Horse Trailer Straight Load Feeder - To help With Unloading

[MapleLeaf]

I need some help brainstorming. My young horse got scared once backing off of my horse trailer and he has been coming off very quickly since then. My husband (not super horsey), usually assists with the ramp and putting hand on the horse to keep him from coming off too soon. We changed things where I put lead over his neck and went behind and my husband bribed him with a bit of grain to keep him from backing too soon and that worked well. I’d like to put in a feeder in my two horse straight load so when hauling by myself, I can throw a handful of grain in something and bribe my horse to stay put while I get the ramp and buttbar unfastened.

1. Is there an easy way to install the square nylon feeders?

2. Do you think there’s a way to use a regular over fence feeder or some other contraption? (Horse is big so not a lot of room for him to back away from chest bar.

I’m glad that he’s finally settling coming off of the trailer and I’m looking forward to easy trailer trips along again. Thanks in advance for your advice.

[clanter]

first you might want to not have your husband behind the horse, I seen several people injured by a unloading horse kicking out

[MapleLeaf]

I may have made that unclear. He is off to the side as necessary to take down the ramp and bar.

[Scribbler]

I found my mare started relaxing a lot more when I let her unload last and opened up the divider so she had more room unloading.

[MapleLeaf]

Thanks. He used to travel beautifully with my old guy, but now that I am down to one horse, I think that has partially led to some of these issues. With that said, we have finally figured out the combination that allows him to unload calmly (and oddly enough, he does not like the divider opened at this point.) Now, I’m just trying to make it doable if I don’t have an extra person. Just looking for the right type of feeder to hold a handful of grain to keep him happy while I drop the ramp.

[retiredhorse]

@MapleLeaf

2. Do you think there’s a way to use a regular over fence feeder or some other contraption? (Horse is big so not a lot of room for him to back away from chest bar.

Can you hang it on the outside so horse is reaching through the window to eat, instead of having to back up? Don’t know if that will cause different problems, though, and would be temporary/not permanently fixed in the trailer.

Oh, I misread – I thought this was a slant load. What about stuffing some carrots/treats in a hay net or bag instead of a bucket of grain?

[Foxglove]

Could try apple slices or carrot slices on the trailer floor --horse will put head down to eat (once he knows they are there, then move back to get the next one and so on … .never tried it, but heard about it as a way to slow down a fast out of the trailer backing up horse.

[Simkie]

So your trailer doesn’t have a manger and doesn’t have the d rings to hang one of these? That’s the issue?

The d rings are not terribly difficult to install. That would probably be the best solution.

[DMK]

If your trailer does not have rings for a hay bag, you may be able to rig something up with bailing twine at the chest bars and head divider and the safety slats on the groom door window. That’s what I did with my last trailer (it predated the era of hay bags).

Also when I am working a green one by myself, I like to attach a lunge line and run it through the grooms door to the back. It’s not going to stop one from running back, but it can help teach them to stand still until you are ready, especially if you practice stepping back partway to the ramp and then coming back and reinforcing good behavior with a treat. You just need ot be ready to let that line flow with movement if they panic and go back because trying to hold them will a) not work and b) make them more reactive.

[Huntin_Pony]

In my straight two-horse, the chest “bar” is hinged and will swing forward, on a line with the center partition. I have used one of those “hook-over” buckets by hanging it on the unused chest bar after I swing it forward. This puts the bucket on the right side of the horse’s nose but well within reach.

In terms of helping the horse back out more calmly, have you tried loading him part way then stand and eat treats then back off (just a step or two)? Then continue going farther into the trailer and backing out part way then back in, etc. Eventually, you may get to the point you can let him stand there while you rub him all over (from a safe position of course). I’ve had luck with this approach but it does require time and patience.

[DMK]

^ yes, I like to teach them to stand in the trailer, back out and load up again, back a little out and halt - go forward or backward as I ask (this is dependent on them having a solid verbal command to halt/step up), and so on. Since he already learned he can leave fast, you may not be able to stop him on the way out the first few times, but if you just calmly reload and give him a treat, keep it low drama, it should eventually work out. If nothing else, quite repetition is the key to most things equine.

[lorilu]

Drop the ramp but leave the butt bar. When he rushes back he will hit it. make him move forward, reward him. rattle the butt bar a few time so he thinks it’s down - he will hit it again. etc. Eventually it will work. My guy developed the rushing habit and it takes a refresher course every now and again - the last phase is slapping him on the butt when he rushes or discipline when he rushes off and immediate reloading… but then he is not working off fear, just naughtiness.

[high_hat]

@lorilu

Drop the ramp but leave the butt bar. When he rushes back he will hit it. make him move forward, reward him. rattle the butt bar a few time so he thinks it’s down - he will hit it again. etc. Eventually it will work. My guy developed the rushing habit and it takes a refresher course every now and again - the last phase is slapping him on the butt when he rushes or discipline when he rushes off and immediate reloading… but then he is not working off fear, just naughtiness.

Please be VERY careful of this. The horse can actually freak out and go under the butt bar causing even more issues.

[lorilu]

If he can get under the butt bar he is short or the bar is too high. It hits my guy low enough that he cannot get under it - and there is not enough length for him to get that low and go backwards. But thx for the warning.

[DMK]

They can squat a bit more than you expect when they are really scared, but it’s still got to be obviously high on their butt to be an issue.

I was concerned about my guy when I first started working with him, my butt bar sits extra high and he’s a 14’1 fjord, so I installed tie rings on the wall and divider. A brass snap plus a quick release snap and a pool noodle over a section of lead rope and I had a pony safe butt rope below the regular one just in case.

It was probably overkill. But worth it.