# Trailer Loading... tips and tricks?



## RubaiyateBandit (Jan 25, 2009)

I have this gelding, 2-Pak. He's a pretty big guy, and he has fair ground manners and everything. His only major problem is that he -will not- load in a trailer. We've tried all sorts of different solutions... his first trainer taught us to lunge him before hand, and then try to load him, and if he refuses, lunge him again. My uncle (the one who bred 2-Pak) has tried just forcing him into the trailer and reward him for standing calmly inside, then take him out and repeat. I've heard all sorts of "Lock him in a round pen opened to the trailer, then feed/water him inside of the trailer." The only idea that resulted in mild success is luring him into the trailer using treats and food, then rewarding him for standing quietly inside.
I've gotten him loading fairly decently with the last one, but he just seems to be learning so slowly, and he'll only load in one of the stock trailers... I can't even get him to stick a hoof in the other two trailers. 
We've also tried backing the trailer up to a hill, so there's hardly any step up, and he refuses all the same. If we just leave a trailer open in the pasture, he has no problem crawling inside of his own will. It's just that he does not want to load when someone else wants him to load.

Do any of you have any tips or tricks that might help him? I'm still luring him in with treats, and I've gotten him so that he'll walk in behind me with only a little hesitation, but only if I have treats in my hand, or, on better days, his favorite brush, but he still will only load in the one trailer, and it's not exactly in horse-hauling condition. Any other trailer, he'll stop just before the step and stretch out his neck, trying to get the treats. 
I know that repitition is what's best, but if anyone has any help that might help him learn faster, I'd be eternally grateful. It's a problem we've been working on since I've gotten him, and I started getting him to walk in with the treats (no halter/lead, just making it think it was his idea) nearly two years ago.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

You say 'pretty big guy'. How big and what type of trailer?


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

If he is a big guy and you are trying to load him into a straight two horse or even a slant load depending on his size, he may be feeling claustrophobic. I'll wait to say more since I have the same question as mls


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## RubaiyateBandit (Jan 25, 2009)

He's around 15 hands -- I've never officially measured how tall, so I'm guessing based off Ruby's height. ^^: I'm 5'6", and his withers are at my eye level, if that helps. The trailer... two stocks and a slant. The one he loads in is a wide (maybe 6 1/2 feet?) stock, about average height. The other two are both 7 1/2 ft tall, not sure how wide.


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## RubaiyateBandit (Jan 25, 2009)

And with the slant load, we usually take out the dividers and don't use them at all. We used them once, and I didn't like how any of the horses fit.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

I'm guessing you have tried in small or dark interior trailers. 15 hands is an average sized horse. We have a 15'2 1250 mare and a nearly 16 hand gelding that both get into my 3 horse slant without hesitation.

Our problem is getting them to wait their turn to be loaded . . . 

Another question - when did the problem start? I've said it before and I will say it again - it's often not the trailer but the person driving that worries the horse. Most of the trailer loading issues start after a bad experience being hauled.


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## RubaiyateBandit (Jan 25, 2009)

mls said:


> I'm guessing you have tried in small or dark interior trailers. 15 hands is an average sized horse. We have a 15'2 1250 mare and a nearly 16 hand gelding that both get into my 3 horse slant without hesitation.
> 
> Our problem is getting them to wait their turn to be loaded . . .
> 
> Another question - when did the problem start? I've said it before and I will say it again - it's often not the trailer but the person driving that worries the horse. Most of the trailer loading issues start after a bad experience being hauled.


Hmm, maybe he's 16ish hands? He's taller than most other horses I have him around. I'm afraid I'm mostly guessing on his height... ^^;
My other horses all load easily... Bandit and Dante we can hardly keep out of an open trailer. 

Umm, I can't say I remember a time that he ever loaded well. The first time I remember him entering a trailer, he was two and we had one person at his head and two people running a rope behind him, urging him forward. Before then... I can't say if he'd been loaded or not. I believe my dad was driving that day, and he's not all that awesome a driver, I'll admit, but his driving hasn't seemed to scar any of the others. 
I know my dad's impatience has probably messed him up pretty bad (my dad is not good with horses... his philosophy consists of brute force for everything. He's also no longer allowed to have anything to do with them.), but dad is pretty much banned from entering the vicinity when any horses are being loaded.


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## Dreamer1215 (Jan 31, 2009)

I had a horse that HATED to be trailered!!!! His 1st trailer ride was from Kansas to Tampa, Fl, so I can't say I really blame him. I tried several different ways & techniques, & it was always a crap shoot if he would load or not. Then we met a "Cowboy preacher" who used Horace for a Sunday Church demo. There are 2 differences....the horse that REFUSES to load, & the horse that CHOOSES not to load. Horace CHOSE not to load. After about 10 minutes of working with him @ church, he'll now load. I should say that we have a big rear load stock trailer with a step up. 

Try to park the trailer parallel to a fence on 1 side. Leave the back & 1 side open for you to work him. Make sure there is a bucket with a little bit of feed up in the front. Doesn't have to be a full meal, a few handfuls will do. When leading the horse in, don't stand to the side or behind. Keep your energy up & walk up without stopping on a loose lead. Do not turn around. Keep your back to him & let him follow you up. If he hesitates, keep facing forward & have someone stand behind him to put pressure on his rear legs by standing back & spinning a rope. If he still is refusing or you are by yourself, then let the head lead be long enough that you can string thru the trailer & stand by the back doors. Pull in by the head lead while spinning a rope behind him. Remain calm at all times and don't rush him. Keep in mind, he's a big boy. You will not be able to pull him or push him in. He has to put himself in. 

Once he realises that this big contraption will not eat him alive and there is a reward of a little feed up at the front, eventually it will get easier. Keep practicing & keep calm. At the church, I loaded & unloaded several times, the preacher loaded & unloaded several times, plus my non-horsey husband, & my 11 year old son. Brought him home, & a few days later loaded him up all by myself several more times with no more problems. 

Good luck!


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## Dreamer1215 (Jan 31, 2009)

RubaiyateBandit said:


> I know my dad's impatience has probably messed him up pretty bad (my dad is not good with horses... his philosophy consists of brute force for everything. He's also no longer allowed to have anything to do with them.), but dad is pretty much banned from entering the vicinity when any horses are being loaded.


 
My husband is not a very patient person either, & he's not into horses like I am. Brute force is his answer, too. Our kids show cows, & to get them in the trailer, then you tighten up the lead ropes & pull them up, having someone push from behind if needed. Ya can't do that with a horse. Horses are stronger on thier legs, and have more power behind them. And you know that horses pick up on "vibes", so by being tense & worked up, the horse will be tense, too. "Keep calm, baby" is my mantra for my husband when he helps! lol


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## RubaiyateBandit (Jan 25, 2009)

Dreamer1215 said:


> I had a horse that HATED to be trailered!!!! His 1st trailer ride was from Kansas to Tampa, Fl, so I can't say I really blame him. I tried several different ways & techniques, & it was always a crap shoot if he would load or not. Then we met a "Cowboy preacher" who used Horace for a Sunday Church demo. There are 2 differences....the horse that REFUSES to load, & the horse that CHOOSES not to load. Horace CHOSE not to load. After about 10 minutes of working with him @ church, he'll now load. I should say that we have a big rear load stock trailer with a step up.
> 
> Try to park the trailer parallel to a fence on 1 side. Leave the back & 1 side open for you to work him. Make sure there is a bucket with a little bit of feed up in the front. Doesn't have to be a full meal, a few handfuls will do. When leading the horse in, don't stand to the side or behind. Keep your energy up & walk up without stopping on a loose lead. Do not turn around. Keep your back to him & let him follow you up. If he hesitates, keep facing forward & have someone stand behind him to put pressure on his rear legs by standing back & spinning a rope. If he still is refusing or you are by yourself, then let the head lead be long enough that you can string thru the trailer & stand by the back doors. Pull in by the head lead while spinning a rope behind him. Remain calm at all times and don't rush him. Keep in mind, he's a big boy. You will not be able to pull him or push him in. He has to put himself in.
> 
> ...


Don't quote me on it, but I suppose I'd say 2-Pak "chooses" not to load, based on how he will freely load when the trailer is just set out in the pasture. Any amount of pressure on him to load, though, and then he starts to refuse.
We've tried pulling him in before, like you mentioned, but it simply doesn't stick. More like, he'll brace against that pressure until someone gives up, the ropes snaps, or his halter snaps. One time or another that we tried it, he actually stood there bracing for nearly an hour, and then he started to move forward, so we let off the pressure a bit (using the whole 'pressure-release' system), and he violently jerked backward, reared, and then lost his footing and fell. After that, we tried again... only for him to repeat it. Four or five times in a row, though he didn't consitantly fall. 
But it's like I said, I don't think he's actually afraid of the trailer at all. Once he's inside, he's perfectly fine. He'll stand there happy as pie, lead him out, and he'll just refuse to get in again. 



Dreamer1215 said:


> My husband is not a very patient person either, & he's not into horses like I am. Brute force is his answer, too. Our kids show cows, & to get them in the trailer, then you tighten up the lead ropes & pull them up, having someone push from behind if needed. Ya can't do that with a horse. Horses are stronger on thier legs, and have more power behind them. And you know that horses pick up on "vibes", so by being tense & worked up, the horse will be tense, too. "Keep calm, baby" is my mantra for my husband when he helps! lol


I'm usually pretty patient with a horse, and when I do start to lose my cool, the horse goes back in the round pen and I just walk away. My dad, on the other hand, has no patience whatsoever... He won't give up and he won't listen to reason. He's actually gone so far as to run a lead through the trailer window and hitch it up to the winch on the tractor, and was about to forcibly drag 2-Pak into the trailer (But I unclipped 2-Pak's lead as soon as dad stepped away and walked him by his halter, back into the pasture.). As a result of that particular stunt, my father is no longer allowed to interact with the horses without strict supervision.


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## Dreamer1215 (Jan 31, 2009)

_Yes, sounds like Horace was - a chooser. How I described about is all with a LOOSE lead. No physical pressure on the horse, & noone touching him. If you yank on a horse's halter, what does he do? Pulls away. The only pressure is by swinging the rope behind him a few feet - not touching him with it. Keep your energy up, but keep calm. If he pulls back, go back with him. Come out of the trailer, walk around & then don't hesite & walk up into the trailer with a loose lead. Consistancy is the key. And make sure there is a little feed up there. Don't use that as a "bribe" but it will be up there if & when he decides to walk up there._

_And WOW! My husband hasn't done that...I'm sure it's crossed his mind, though! _


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## Qtswede (Apr 16, 2009)

From personal experience only - don't wait until you need him to load to work on it. It always seems like if you act as though you have somewhere to go it takes hours, but if you act like you have all the time in the world, it goes fast. I've had lots of luck just walking them right in as though we've done it a thousand times, even though it's their first, or if they've been frightened in the past. Your confidence will go a long way, believe it or not. 
Feeding them in the trailer, baiting with grain, and loading & unloading without the pressure of needing to be somewhere. A chain never hurt either.


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## Countrygal892000 (Apr 17, 2009)

I had a horse that was 17 hands. When I was breaking her she absolutly refused to load. What we did was we put her in the round pen for a day with no water and no food. Then when we did lead her into the horse trailer we had set hay and a bucket of water in the horse trailer. (If you have a horse trailer that you open the door to the tack room and you can walk back and forth from the trailer door to the tack room door it helps a lot) open the tack door, it gives a horse an idea that its just a wall that its walking into. when/if the horse climbs in the trailer shut the back and tack door and leave it in the trailer for four or five hours... not tied just let him roam... Give him more food and water if he wants it... praise him... give him treats.. he needs to establish that the trailer is a good thing... just loading him and unloading him can be effective but letting him stand in it and get used to the smells and how it feels is a big importance. The horse I had was so tall that she couldn't raise her head quite all the way.. the first time we put her in the trailer she freaked and banged her head and she had a bad experience so she became trailer shy... we worked with her for a grand total of four days, like I stated above.. and she was fine with the trailer ever since...


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Countrygal892000 said:


> What we did was we put her in the round pen for a day with no water and no food.


Sorry but I strongly believe the basic staples of food and water should not be used as a punishment or a reward.


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## NewHeart (Dec 10, 2008)

mls said:


> Sorry but I strongly believe the basic staples of food and water should not be used as a punishment or a reward.


I agree with MLS, food and water should not be used as a reward or punishment, the horse should know it gets that no matter what. 

An idea that we sometimes used when we had a horse that would not load was to back the trailer up to a small hill so the base of the trailer was flush with the ground. This way, the horse did not have to step up and could just walk right in. I didn't read what type of trailer you have, but generally speaking it works better with a straight load.


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## StormyBlues (Dec 31, 2008)

Well, I haven't read the other posts, but don't pull him in, cause in a tug of war match, the horse wins. Stand at his side by the trailer, with his head facing it, and swing the rope at his hind end. Make him step in, don't lead him in. Blue learned to do this in a week!


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

I've worked with quite a few horses that don't load. A friend of mine bought two Arabs at an auction awhile back, and it took us about three hours to load them both. She had a small-ish straight load but definitely big enough for the 14 hh horses. The mare only took about twenty minutes, but the gelding just refused. We had two guys with two lead ropes that had threaded the line through the window in the back and used the leverage to stop him from pulling back [that's how the mare went in] and we had another lead rope running around his bum. None of that worked. Two and a half hours later, after everyone was thoroughly exhausted, we blindfolded him and walked him right in.


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## RubaiyateBandit (Jan 25, 2009)

Countrygal892000 said:


> I had a horse that was 17 hands. When I was breaking her she absolutly refused to load. What we did was we put her in the round pen for a day with no water and no food. Then when we did lead her into the horse trailer we had set hay and a bucket of water in the horse trailer. (If you have a horse trailer that you open the door to the tack room and you can walk back and forth from the trailer door to the tack room door it helps a lot) open the tack door, it gives a horse an idea that its just a wall that its walking into. when/if the horse climbs in the trailer shut the back and tack door and leave it in the trailer for four or five hours... not tied just let him roam... Give him more food and water if he wants it... praise him... give him treats.. he needs to establish that the trailer is a good thing... just loading him and unloading him can be effective but letting him stand in it and get used to the smells and how it feels is a big importance. The horse I had was so tall that she couldn't raise her head quite all the way.. the first time we put her in the trailer she freaked and banged her head and she had a bad experience so she became trailer shy... we worked with her for a grand total of four days, like I stated above.. and she was fine with the trailer ever since...


For witholding food/water completely, I'll have to pass on that tactic. Partially because of the obvious, partially because this guy has been known to break through fences when he's penned without food. And at any rate, he has no problem being -in- the trailer. Once he gets all four feet up there, he'll stand quietly without a problem. Won't even try to back out, and I've caught him crawling into open trailers and laying down for a nap even. The fight is in getting him to get into the trailer when I ask him to. 
He does usually hit his head on the cieling of the trailer, but only when he's refusing to step into it. While he's inside, he keeps his head low.



NewHeart said:


> An idea that we sometimes used when we had a horse that would not load was to back the trailer up to a small hill so the base of the trailer was flush with the ground. This way, the horse did not have to step up and could just walk right in. I didn't read what type of trailer you have, but generally speaking it works better with a straight load.


We've actually tried this, more under the impression that he'd be going downhill, and so we'd have a bit more momentum behind him. And yet, he came to a dead halt two paces from the edge of the trailer and practically sat down in his attempt to not enter the trailer.



riccil0ve said:


> I've worked with quite a few horses that don't load. A friend of mine bought two Arabs at an auction awhile back, and it took us about three hours to load them both. She had a small-ish straight load but definitely big enough for the 14 hh horses. The mare only took about twenty minutes, but the gelding just refused. We had two guys with two lead ropes that had threaded the line through the window in the back and used the leverage to stop him from pulling back [that's how the mare went in] and we had another lead rope running around his bum. None of that worked. Two and a half hours later, after everyone was thoroughly exhausted, we blindfolded him and walked him right in.


I've really never thought of blindfolding... but how would the horse know to step up? I know I desensitized him to being blindfolded a long time ago, so I don't worry about him getting upset, but I remember him throwing the biggest fit the first attempt. This horse was totally comfortable with it though? Must've been a pretty level headed little mare. :lol:


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## NewHeart (Dec 10, 2008)

RubaiyateBandit said:


> We've actually tried this, more under the impression that he'd be going downhill, and so we'd have a bit more momentum behind him. And yet, he came to a dead halt two paces from the edge of the trailer and practically sat down in his attempt to not enter the trailer.


Well actually what I was getting at was making the trailer flush with the hill. If you align the trailer up properly, he should be able to just walk right in. Again, this is still works better with a straight load. The whole idea is that he won't need to gain momentum by going down a hill, instead he should be able to just walk right in, eliminating the step up into the trailer.


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## Countrygal892000 (Apr 17, 2009)

> _Sorry but I strongly believe the basic staples of food and water should not be used as a punishment or a rewa__rd._


So when you send a child to bed with no dinner is different? I guess I was raised in a more old fashioned house hold. There is nothing wrong with withholding water and food from a horse for a day. When I first got my horse she was wild, never seen a human except for maybe twice in her life. She was two and when we brought her home we kept her in the trailer for a day and a half and when we led her out we took her straight to water to let her know that we are here to love her and take care of her... its a step in earning her trust, and that plus a few other things I was riding her in three days. I know that everyone trains different and I completly respect that. I just don't want to be made out that im cruel to my animals. I love them with all my heart. I was brought up to train very very old fashioned. I learned from my grandfather. If you have something that works though, that is all that matters.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Countrygal892000 said:


> So when you send a child to bed with no dinner is different? I guess I was raised in a more old fashioned house hold. There is nothing wrong with withholding water and food from a horse for a day. When I first got my horse she was wild, never seen a human except for maybe twice in her life. She was two and when we brought her home we kept her in the trailer for a day and a half and when we led her out we took her straight to water to let her know that we are here to love her and take care of her... its a step in earning her trust, and that plus a few other things I was riding her in three days. I know that everyone trains different and I completly respect that. I just don't want to be made out that im cruel to my animals. I love them with all my heart. I was brought up to train very very old fashioned. I learned from my grandfather. If you have something that works though, that is all that matters.


Gee - guess I was never naughty enough to go to bed without supper. We had TV, phone use or other NON necessities taken away.

Guess you have never had watch a horse colic due to dehydration.

Even our NPO horses at the hospital have water in front of them at all times.


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## xeventer17 (Jan 26, 2009)

the kind of people who are willing to take away a horse's basic necessities are generally (please don't think im directly attacking you because this may not be true in your case) the kind of people who are all about having all the power and control in the relationship between them and their horse. that is not an effective way to work with a horse. though the horse should respect you (not bite, kick, etc) , you also need to respect it. you should be a pair that works together freely.

also, it's completely different with a kid who gets sent to bed without dinner. horses are NOT humans. they do not understand what they did wrong when you take away food or water, they just learn that they can't trust you to be the alpha and care for them. if done often enough this will also lead to a rude aggressive horse. children have the capability to understand what they did and why they are not being fed. as well as that, when you send a child to bed without dinner or whatever they are being punished. what you proposed and said you did with the horse was not a punishment.

okay, end rant :]


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## midnightbright (Apr 19, 2009)

I have a pony with the same problem. This is what my trainer told me.....Load her and give her her daily feed in the trailer, to never ever get scared or nervos. And you said that he will load on his own free will right? So you can drape the lead rope on his neck and stand on the side and flap your arm to herd him in. If you are in pony club it is in the D-Manuel.

Hope this works,
Midnightbright


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## Countrygal892000 (Apr 17, 2009)

No I have never seen a horse colic due to dehydration... I would never let it go that far.. and I never got the phone or Tv taken away because I never used them anyways. i was always outside working or doing something with my animals, so dinner was more effective. Like I said, everyone has their own way of training animals, mine if different and it works for me. My horses respect me and I them, but they know that I am alpha. I am my horses best friends, but I am also her master and she knows that. Humans def. have a more capable thought process but horses are very intelligent as well. They know when they have done something bad. But im not going to take away her food and water just because she didn't make a perfect turn. I use it as a teaching method. Not as a punishment.


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## xeventer17 (Jan 26, 2009)

whatever. all i know is that when you kill or injure one of your horses you're gonna feel like crap and it will absolutely be your fault.


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## Countrygal892000 (Apr 17, 2009)

xeventer17 said:


> whatever. all i know is that when you kill or injure one of your horses you're gonna feel like crap and it will absolutely be your fault.


I have had many animals in my life and not one of them has been hurt. That was a horrible thing to say and I don't appreciate it. I am just trying to defend myself. I never once tried to push any teaching method of mine onto you. Just give ideas. If ppl don't like them then they don't have to use them. But just because I do things differently than you doesn't give you the right to be a ***** to me. I have had many many animals, growing up on a ranches (my family owns three) I kinda know how to take care of animals. I would never want to hurt one of them. I know where to draw the line. I am not a monster and I know what I am doing.


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## xeventer17 (Jan 26, 2009)

sorry. you're right, that comment was kinda out of line. didn't have the best day and was in a really poor mood when i wrote that. i apologize, i just so often see people that have no idea what they're doing try to mimic "the cowboys" (my first horse was a rescue horse that had been subjected to such a situation) that i get touchy about those kinds of things. but you do seem like you know what you're doing and i trust that you're responsible in your methods.


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## Countrygal892000 (Apr 17, 2009)

Thank you for apoligizing.. and I am sorry if I offended you also... I had a horse since before I could walk, but my first actual rodeo horse was a rescue as well.. he was an Arabian and he had a really bad case of colic... wouldn't eat or drink and had blackouts all the time.. it took us five months before I could ride him... But when i could he took me to state twice... We won fifth and first... I loved him so much... I know my techniques seem harsh.. but growing up the way I did, those are the techniques I learned... I respect anyone who takes the time to actually work with thier horses and try to better them... whatever technique it may be... well execpt if they are beating or abusing them in a horrific way... I hope you had a better day today...


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## G and K's Mom (Jan 11, 2008)

Countrygal892000 said:


> If you have something that works though, that is all that matters.


No, it's not what matters..... what matters is the horse's welfare, withholding the basics is just plain wrong. It may be your Grandfathers way but horse training has come along way in the last 50 years. Do you really think that a horse has the capabilities to know that not being feed or watered is a training method? If you have respect for people that actually take the time needed to work with their horse's to achieve the same results without withholding food, why don't you give it a try.

I'm not even going to get into the logic behind leaving a horse in a trailer for a day and half without food and water.........:twisted: I'm sorry but you are really getting my hackles up..... time for me to go.....................


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## Juniper (May 4, 2007)

Hopefully each generation finds ways to improve. I agree with G and K's mom that maybe you should look at different methods. Take all the good your grandfather taught you and keep learning. I bet you could become a super horsewoman that way. (Curious what a kid could possible do that was naughty enough to be sent to bed without supper. )


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## EternalSun (Mar 29, 2009)

To the OP: I'm with everyone else who said personal confidence is everything. When I load my horse, I walk straight on at a brisk walk, no nonsense, and I never look back at him. 99% of the time it works, I assume because he thinks "well, she's so sure that this is what I should be doing, I guess I'll do it". The other 1% of time, when he's just being a fart, I just turn around, walk him in a large circle, and do it again. Don't worry that he wont get on - each and every time you try to load him, start with a clean slate. Don't anticipate him not getting on because he'll pick up on your anxiety and that'll be huge red flags for him. No need for harsh methods or smacking them around, just a no-nonsense approach. It's not a "you have no other option, GET ON NOW", but a "Get on the trailer now, please". Horse's are very intuitive to what people are feeling, and they're great readers of body language. Be confident and sure of yourself. Also, when he does finally get on, make a *BIG* deal out of it. Rub him and pet and make a huge fuss. 

*I wanted to make it clear that my preferred methods work for a horse who just doesn't want to get on, like mine or the OP's horse. A horse who is genuinely afraid of trailers needs to be handled very gently and made to feel confident before even attempting loading.

And a side note - not feeding or watering your horse sounds like a good recipe for colic. I've been severly dehydrated before and it's a feeling I wouldn't wish on anyone. I just had to throw in my opinion on that.


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## RubaiyateBandit (Jan 25, 2009)

EternalSun said:


> To the OP: I'm with everyone else who said personal confidence is everything. When I load my horse, I walk straight on at a brisk walk, no nonsense, and I never look back at him. 99% of the time it works, I assume because he thinks "well, she's so sure that this is what I should be doing, I guess I'll do it". The other 1% of time, when he's just being a fart, I just turn around, walk him in a large circle, and do it again. Don't worry that he wont get on - each and every time you try to load him, start with a clean slate. Don't anticipate him not getting on because he'll pick up on your anxiety and that'll be huge red flags for him. No need for harsh methods or smacking them around, just a no-nonsense approach. It's not a "you have no other option, GET ON NOW", but a "Get on the trailer now, please". Horse's are very intuitive to what people are feeling, and they're great readers of body language. Be confident and sure of yourself. Also, when he does finally get on, make a *BIG* deal out of it. Rub him and pet and make a huge fuss.
> 
> *I wanted to make it clear that my preferred methods work for a horse who just doesn't want to get on, like mine or the OP's horse. A horse who is genuinely afraid of trailers needs to be handled very gently and made to feel confident before even attempting loading.
> 
> And a side note - not feeding or watering your horse sounds like a good recipe for colic. I've been severly dehydrated before and it's a feeling I wouldn't wish on anyone. I just had to throw in my opinion on that.



Well, I like to think I'm being pretty confident. I'll try to stay more aware of it, at any rate. 

I did go out to play with him some today, and I got him in the wider stock again after... well, not too much fuss. My friend had a bucket of grain up front and the escape door wide open, and I just sort of walked him toward it. He refused at the entryway, like he usually does, and I just sorta stood there with a little pressure on his halter until he finally put his front feet up after about three minutes. I gave him a handful of grain for that much and a bunch of rubbing, and then he decided to climb up and go after the grain bucket. Inside, we rubbed on him and I brushed him down with his rubber curry (his absolute favorite brush) and gave him a whole bucket of grain and he stayed in there happy as pie. I wanted to load him on again after we took him out, but I had to leave for school. I'll try again tomorrow, if I have a chance. Usually, that's about how his loading goes, except he'll refuse for a longer time, or he'll put his front feet in, throw up his head and hit it, and then refuse to get near the trailer again.
I don't suppose there's any way to put a tie-down on him without a saddle, is there?


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## EternalSun (Mar 29, 2009)

You could tie it to a girth you made from baling twine..... obviously kidding but I've actually seen this happen!


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

About the blind-folding... I don't know how he new to step up, but he did. His legs were wrapped and I think he bumped his front legs on it and figured it out. My friend was also telling him "up." Most horses are calm when blindfolded, they can't see and most have the sense to not move. But if you just go up to a random horse you've never met and blindfold him without having built the trust it wouldn't work as well. =]

You could put a tie down on if you had a surcingle. However, you may not want a bunch of stuff on him when you're trying to load, and you also don't want him to get "stuck."

I think it was good that you had to go to school. One of the most important parts about training is stopping on a good note. So many people think, "Oh, that was great, let's do it again!" and both you and your horse will get frustrated when it's not as great the next go-around. If you have a chance to load him in the morning and again in the evening that's fine, but I wouldn't do it right in a row so you don't get in an even bigger fight.

While I don't believe in with-holding food or water, you could put the horse trailer in his pasture, attached to a vehicle so there's no way for the trailer to move, and feed him his grain and hay just inside the trailer. You would have to ALWAYS feed him like that though, that way he can associate the trailer as his source of food. And just gradually put it farther back. You said he will walk in on his own anyway, but now we're just making the trailer a really good thing, because it feeds him.


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## RubaiyateBandit (Jan 25, 2009)

riccil0ve said:


> About the blind-folding... I don't know how he new to step up, but he did. His legs were wrapped and I think he bumped his front legs on it and figured it out. My friend was also telling him "up." Most horses are calm when blindfolded, they can't see and most have the sense to not move. But if you just go up to a random horse you've never met and blindfold him without having built the trust it wouldn't work as well. =]
> 
> You could put a tie down on if you had a surcingle. However, you may not want a bunch of stuff on him when you're trying to load, and you also don't want him to get "stuck."
> 
> ...


Huh. I guess it just seems a little weird, since I've never really heard of that being done. :lol:
Yeah, I was more or less joking about tying his head down. It just always seems like he hits his head, and then it gets that much harder to load him the next time. My dad says we should find him a helmet, so he won't kill anymore brain cells. :?
That actually makes a lot of sense... more so than my uncle's "get the horse in at all costs, take him out, and do it all over again until the horse just loads without a fight" -- I'm usually a little more patient, and consider it a small victory if all I can get is the front feet in a few times, but I've still always gone back and done it again. 
And for feeding him in the trailer... we usually keep a trailer in the pasture year-round -- it's their shelter, really, not counting the forest. We used to keep their mineral blocks or hay up front for them, too, but they'd get inside and get to fighting or something, so I try not to feed them in closed spaces anymore. And we don't really have a way to keep him in his own little pasture for anything longer than a week.


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## EternalSun (Mar 29, 2009)

Horse Helmet!

Jeffers® Leather Head Bumper - Shipping Boots / Halters / Bumpers


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## RubaiyateBandit (Jan 25, 2009)

EternalSun said:


> Horse Helmet!
> 
> Jeffers® Leather Head Bumper - Shipping Boots / Halters / Bumpers


:shock: They do exist! And they're not big bulky things like I always envisioned! :lol:


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## Countrygal892000 (Apr 17, 2009)

I just want to say that I have my own training methods that I have learned from a great horse person who actually learned it from Indians. I believe strongly in what my grandfather tells me and everything he has ever taught me has worked. It may not be your way, but its mine. I do not like to buy a DVD for $40 to watch a man or woman show me how to train my horse.. it may be all good for everyone else... but when I have a horse whisperer that is in my house I am going with him.... Every horse we have ever owned has been awesome... never ever EVER abused... I really want to clarify that.. I love my animals and would never hurt them... My techniques might be outdated but they work for me... and to answer the question of Juniper


> "Curious what a kid could possible do that was naughty enough to be sent to bed without supper. )


 Have you met any of these kids today? And when I did something wrong, lets say I didn't do my homework... no homework no dinner.. that is the way it was.. I was raised in a very VERY old fashioned household.. chores were to be done everyday before and after school, no tv or phone until chores and homework were done... I got spanked.... I was raised obviously different than a lot of people on here... and I train different... We all have our own ways...


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## Janasse (Nov 22, 2008)

EternalSun said:


> To the OP: I'm with everyone else who said personal confidence is everything. When I load my horse, I walk straight on at a brisk walk, no nonsense, and I never look back at him. 99% of the time it works, I assume because he thinks "well, she's so sure that this is what I should be doing, I guess I'll do it". The other 1% of time, when he's just being a fart, I just turn around, walk him in a large circle, and do it again. Don't worry that he wont get on - each and every time you try to load him, start with a clean slate. Don't anticipate him not getting on because he'll pick up on your anxiety and that'll be huge red flags for him. No need for harsh methods or smacking them around, just a no-nonsense approach. It's not a "you have no other option, GET ON NOW", but a "Get on the trailer now, please". Horse's are very intuitive to what people are feeling, and they're great readers of body language. Be confident and sure of yourself. Also, when he does finally get on, make a *BIG* deal out of it. Rub him and pet and make a huge fuss.
> 
> *I wanted to make it clear that my preferred methods work for a horse who just doesn't want to get on, like mine or the OP's horse. A horse who is genuinely afraid of trailers needs to be handled very gently and made to feel confident before even attempting loading.
> 
> And a side note - not feeding or watering your horse sounds like a good recipe for colic. I've been severly dehydrated before and it's a feeling I wouldn't wish on anyone. I just had to throw in my opinion on that.


I have a similiar loading problem with my mare. She just doesn't want to load. I'll work with her for ever, then all of a sudden she realizes what the heck and just walks right in like it's nothing. As for the walking in ahead of the horse, we have a 2 horse straight load trailer with a divider. There's not enough room in one side for you and the horse so usually I have to get on one side while trying to load her in the other. We usually just resort to feeding the lead rope through the front window while my dad holds it and I get behing her and pressure her in. Any suggestions to this kind of trailer? I will admit that I don't have a lot of experience loading and so I've not had to really deal with problems loading before. Please help.


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