Unless it was an emergency I would not haul a single horse on the right. I was always taught that the heavier horse or single horse goes on the left. Since the road is crowned in the middle if you misjudge the side of the road or are forced off a little by an oncoming vehicle then there is a greater risk of having the trailer overturn. I drive a lot of back roads where there is not much room for error. And yes I have been forced on the grass on the side of a road more than once by an oncoming vehicle that was on the center line or slightly on my side of the center line.
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I just want to add that I didn’t previously know about the lunge line trick. I have been working with my 4 year old on trailer training, as he gets herd bound and has started to panic in the trailer. Things have been going well with practice, sending him forward (from our groundwork basics) and then coming to his head and standing while he ate. I’d back him up and repeat, and all would be well until I left his side and started to mess with the divider (he’d get anxious). I haven’t wanted to tie him while I did that for fear that he’d freak out and pull back.Tonight I used the lunge line in the process and had more freedom and control to manage the divider. I had him self loading, continuing to eat after the divider was closed and even not being that interested in unloading. Thanks COTH friends!
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I used the lunge line for a horse who self loaded just fine but also managed to put himself in a U in a trailer in the time it took for me to untie his head and walk to the back of the trailer. Did I mention he was 17’3 and this trailer, while quite large for 1993 when I bought it, was pretty darn tiny when faced with a U shaped horse. Thankfully he was pretty quiet while we unassembled the trailer around him.
So from that point forward I ran the lunge line out the groom’s door with me so I could keep his head pointed in the right direction while I did the butt bar. It would probably help for the type of self loading you are talking about, and the lunge line is going to release a lot easier going through a door instead of a tiny ring.
But to teach self loading I would use a crop, nh stick, or something similar to teach them that when you tap behind the withers it means step forward. It’s just a cute, same as a tap behind, it will mean exactly what you train the horse to think it means ( go forward). Work on it a few times away from the trailer, don’t fall into the trap of making the horse go around you, but forward.
Then it’s just a matter of standing by the trailer, persistently asking for forward, stopping left and right, being really persistent when they go backwards, and above all else rewarding any forward steps in the beginning (later you can ask for more steps before releasing). Very few horses fail to go on with this method and it’s really nice to have them walk on while you never set foot in the trailer.
My Fjord is entirely unenthused about loading and he’d really rather not, but 90% of the time he walks right in. About 8% he stops, thinks about whether he wants to have the battle he knows he will lose, takes a deep sigh of disgust and walks in. And just every so often he pauses and then takes a step sideways or back just to see if the rules have changed. I grab the stick, tap him once behind the withers, he gives a REALLY BIG sigh of disgust and walks in.
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That’s how I made a self-loader out of mine. 
I also use this to teach them to stand while I go to the back to put up the butt bar. If they start backing up, I don’t fight with them, but just use the line to keep their head straight into the trailer and apply at least some pressure to contradict the backing up. With some taps on the butt to get them back in all the way, along with immediate release reward for standing there, they get the idea fairly quickly.
I teach them “stand” just by putting them back where they were, every time they fidget. It just takes relentless patience. Relentless. Correct every foot fidget.
Caveat that stand is not a new command for them. We already learned stand while grooming, on the longe line at the halt, and other places. It may seem that Mr/Ms Fidgets is not physically capable of anchoring all four feet at the same time, but every one has learned that, and just as a matter of course without a big production training session. (A horse that doesn’t stand at the halt, on the longe, while the handler walks around and to and fro, does not have a halt. As far as I’m concerned.)
And there is good hay and treats at the front, to reward getting on and staying in the trailer while I do the butt bar.
I also use a long dressage whip only as an arm-lengthener. And I don’t use it to push unless their feet are stuck, then I’ll brush their feet with it.
I think using the whip from behind, as a whip, causes more problems than it solves. It gets the horse worried about what’s behind them, instead of thinking about moving positively forward and on the trailer.
Sometimes I have to use the whip on people who want to “help” to get them to stay away. 
Just kidding !!! 
I mean I have to stop “helpful people” from distracting and pushing and even wanting to whip from behind, scaring the horse and taking his focus off me, just when I’m getting the horse to focus on the trailer in front of him. Go !! Away !!! Offer help, of course, but Do Not Help Unless Asked !!! 
If someone just can’t stop themselves from clucking and walking up on his back end, I pick out a spot kind of far away and nicely smilingly ask them to stay behind that spot until I have the butt bar up. Thank you so much!
This.
Trailering without a human helper, you must also teach them to unload / back out in a civilized manner, cooperating with you, as the one person handling them.
I have a straight load, so the horses back off. They have to stand while I go from unclipping their head to the back to lower the butt bar.
When they are first learning backing off, I will use the longe line going from the halter and out the escape door, to help coach them to stay in place at the front of the space until told to back up.
The key is the stand command, and the horse’s respect and confidence for that command. The horse first learns to stand on command, before trailer training (re earlier post, stand is taught as ground manners, as well as in the trailer). And, to wait for the back command.
The unloading procedure I teach all horses that ride in my trailer on a consistent basis:
I release their trailer-tie on the halter, clip on the lead rope and put the length over the back. I say firmly “stand” and maybe give the halter a tug or two to be sure they are listening. The horse stands while I walk to the back of the trailer, verbally reminding him stand as necessary. He stands while I lower the butt bar (from the side, I never stand behind them). With the butt bar down, he stands and waits until told to unload. He stands until I reach over from the side, grab a bit of tail and tug gently and command back! back! Then he politely and slowly backs out, straight down the ramp. I take the lead rope as he goes by.
It’s safe, it’s methodical, and it’s gives the horse a sense of security that someone is taking care of him in this new place.
So, the horse isn’t just unloading; rather, he’s going through a command exercise. And he’s standing until asked to back out. I have them stand for a few seconds after dropping the butt bar so they are in the habit of waiting until asked to back up. If they can do it for a slightly longer interval, we practice that. But I’m only asking for less than a minute of patience on their part to wait for the back command.
If they don’t quite stand as they should while I walk from their head to the back of the trailer, then the longe line or a long lead rope through the escape door will help remind them to stay at the front of the trailer and wait.
Typically, until they learn that stand is for real, as soon as I walk to the back of the trailer they want to start rushing back and will press against the butt bar, often while pushing or scrambling with their feet. I use a flag or my fingernails to get them up off the butt bar and forward a step, so there is open space between their butt and the bar. I wait until they are actually standing, not rocking back and forth or fidgeting, before we go the next step.
The longe line (or a long lead) will also help keep their head straight and not let them try to turn around. A horse trying to bend his head around, or entirely turn around, is not safe - it’s up to us to keep the head straight.
I do not lower the butt bar until they stand. Once the bar is down, they stay where they are until asked to back up. They do not back off until they stand. At first, after the butt bar is down, just a few seconds is all they understand. But gradually that time is lengthened as they get the idea that this is a command exercise, not just something we are rushing through as fast as possible.
While the horse is still learning the process, the trickiest part is standing and waiting before & after the butt bar comes down. I’ll take any amount of time to wait until they stand before the butt bar comes down.
After the butt bar is down, if they don’t wait for my back command and are too quick to back themselves off, I re-load them and up goes the butt bar. We practice standing and waiting for the back command until we do it correctly. They have less problems with this than one would think. I think they like the idea that someone is on guard behind them.
I’ve never had a problem teaching this process to any horse, even the eager anxious ones. It can take time for them to get all the steps solid, and it needs every-single-time consistency. Once they get it, I do think they prefer this slower, quieter process to just rushing backwards and off on their own. The quieter process seems to give them a greater sense of security.
I think that a big reason that horses are inclined to rush off a trailer is anxiety. They are worried: Where are we? Is it safe? They are in a hurry to be out and ready for whatever predator or new bully horse is out there. But if they are following commands, then the human is guarding the rear, making sure they are looked after and safe.
I’ve seen more and more horses that charge backwards out of the trailer at the first chance to do so, just throwing themselves out. It’s tricky to get the butt bar down when they are stomping backwards as fast as they can. This is so dangerous that I just don’t understand how anyone would travel with a horse that isn’t better trained. (Or a person/handler/owner that isn’t better trained.) But I see it more and more. I’ve met people who expect it and don’t know any other way is possible. It’s unfortunate, not just for safety, but because I think it makes the horse far more anxious than they would be if they have a command procedure that they understand. Why someone who can teach a horse fourth-level dressage can’t teach the same horse how to calmly load and unload is a mystery that is beyond me.
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You reminded me that 7 years ago I forgot to teach my new horse a command for backing before I started fooling around with self-loading. I suppose I hadn’t bothered to consider that this brand new creature who barely knew me and had some, er, quirks, would need only one session to learn not only loading, standing and unloading like a civilized equine, but would also cotton to self-loading within the hour I had. Asked her to self-load and she popped right in on the first try.
And then, “omg, she doesn’t understand a tail pull” Oops! Luckily I was borrowing a 2+1 for the lesson so I did up the butt bar and ramp and went to the front and walked her off that way. Very next lesson was the tail pull + verbal “back” means back up one careful step at a time. She’s been perfect ever since and I have not forgotten to teach other horses a tail pull before self-loading for the first time. Man did I feel dumb that day, and a little panicky for a second since there wasn’t another soul on the property.
I know this one… I have a photo somewhere of an inch or two of palomino butt and legs sticking out the back of the trailer.
This was before I called her breeders and asked them how they do it (hint: if you know the breeders put a lot of time into their young stock, this is good info to have.) Self-load, with a treat up front. I have taken to leading her up to the escape door and letting her have a bite before I load her; then leading her back and telling her “load up.” She’s got her mind on that nice little bucket of shredded alfalfa then. I do keep holding the lead line and reel it out as she goes in, then drape it over the butt bar once that’s fastened. About once a year, she just says No; I have never figured out why. That requires a lip chain and an extra person.
I was at one barn that did not allow self-loading, which was very frustrating, as the mare really doesn’t like having a person squeezed into the trailer with her. BO was worried about loose horses, but I’ve seen much worse with horses led in and then finding that one or two seconds where they can escape.
Mine has a huge problem with being impatient about unloading, unless there is someone at her head distracting her as I lower the butt bar. If I had to do things over again, I’d have a stock trailer with no ramp as she really liked that arrangement, and was easy to unload.
Thank you for this. I will try a lunge line and a focus on “stand” with my mare. She knows “stand” very well. She understands pressure and release.
Part of my reluctance to change things is that I have her loading well, and don’t want to break that. That’s all on me; I’m prone to anxiety myself.
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I haul in a Thuro-bilt 2 horse slant and my 15.1 gelding. Before that I had a Trail-et 2 horse straight load. It took a long time of my horse knowing to stand still while in the trailer. He knows to not back off until asked. He can self back off the trailer now. In the slant, my life is much easier. If he is in the second slant, I do not attach him to the bungee, I open his window so he looks out and quickly shut the door. Then attach his head to bungee and close the window.
And that was a big nope… Would not recommend unless you know you can grab that lungeline should the horse pull back and rip it out of your hands. I have a bad hand and it’s now very sore. Mare took off running, being followed by a terrifying blue snake. Luckily, she went to DH when she saw him holding the “magic blue bucket” that always contains something tasty.
We had a good ride anyway, and while she was quite afraid, she came off the trailer pretty nice when we were back at the barn.
I don’t know why she puts up with me, sometimes…
OK I own this horse. Loads great - walks right on and will stand forever. If I am at her head. As soon as I walk back to fasten the butt bar she backs off.
I was desperate this summer to get her to the farm where the horse dentist was working since he only visits this area two times a year. So I did something STUPID. I tied her in the trailer before I walked around the close the butt bar. I know not to do that and I was right. She backed up, hit the end of the leadrope, broke the halter and lead and went flying off. But luckily she still walked in but would not stay. So I had to abort that trip.
So I finally admitted to myself that I needed to get off my butt and teach her to self load because I am alone on the farm and I do not have a second person to help. So I put some super premium alfalfa and her feed bucket in the front of the trailer, her friend in the other side smacking away and got my buggy whip. I pulled the trailer out of the overhang so it was ready and I could give her lessons 2x a day.
Lesson 1 I led her on and let her find the food up there and stood with her like always. Then I made her back up several times - when I wanted her to back up. If she wanted to back up herself I brought her forward. So backing up was something I decided - not her decision. Then I backed her out and turned her in a circle several times tapping her butt and hind legs with the buggy whip and presented her to self load. She did - kind of. So I backed her out and represented. This time she remembered the food in front and went in, so I went to the front and told her she was a good girl and made a big deal over her. After she had chowed down good and was happy I made her back out - my decision. Then represented to self load. This time she was less reluctant. I DID NOT mess with the butt bar or try to confine her.
We did this several days and I made the lessons short. The other horse was LOVING this and she was self loading at the trot to get to the alfalfa. After problem child was self loading reliably and relaxed in the trailer I fastened the butt bar. She backed up, hit the butt bar, realized she was confined and I thought all hell would break loose. But I went to the front, pulled her up and talked to her and she relaxed and did not do that again. And as always, I backed her out from the front. She did not make that decision.
Then we got to the point that we self loaded and she stood with the bar up and I always pulled her forward from the front before I released the bar so she did not get the idea that sitting on the bar got her released.
I realize she is not fully trained but we made a long trip to the vet and she self loaded both going and coming and it was easy peasy. The day we went I loaded her again that night so she could eat her supper in the trailer and have some more yummy hay. I will continue with the lessons even though she is pretty easy now. I feel it so much better to put in the training than trying to cram, force, squeeze, pull a horse into the trailer. You have to be patient and give yourself lots of time to work with them and stop while you are ahead. This mare is pretty reactive and I had to realize when I had pushed her all I could push for that day. Don’t get in a hurry or get greedy but they need to go where you put them! And it did not take as much time as a bad loader because she did load already, just would not stay in.
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I haul a few of my friends horses to trail ride. I don’t haul problem horses.
I have a 2 horse straight haul with escape doors on each side. My friends typically walk their horses on, duck under the chest bar, hold the horse while I do up the butt bar. After a while they transition to self loading. My mare self loads, walks up and I do up the butt bar.
I feel like the transition to self loading can just develop.
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John Lyons’ method really does work. It takes a bit longer, but the result is a horse that loads and unloads calmly.
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Why are they danger boxes?
I have a slant load. My horses self load. I close the divider behind them. If needed, clip on their leadrope through the drop down window. When unloading, the horse in the back slant unloads by themselves at my cue. Horse in the middle or forward, I go open the slant, and then unload them. I’ve never felt the need, but they’d probably self-back out of those spots too (Because they have been taught.
So the only time I have to go inside the trailer with a horse, is to unload one in the middle or front. Otherwise I am outside the trailer at all times.
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Also when you load the first one, right?
(Sorry, I know very little about slant-load trailers as they are not common here. And my mare’s breeders told me 3 things that, based on their experience, I should not do with her: use a slant load or a single-jointed or full cheek snaffle bit. I did not know about the latter 2 when I got her, and the friend who was helping me with her was kind of old-school, and loaned me… a full cheek single jointed fat rubber snaffle!)
Whereas in a straight load, one never needs set foot in the trailer once the horse is trained to self-load and unload which is a whole lot less getting into the trailer with a large animal than “to unload one in the middle or front.”
I think part of my hate of slants comes from swinging gates and crowded quarters. I work with Holstein cattle and am constantly reminded how easy it would be to get killed by a mistake. Every time I swing a gate between two groups of cattle to move an individual or part of a group. Every time I get between a cow and a solid object. So, yeah, no, I don’t need that sort of risk in my hobby I prefer to be paid for the chance to be crushed rather than pay for it lol
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Exactly why I love that my horse self-loads and unloads (albeit with some issues). I am short, so I do have to step up via the escape door to deal with the trailer tie, but I’m never fully in the trailer with her, and she reads the manger as a barrier to going out the escape door (trailer is a Hawk with big removable vinyl hay bags that can be clipped to the wall and chest bar in front – a feature I love).
She also responds much better to pressure from behind than pulling in front.
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You could also be pinned and crushed by a horse standing tied to a trailer. Or standing tied anywhere for that matter.
Or trampled while leading your horse.
Pick the scenario or risk. Choosing the hobby of horses IS a risk itself.
I wouldn’t have to go into the trailer to unload the middle or the front. I could easily train them to back out (although they probably already would do it; mines are such seasoned haulers). I choose to, because that works for me and that’s what I do.
I work with cattle as well. Comparing sorting ground of cattle in corrals isn’t quite the same thing as trailering a horse; nor is it the same animal.
I do not lead the horse onto the trailer. I send them in. I just go close the divider behind them. Sure, I have to enter the trailer in order to reach the farthest front divider, but in terms of safety, I have a clear path to jump out the back should something happen.
We don’t have corrals so moving gates the way I do is very, very much like closing the dividers on a slant load, but whatever.
As to the same animal, no they are not, cattle are typically slower making the sideways crush a slightly more lingering terror. BTDT recently and was very lucky to have use of my legs so I could kick the crap out of her leg to get her to get her hip off my chest. She is an animal that knows basic commands like “over” “lift your foot” and “other way” but same as with horses, that didn’t matter when she felt there was a greater risk that over-rode her knowledge and caused her to forget I was supposed to be top of her mind. She moved away from that risk the only direction possible.
But carry on. I am not telling anyone to not use a slant. I am saying that for me they present more hazards than a straight load and that might be worth thinking about for those that are pondering one over the other.
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