Trailer Loading With No Questions

3/7/2015

Yesterday I posted a list of can you do this? items. It was a list of things that I want all of my horses to do. Trailer loading with no questions (just get in without hesitation) is really, really high on my list.

A horse that will just load right up is demonstrating complete and total faith in his handler's leadership (in my opinion anyway). And since I do so many things with my horses - trail rides, shows, clinics, vet visits ... loading without issue is really important to me.

I also trailer alone 99.9% of the time which means that I don't have someone who can do a bit of hazing with a dressage whip when one of my horses decides to hesitate or balk a bit. I need to be totally confident that my horse is going to walk onto that trailer no matter what the circumstance.

I could load Speedy in the middle of a we're-not-in-Kansas-anymore type of tornado; he's the very definition of reliable. Izzy is not quite there ... yet. He will be soon, but he needs a few more lessons.

Last weekend when I did a trailer loading session, he decided to put his weight into it and said NO. I brought out a dressage whip to tap him on the hip, but that didn't get his attention. I dragged out my handy stick, but that was a fail as well.

My trailer has a pretty narrow opening (the tack room is behind the other door), so it can be tricky to get a horse to load when you're alone. My preferred method of getting a horse to load takes two people: one person to direct and a second person to apply pressure behind with a dressage or lunging whip.

As mentioned before, I don't usually have a second person, so I went to method number two. I converted by cotton-rope lunge line into a "butt" rope. It doesn't work with every horse, but fortunately, Izzy was quite responsive.

It took a a couple of tugs on the "butt" rope line before he realized that I could get him from behind when he didn't want to move forward. After that, he was all about the when and where. This video is from yesterday afternoon, which was only our second trailer loading session. I hadn't worked with him at all on trailer loading since last weekend.

I was pretty pleased with his progress. I cut out the most boring parts, but the whole practice session lasted less than three minutes. Enjoy!

jenj

3/6/2015 11:43:57 pm

What a good boy!

Bakersfield Dressage link

3/7/2015 12:00:24 am

I thought so, but that's not what it looked like last weekend!!!! :0)

Judy

3/7/2015 12:29:06 am

What a smart boy Izzy!

3/7/2015 12:54:14 am

Or just too lazy to argue about it! :0)

jen

3/7/2015 01:33:53 am

What a good boy!!! I'm sure you've already said a million times how tall he is but I'll ask again.... How tall is he?

3/7/2015 07:05:10 am

When I first got him I measured him with a very good quality stick, and he came in exactly at 16'3. Now that he's more relaxed and not walking around like a giraffe, he doesn't seem very tall any more. It could also be that my perception has changed since I've been riding the neighbor's skyscraper, Austin (17 hands). It's funny ... it doesn't matter who I ride - Speedy is 15'1, but he doesn't feel short. I am getting on Izzy every day and at 16'3 he doesn't feel any taller than Speedy G. :0)

Nicole link

3/8/2015 03:44:29 am

Awww, good baby! That's really great progress

I'm not sure if this option is available to you, but Murray wouldn't load when I first started working with him, so I started feeding him his bucket in the trailer every day. My trainer's old trailer was safe to use when it wasn't hooked up, so after our ride I'd walk over to the trailer, and put his bucket on the ramp. I never asked him for anything he wasn't comfortable with -- I just started with him not touching the trailer, then two feet in, then all the way on the ramp, and then finally all the way in the trailer. I fed his bucket inside the actual trailer either tied or loose for about a month before I called it good. I have seriously NEVER had a problem since, and when Murray sees a trailer now he practically loads himself (I haven't quite gotten to that point yet). I really think that that long, slow association of the trailer as a happy place with delicious foods helped him never protest it since.

GOOD LUCK on your training adventures! :D

emma link

3/8/2015 06:42:01 am

yay what a good boy!! my trailer is quite a bit smaller than yours, so i really don't like to go in with them - and prefer to send them in from the ground, which has the benefit of allowing me to also add pressure from behind. but when that fails - the butt rope seems like a great option!!

3/8/2015 09:33:52 am

Oh, I totally agree with you - I'd MUCH rather send them ahead of me. That's how Speedy loads. Sydney never would load alone unless Speedy was in there first, but I am hoping to get Izzy loading that way eventually.

After just a few practice sessions, he's walking in willingly and quietly. In fact, he kind of hurried me in the last time. I just need to show him that I want him to get in by himself. Ultimately, it doesn't matter as I do have to get in to hook his lead rope through the Blocker Tie Ring.

And I INSIST that they are quiet with me in there with them. I often stop for gas and climb in to check on them or offer them carrot. I don't want to have to worry about getting kicked (which has shaped - VERY long story). These bigger trailers are great, but horses have to be pretty "trailer broke" since the handler has to get in to either open the divider or simply unhook to guide them out. And since I have a rear tack room, the departure door is just as narrow as the arrival door. :0)

3/8/2015 10:11:27 am

ahh that makes sense - and he definitely looks like he's getting the hang of it! i'm all about going nice and slow in preparing horses to travel- esp as i have zero interest in dealing with trying to load up a horse somewhere off property! so it's always interesting to see all different techniques

Sarah link

3/9/2015 07:20:42 am

Very nice! Good boy!!

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Not-So-Speedy Dressage