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Not-So-Speedy Dressage

From Endurance to Dressage

More Trailer Loading

4/1/2015

 
You might remember that I already wrote about getting Izzy to load quietly and even posted a short video. I've been re-doing that lesson about once a week since Izzy is still not quite loading with the total yes, ma'am! attitude that I want.

He isn't refusing to load, but he still has some trust and confidence issues that he's dealing with. He walks onto the trailer very calmly, but unloading is not quite where I need it to be. And in fact, over the weekend, he tested the whole process by backing out very quickly before I asked him to.
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One regular-sized stall and one double-sized stall.
My trailer is a three-horse slant with living quarters in the front. I have removed the rear divider so that the horse who rides in the second "stall" has a lot of room to position himself however he'd like. I rarely haul two horses at a time, but when I do, Speedy usually goes in the first stall.

When I haul only one horse, I use the middle stall. In a slant load bumper pull, this puts stress on the hitch so it's better to load the horses from front to back, but with a gooseneck trailer, having a horse in the second stall puts the horse's weight in the middle of the two axles. Click pictures to enlarge.
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Not my trailer although it is very nice.
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This is my trailer.
My trailer also has a rear tack room which means the door to the horse compartment is pretty narrow. For most green bean horses this is scary. Teaching them to load through such a narrow door can be challenging. It also presents a problem for a horse who wants to come flying out backwards. If the horse misjudges the space, he can bang up his hips or shoulders.
Picture
Tack room (triangular shaped) is behind the closed door.
This is why I need my horses to load and unload with total and complete confidence.

I don't hard tie my horses in the trailer, nor do I use those quick release trailer ties. I prefer to hang a Blocker Tie Ring at each stall. When I unload my horse, I unclip the tie ring and re-clip it to the outside tie ring of the trailer, or I clip it to the Hi-Tie System.

This weekend, I got a good reminder of why I like the Blocker Tie Ring. I had loaded Izzy and was standing by his head just relaxing and giving him time to think. Doing what horses do best, Izzy decided that it was time to unload. He took a few steps back and even though I asked him to whoa, he scrambled back and hit the end of the rope and the step of the trailer at the same time. It scared him and he threw his weight back and stumbled out of the trailer.

As he was zooming backward, my first response was to grab the rope to keep him from backing out, but at the same instant, I remembered that he was clipped into the Blocker Tie Ring which meant that the rope was going to slide through, freeing him. I felt it was better to just let him go rather than risk a nasty rope burn, or worse.

He flew out of the trailer, gave a slightly panicked look, and then dove for the grass next to the barn. I walked up to him, patted his neck to reassure him that all was well, and brought him back to the trailer. He balked at getting back on, so out came the butt rope again. He walked on quickly and quietly, but I didn't attach his lead rope. Instead, I moved his haunches back and forth, and then ask him to unload very slowly.

One of the things I love about this horse is that he doesn't blame me for all the little things that go wrong. While unloading so quickly, he had clearly scared himself and rather than blame me, he looked to me for confidence.

We went through the process a few times. I clipped him in, closed the door, and walked over to the window. He started tucking his butt into the tack room corner away from the door, but that was making it hard for me to get in with him to unload him safely. To deal with that, I opened the door with a dressage whip in my hand. Once the door was opened, I gently tapped his hindquarters to tell him to move over. Having the whip in my hand also reminded him to not back out.

While this all might seem terrible, he's actually very quiet in the trailer. I just want him to load and unload with 100% confidence, so we've been practicing every day this week. Speedy has complete faith in the safety of the trailer. He knows that I will get him in and out without him needing to do any of the thinking. Horses only develop this confidence with practice, so that's what I am doing with Izzy. He'll get there, he just needs time.
Mia
3/31/2015 11:41:40 pm

Can you explain how you use the butt rope? Pretty please. With sugar on top. :)

Bakersfield Dressage link
4/1/2015 12:38:35 am

But of course! :0)

Any long rope will do, but I use a cotton rope lunge line (30 footer). I make a small loop at one end and thread the line through to make a sort of lasso. I drape the "lasso" over his butt and hold the rest of the rope like in my hand like a lead rope. I try to keep the line slack though. I hold the halter lead rope and the butt rope in the same hand as I walk up to the trailer door. If he resists, that's when I give a tug on the butt rope. He ALWAYS hops right in without even needing to engage the butt rope. The butt rope just gives a rear cue that I can't give while I am at his head. There's a video of how I load and unload with the butt rope embedded in the post that I referenced at the beginning of this blog post. That video should give a better idea. :0)

Stampy and the Brain link
4/1/2015 03:06:58 am

I wish I had my own trailer to practice with. Or you know, to have control of being able to move my own horses around. The barns' trailer is pretty much always unhooked unless it's going somewhere.

Stampede goes on and comes off great but always has a moment of panic after he first gets in and stands and if you don't have him secured in the stall when it happens he will try to go flying out. I think it's from being forced into two small of trailers before I got him (I saw this first hand). Probably doesn't help that most of his travels with me have been to go to a vet alone in the last few years.

I'll just keep dreaming of my own truck and trailer (and indoor and refinished barn at home so the boys can live with me...).

Bakersfield Dressage link
4/1/2015 09:20:07 am

There is definitely a lot to be said for owning your own truck and trailer. I don't live near the kind of barns where there is a "Barn Trailer" or even staff to operate such a vehicle. And as you mentioned, having control of when and where my horses go is a very liberating feeling.

Is there anyone at your barn who does have a trailer that you can use once a month or so just to practice loading? I am fortunate that my truck stays hooked to the trailer at all times so I can load whenever I want to. It's certainly a smart idea to make sure your horse can load and unload - emergencies always happen when time is of the essence. :0)

Stampy and the Brain link
4/1/2015 11:24:27 pm

So Stampede is too big for most trailers lengthwise (wears an 87" blanket and has a long neck!). One boarder has a two horse slant, but the beast doesn't fit in it. The barn trailer he goes everywhere in is a 7 horse slant, which is definitely a pita!

At least I know he will go in willingly, and he comes out calmly once we get somewhere. Maybe I just need to do more stalking as to when the trailer will be out the day before a show so I can do a quick practice here and there this summer. Of course it would be best if his back would get better so he can go to a show too, lol.

Cathryn K link
4/1/2015 06:45:05 am

Sounds like a positive experience for him! I love how much you are getting him out there :)

Bakersfield Dressage link
4/1/2015 09:23:42 am

He hasn't left the property lately, but I am preparing for it! We'll be doing some occasional trail rides with a friend as soon as he has good walk, trot, WHOA buttons installed. He's also going to the vet on Friday so I want to make sure that goes smoothly since I won't have a friend along to help.

I have a (mental) checklist of what I need my horses to be good at, so while our riding time is still pretty minimal, I'm spending a lot of time covering all of those other skills that I think are just a given. :0)

emma link
4/1/2015 10:29:14 am

some things are so worth the extra, painstaking practice and i really believe trailer loading is one of those things! glad Izzy's doing well so far!

Bakersfield Dressage link
4/1/2015 11:08:28 pm

I agree, Emma. That's why we're working on it now. He's already better than most horses who only load once in a while, but I want him to eventually be totally confident in the process. It might not happen, but I can at least get him close. And honestly, he's pretty good about the whole thing, so I think with a few months under his belt, he'll get to where I want him to be.

Austen link
4/1/2015 10:48:15 pm

I love all this work you're doing with Izzy on trailering. It can be so stressful for so many horses, and yet such a booster for their confidence in YOU.

Pig used to be TERRIBLE to load. He's very stubborn and rears when he's scared/confused/doesn't want to. Because I trailer alone most of the time, it was really important to me that he learn to load quietly and calmly in my trailer. We worked on it for a week, and then worked on it every time the trailer (any trailer!) was hooked up from there on out. In fact, we still practice.

I do think having a horse learn to unload on command (without you in the trailer) is a great thing. My old trailer was too narrow to get in with the horse to back him out. Pig learned to back out on the command "back" and was very good about waiting for the command before starting his exit. The step down always made him nervous, though, and he would bump around with his hinds trying to find the edge. That didn't bother me too much.

Bakersfield Dressage link
4/1/2015 11:14:36 pm

Yes and yes and yes! :0)

I have a different problem: my trailer is so big (tall) that I can't really unhook my horses without being in there. In an emergency, I could drop the grill that covers the opening when the window is in the drop down position, but for every day loading, it's rather inconvenient. And when I do haul two or more horses, I have to get in to open the divider.

I've taught all of my horses to be VERY comfortable with me in there crawling around under them. It may sound silly, but I've taught them to respect my space if I need to pee in the trailer while they're in there. That's a true test of their respect for my space. ;0)

So while backing on command would be fantastic, my trailer doesn't make that a convenient, or even possible, opportunity, but I can definitely see the value! Whatever method we all use, having them be relaxed and trusting about it is the most important part for sure.


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    About the Writer and Rider

    ​I am a lifelong rider. 
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