How to teach a horse to load in a slant

[Huntin_Fool]

Dear All,

I am in the midst of a quandary-I have a new horse who has some experience in trailering. He raced until he was 7, he just turned 9, technically, so he has been around. The person I bought him from had a straight load, very nice, tall trailer. She said he trailered just fine though didn’t like standing around in the trailer alone for any length of time.

I had a worn out trailer and needed a new one anyway. And got an old Sooner, 7’6” tall, four horse.

Well, the new horse will go in, but when I back up to get behind the swinging slant thing, what ever you actually call that, he backs up too. The time I tried clipping him in and did that, he sat back and broke the bailing twine I used to connect the trailer tie to the metal trailer ring and carefully backed on out. He doesn’t seem to be trying to “escape” but I believe thinks that if I’m backing out, he backs out too.

How can I teach him to stay in a slant load? How do you even do that? I am afraid that if I don’t use the breakaway bailing twine that he will flip out and kill himself. And here you see the other problem which is me. I hate trailers and trailering. And I find that I do not like the slant load at all. There is no escape door and there is a saddle rack in the back so the trailer “funnels down” to a smaller opening. I tried to set it up like a straight load-removed the last slant bar and put the horse in it with all that room. But he is long enough that his bottom was too close to the door for me to get out safely if he did get upset.

Any advice appreciated.

Regards,
Huntin’Fool

[OzarksRider]

Make the trailer the comfortable place to be and outside the trailer uncomfortable. Don’t tie him, and don’t try to make him stay in the trailer. If he wants to leave, let him go, and then outside the trailer make him work. The work can be something as simple as yielding his hindquarters both ways a few times . . . you don’t have to wear him out. Then load him again and let him decide whether to stay or leave. Rinse and repeat. Pretty soon he will realize that standing in the trailer is easier than working outside. Also, when he comes out of the trailer without you asking, make him work right next to the trailer; don’t take him away from the trailer to work.

I think it would also help if you work on having him stand while you walk away when you’re in a round pen or arena. Just take the trailer out of the equation until he’s solid on standing while you leave.

[clanter]

@Huntin_Fool

How can I teach him to stay in a slant load?

we let the horse watch several other that know how to load load first, then the new guy has an idea as to just what is expected

[Heinz_57]

I’d be happy to give a rundown of all the steps involved in teaching self-loading and self-positioning in a slant load, but…

If you are not comfortable being in the small space of a trailer with the horse moving around for training purposes, it might be better to just pay a trainer to teach this skill? You would need someone who goes more in depth beyond just the basic ‘drag the horse on and stuff it in real quick’ style.

Or if you only haul one horse at a time, you could always just remove enough dividers, treat it as a stock trailer and walk the horse in, turn him around so he’s facing backwards and then haul him loose.

[Risuena]

My horse was similarly agreeable and initially I had to be really clear to him that I wanted him to stay put. I ran my lead rope through a window bar (stock-type windows) and held it so he wasn’t tied, but I could apply a bit of pressure “forward”. I then moved back slowly, with lots of “whoa”s and then some pressure on his butt. He got it pretty quickly but maybe repeating that a bunch of times with treats when he stays put could be useful. I’m also really clear when I DO want him to follow me out so there’s an obvious difference in cues.

[saddleup]

I teach mine the command “stand”. It comes in handy for lots of situations, including loading in the trailer. My horses load when I say “get on the bus” so I didn’t have to go in with them. I close the dividers and go around to tie their heads.

For a while I had a trailer with the rear tack and hated it. I felt claustrophobic and it prevented my horses from turning around and coming out head first, which they and I preferred they do. My trailer now doesn’t have the rear tack, and loading and unloading is really easy. But I’ve worked with my horses a lot to make it that way.

[Montanas_Girl]

Go back to your basic ground work and teach him what “whoa” means. Once he’s solid on that, you can just remind him verbally and with a hand on his side, if needed, to stay still while you close the divider. Do not tie him until the divider is secured.

I don’t love back tacks because of the claustrophobia, but he sounds like a horse who would be equally problematic no matter what kind of trailer you had. The ones who fly backwards are very dangerous.

Do not let him turn around in the trailer. Especially with a back tack, but this is my firm policy for anything older/larger than a yearling. The ones who want to leave in a hurry can do serious damage to you when they spin around in such a confined space - and these types tend not to care one bit where their human is at the time.

[Huntin_Fool]

Montana girl, I agree with the reminders for stand, we worked on that today! And loaded today too, and he was great about getting in. And he did stand there with me even when a limb hit the trailer and the whole thing rattled with this terrible storm we have headed our way. I can’t reach him where he has to stand and get to the end of the slant swing thing-and I don’t want to pull it even partially closed with me on the inside.

I can take that back tack out-it’s been reinforced so it would be harder to remove but it’s doable-but I really am thinking of selling it so idk if I want to take that back part out. Ugh I hate the selling process!

[Demerara_Stables]

I’d second getting a trainer, but if that’s not an option…

Use a longe line to run through the window so you can hold it and apply forward pressure without tying him.

Is he food motivated? Hang a bag of alfalfa or if there are mangers put some grain in there. It might be just enough to distract him that you can get the divider closed.

Lastly, if you have an extra person around that’s good with horses, they can stand at his head and hold him outside the trailer or you could hold him and they could load him. When I work with the evacuation group in town, we only load in slant loads with someone outside the trailer at the horse’s head so they can quiet the horse and tie it outside - no being stuck in the trailer trying to tie a scared, unfamiliar horse.

[atr]

Sell it and buy a straight load with escape doors.

But, then teach your horse to just walk in without your leading him in. Then you can do up the butt bar before you go round and tie his head. I find a nice bag full of hay helps with this process.

And never, ever, ever stand on the ramp behind the horse while you do up the butt bar.

[jherold]

I second trade the trailer in and get a straight load.

[clanter]

@atr

And never, ever, ever stand on the ramp

get a step up ? When we moved west of the Mississippi we found that nearly every trailer there was a step up. When asking about Why I got a blank look from the salesman,

His response was classic, a horse knows how to step over stuff

The reason for ramp loads at least where I came from in Kentucky was because most horses were being shipped in vans which required ramps to get the horse into the high vans

The Mississippi River is the great divide, for the most part East is straight load ramp load, West is slant step up

(our slant load has a front escape door were you can even unload the horse from if needed but is mostly there so you can access that area for storage )

[fivestrideline]

I’d sell it and get a straight load with escape doors. Or even better, two ramps or a rear facing! My last option would be a slant with no rear tack at all. If the horses fit, they seem to like them fine.

Then, teach him to self load and stand. Easy to do with a lungeline run out the window for a little pressure on the halter, even easier to do with a qualified helper. Also, seconding getting a GOOD patient trainer for this, if it’s something that makes you nervous. I have a healthy respect for the dangers of being in a trailer with a horse, but I feel much better about a big open straight load.

[CanteringCarrot]

I’m not crazy about slant loads for a few reasons, but if that’s what you have and you can’t change that, then you’ll have to learn to work with it. A lot of the same concepts will apply either way whether it’s a straight load or slant.

My youngster knew trailers, getting on and off, and was imported so had traveled a bit. He didn’t truly know loading and the correct process though. He was a yearling at the time of import and you could either bribe him with food or physically force him, which was basically how they got him here.

Firstly, the horse has to know how to tie. Is he solid with this? As in doesn’t pull back and against pressure on the ground?

Then a good “stay” or “stand” command. Mine knows how to ground tie and is happy to do so while I wander around the arena or barn. So get this solid, and it will help you with trailering.

Having a hay net or food can help. Some will be more content and distracted while munching on something.

The easiest way, for me, is with a straight load and teaching them to self load. I send the horse in, do up the butt bar, and then go around front to secure him. I’ve also done it where I lead the horse in, tell them to stand, and go around back and do the butt bar. IME it’s really the stand or stay command that’s imparative. Similar concept applies in the slant. Lead in, tie, stand while human moves away and swings the divider into place.

If you’re not comfortable though, that doesn’t help. Especially with loading matters. A horse can sense that, so that could add to him being uneasy or unsure about it. So if you can get a trainer involved, that could be beneficial.

[Montanas_Girl]

A straight load isn’t going to solve the problem if the horse won’t stand long enough for the OP to secure him safely. In fact, it has been my experience that horses who fly backwards are even more likely to do it in a straight load, where the path “out” is more obvious.

There are pluses and minuses to all kinds of trailers, but loading when you only have one person still requires cooperation the horse understand how to stay where he’s been put while the human closes a door, secures a divider, or puts up a butt bar.

[BrownDerby]

You can teach and practice “load up,” “wait” and “back”: in a stall. If you have a swing out stall door even better to learn slowly backing out around that tack corner. Become confident there then transfer to the rig.

[CanteringCarrot]

@Montanas_Girl

A straight load isn’t going to solve the problem if the horse won’t stand long enough for the OP to secure him safely. In fact, it has been my experience that horses who fly backwards are even more likely to do it in a straight load, where the path “out” is more obvious.

There are pluses and minuses to all kinds of trailers, but loading when you only have one person still requires cooperation the horse understand how to stay where he’s been put while the human closes a door, secures a divider, or puts up a butt bar.

I agree with this. Which is why I said similar concepts apply in both set ups. I do find training to self load as well as unload, and using a straight load to be the easiest thing, but I understand that’s not always possible or the case. I also find a straight load more preferable for other reasons, but you work with what you’ve got.

IMO, it still all starts outside of the trailer with learning to tie, be sent forward, and a good stay/stand/wait command.

[GraceLikeRain]

Do you trailer him alone? Depending on his flexibility you can try walking him in, turning him around, and letting him ride backwards in the slant. The biggest caveat is you need a horse that’s flexible and very good natured to slowly turn around inside of a trailer. The perk is that the slant closing is now by the head making it very easy to close things up on your own.

Option two would be to spend time with a good second horse person. Load, have the second person reach through the stock or window to hold the lead rope and then practice taking a step away from him, step back, reward cycle. This keeps you from having to hard tie and if he gets confused and starts backing the second person can calmly feed as much rope as needed.

Ultimately, learning to self load and ground tie in the trailer is the best and safest option all around. Trailering can get dicey so easily so I don’t think there’s anything wrong with acknowledging the set up isn’t ideal for you and getting a straight load with an escape door instead.