If it were me, I’d stick to doing the things I am comfortable with. Generally, if I stick to the things that I know I can handle then it works out. This also makes me look like a fool sometimes, but shrug.
Update: We did it.
Thanks all for your advice last ummmm… Fall. 
(It took awhile to get the trailer, and then no sooner did I get the trailer than the footing on the trails got too unpredictable for Madame and me for the winter).
Anyway, yesterday was the big day. Off we went and… no issues. All was well. Madame was slightly dorky upon arrival at the trailhead, but she was so happy to be somewhere other than the indoor ring, she was pretty much faking the dorkiness.
The only moment of spiking stress levels was when on the way home, waiting to be able to turn onto a main road, I heard banging and thumping and felt my vehicle shaking. “Oh, no;” I thought. “She is not happy back there…” More thumping and shaking, but… but… there seemed to be a rhythm emerging. It actually was just the base from the radio blasting in the car of the teenager somewhere nearby.
Now, none of you warned me about that, did you.
Thanks again for the advice!
[QUOTE=SharonA;4353089]
I’m hopefully getting my first trailer soon so my horse and I can enjoy more of the area trails, and we will probably be riding alone the vast majority of the time (5-10 miles through conservation land in semi-rural areas – not hard-core stuff). We ride alone on the trails from the barn as it is and we’re both perfectly happy with it. But because we have done so little traveling since I’ve owned her, my horse can be nervous when she gets off the trailer at a new place. I’ve always had someone (a barnmate, the trailer driver, the ride organizers, etc.) available to hold her while I get on, keep her company while I get the last few pieces together, etc. Does anyone have suggestions for how to streamline the trailhead departure process so that my horse does not have too much time to get herself worked up over nothing, or systems for staying organized so that you’re not doing five things at once when you arrive a new trailhead?
I should point out that my horse is a gem who does her best to take care of me when her brain is present, and I expect her to get accustomed to trailering to new places very quickly – it’s just the first few times that we may both be nervous when we first hop off the trailer.
TIA![/QUOTE]
take hay enough for the jounrney so she can munch there and back and move the haynet to out side of the trialer whilse tacking up
also makre sure you take water with you for when she cmes back so you can sponge her off and offer her a drink
the more you do the more she will accept it some horses do fidget as you move off but soon settle once your drving
so- to make a journey nice for the horse ,dont speed and dont drive the trialer as you would a car - think THINK think, go wider round corners when one comes to slow down or stop at lights dont slam the brakes on do it as gradual process look and be aware of other rad users put her on the out side of the trialer - bigger horses should always travel on the outside ie off the camber side take you time and leav e in plenty of time and be prepared before the off little things will make big differences in long run and the horse will have a comfy journey so will be willing to accept being on her own moreso
