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Training Your Horse to Trailer Load

This is always a struggle for most people and many times turns out to be a battle with your horse. I have seen both horse and handler get hurt when trying to get a horse to go in the trailer. Once there was a large forest fire in my area and we had to evacuate, animals and people. My neighbors horse would not get in the trailer. We even sedated him and still could not get him to go in. She had to leave him behind in hope the fire would not come down our canyon. It was a good lesson to me that trailer training is very important even if you don't go anywhere very often or maybe you don't have your own trailer. It is well worth training your horse to load in a trailer and here is a great method that I have used many times and it works better than any trick I've tried. It really turns your trailer into a horse sanctuary and makes your horse want to get into the trailer. Give it try, I think you will really like it. No fighting, no coaxing, no starving, no begging, no frustration, I will always use this method in the future. Be sure to read the comment I left also to clarify what happen once you get your horse in. This works on never loaded horses or horses that have had bad experiences with trailer loading . I have not had it fail me and I have trained a lot of horses using this method. "Training Your Horse To Trailer Load"

Posted December 04, 2009 08:31 by HorseGirl (3

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Thanks - the technique is very clever and makes a lot of sense. I think your observation that the inside of a trailer seems like a cave - an environment a horse would naturally be afraid of - is really insightful.

Posted December 06, 2009 12:19 by earthling (44

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Seems like a good program especially in an emergency situation. However, when I am teaching a horse trailer loading we break it down a bit farther and load AND unload each foot, always giving an 'unload' cue that the horse has to wait for. We also work on the panic of being in the trailer before taking off. I have heard of too many horses that have flipped or literally climbed out of trailers in those few moments of panic. It only adds a bit more time to your lesson, but you will find it shaves off a lot of time in future lessons and improves the horse in many areas other than trailer loading.

Posted December 09, 2009 23:43 by Jodi Wilson (10

) In response to HorseGirl

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This is not a method that should not be used in a emergency situation. During an emergency there is no time to be training. Training a horse to trailer load is an important part of being a responsible horse owner and having your horse prepared for if there is an emergency. In my comments I go into more detail about loading and unloading and the importance of knowing the horse is ready to have the door shut and go for the first ride. Can you give more detail as to how you "work on the panic of being in the trailer"? I have found with this method they are ready to stand once they are in there. It is not a quick process, the first time will take quite a while to get the horse in the trailer. Usually over an hour. The next time will be quicker and usually after about three loads the horse will get in when asked on the first try.

Posted December 10, 2009 06:57 by HorseGirl (3

) In response to Jodi Wilson

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My apologizes as I only skimmed your article. Using your method, in my opinion, in an emergency would be safer then other methods I have seen. Obviously if you only have moments you gotta do what it takes, but I have gotten horses into the trailer safely in under an hour by modifying our system as I am sure you could too (and by no means would that say the horse has been taught to load). As to working the panic end, it starts when the horse will load completely into the trailer and will wait for the unload cue. This is(readers digest version) from my new book I am working on.
Load the horse, without standing behind the horse, take the whip and run it up and down the where the bar/chain will touch him or his sides where the divider will touch him. If the horse gets scared and wants to come out, let him. Pet him then reload and repeat until the horse will stand calmly while you touch him with the whip. Then add the bar/chain/divider. Do not secure it; touch him with it as you did the whip. When the horse is calm, secure the bar, wait a moment, release it, wait a moment, ask the horse to unload.

When the horse is calm with the bar/chain/divider, you will start closing the trailer door(s). At this point DO NOT secure the bar/chain and do not tie the horse.  Start with the door opposite the horse. Close it and open it immediately. Again, if the horse is afraid let him come out the first few times. Add time that the door is closed, have the horse wait after opening it before cueing the horse to unload. You do not want the horse to think he unloads when that door opens.

Add the second door.  When the horse is calm with the doors closed you can put up the bar/chain, close the doors, open the doors, release the bar/chain, wait, then unload the horse. Now if the horse tries to come out before cued, apply the go forward cue and have him wait.

Finally, we are going to introduce the noises. Load the horse, do not put up the bar/chain/divider or shut the doors. Start making noise in and on the trailer with your hand, whip, etc. Start small and build as the horse calms. If the horse gets afraid and wants to come out, let him. Pet him then reload and continue until the horse accepts the noise. Close the doors and start over. Finally, load the horse, put up the bar/chain/divider, close the doors and start again.

When your horse accepts all this and he will load calmly, wait for the unload cue and unload calmly, your horse is ready for a short ride around the block. Take your horse on as many short rides as you can to build his confidence. Remember to always have your horse wait for the unload cue.

Hope that explains clearly enough how we get rid of the panic in our trailer loading lessons. I have spent 6hrs teaching a horse to load the first time, come back the next day and it took under 30 minutes....that is the your reward for a job well done.

Posted December 10, 2009 11:34 by Jodi Wilson (10

) In response to HorseGirl

Updated December 10, 2009 11:35

(view previous version)

My apologizes as I only skimmed your article. Using your method, in my opinion, in an emergency would be safer then other methods I have seen. Obviously if you only have moments you gotta do what it takes, but I have gotten horses into the trailer safely in under an hour by modifying our system as I am sure you could too (and by no means would that say the horse has been taught to load). As to working the panic end, it starts when the horse will load completely into the trailer and will wait for the unload cue. This is from my new book I am working on.
Load the horse, without standing behind the horse, take the whip and run it up and down the where the bar/chain will touch him or his sides where the divider will touch him. If the horse gets scared and wants to come out, let him. Pet him then reload and repeat until the horse will stand calmly while you touch him with the whip. Then add the bar/chain/divider. Do not secure it; touch him with it as you did the whip. When the horse is calm, secure the bar, wait a moment, release it, wait a moment, ask the horse to unload.

When the horse is calm with the bar/chain/divider, you will start closing the trailer door(s). At this point DO NOT secure the bar/chain and do not tie the horse.  Start with the door opposite the horse. Close it and open it immediately. Again, if the horse is afraid let him come out the first few times. Add time that the door is closed, have the horse wait after opening it before cueing the horse to unload. You do not want the horse to think he unloads when that door opens.

Add the second door.  When the horse is calm with the doors closed you can put up the bar/chain, close the doors, open the doors, release the bar/chain, wait, then unload the horse. Now if the horse tries to come out before cued, apply the go forward cue and have him wait.

Finally, we are going to introduce the noises. Load the horse, do not put up the bar/chain/divider or shut the doors. Start making noise in and on the trailer with your hand, whip, etc. Start small and build as the horse calms. If the horse gets afraid and wants to come out, let him. Pet him then reload and continue until the horse accepts the noise. Close the doors and start over. Finally, load the horse, put up the bar/chain/divider, close the doors and start again.

When your horse accepts all this and he will load calmly, wait for the unload cue and unload calmly, your horse is ready for a short ride around the block. Take your horse on as many short rides as you can to build his confidence. Remember to always have your horse wait for the unload cue.

Hope that explains clearly enough how we get rid of the panic in our trailer loading lessons. I have spent 6hrs teaching a horse to load the first time, come back the next day and it took under 30 minutes....that is the your reward for a job well done.

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Thanks you very much for your thorough explanation. I have found it takes most horses a very long time the first time but the second time is much easier, like you say, if you do the ground work and preparation. Time well spent the first time around.

Posted December 10, 2009 13:26 by HorseGirl (3

) In response to Jodi Wilson

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