# Getting a horse to really like being in a trailer



## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

My goal for Pony and trailering is for him to not only be OK with trailering, but to actually like the trailer. I want him to consider it his happy place and a safe spot. It should make hauling him easier of course, but I'm also thinking what if we go somewhere and he gets upset or stressed out or something, and we're away from home -- I can't just put him in his stall or in his pasture. But if the trailer is a safe, happy place for him, I'm hoping that even if he's upset about something it will be easy to load him and in fact it might actually calm him down. Eventually I'm going to be taking him places with just the two of us, so I need some sort of plan of what to do if things go south.

Pony has no problem with trailers, but he also doesn't have a lot of experience trailering. We've been working on self-loading and he now seems to have gotten the idea. This trailer has feed bags so I filled up a feed bag with alfalfa hay, alfalfa pellets, mesquite pods, and what I call "junk food" (the barn's complete feed) (don't worry, it was only about a cup of that stuff). At first he didn't want to stay in there too long, but now he's fine with it. I've opened and closed both back doors on him, put the side ramp up and down, he's been in there with stuff going on outside, and he's fine. Today I actually undid the chest bar and moved the feed bag to the side so he could leave, but he wasn't interested. He was more than happy to stand there eating his food. Eventually I had to drag him out. 

My question is, for the purpose of making him really want to go in the trailer, and of making it a happy place for him, should I just let him stay in there as long as he wants? Or would making him leave be even more helpful -- by dragging him out do I make it so he just wants to go in that much more the next time?

Also, any other tips anyone has for making the trailer some place where he really wants to be, please let me know. Things are going well now, but I always like to have multiple ideas to try.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Ummm...if Pony has been taught to go where led...
So many put emotion to the animal..."make it his happy place".
Lead him on, settle him and give him a haynet and bet he is fine as long a you relax and take a deep breath.
Make it traumatic, mind-upsetting and he is going to be a basket case...
Lead him like you would anyplace else....he goes where you lead, he follows your body English, cues and picks up your scent of scared, fright or all is right and in he goes, or not.
You need to learn to control you and your emotions same as you did to drive the truck when you first got it and now the trailer....remember?
You were a wreck at first, not so much now but you are your own worst enemy in trying to prepare for any and all....have some confidence in what you do and want...amazing the impossible is not impossible with the right mindset.

I've loaded more horses for people who were wrecks and refusing because I took a lead shank, went for a 2 minute stroll talking quietly and then said time to go...and we went.
The person handling is going to set the energy level of the led animal to go forward willingly or if the vibes of the handler are nerves and expecting a problem, you will...
🐴... _jmo..._


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## Kalraii (Jul 28, 2015)

I can't find the thread but there was one checking about the decibels within the trailer while moving and maybe if it made one of their horses hard of hearing over the years. I'm gonna buy a decibel meter for this reason AND I want to be able to compare directly the noise while we hack by the motorway on our lane. One place I liveried some of the horses actually did have cotton stuffed in their ears with a bonnet for long journeys but I actually didn't understand why at the time. Something to think about/prepare for later maybe?

I'm working on this for Katie and Mocha. Even though the former loads perfect and will travel its obvious she is worried. She'll prance on the spot, weave and behave drunk if the standing vehicle sways. I didn't do anything special I just put her on and stood with her, reassuring her but not anymore than I usually would, until she calmly began to eat her hay. With Mocha its the magical feed scoop and I'll be doing the same. I'm of the mind that they will associate the trailer/box as a happy place as we venture out for exciting times on other trails. I really don't want Mocha's first experience with us to be at the vets for mouth surgery so I need to get some trips in before  I honestly never want either of them thinking they can dictate when they get on or off in case of emergency. They MUST get on. That's my goal anyway. Good luck I'm very jealous you have access to your own transport 24/7 now. You're very brave cant wait for you to take Pony out


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

I think your idea of making the trailer a comfortable place is a good one. 
Just to clarify though...it is a good idea to want a horse to load even when nervous. But I would not advise purposefully putting a horse into the trailer because he is upset somewhere new. I would be afraid that could backfire and possibly create unnecessary trailering problems. 

Most horses if upset in strange surroundings will feel better if they can see, hear and have room to move. I'd walk the horse around until not upset rather than trying to load with the goal of calming down inside the trailer.

Most horses will be fine with trailering if they have hay and a conscientious driver. The driver is the most important part.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

I was working with a warmblood mare, a pushy opinionated buIlly of a horse. I got the Monty Robbins video and after watching it I went out on a Sat morning, this gave me lots of time to work with her. we went through all the stages shown in the video, if I hadn't watched the video I might not have continued as she went through all the stages shown. I did a certain amount that morning, just to get her to step in and back out the first day and then more the next and so on. there was feed up in the front of the trailer and in three days I had her loading happily. 
then I fed her her grain every day in the trailer for several days. She would go out and right into the trailer quite willingly.
One time at a horse show I had the two mares and was going over to load them in the trailer. This mare could hardly wait for me to get the door open and I had to say to her to stop and stand until I was ready for her. Then she went in, i shut the door and the second one went in and then I went round and tied them.
When I was done a man who had been sitting at the next trailer said " that's the first time I have ever heard a person say don't get in the trailer, we spent two hours trying to load my daughter's horse this morning"
Pony really likes his feed so he might look at the trailer as a good place if there is a treat for him. I don't really give a lot of treats but loading in a trailer is one of those times and with more practice the horse really doesn't need it any more.
Start on a day when you have lots of time and can be relaxed about the whole deal, success may not come immediately but will with practice.
Happy trailering


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

P.S. Just to add the trailer was always hooked up to the truck when loading the horse. Very important


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Woodhaven said:


> P.S. Just to add the trailer was always hooked up to the truck when loading the horse. Very important


Yes! Don't worry! I am a total worry wort and would never ask them to get into the trailer unless it was attached to the truck!


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

ACinATX said:


> My goal for Pony and trailering is for him to not only be OK with trailering, but to actually like the trailer. I want him to consider it his happy place and a safe spot. It should make hauling him easier of course, but I'm also thinking what if we go somewhere and he gets upset or stressed out or something, and we're away from home -- I can't just put him in his stall or in his pasture. But if the trailer is a safe, happy place for him, I'm hoping that even if he's upset about something it will be easy to load him and in fact it might actually calm him down. Eventually I'm going to be taking him places with just the two of us, so I need some sort of plan of what to do if things go south.
> 
> Pony has no problem with trailers, but he also doesn't have a lot of experience trailering. We've been working on self-loading and he now seems to have gotten the idea. This trailer has feed bags so I filled up a feed bag with alfalfa hay, alfalfa pellets, mesquite pods, and what I call "junk food" (the barn's complete feed) (don't worry, it was only about a cup of that stuff). At first he didn't want to stay in there too long, but now he's fine with it. I've opened and closed both back doors on him, put the side ramp up and down, he's been in there with stuff going on outside, and he's fine. Today I actually undid the chest bar and moved the feed bag to the side so he could leave, but he wasn't interested. He was more than happy to stand there eating his food. Eventually I had to drag him out.
> 
> ...


Tune into Phil Haugen's podcasts, particularly ones where he talks about THE RELEASE. You can make just about anything "the release" which then your horse associates with being good. That can be being tied up, being trailered, being saddled, etc etc. 

If you make the trailer the release, he'll continue to be fine with it. Treats and rewards are fine, but not necessary.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

gottatrot said:


> Most horses will be fine with trailering if they have hay and a conscientious driver. The driver is the most important part.


Amen to this ^^^^^

When I getting ready to move from PA to SoCal, the vet who did my health certs commented my horses would lose some weight on such a long haul but they would lose a lot less because I was their driver.

DH is forbidden to haul my horses anywhere. He’s a great driver and has hauled race cars all over the country. “Cars” being the operative. He has no clue about hauling live weight and learning at my horses expense will never happen

I don’t worry about “happy” in the sense of this thread. Most horses do well with a companion but they all need to learn to just “get up in there and get over it”. Genuine happy is when I was alone, miles from home and the horse got back into the trailer without an argument. 

I had one horse who was claustrophobic and got over that as soon as the two horse got traded in on a 4-horse open stock.


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## Zimalia22 (Jun 15, 2021)

I cannot being to say how much I agree with @gottatrot on the driver being the most important part!
Years ago, I knew a guy that his driving was so far beyond bad it was unreal. He NEVER slowed to ease into a stop. Nope, Light coming up, keep forking the coals to it and then slam on the brakes. He crippled one heck of a good cutting horse mare with his ways. 

But how to make your horse feel comfortable, a very dear friend of mine from years ago had the real deal for that. He'd bought an old homemade single horse trailer, and took it off it's axles. He put it in a covered pen that he'd built and he fed in it. Any time he'd get a new colt in, that's where they went, and that's where they were fed. Pretty slick idea! 

Then when he'd ask them to load for real, it was not a big deal.


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

If you've ever ridden in the back of a trailer you wonder why any horse would ever want to set foot in one!

Someone once posted on a similar question, that horses aren't cave dwellers, small dark spaces aren't their 'go too' places to hang out.

They get used to it but I try to make the interior as light as possible for them to start with.

Have good rubber matting on the floor and some shavings or straw on top of that so it feels more like walking into a stall/stable.
Have a haynet hung ready, when we had a really nervous horse we used to feed it on the trailer for a few days without actually going anywhere.

Give the horse a good ride, that part is so essential to getting the horse back on again after its first trip out that if you get it wrong you've got a long way back to getting it right.

Think about where you're going with the horse. 
Horses aren't stupid, they soon learn to associate the trailer with where they end up when they step out of it.
Keep your first outing short and pleasant for the horse, if the events at the other end are frightening or overwhelming, you'll be more likely to have problems the second time you try to load.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

In general, for driving, I have absorbed the following from various sources:

Don't go faster than 65mph
Stay off the toll roads where possible -- you don't need to be getting passed by semis going 90mph
Slow DOWN, extra down, for turns; take as wide as possible, and if there's no oncoming traffic then don't be in a rush to swing back into your own lane
On the highway, keep eyes and ears open three cars ahead and at least one behind
On the highway, maintain at least twice the following distance you would normally (so I'm thinking 4-5 second behind the car in front; I'd make it more, but the way people drive here if you put more room between you and the person in front, people will just cut you off)
On normal roads, stay in the right lane, as it will be wider
On the highway, stay in the right lane, as there will be more distance between you and the faster traffic; this means that you'll need to be more aware of traffic entering and exiting the highway, though
In case of sway, use trailer brakes
Stop reading all of those scary articles online with the horrible pictures of horse trailers that have crashed. It is just going to make you more nervous than you already are (that's just my own advice to me, LOL).
Anything else?


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Also, I would love to be in the back of the trailer while someone else drove, but there isn't anyone else who wants to drive it. I finally got my husband to "drive" the truck (not even hooked up to the trailer) last week. It was only to move it backwards three feet because it was sitting on the garden hose, but I had to really push him to do it. He had ALL the excuses why he shouldn't.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

ACinATX one more when turning a corner don't speed up as soon as the truck makes the turn, keep a slower speed until the trailer completes the turn so many people do this and the horse is balancing for a turn and then suddenly for an increase in speed so that they are balancing side to side then suddenly backl to front as well


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Thank you!


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

I have a trailer and it did have a ramp and I just had it converted to a step in as I like them better and easier for me to self load them when trailering alone. My gelding i'm sure was only in a step up before and did not like the ramp.
The other day Sis and I loaded him into the trailer a couple of times, he was a bit confused about no ramp but did go in. It's a 2 horse straight load.
today I took him out just by myself as I want to be able to load when on one is there to help and I loaded him in the trailer four times and he was good with it. I don't really like giving horses treats and don't do a lot of that but trailering is one exception for that. I had grain waiting for him when he went in and he caught on quickly ( a greedy fella' ) and soon he will go in with or without the grain.
I will feed him in the trailer as often as I can in the next few weeks so he gets very comfortable with that. The trailer is a nice place to be. I will follow all your suggestions above to ensure he has a pleasant trip when we go somewhere. A good, careful driver can make quite a difference to the horse's attitude to trailering.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

ACinATX said:


> Also, I would love to be in the back of the trailer while someone else drove, but there isn't anyone else who wants to drive it. I finally got my husband to "drive" the truck (not even hooked up to the trailer) last week. It was only to move it backwards three feet because it was sitting on the garden hose, but I had to really push him to do it. He had ALL the excuses why he shouldn't.


You stay out of the trailer young lady — there is zero reason for you to feel what’s going on back there —-you sweat bullets over the most minor of things— it is far better for your mental health if youdont add that to your worry list

I am the first person to over think at times but there is a fine line to where over thinking is healthy or straight jacket worthy


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

The toll road thing....
I can't, won't speak for other parts of the nation nor what others experience but here...
I will tow on a toll road any-day over normal interstate or local roads.
I will drive my own personal vehicle on a toll road and pay the tolls dealing with less...
Toll roads are limited access so less traffic travel them.
Toll roads because they cost $ do _not_ attract the truck & car traffic other roads will and because toll roads are what they are...less traveled it seems and very decent road surface maintained...

I actually find less truck, big rig tractor trailer traffic is common and those who do use them are/seem to be more courteous too.
Around my area you drive I95 or I75, major north south routes through our entire nation...well in Florida I will guarantee you you have a truck about 1-foot off your rear bumper and you are already pushing 60 - 65 mph....still not fast enough and honestly, it isn't when speeds are posted as 70mph you know how traffic pushes that limit...
Most long-haul truckers are road courteous and will give room to a horse trailer...they get it and what you are dealing with. It is more cars who will challenge you and do truly stupid, that is my experience doing the I95 corridor many times.
You will have no choice but to ride the right lane of any highway and deal with merge off and on traffic.
No matter where you travel on larger highways there are speeds of minimum and maximum posted...make note of them and drive between those speeds as the traffic and your confidence behind the wheel will allow.
Know the speeds your tires are certified to travel at and don't push over it or prepare for tire failure of flat or blowout.

What others also have had to say and share *is* important too as experiences differ and hints from many help to prepare you...
The only way you will know what to expect is to_* do it....*_
🐴...


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## gottatrot (Jan 9, 2011)

ACinATX said:


> In general, for driving, I have absorbed the following from various sources:
> 
> Don't go faster than 65mph
> Stay off the toll roads where possible -- you don't need to be getting passed by semis going 90mph
> ...


I think how a person brakes is one of the most important things.
I had someone drive my horse once who took the corners fast. I don't think that was as bad as how she braked. She'd just keep driving normally until a stop sign or light, and then she'd brake hard and stop. If passengers in the truck can feel forces pulling suddenly at them during a stop or start, it's a lot worse for the horses. 

When I brake in a trailer, my goal is to not feel any forward shifting of momentum from behind me. I'll look far ahead for a light I think might turn yellow, and be going slow enough to stop before it turns red if it does. If it turns yellow and I am too close, I plan to go through it, even if I need to speed up a little to avoid the red.

The brakes are not applied in a single, hard motion but instead I begin applying the brakes lightly off and on to slow down before the need to finally put my foot down on the brake to stop. In my opinion, starting forward or stopping should be very gradual processes that feel like rolling to a start or rolling to a stop. If you plan well, you can even roll to a stop when someone stops to make a turn in front of you most of the time. Of course you can't plan for everything, but you can cut down the occurrences where you have to stop quickly to very few.


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## Woodhaven (Jan 21, 2014)

Sometimes when on a highway with a traffic light, I also watch waaay ahead and try to time my approach but if the light turns yellow and I know it's too late for me to stop and I am going through, if there is traffic waiting for the green I will give a beep of the horn to alert them to oncoming traffic. Doesn't happen often but I like to warn them I am coming through.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

@horselovinguy I suppose toll roads differ. The one I'm thinking of was built to bypass I-35 going through Austin. I-35 is the major Canada-Mexico-US highway, and it's super popular with truckers. Austin has terrible traffic, so most truckers use this toll road. The speed limit on the toll road is 85mph, but this being Texas people see 85 and assume that 90 or even 95 is fine. I don't see big trucks going over 90, but that's still pretty scary to me. Plus if I'm going to be going 65 or less, the speed differential is high and that is also not safe.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

You're right, its not safe.
Those kinds of speeds are not safe for many behind the wheel with not the best maintained road-worthy equipment and heavier traffic flow to travel at.
We don't discuss driver ability either....
Only part of the nation that allows speeds of that amount...and you've got it.
So many big-rig trucks are not well-maintained either....  minimum to get by gets you some serious wrecks.

Before you do much else, you truly need to check the speed rating for those trailer tires or you are in jeopardy being the slo-mo on the road _*and*_ pushing the limits of the trailer to travel safely at.
You must go drive that truck & trailer at higher speeds you will/must do to merge on to any highway with those higher speeds permitted.. You need to merge at the traffic flows speed then you can back off...but you need to be able to handle your stuff comfortably at those speeds empty first cause it is going to feel different in everything you will feel and notice as you hurtle down the road. Once comfortable empty, then try loaded...recognize your limitations of comfortable and drive within them to be safe out their traveling.
🐴...


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## livelovelaughride (Sep 13, 2011)

..remember to do a test on the trailer brakes before you set out. Great advice on this thread! I always visualized a PLATE of water on my dash while turning, accelerating and braking. Not the cup, lol.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

horselovinguy said:


> Before you do much else, you truly need to check the speed rating for those trailer tires or you are in jeopardy being the slo-mo on the road _*and*_ pushing the limits of the trailer to travel safely at.


When I took it to get the hitch put on, I asked the guy about that. This was a guy that had driven everything under the sun, for years and years. He told me that (1) most trailer tires aren't this way now and (2) mine definitely weren't speed rated. Having said that, I think 65 mph is a great speed limit, regardless of what the posted speed limit is, and I intend to follow it. Another reason for not going on the above-mentioned toll road.

I have actually started driving the rig on highways, including some busy ones, including today! I've gotten fairly confident with merging at high speeds! Actually at this point I think I'm getting a little over-confident. And honestly, as long as there isn't much traffic, I'm starting to think I like highways better. The lanes are wider, the turns are smoother, and you don't have to worry about stopping and starting.

Which is why the results of my "cup" test were so good. I took a 2-cup glass pyrex measuring cup and filled it to the two-cups mark. When I got to the barn, it was only 1/2- cup full! Very eye-opening! I refilled it on the way back. I checked after driving it down the 1/4-mile long gravel road at the barn, and it had already lost 1/4 of a cup, even though I had driven very slowly (but you can't avoid every single pothole in that road). But I tried to be really conscious of my driving on the way home, and the cup was 1-cup full when I got home. So obviously I did better. 

One thing that's helping me is to look at the trailer break gain monitor on the truck control panel. One bar of gain is a nice, slow stop. Two bars of gain is slow, but I don't think quite slow enough. And two bars apparently represents my typical braking behavior. So I'm going to keep looking at that.

I also had this thought: not only should I not accelerate out of turns, I should also try to not decelerate into them. AND, when thinking about not accelerating out of turns, don't forget that the trailer is still turning a couple of seconds after the truck has straightened out!


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## livelovelaughride (Sep 13, 2011)

I can't remember who this was, but on the forum I read about a guy who installed brake lights inside his horse trailer. Apparently his horses learned how to brace when they saw the lights come on....Another poster said his horse wouldn't load when he saw whose truck the trailer was attached to. He would go into the owners trailer if it was his truck but not his brother's....


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