# How to train a horse to stand quietly on the lorry



## Etoile (Aug 5, 2015)

Hi All,

Would really appreciate your advice. I have a 17.2h 8 year old KWPN who I bought as a project about 9 months ago because he had ridden issues (napping, rearing, spooky and aggressive). He’s been treated for gastric ulcers, now has correctly fitting tack and has had dental issues rectified and, unsurprisingly is now much more relaxed. We’ve bonded really well and his ridden work is coming on amazingly – winning at affiliated dressage and is very happy in his work. 

I sent him to a very well respected ‘natural horsemanship’ expert for a fortnight earlier this Summer year with the sole objective of getting him to load onto the lorry and stand quietly. I also learnt how to work with him on the ground to establish boundaries / make sure he’s not pushing me around. Unfortunately, due to some kind of misunderstanding the trainer only worked on loading him – he now loads like a lamb and stands quietly on the lorry but only until the point that he’s tied up (even without the partition across or ramp up) he paws the floor and kicks the box. 

To address this, the trainer told me to take him off and lunge him and reload to correct this but is isn’t making any difference and I’m finding myself spending hours loading / lunging / loading / lunging to absolutely no effect. I’ve tried ignoring him – he doesn’t stop and it just escalates into hardcore kicks / paws / rears and the lorry is being trashed. He responds to a growl / tap / smack on the leg for a second, then kicks off again.

He behaves in the same way regardless of whether the ramp is down and partition open (so nothing between him and the ramp) when stationary or if the partition is across / ramp up. He is the same in 3 different lorries and a trailer.

I don’t believe he is scared, frightened or claustrophobic. He was actually eating is haynet happily whilst kicking the lorry down last night. 

As soon as I’m travelling him, he’s quiet as a lamb and happily munches on his hay. Sometimes he kicks off if we have to wait at traffic lights of get stuck in traffic – mainly on the way to a show, not on the return. 

Getting him ready at shows is really stressful as he’s pawing, kicking and throws himself around – I’ve actually had a nasty kick and by the time I’m ready to compete, we’re both exhausted – actually, mainly me. I’m reluctant to unload him to get him ready as he’s only just learnt to stand still when tied up and I don’t want to test this under stress (at an event). I also need him to be able to be left on the lorry for short periods – so I can actually go to the loo / check scores / fill up with petrol, without the lorry being kicked to pieces. 

I consider myself a competent and capable rider and horseperson, I’ve been keeping horses and riding for the last 30 years but aside from getting the hobbles out (which I really don’t want to resort to), I’m not sure what to do with this guy, so totally open to any advice coming my way. 

Many thanks in advance


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## Reiningcatsanddogs (Oct 9, 2014)

Etoile said:


> I’m reluctant to unload him to get him ready as he’s only just learnt to stand still when tied up and I don’t want to test this under stress.



Getting him to behave well when tied, regardless of the situation, stressful or not, would be the first place I would start. What is trailering other than asking a horse to stand still when movement is restricted? Start with improving this and see if his behavior in the confines of the trailer improve.


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## FancyIllusions (Jul 8, 2015)

Adding to what reiningcatsanddogs said, what does he do when he is tied (off the trailer)? Does he pull back, get nervous?


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## hollysjubilee (Nov 2, 2012)

Etoile said:


> Hi All,
> 
> Would really appreciate your advice. I have a 17.2h 8 year old KWPN who I bought as a project about 9 months ago because he had ridden issues (napping, rearing, spooky and aggressive). He’s been treated for gastric ulcers, now has correctly fitting tack and has had dental issues rectified and, unsurprisingly is now much more relaxed. We’ve bonded really well and his ridden work is coming on amazingly – winning at affiliated dressage and is very happy in his work.
> 
> ...


I'd be interested to know, too, if your horse is anxious when tied off the trailer.
Every horse is different. I had to retrain a horse last summer to load, stand, and not fly backwards off the trailer when the back door opened.
He used to paw and strike at the wall, too, when loaded and whenever the trailer stopped.

So, I started from scratch.

I spent lots of time ON the trailer with my guy who is incredibly insecure, even when with other horses. I loaded my hay net with hay, and mixed in lots of pieces (not big chunks) of alfalfa/timothy cubes which he enjoys hunting for. I would stand nonchalantly on the trailer with him untied, at first, just holding the lead rope loosely, just grooming, scratching his "sweet spot", and making him wait for varying amounts of time and then asking him to "step, step, step," back off the trailer with head low and slowly, praise . . . reload, spend quality time with him, treat him . . . unload . . . . I'm NOT a treat person when it comes to my horses. The only time I offer treats is when I'm done trimming them . . . and then only a couple of alfalfa cube pieces or a couple of peppermints.

BUT . . . every horse is different, and I'm starting to soften a little in the area of treats and finding that they really help some horses during training . . . not given willy-nilly, but sometimes given after each positive step or, at least, at the end of a lesson.

A friend also gave me a MIRROR! which I taped to the front wall inside the trailer, and he likes the horse in the mirror! I think that helps him. Stable mirrors or a horse mirror make stabled horses and ponies happier, more relaxed and less bored helping to cure or prevent stable vices

When the trailer moves, does your horse keep pawing? Have you taken lots of _little_ trips with him? Do you have an escape door through which you can climb to be at his head when he's tied inside? I would tie Shiloh inside, walk around the trailer, and wait until there was a pause in his pawing and then open the door, chat with him, pat him, whatever . . . and unload him . . . reload, and do it again. I found that short periods of having him inside, then for short rides around the property, then for longer rides around the block, then even longer rides, unloading him after each ride, helped him realize that he wasn't on the trailer forever, and there were good things that happened on the trailer . . . massages, brushings, treats, companionship, and his Mirror Buddy . . . and he doesn't get impatient on the trailer anymore.

I don't know if any of the above will help your situation . . . but maybe just start with small periods of him not pawing and reward after he's quiet.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

I also would like to know, how he is, just being tied solid -period
I would assume, not that good, as you don`t leave him tied tot he trailer at an event
If a horse is not completely accepting of standing tied, even in his comfort zone, he is going to be worse out of it
I need my horses to accept being tied solid, so that is part of my training program, from the time they are started under saddle
I go to shows where horses have stalls (breed shows) and also one day type one shows, where they have to stand tied to the trailer, plus we trail ride, where horses have to stand tied up over night .
I don`t have horses that ever kicked or pawed in trailers, over all the years we raised them, because they were taught to accept being tied-period
Thus, unless a horse feels like he can`t balance in a trailer, in my experience, horses that tie solid, will also accept being tied solid in a trailer
Therefore, place to start is to tie him up, regularly at home, alone, and don`t let him go until he stands there quietly
Green horses esp, when I started them under saddle, always spent time tied up alone, after being worked.

Of course, he stops pawing when you are moving, as he is too busy balancing himself! If he was a scrambler, then you would hav e ahorse that goes into panic mode, once atrialer moves, because he was ina situation where he could not balance, as being hauled with dividers to the floor.
That is not your case. Your horse simply is not taught to accept being tied solid, esp in a confined space. Tie him up regularly in a stall, alone
I still do that with my broke horses, from time to time, just to keep that acceptance in place
Only when your horse stands tied without fussing, alone, at home, can you even expect him to do so in the trailer
`the obstacle is not the obstacle`. Your horse is not solid on being tied, and that is the true problem


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

The first thing you need to do is establish if he'll stand quietly off the horsebox at the show
Does he stand tied in his stable and/or on the yard?
That's something to sort out first and if he does both then take him off as soon as he gets to the show and lead him around for a while then have him stand by the box while you hold him
Tacking him up on the box while he's the way he is at present is an accident waiting to happen
It could well be that he's just excited and impatient to get somewhere and get on with the job - he has to learn self control and I've found that comes from time and not something you can train or force.


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## hollysjubilee (Nov 2, 2012)

Smilie said:


> Of course, he stops pawing when you are moving, as he is too busy balancing himself! If he was a scrambler, then you would hav e ahorse that goes into panic mode, once atrialer moves, because he was ina situation where he could not balance, as being hauled with dividers to the floor.


Smilie, not sure if this was in answer to my question to the OP about whether or not her horse pawed while the trailer was moving, but I asked because my guy did . . . He would paw and strike and make an awful racket and was claustrophobic . . . and bumping the brake would help, but he was pretty panicky . . . so trying to figure if the OP's horse just doesn't like being in the trailer or if he just doesn't like standing when the trailer is still.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

The horse might not stand tied - something we don't know - but I disagree that a horse that gets 'antsy' tied in a stationary horsebox or trailer will not stand tied elsewhere because I've had a horse that was exactly like the OP's. She would stand tied anywhere else with no trouble at all but as soon as she was loaded she would paw the floor and stamp and kick until she was on the move - it was all about being over excited and anticipation for what was going to happen. 
Once she'd been to a few events and travelled more she just stopped doing it


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## Etoile (Aug 5, 2015)

Sorry, will reply directly to posts. #faiil


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## Kay Armstrong (Jun 28, 2015)

Maybe you could try and hobble him in a stall and see how he reacts. If it's not dramatic, maybe you could try and hobble him in the trailer...obviously only if it's not moving, but if you could get him to behave while standing...he'll get used to it and understand.


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## hollysjubilee (Nov 2, 2012)

Etoile, I want to apologize for being sloppy in my reading of your original post. I went back and reread it and see that much of what I mentioned in my post wouldn't be applicable to your horse's problem.

Hope you are able to figure it out. It's a lot of stress to feel you have to babysit the horse every second for fear he will harm himself 
when you are at a show or event.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

I read in the post that the horse is fine, as long as the trailer is moving-thus my reply and assumption
The OP also stated that the horse is not 100% on standing tied, as she does not feel comfortable leaving him tied to the trailer, while she goes to the Loo, for example. Thus, it seems to me that the horse is not solid on being tied-period


From original post:

As soon as I’m travelling him, he’s quiet as a lamb and happily munches on his hay. Sometimes he kicks off if we have to wait at traffic lights of get stuck in traffic – mainly on the way to a show, not on the return.


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## Etoile (Aug 5, 2015)

Hi everyone - thanks so much for taking the time to reply and offer your advice.

In answer to your questions:

When I first got him he wouldn't tie up - just broke away. I trained him to tie up using the plastic thread gizmo like this Idolo Tether Tie - Â£12.95 : Horse Health, The finest Equestrian products in the UK.. 

Now he stands tied solid or with this and isn't stressed (even when waving a plastic bag on the end of a bamboo cane at him) but he is totally immature / babyish and is into everything around him (like other people's rugs / tack / halter / any piece of stable that can be detached). If he has no distractions he will stand like a rock. 

Off the lorry, he's really inconsistent - one time (going to the local woods for a hack) he wouldn't let me untack him / dancing around / ended up snapping his bridle yet a couple of weeks later, at a show, he happily grazed in hand (though as soon as he's back on the box, he's pawing and kicking).

I understand getting him to stand still is the foundation but I'm not sure how to simulate an event environment at home to train him under stress?

Even if we get him standing at shows, it would be irresponsible to leave him tied up outside the lorry unattended (and I still have the traffic light / petrol station challenge).

If I try spending time with him on the lorry / entertaining him with hay / Alfa etc, is that going to make him even more clingy when I leave him? 

His behavior is the same whether he's on his own or with another horse so I'm not sure how much the mirror will help but will certainly give it a go.

On the hobbling point, any tips on how to 1) hobble (i.e two fronts together via the fetlocks) and 2) how to introduce them / train him to accept them?

I used to groom for an event rider who hobbled all her eventers actually whilst the lorry was moving. This sounds quite horrific in hindsight but the horses seemed totally non-plussed!


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## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

When teaching them to 'tie solid' is not just a matter of them standing tied about the stables but in tying away from all others for however long you want.

Cherie would tell you to find a solution tree, a good non breakable halter, clip and rope and to tie him higher than his withers and leave him there until he is stood resting a leg. It might take more than one day's session but they learn in the end and relax whenever they are tied.

His attention is not on you, it needs to be and when he starts to mess around if I am doing something to him then a good lpoke with a finger would let him know that I am not taking his nonsense, because I would have sorted this more firmly at home.


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## hollysjubilee (Nov 2, 2012)

Etoile said:


> If I try spending time with him on the lorry / entertaining him with hay / Alfa etc, is that going to make him even more clingy when I leave him?
> 
> His behavior is the same whether he's on his own or with another horse so I'm not sure how much the mirror will help but will certainly give it a go.


Well, it didn't with my guy. I think it helped him realize that the trailer was a good place to be. He doesn't hesitate, now, to load up, and he stays calm. He's a very insecure horse, but I think that with the time I spent with him on there making it a "happy place," actually helped him to relax and wait. He is a clingy guy with me . . . and part of me likes that because I always wanted a horse for a "best friend," but I haven't found that it has made him bratty or spoiled.

Even my horses who don't need a mirror like the mirror now that it's in the trailer . . . so it might make a difference to him. Maybe you could put one on the outside of the trailer so he can see himself while he's tied? Worth a try.

I feel for you. I hate worrying about them hurting themselves.

Maybe, he's just an impatient horse and wants to be where the action is, as someone else mentioned -- wants to hurry up and get to the event; wants to be the life-of-the-party AT the event.


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## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

It sounds to me like he really is just not ok in the trailer. Whether he is fearful, claustrophobic, or what have you. Horses will eat out of nervousness, usually fast chewing, and grabbing the food, so just because he is eating I do not accept he is not feeling stressed.

I get the idea of unloading, lunging, reloading on and on, but if he is stressed and just keeps getting hotter rather then tired and thinking it will do no good.

Ok so what I do from the very beginning with all my horses especially the ones who are worried about the trailer is I only feed them, their concentrate, in the trailer. It is a pain but it does not take long to get them loading themselves and learning the trailer is a great place to be.

At first I leave all the doors, windows and dividers open, and I do not tie them. I pour the food they load in and I leave the doors open that way they are not trapped and they can leave if they want to. If they leave they leave their food. A lot of times they will go in and out of the trailer initially take a bite back out, go back in take a bite ect. It is self reinforcing, and they get lots of practice of loading themselves. 

After a while I add more food, making it something they really like; that helps to extend the duration of time they spend in the trailer. I have found that my horses really like orchard hay, it is something they don't get all the time so it is special only for the trailer. 

Once they are comfortable with the doors open I begin closing things up one at a time, starting with the opening farthest from them. Then gradually close more openings until the only thing open is their door. Then I work on closing their door for just a second then open, then close so and so forth until I can close the door and leave it closed. Then of course build that duration, if at any time they get worried I open the door and let them figure it out, but I always give them the choice to get out. Sometimes it takes longer to get them comfortable due to having to rebuild a positive history regarding the trailer. Horses who are new to the trailer actually learn much quicker to like the trailer, then those with a negative history. But I have yet to have a horse that would not load itself eventually and get comfortable in the trailer. I feel to that once they are truly comfortable being in the trailer the other behaviors will cease.

Once they are comfortable with the doors closed I start with the tying part and by then it should be just a matter of clipping the snap. Then I start with short trips across the yard. Unload, wait for few minutes reload just to practice and make sure they understand loading no matter where the trailer is. From there we go on short trips to fun places. Usually my first trip is to my neighbors around the corner, just in case we have problems it is close to home. But I have, as of yet, never had to walk one home. Knock on wood. If we ever hit a hiccup I just back up to a place they were comfortable and rebuild from there.

After all is said and done I practically am begging my horses to get out of the trailer, which is a better problem to have then begging them to get in.

Now for horses who are truly scared and worried about the trailer I start things more gradually. I use panels and put them around the trailer to limit options, and I just start out feeding them in the panels behind the trailer, and gradually move their bucket towards the trailer, then into the back of the trailer so and so fourth until they will climb into to eat.

It sounds like a lot of work and time but in reality the longest amount of time it has taken using this method was about two weeks. The pain part is having to be constantly hooking my truck up to the trailer and then unhook when I want to go somewhere, then re-hook. But it is only for a short time and then the work is done. 

I have horses that practically drag you into the trailer, don't want to get out, and we have to make sure we always keep trailer doors closed or one of them will try and climb into an un-hitched trailer. I feel like those are all good problems to have.


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## Smilie (Oct 4, 2010)

Agree with Foxhunter
Far as feeding in the trailer, I admit to having done that when I was fairly new to hauling horses, when I started raising them, some 35 years ago, but stopped doing it, once I realized the true fundamentals needed
Horses don't learn to accept being tied solid, just tying them for brief periods, keeping them in eye sight, or near buddies
They learn to accept being tied solid, by actually tying them up for extended periods, alone
Horses also learn to paw, act up, when they are rewarded for doing so, with that owner, 'trained' to release them asp, to stop that behavior, when instead they should be left there until they stand quietly, thus rewarding the right thing
Horses are creatures of habit, and there seems to be the idea by many that to expect a horse to stand tied, has some kind of exemption, for horses considered to 'valuable' to tie solid, or too high strung' Neither is true, and any horse can learn to stand tied solid, for extended periods
Of course, you teach this learning curve in manner that minimizes any risk of injury
I can't imagine someone hobbling a horse to trailer him ! Try tying your own feet together, then riding in the back of a moving trailer!
I also think part of the problem lies in him needing to be 'seasoned' show wise. He most likely associates being hauled with showing, esp how he re acted that time he danced around
Have you ever hauled him just to a relaxing trail ride?
Hobble him when the trailer is stopped, and leave him in there while you stop to eat ect (of course, teaching him to be hobbled before hand. )If you google, there are some good videos on how to hobble break a horse.
I would not leave him hobbled while being hauled


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

If he was so claustrophobic he would refuse to load or at least make a big scene about loading and he would be just the same when travelling as he is when the horsebox (not a trailer) is stationary.
What's he like when left tied in his stable on his own?


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