Trailer Troubles

Imagine this: you're loading up for a show at 5:30 in the morning, and running late.  You grab your horse from his stall and as you try to load him in the trailer, he pulls back and refuses to go inside.  The result is a lot of lost time, and both you and your horse arriving at the grounds stressed and unhappy.  This is why trailer training is so important.  It's also commonly overlooked, and shouldn't be.

Luckily, although it will take time like all things, trailer training isn't difficult.  Make sure your trailer is safe, not only in that the horse won't cut or knock itself on anything, but also in that the trailer won't roll at all when the horse starts moving around inside.  A good idea is to hook it up to your truck; that way it won't move, and it will look the same as it will on the morning of a show.  Next make sure the door is open and tied or propped back so it won't swing shut.  Do this with any side doors as well; the idea is to make the trailer less dark and confining.

Make the trailer look as open and
inviting as possible to make things
go more smoothly

Once the trailer is safe, bring your horse out and walk him over to the trailer.  If he is nervous right off about it, treat it as if you were passing it on a trail ride.  Refer back to the exercises in Trail Safety Part 2: Off the Farm to get your horse to relax and accept that the trailer isn't going to eat him.  Once you've done this, walk over and sit down just inside, letting your horse stand outside.  Relax for a bit, rub his nose, maybe give him a carrot.  Once he's totally relaxed (level topline, soft eyes and ears, resting a back foot) stand up and step inside.  Encourage your horse to stick his head into the trailer and look around, and then have him step up with just his front feet.  As soon as he does, have him back out again.  Do this until he's chill with it, and then ask him to step in all the way.  If he gets nervous and wants to back out again, let him.  Holding him in the trailer will just make him spook more.  The goal is to make him want to be in the trailer because he knows nothing will hurt him, then he won't feel the need to back out.

A slant-load trailer

Now things will be different depending on the type of trailer you have.  Let's start with a small, open trailer (or one with a removable center partition) or a slant-load trailer of any size.  Now that your horse is inside, turn him around and walk him out.  Unless he's absolutely huge he should be able to do it.  The reason for turning around is so that when you ask him to walk out, he can walk out forwards, which is easier and more reassuring than backing up.  So turn him around and walk him out.  Practice this a few times, then get him to stand, first facing the door, then standing wherever he will be tied for travel.  If you have a slant-load, make sure the partitions are secured against the wall to make sure they don't swing open and catch your horse, or just limit his space for turning around.

Next, a two horse trailer with a center partition.  This will be very similar to an open trailer, but obviously your horse cannot turn around to walk out.  That and he won't be able to stand facing the door, which is fine. You might need to practice backing out with just his front feet a few more times, and maybe have him stand with his front feet in for a bit.

Lastly, a trailer with two doors (one in the rear, one on the side, usually in the center) is the easiest, because instead of turning around or backing out, you can just walk your horse through the trailer a few times before you let him stop inside, first near the exit door, then wherever he will be tied.
                         

A trailer with two main loading doors.

A two horse trailer with a
center partition.

Now repeat the steps above with all the doors but the loading door closed.  Once your horse is accustomed to the trailer itself, tie him in and step outside with the door open.  If your horse settles right down, you can close the door for a moment, before coming back, untying him and taking him out.  From there on you can gradually increase how long he is tied, and pretty soon you will be sitting and chatting with a friend while your horse naps away.

Happy, relaxed horses in the trailer

Once your horse will stand in the trailer for about ten minutes, you can start going for short drives.  To start just go to a quiet spot where you can take your horse out and let him graze and relax for a bit before going home.  Gradually go out longer and longer and you will find that you have a horse that will jump on the trailer and ride for hours without getting upset.  Now you can go on trail rides, compete in shows and attend clinics without having to worry over how your horse is doing on the way there!

Make sure your horse has access to fresh water and hay while they travel, and always check to make sure your trailer is in good working order.

I've included Rick Gore's take on trailer loading because it's similar to what I wrote above.  Part One  talks about the fight or flight response, has a lot of good points, and starts on the beginning of the sacking out process.  Part Two is more of the actual trailer loading process.  There are a couple bad words so be careful with the kids.

As with everything this exact process might be too fast or too slow for your particular horse, feel free to tweak it and change it to make it work for you.  Happy trails!