep a safe distance and if the rearing frightens you, try to act like it doesn't. Jackie handled Beau's rearing like a champ. Each time, she calmly waited out his drama, and then asked him again to move forward from the whip. Her perseverance paid off. Beau eventually started moving forward cooperatively, which is something Jackie had to get before she could get him to step toward the trailer.

Jackie places a firm hand on Beau's rear to encourage him
to stay at the whoa...but she cautiously keeps her feet out of
harm's way in case he decides to back up before she asks.

Once you get your horse near the trailer, allow him to sniff it for a few seconds... and then walk away to allow him time to process the fact that it didn't hurt him. Repeat until your horse is comfortable sticking his head and entire neck inside the trailer. At this point, the odds of getting him to step a hoof onto the trailer are pretty good. When he steps the hoof on, again back him up and walk away. Then ask him to step two hooves onto the trailer, then three, etc. 

If your horse starts backing up before you ask him to, don't make a big deal of it and it won't become a big deal. But do start incorporating the word "whoa" into your practice... e.g., take a step forward, "whoa", back up. As you proceed, encourage your horse to hold the whoa for longer and longer periods of time. 
  
Make being in the trailer a pleasant experience for your horse. Give him some hay to much on, or perhaps some treats, and lots and lots of praise. Before attempting to fasten the butt bar, get your horse used to you moving it around, making noise with it, pretending to fasten it, etc. 

Take your time in your trailer loading practice. Sure, the ultimate goal is to get your horse on the trailer, but the joy lies in developing confidence in your leadership skills and in building a calm, cooperative relationship with your horse. 

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