"Get on the Trailer"

[FoxFireEMT]

Hey everyone:

I volunteer my time at a local horse rescue and the one horse that had one "heck" of a ride is finally ready to be adopted. He def. has his high spirits & a wonderful horse for the experienced rider. Long story short, he suffered an eye injury (unsure how b/c the trainer would not say at time of pick up), was uncared for for several weeks before the rescue was called to "come pick him up". Upon arrival his eye was disgusting & apparently very infected (obviously). Probably about the only good association this poor horse has with the trailer is to get off that property were he was picked up. After that several trailer rides to New Bolton & other vet facilities has led this horse to NOT even think about a trailer. Everything in the book has basically been tried with this horse. From the "rope behind the butt" to resorting to drugging this horse & two grown men carrying/pushing this horse onto the trailer. Training.... will help this horse NO doubt & time but my question is.... anyone have some quick training ideas or suggestions? He is being looked at tomorrow for possible adoption & from the sounds of it, will hopefully be going to a wonderful home ~ if we can get him in the trailer! LOL.

[HeartofSteel]

Just take it slow. He's obviously associating the trailer with bad or unpleasant things so you need to make it pleasant for him. You could use grain or carrots as a incentive (sp?), just let him take his time. If he steps onto the trailer give him a piece of carrot, if he steps back off just let him the worst thing you could do is if he feels uncomfortable and wants to back away that you start pulling on his head. Praise him for every effort. If/when he does get all the way in just give him some grain and let him stand, don't close the doors. Then unload him, catch him by surpise that he was going to go somewhere. Load him again and unload him. Eventually he should decide that the trailer is a happy place to be.

[FrogInABlender]

Well, they've got their work cut out for them that's for sure. It's going to take MONTHS of patient training to get this horse to go calmly into a trailer, and that's the way it NEEDS to be done, but I know that's not practical when you have to move one quickly. If the new owners aren't willing to wait for him to be trained enough to get on there himself, they might just have to treat him like a cow and use a catch pen and chute arrangement and load him into a cattle-type trailer that has a half sliding door. I know that's a poor way to do it, and it will traumatize him even further and make the training even harder on down the road, but it all depends on how big a hurry the new owners are in to get him moved. :(

[WashingtonBay]

I certainly wouldn't consider it if they don't have an optimum trailer for the job. Big stock or slant load, nice, open and airy. If they show up with a little two horse straight load, just say no.

[FoxFireEMT]

Well, they've got their work cut out for them that's for sure. It's going to take MONTHS of patient training to get this horse to go calmly into a trailer, and that's the way it NEEDS to be done, but I know that's not practical when you have to move one quickly. If the new owners aren't willing to wait for him to be trained enough to get on there himself, they might just have to treat him like a cow and use a catch pen and chute arrangement and load him into a cattle-type trailer that has a half sliding door. I know that's a poor way to do it, and it will traumatize him even further and make the training even harder on down the road, but it all depends on how big a hurry the new owners are in to get him moved. :(

I know it, it's the difficult thing of it all. Poor guy. All he knows about that trailer is someone messing with is eye. They have been working with him & gaining positive steps towards it all. I just feel bad for the fellow. You guys are right, there is no quick fix to all this. I just hope that he just decides it's gonna be okay. All they have done for him, has helped the fellow, compared to where they picked him up at. :( I also suggested trying a different trailer, because now he is blind in the one eye, the tighter quarters probably are not appealing to him either. Unfortant "food" will not intice him!!

[FrogInABlender]

...I also suggested trying a different trailer, because now he is blind in the one eye, the tighter quarters probably are not appealing to him either. Unfortant "food" will not intice him!!

Yeah, an open type stock trailer would be best. They seem to get less claustrophobic in open trailers like that.

I've never had any luck with using food in trailer training either. They may step in there far enough to grab a bite, but they always come flying right back out as soon as they get it.

[FoxFireEMT]

I've never had any luck with using food in trailer training either. They may step in there far enough to grab a bite, but they always come flying right back out as soon as they get it.


LOL, GRRRR I hate that. My Arab was such a horrible loader! I use to fight him tooth & nail to get on the darn trailer. It was only the first time of the day, after we got to destination & time to come home, he'd hop right on... OOOOO he was so hard headed! LOL. :rolleyes:

[Cat]

My new haflinger actually had the food thing work - but they are more food-driven than other horses. I would say require a open stock trailer. Also the first couple times confuse him by walking him around the trailer and past the door. Let him check it out with no attempt to put him ON it - just walking past it. Once he is comfortable with that, then try loading him on.

[Palogal]

What does he do when you try to load him? park and won't move? rear and back? How you retrain him depends on what his reaction is to the trailer, if it's resistance or fear.

[Gem's Mom]

I'm glad the horse is finally getting a home! The getting on the trailer part sounds like it's going to be hard though. I've had luck with butt ropes to get my boys on our trailer (to the point now where they just see the rope and they hop on). I talked to a lady once with a bad trailering horse who needed to be moved from their barn asap and they were considering bedding down their trailer, shoving the horse in and knocking it out with some drugs from the vet. Then waking it back up after the trip (it was only going to be an hour or so). But their horse didn't have trouble getting in the trailer, it was the moving part that upset him. So I guess I'm no help, sorry :-/ Good luck!

[ImaBronsonBear]

I have no idea if this would work or not, but it might be worth a try! Could you simply park the trailer in the pasture (attached to a truck, of course) and then feed him every morning and evening in there, or however close he is comfortable to come? That way, he can associate a trailer with the place he gets fed every day.

I read about it in a book, and i've always wanted to try it to see if it would work...

[Arrow]

The trick is to decide that you have all day to load the horse. Clear your calendar, decide that it's happening no matter what, and just take it slow and easy and outwait the horse. Walk him up to the trailer aske him, to load, ask again, wait etc. Let him back up if he wants, let him half way in and let him back out. But keep his nose pointed forward--no sideways, no circling, no lunging, no breaks or letup. Keep his nose at the back of the trailer, believe in you heart of hearts that he's loading, be quietly determined, and you'll have him in the trailer in an hour. You just have to be committed to doing it and be very quiet and determined. You can do it--he'll load, you just have to be willing to take the time and wait until he decides he has no choice. If you do it quietly with no force--I doubt it'll take an hour, but it make take 2. Decide to do it, and then do it! Good luck.

[FoxFireEMT]

What does he do when you try to load him? park and won't move? rear and back? How you retrain him depends on what his reaction is to the trailer, if it's resistance or fear.

He's #1 very hard headed (pony) lots of strength.
#2 He parks it & doesn't move usually!

Butt straps don't really work & problem is he already had a bad experience associated with the trailer they are afraid to try anything to drastic. I think in reality the other thing that is going to work is patients.