My horse is not afraid of the trailer she just wont go in. we spent 5 hours trying to get her in we finnaly got her in with a fence, butt rope, and 5 guys pulling her in. food wont work and its a trailer with out a ramp so blindfold wont work we have tryed everything nothing will work got any ideas???
forcing it will trailer traumatize your horse. I would leave your trailer open in the pasture and put some carrots and hay in the trailer. let your horse(s) go and explore it on there own. things that have helped me are that and removing the ramp. I have even had friends who have done daily feedings in the trailer, believe me when the horse has gotten no hay all day he will go in very easily on his own to eat in the trailer where the hay is. sometimes them hopping in is easier than the ramp it spooks some horses to have metal footing and they prefer to hop. I only use the ramp for my pony not for my big horses. also I cant trailer with people watching me. it makes me more nervous which in turn freaks my horse out. try the leaving trailer in the pasture for awhile so it is just another thing they get used to then the feeding and next time you try and load do it alone and talk to her the hole time. good luck time consuming I know but it makes it easier in the long run
November 2nd, 2009 at 11:35 pm
forcing it will trailer traumatize your horse. I would leave your trailer open in the pasture and put some carrots and hay in the trailer. let your horse(s) go and explore it on there own. things that have helped me are that and removing the ramp. I have even had friends who have done daily feedings in the trailer, believe me when the horse has gotten no hay all day he will go in very easily on his own to eat in the trailer where the hay is. sometimes them hopping in is easier than the ramp it spooks some horses to have metal footing and they prefer to hop. I only use the ramp for my pony not for my big horses. also I cant trailer with people watching me. it makes me more nervous which in turn freaks my horse out. try the leaving trailer in the pasture for awhile so it is just another thing they get used to then the feeding and next time you try and load do it alone and talk to her the hole time. good luck time consuming I know but it makes it easier in the long run
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November 3rd, 2009 at 12:05 am
you need to keep trying, if you don`t she will learn that you won`t make her and will never go in!
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November 3rd, 2009 at 12:16 am
Using force to get the horse in the trailer is dangerous for you and the horse. Its best to set the trailer up on level ground, dirt is best, grass will work,but put something under the back of the trailer so the horse can’t get their hind legs under the trailer when coming out of the trailer.
Now, everything you train a horse is based on moving away from pressure. When you get the response your looking for you remove the pressure instantly, the horse learns from the release.
Use a 12-14′ lead and a Lounge whip a Wal-mart sack on a stick works fine for this. Now work the horse in a circle that passes by the trailer entrance. If the horse shy at the trailer you’ll need to start your circle weather back at first then move closer when she relaxes.
When your horse is on the circle at the trailer remove the pressure, you might have to encourage her to stop at the trailer, if she turns away from the trailer start working her again(pressure) and try removing the pressure at the trailer again. What you’re looking for here is try, one step toward the trailer is worthy of praise and reward(no pressure).Give her a few moments to soak it up, then start again each time expecting a little more from her.
Its best not to start this if you don’t have the time to stick with it to the end.
Work so the trailer is in her path, always removing pressure at the trailer and waiting for a response. Timing is important. Keep her feet moving, then give her a chance to do the right thing, if she does the wrong thing put her back to work immediately. You want to make the trailer the place she wants to be( she gets to rest there)
Finally don’t get impatient or mad neither has a place in horse training
Good Luck
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A number of well known horse trainers use this method. I learned it form Craig Cameron I watched Craig Cameron do this on a green colt. Took about 20 min and she was loading. I’ve done it myself many times.
November 3rd, 2009 at 12:31 am
The most successfully method I have ever seen and used for both young colts as well as stubborn/fighting horses to get them into the trailer is to use a full but rope. Here is the key. Many people use a but rope and they only put it around the butt of the horse. What you need to do is to go to the hardware store and buy 100 feet of good cotton rope rated to 2000lbs (approx, 1/2inch diameter). Get a good snap or tie the rope to the halter, run the rope up a far forward corner of the trailer. Then run the rope back around the but of the horse and to the opposite far forward corner of the trailer and back down to you. What you are creating is a basic pulley system to help load the horse.
Now the beauty of this method is that you aren’t forcing the horse into the trailer! Yes you are NOT forcing the horse into the trailer. As you lead the horse into the trailer and the horse begins to fight and want to pull back. All that has to happen is the person on the free end of the rope holds tight. The HORSE ends up fighting them self, and they learn they are causing the issue not you. It may still take a while to load the horse, and it make take a long time to get your horse to load properly into the trailer again. But the beauty is, that it is not hard on you or the horse.
Many times a horse, that has loaded for a long time with no problems, has suffered some sort of trauma in the trailer. It can be something as small as a big rig blowing its horn as you where going down the road and it spooked the horse. A horse does not have the same reasoning that humans do.
I have personally used this method on many tough to load horses with great success and with no injury to the horse. Many times by using this method I have been able to get a horse that was in a trailer after a traffic accident, and by working with the animal I was able to get the horse to load into trailers fine. If done properly, this method works every time. I have watched my father use this same method of well over 50 years and my grandfather taught my father it. I have been using it for nearly 3 decades with no problems.
Good luck
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27 years training/showing horses