Hi Cothers! My 12 yo appendix gelding is quite an anxious guy. He’s lovely and gentle when confortabile but can be a real PITA when not. We recently purchased a van with the purpose to camp and reach new trail paths. Paco has a problem during loading process…we used to have a trailer and we had the same issues. My trainer worked on It and we saw a bit of improvement but the fact is he’s unpredictable. Sometimes he loads really well and sometimes it can take hours. He’s visibly anxious and scared and putting too pressure, put a rope behind him, lounge him when he doesn’t load all those kind of things just freak him out. Yesterday he loaded great, we had our promenade and then It took 45 minutes to load him and go back home. I was wondering if there something I can give him to relax in such situation. I gave him a tube of Good As Gold in the morning and maybe It did something but I was thinking if there’s something stronger. Once he’s loaded he’s calm during travel, he doesn’t sweat or get nervous at all. The worse moments are loading and closing the gate behind him
He needs training.
Choose a week when you aren’t going anywhere.
Teach him to walk forward with a click, to halt when you say halt and to back with a thumb resting without pushing on his chest and the word back. (Always 2 signals for back. You want him leading anywhere and over anything you want.
Lead towards the trailer which is parked in a yard and about 15 meters from the trailer. Use a halter with a long lead rope.
Click and when he moves forward praise. Ask him to halt. Praise. Back. Praise. Put 2 hooves on the ramp. Praise halt praise. Back off praise.
4 hooves on the ramp. Praise. Halt. Praise. Back off praise.
In the end you should be able to put him on back 2 steps 4 steps forward back 4 steps, 2 forward, whatever you want.
Near the trailer is only praise and stroking and a happy voice. If he goes back he can not go back further than the fence. On the way back and over there, waggle the lead rope, make him uncomfortable. When he stops you stop. Ask him forward. Praise. Bring him back to the trailer. Don’t be in a hurry. Make a fuss of him, stroke him. Ask him what horrible thing happened over there. Isn’t it wonderful here near the trailer?
Rinse and repeat.
Check out John Lyons video on trailer loading. He has a great method and he doesn’t put undo pressure on either. You need to be careful not to pressure an anxious horse. Give him time to think and do not push him to the point of getting scared or upset.
A couple of years ago I bought a somewhat and high strung (but very willing and sweet) gelding. When the trainer loaded him for me to take him home they did so with 2 people and a lunge whip. He was sticky about loading but he went in, although it wasn’t pretty. They did not hit him but they did pressure him to get in quickly. A couple of weeks after I got home I decided to work on self loading with him, since I don’t like to get in a trailer with a horse. I walked him to my trailer with a dressage whip in hand, gave him time to look, gave him a gentle tap, gave him more time to look, and he loaded right up. Turns out he loads beautifully. Often less pressure, not more, is the answer.
Thank you! @SuzieQNutter, that’s what we did together with the trainer but as I said he’s unpredictable. On 5 times he self loads 2, he loads with a little praise 2 and he fights 1 
Yesterday for example he loaded several times but then he backed down the ramp immediately, I know him and I just let him go down with only his hind legs keeping front ones on the ramp. He’s also a strong horse despite his size and I don’t want to put up a fight with him.
That’s why I was asking if for that time he sees ghosts in the van I can give him something to make him reasonable…yesterday we ended up coming home late, stressed and tired, both of us.
I’ll of course have a look to John Lyons video 
thank you.
I would explore if the ride back there is part of the issue. Careful, conscientious driving is too often ignored as a possible cure, imo.
Practice.
My guy sounds similar and it was a journey. I agree with what others are saying that more pressure equals a bad time. You have to experiment and find what adds enough pressure or motivation to make him want to move forward. Reward every small effort with praise and a short break. Then at it again. Lots of praise and timing your releases with the effort of inching forward. Do this in all aspects of ground work with him as well to further reinforce it.
I used to practice every day. Then he got really good. We’d move to once a week. Now I just practice every couple months (in addition to actually hauling out). Sometimes he still balks, but with all the trials and errors from our previous practice, I know what pressure works and doesn’t work for him.
FWIW, backing “aggressively” a few steps when he decides to back down is what works for us. Makes his decision to back up unpleasant enough that he thinks twice about doing it again. And we take our time. If he wants to load a step and sniff before loading another, that’s fine. As long as he’s not going backward the next time I ask for forward.
I have a different approach for my horses who, like yours, mostly load well. I let them do what they need to do without worrying about time or making things uncomfortable. Last year was the first year I had my own truck and trailer and they got really good by the end of the year because of the frequent practice. They’ll be rusty when we start up again, but I’ll keep things low key.
In the beginning I might have to lead them in and I go out to the front of the stall so they can see there’s room for them. Many people stay really close to the horse and don’t realize they’re blocking the horse’s sight line. For an anxious horse it increases the uncertainty.
I teach mine to respond to halter pressure to go forward and back. If they stop I put a little “forward” pressure on the halter and the moment they shift forward I release, praise and give them a few seconds without pressure. If at any point they go back I put/keep my “forward” pressure on the halter and just go with them until they stop, then release the pressure. Eventually this little pressure will be able to stop them before they fully exit the trailer and THAT’S when you’ve cracked their anxiety. Once you can ask them to back out a few steps, stop and then come forward again they’re really beginning to release their anxiety.
Once they’re in I throw the rope over their back and I can pop out the side door and go catch the rope as they back off (if they do). Making noise behind them, or asking them to move a foot often triggers an exit if they’re anxious and I catch the rope and put them back in. My divider swings over and there’s no centre post at the back so I do often have to move them over. I just let them back up with that little bit of pressure until they stop whether it’s on the ramp or 100’ away. I don’t try and hold the bum bar if they back out before I get it set. I want backing out to be no big deal whether I ask for it or not.
Having my own trailer makes a huge difference because I’m not keeping someone else waiting so I don’t have any anxiety about that to communicate to my horse. Check your own feelings and find your zen.
I will get to the point where I can swing the divider and stand to the side and ask my horse to come in and go up to the chest bar, always letting them back out (with the forward pressure) if they need to. Then I can step out, swing the divider over, grab the bar and do it up.
None of this is anything extraordinary. I feel the backing out needs to be ho-hum, nothing exciting or unpleasant even (or perhaps especially) when the horse initiates it. Then there’s the opportunity to stop the exit partway and go back in.
I do use a rope halter for loading and switch it out for a breakaway in the trailer.
You are asking for “something to give him” for shipping to relieve stress. The answer is acepromazine. You can get this drug from your veterinarian, who will advise you on dosage and methods of dosing. But drugging him isn’t going to train him, and if he is already stressed before you give it, it doesn’t work as well. Also, if you use it before riding, you will be riding him under the influence (which isn’t necessarily a huge issue, but he will be sluggish).
The advantage of using acepromazine with a horse like this is that he will experience stress free shipping. It won’t “make” him load, but he will feel less stressed about loading, and the transport itself, which can be advantageous to him learning about being stress free when shipping. So, it’s a crutch which can help you get him past his fears.
But you will probably still need a trainer to coach YOU how to ask him to load up adequately and dependably, to inspect your trailer, and your driving skills, and every other aspect of loading and shipping that may be adding to his stressful responses, and fears. Horses always have a reason for what they do or don’t want to do. If you can’t figure out what that reason is without help, you need help.
I agree with others that your gelding needs more training. He doesn’t need to learn how to load; he already knows that. He needs to learn to enjoy being on the trailer, and this is what you need to focus on. Make your training sessions all about good things happening on the trailer. Don’t take a trip or even shut the door at first. Just spend whatever time it takes to get him to relax and stand quietly in the trailer. When he’s comfortable with that, then spend a few sessions getting him used to shutting the door. When he’s good with that, then take him on a trip.
One of my horses would either not get on the trailer or else back off before I could shut the door, and I thought the problem was a little bit attitude and a lot of anxiety. Like you, I hired a trainer to teach him to load and stay put, and I reinforce it by practice, practice, practice. I want my horse to like getting on the trailer, not just do it because I say so. When he’s on the trailer he gets to rest and snack and have his itchy spots scratched. I want him to lower his head, lick and chew, and sigh. I often hitch up the trailer and ask the horse to load. And that’s all we do–just load, stand quietly, and enjoy life. Sometimes I’m in the trailer with him and sometimes I’m standing outside. After we’ve chilled out for a while, I ask him to get off, quietly. He has gotten so good at this that now I can ask him to load without a lead rope and he goes right in.
I had a little mare that was a claustrophobic sort and yep like your gelding = unreliable.
So, trailer loading became a training exercise every week. It just became part of the training rotation.
She was never 100% but much improved. I was usually by myself so self loading was a must and it was something we just had to train routinely.
Agree with the above to check the trailer for noise or mechanical issues.
Good luck.
Susan
I second John Lyons 100%.
It works on every horse I have used it on , no matter what their previous loading history or age.
It takes time to do it right but most everything done right in life takes time and effort.
My strategy was to feed my guy on the trailer every day (with the trailer hooked up!). If you can’t do it every day, try for a few times a week and give him special treats that he will only get when he is on the trailer. Don’t close the door or prevent him from backing out when he wants but keep feeding him treats to get him to stay longer and longer. Eventually you can start having someone close the door. I used to have a step-up trailer and my guy eventually taught me that if I lifted one of his legs onto the trailer, he would walk right on. But if I didn’t lift his leg, we’d be there all day. Maybe you can find a compromise like that with him?
Thank you all for your advice, I’ll talk to my vet about Acepromazine, maybe to have on board just in case. We are in a weird situation because I can’t reach my property with the van but I think I can speak to one of my neighbours and ask him of I can leave the van for some time on his property and work there on loading .
As Weezer said, I have to find a compromise that works for him, I have no problems about that, as long as it works!
