Read About Horse Won’t Load

Image

If your horse won’t load and you have somewhere to go, you have a big problem indeed! Even if you have no immediate plans to take your horse anywhere, you should keep in mind that you may need to trailer your horse unexpectedly in the case of an emergency. It is best to know how your horse will react to this and eliminate, or at least reduce, any behavioral issues before the need arises.

Keep in mind that if your horse won’t load, there is a reason. Perhaps he had a traumatic experience (or more than one) in his past. Perhaps he has a fear of enclosed places. Or perhaps he simply doesn’t understand what all the fuss is about and really isn’t interested in getting in. You need to be sure you are making trailer loading a pleasant experience for the horse, so it will be behavior he will want to repeat.

Some horse owners resort to bribing their horses with food to get them into the trailer. One serious drawback to this is that the horse is more likely to be pushy about getting back out of the trailer and will be difficult to control. Another problem could be a situation in which you need to get the horse trailered but do not have any food that interests him. A horse that only wants to load when there is appealing food involved will definitely turn into a horse that won’t load without food.

Positive reinforcement and gradual training are likely to be the most effective means of dealing with a horse that won’t load. Give yourself and the horse plenty of time to get used to the trailer and remember that small steps will pay off in the end. Start by simply showing your horse the trailer. Open all the doors and let him look around and check things out. Praise him and reward him for approaching the trailer. If he seems anxious or stressed, don’t push it any further that day. You may need to repeat this step several times, especially with a horse who has had bad trailering experiences in the past.

Once the horse seems calm around the open trailer, longe her at the Imagetrailer door. Work with her to back up, stop, and change directions. Praise and reward her for her progress. As with the first step, you may need to repeat this several times before moving on to the next step. Next, work on driving your horse to the door of the trailer, halting, and driving in a circle past the door. Again, praise and reward her. Continue working on this step until she has mastered it. You’re almost there! Drive the horse into the trailer, then praise and reward her. Have her stand for a moment and then back out, followed by more praise and reward. The next step is to have her continue to stand in the trailer for increasing longer amounts of time. Start with just five seconds and work your way up to around 30 seconds, in five second intervals. Each time, remember the importance of praise and reward. When your horse can do this and remain calm for around 30 seconds, you are ready to try driving her in and tying her. Again, take small steps and slowly increase the time she spends in the trailer until she is comfortable for 5 or 10 minutes.

By taking slow, gradual steps and lavishing your horse with praise for his desired behavior, you no longer have a horse that won’t load!