Reluctant loading only after hauling

[endlessclimb]

If he’s willing to eat in the trailer, he’s pretty chilled out. I think this is just young horse stuff.

Not going into a trailer (whether they like it or not, whether it’s bumpy or not, whether is the biggest rattling can of iron on the road or not) comes down to not yielding to poll pressure. This needs to be a non-negotiable item in his life.

When a horse is reluctant to move forward towards the trailer, I personally do not tend towards the “fire and ice” approach with repetitive lunging outside the trailer - I find this just upsets most horses more, and that’s the last thing you need at that moment. I just stand in the trailer and become THE most annoying person on earth. TUG TUG TUG TUG TUG TUG TUG on the leadrope, not a steady pressure but rapid and pretty firm pulling. Any iota of effort towards getting in gets a 10 second “think about it” time where literally nothing happens - no pressure, no clucking, I don’t even look at them honestly. Count the seconds out, it’s longer than you think. “Iota of effort” includes even THINKING about getting on, or stepping forward. You have to reward every single tiny effort towards the trailer.
Then, slowly but not too slowly, I turn into the most annoying person on earth again. TUG TUG TUG. If the horse shoots backwards, I just go with them, continuing the tug-tug-tug until they take a step forward and then IMMEDIATELY the pressure disappears.

I have yet to find a horse this method didn’t work on. Timing is key. No escalating beyond what response the tugging gets.

The key is when they FINALLY get on the trailer - tell them how great they are, and then back them back off again to do it again. It’s not a once and done, buddy. The same way you’d target 3 good transitions for one bad one during a ride, same thing goes for trailer loading. If he hesitates, he just earned himself multiple trailer loading practice runs.

I wouldn’t over think this too much. This horse is young, and you need to do what every young horse needs to do - practice.

[FjordBCRF]

Here is my ride on a dirt road parking lot tonight for maximum rattle factor.

I think I can secure the partition a little tighter, that does rattle some and I can hear the bridles on the shared wall of the tack room so that I can readjust as well.

Otherwise, I think the break settings were ok, if anything I maybe needed to increase them a bit.

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Got the camera connected and that will be wonderful to have the visibility on him too. I need to get super sticky Velcro tape or something to secure it; it’s magnetic so it won’t stick to anything that way.

[hoopoe]

As far as trailer smell, can you store some hay bales in it?

[FjordBCRF]

That’s a good idea, I can definitely do that!

[NancyM]

Check the wiring in the trailer. If there is a wire that has had the insulation worn off, it can run a current through the trailer when you energize the wire. A brake wire, a turning signal wire, etc. So the horse can get a shock from it. Makes trailering an issue when it should not be, and when perhaps it was not an issue previously. Then they don’t want to load again. Obviously.

[endlessclimb]

Power grab a piece of steel plate to wherever you want it mounted (or use self tapping screws, but I’d just use Power Grab Ultimate).

Otherwise the stickies velcro I’ve ever found is the stuff they hand out at toll booths. I don’t know where to get it otherwise, lol, so I just grab it from them when I need it. And it’s free!

[quietann]

Just want to thank you for the TUG TUG TUG hint. My mare is out 24/7 but there is a small barn where the horses are brought for farrier and vet work, trying on blankets, tacking up etc. The doors from the stalls to the outside are very narrow and the inside of the barn is dark unless the lights are on. We’ve had no trouble getting my mare in through the big door to the aisleway, but those narrow stall doors are another story.

Just for fun, I tried your technique on Wednesday and once I got the timing figured out, it was quite successful. Got her from pulling back and backing away to going into the stall calmly in about 5 minutes.

[endlessclimb]

I’m glad I could be of help, and great work getting her going into a scary place!

[quietann]

Today she was perfect… no tugging required!

[endlessclimb]

Hooray! That’s awesome!

[FjordBCRF]

It also might be worth noting after hauling out and back Sat and Sunday both for the clinic, he had Monday off. I did an hour massage under the IR solarium and he was really into that pretty much everywhere.

Tuesday he was all sorts of bright eyed and bushy tailed. I had planned to give him both days off but he had the “What are we doing today?” look so I rode and had a really nice ride. I don’t think it took too much out of him!

[Jarpur]

@Amberley

the only thing she came up with is that it’s a metal floor under the mats while her old one was a wood floor. He’s a little older and she is wondering if it’s less comfortable for him.

I’ve had trailers with both aluminum and wooden floors; have wood in my current trailer. Here is one manufacturer’s explanation why they use wood (I’ve had a Trails West trailer in the past, eventually sold it for more than I paid for it):

7 Reasons Your Horse Trailer Needs Wood Flooring - Trails West Trailers

[findeight]

Thing with the brakes is they need to be symmetrical, like the tire pressure. Good idea to have a Pro do an annual inspection, as you would your home HVAC system if you live in an extreme climate area, like Minneapolis or Phoenix.

Better safe then sorry plus wasting time trying to load a horse that hates something about the ride.

[FjordBCRF]

Do people generally have a brand new trailer inspected? I’ve done things annually, but wouldn’t think the take something straight off the lot to have looked at.

We got a break in the weather and had a good trailer session. He was on in 5 or 6 mins the first time, about half the the second and then we were on and off another half dozen times with just stepping right up.

@endlessclimb - another “tug tug tug” success. Doing that gently seemed to help the message across.

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I also did put his hoof boots on his fronts in case jumping off onto the gravel didn’t feel awesome to him.

We will haul out for dinner, hay and a hand walk sometime this week and work on loading in an unfamiliar parking lot. If he wasn’t prone to laminitis, I would totally get him an Apple fritter!

I’m really glad I got the camera for the trailer, that will be a huge help to see how he is in transit.

[findeight]

Not so much “inspected” as the system(s) calibrated and adjusted as needed and road tested with your tow vehicle. Mainly the brakes and brake controller. One brake dragging or applying more force on one side then the other can result in a sway when applied or released. Horse can feel that even if you can’t. Most “inspections” are look see, check lights, turn signals, brake lights and check that the brakes work, as in stop. No road tests towed by your vehicle.

Bumper pulls from a truck sometimes raise the front end of the trailer or have a tendency to sway, which horse can feel, do you have any type of leveling or anti sway devices?

“New” just means never titled after leaving factory and who knows how long or where its been sitting out in who knows what weather. Dealers may move them around the lot empty with their yard truck but don’t road test them with 800-1200 lbs on one side over high crowned, rural roads.

[suzyq]

Mine was like this. I think he was just thinking I was just in that trailer I don’t want to get in again! It got better after many many short trips.

[FjordBCRF]

We finally had a break in a weeks worth of crummy weather so we went “out to dinner” tonight!

He loaded right up from the barn; and we practiced a few times on and off. We took a 15 min ride up to some of the bridle trails, had 1/4 of dinner in the trailer before unloading then unloaded and loaded right back on no problem. We unloaded again and he got groomed while eating hay tied to the trailer, then we went for a short hand walk and loaded right back on. This was at the park.

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When we got back home, he had more of his dinner on the trailer before we unloaded, then leaves a couple of times with no qualms.

I will say that I am much more at ease having the trailer camera and I wonder if he was picking up on some of my energy prior to it. He happily ate his way the ride there and back.

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We went for a short trail ride at home when we got back and that was that!

[NaturallyHappy]

I KNOW mine picks up on my anxiety…even when I think I’m not. I need W. Schiller for me. Edited to add he self loads, unloads, and travels very well. He is sometimes a pill when I go to bring him in. I am sure he senses me worrying. I drive well, have a very safe truck and trailer, but worry about the other not so careful drivers on the road.

[AXM]

Sounds like you guys are sorting it out! Would you mind sharing which trailer camera you got? There seem to be heaps out there, and we’d like to get one, but I don’t know where to start!

[FjordBCRF]

Sure! I got this model. It’s battery powered so it was very easy to get up and running; no connecting to wires or anything.