Trailer Training: Step 3

The boys enjoyed the snow this winter!

Life has been busy, so I haven’t been working with Zeke and the trailer in quite awhile.  The good news is that he has remembered our previous sessions and after a one day review of Step 2, we were able to move to Step 3.  I say this because you don’t need to consecutively work on trailer training from start to finish.  You can start it, take a break, and come back to it later.  The horse will remember the previous sessions and after a short review, you will be able to move forward.  Taking a break won’t send you back to square 1, as long as you continue to build upon positive experiences with the trailer.

At this point, Zeke is very comfortable loading in and out of the trailer.  I can load him both by leading him in and by standing at the back of the trailer and sending him in.  I can tell that he is much more relaxed with the trailer for a couple of reasons:

• I can ask him to back up to the door, stop, and then step back forward.  Previously, once he started backing up, any forward pressure would result in him backing faster to get out. 
• He does not hesitate to load.
• I have to make him leave the trailer instead of him quickly wanting to leave it. 
• If I load him and remain outside, he will wait until I ask him to come out instead of rushing out and blowing past me. 
• He no longer tries to run away from the trailer when we approach it.

While he has improved immensely, he is still afraid of being locked in the trailer.  He doesn’t want to be confined to the small dark space.  The open door allows him to relax.  Obviously, I cannot travel down the road with the door open, so I need to help him get comfortable with the door shut.  To do this, I will lock him in the trailer for increasing amounts of time.  At this time I am not locking him between partitions or tying him up.  He has 2/3's of the trailer to move freely about.  I also have a hay bag with tasty hay for him to munch on and a feed pan on the floor with a little bit of grain.

What You Need:

• Horse Trailer: The trailer should be parked in a safe location and secured so that it can not move.  At this point, you should be able to load your horse outside of an enclosed area.

• Halter and Lead:  I love the control that a rope halter offers, especially for horses that try to turn away from the trailer.  However, I do not tie horses up in a trailer with a rope halter because it can seriously cut into the horse’s skin if the horse panics or an accident occurs.  At this point, I transition the horse to loading in a nylon halter.  While I am not going to tie the horse up in this step, I want him to load regardless of the halter I am using.

• Food Reward: The trailer should be stocked with tasty hay (either on the floor or in a hay bag).  A small amount of grain can be used during this step as well.

The Steps:

Step 1: To begin, load the horse into the trailer by leading him in and asking him to back out.  This is really a review of Trailer Training Step 2.  Do this a couple of times until the horse is relaxed and obedient.

Step 2: Next, load the horse into the trailer by sending him in while you remain outside of the trailer.  There are some instances where you may need to load your horse without leading him in and this helps him to become comfortable with this.  If the horse turns around to exit the trailer, make sure to make him wait at the door until you tell him to come out.

Step 3: Place a small amount of grain at the front of the trailer.  I like to use a rubber feed pan on the floor.

Step 4: Send the horse into the trailer like you did in Step 2, and close the door behind him.  The lead rope should be taken off so that it does not catch on something or get wrapped around their legs.  It is normal for the horse to move around and make noise.

Step 5: While you wait outside, be sure to vocally reassure the horse.  Praise the horse when he is doing well (you can do less of this after a few days).  Once the time is up, prepare to unload the horse.

Step 6:  Open up the trailer door slowly and attach the lead rope to the halter.  Stand in a safe location so that you won’t be run over if the horse bolts out.  Tell the horse, “whoa” as you open the door and make him wait quietly until you ask him to step out of the trailer.

Step 7:  This is a very important step.  Begin by leading the horse back into the trailer and backing him out a couple of times.  If the horse refuses to load, lunge the horse for a couple of minutes and ask again.  Then, load the horse while standing at the back.  This will show how comfortable the horse is with you and the trailer.  You are in a position where you could lock the horse back in the trailer and he knows that.  Ideally, he will load in the trailer and you can be done for the day.  If he refuses, make him work until he decides that rest and the tasty hay inside the trailer is a much better option.  Always reward the horse with lots of praise (and a treat once in awhile) when he loads.

Time Duration:

• Day 1: 2-3 minutes
• Day 2: 5 minutes
• Day 3: 8 minutes
• Day 4: 10 minutes
• Day 5: 15 minutes

Times can be adjusted to fit the needs of the horse.  Some horses with be able to increase time much more quickly than others.  Repeat the same amount of time as many days in a row as it takes for the horse to be comfortable with it.  Do not move to a longer time if the horse is anxious with a shorter duration.  Remember, we want the horse to associate the trailer with good things: tasty food and lots of praise!

Case Study: Zeke

Zeke was nervous for the first couple of days that he was locked in the trailer.  He moved around in the trailer quite a bit and his breathing rate increased.  As I continued to work with him, he got more used to waiting in the trailer and would actually settle down to eat.  The best indicator of his improvement was that he willingly loaded back into the trailer (both by leading him in and sending him in) after he had been locked inside.  A few months ago, he would be running away from the trailer if I dared to ask him to load after he had just gotten out of it.  I call that a success!