Specific trailering tip - horse that won't stay on

[alteredcarbon]

I’ve done a search but really would like some suggestions for this specific issue.

One of my horses came to me a “hesitant” loader, but the skilled shippers were able to get him on especially when there were other horses.

My issue is I have a straight load with a ramp, and have been practicing loading with everyone. I have done this by feeding them on the trailer, with the hesitant ones practicing lots of on and off. This means things like front feet on, ask to back off. Load all the way, ask to back off halfway and reload. Etc. Usually I get them to the point they’d rather just hang out and eat, I close them up and let them chill.

This guy though, he will get on for the first once or twice, but then he decides that the task is over. Self-loading attempts have proved to blow his mind. Previously, he was happy to hang out on the trailer with it open, but the first time I closed the butt bar he sat down HARD and ripped it out of the wall. Now, he won’t stay on long enough for me to put up the bar even if I run a lunge out the door and ask him to stand. He flies backwards.

Anywhere else he stands and comes off the pressure fine. To me it seems like I may have accidentally taught him that he doesn’t have to stay on the trailer. Escalating the ask (NH style “work him outside the trailer”) just makes him panicky. I’ve looked at a million trailer loading videos and training methods, but very few seem to address the horse that gets on but won’t stay on.

I really think he has the idea that he’s not required or being asked to stay on, just to GET on. I’d love ideas or links/suggestions on how to address this. Ultimately I want him to self load but unless it can be taught quickly (I have tried), regular loading is fine for now as I have a vet and farrier appointment to take him to. Please be kind, I’m trying my best here!

[RJC]

Maybe try this Ryan Rose video. He works with a horse who won’t stay on the trailer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yrhp1dHv2s

[alteredcarbon]

Thank you!!

[islgrl]

When I was trying to trailer train my hesitant loader, I found he was getting worse when I had sessions where he got on and off repeatedly. So I changed it up. I would load him now and then. Have him stay there for a while, take him off and leave it be for a week or so… He now self loads…

[c0608524]

No suggestions of help but want to give a big internet hug. Loading and trailering can be so stressful when things go wrong.

[SusanO]

I had that horse. Now she did not fly off and tear up the butt bar but she was a doozy. As long as I was in the trailer with her she would stand there all day but if I walked around to put up the butt bar - out she went. It took a lot of time training her to self load. There were many training sessions with her buddy and lots of alfalfa in the trailer and reinforcing the idea that I called the shots about where she could lead and stay. She is a sensitive snowflake but I had to find that sweet spot where she was not blowing me off and she was not scared. That is different for each horse. I had to tell her when I wanted her to load and when I wanted her to back off the trailer. My other mare pretty much taught herself to load so this mare was a real aggravation. But you have to hold your temper and not give up. It might take a while but it can be done. I am sure there are a lot of the NH trainers that can give you some insight. I have seen some videos that were horrible but a lot of them can help.

[SusanO]

And make haste slowly. Do not try to do this in one marathon session. I have never seen those work very well or last as far as training goes. Just a little more each time and stop while you are ahead. Like any other horse training. You can do it!

[eponacelt]

I had one who we realized was nervous about having the CHEST BAR so close to her. Once she realized that was OK, she stopped flying backwards and would stand quietly on the trailer. Just food for thought.

[Texarkana]

Can you remove or tie back the divider? Something I have found helpful when addressing this is turning around and walking out, which of course requires a larger space than just the straight stall. Remove backing from the equation for a bit until the horse can calmly enter and exit, then reintroduce it incrementally.

[kaya842]

My horse went through this phase, can’t remember what, if anything, started it. We did lots of treats and eating on the trailer with me there - she was fine standing on the trailer it was when you stepped out to walk around and do up the butt bar that she would fly out. Moving the divider over to load helped, allowing her to partially back out then turn around helped (she’d rather not back out), and having many positive trips where I would load her and stand and give her treats while someone else did the back up helped. I can’t remember doing much other than repeating all those and she gradually got over it. Now she’s an excellent loader and waits to be backed off (though still prefers to turn around).

[Foxglove]

A couple of thoughts although you seem to have a good plan and lots of good advice here. My trainer said, “You can teach a horse anything with repetition and consistency.” Bob had been hauled very little and was a reluctant loader when I bought him in Nov. Using many of the ideas you’ve discovered, I found what worked for us --look at a video on loading by Ty Evans. It is on youtube. It is pretty much what you are doing --but very simple. Just a halter and a lead rope (no stick, no whip, no treats --although I DO have a small feed bucket clipped to the front of my straight load to give Bob something to much on while I put up the butt bar.)

It is more “annoy the horse (actually it’s a mule in his video)” until it does what you want (face the trailer ramp first, stand still --then feet close to the ramp, stand still, then feet on the ramp, stand still, then head in the trailer, stand still. Then . . .well, you get the idea.

I would put my trailer in the yard near where I was working Bob (pretty much daily) --then do my 90 min of ground work and mounted w/t/canter. Every 10-15 min or so, I’d stop, dismount, and go through the Ty Evan’s routine. Bob began to “seek” the trailer b/c he knew he could stop for awhile and chill. Then back to work. I’d stop 4-5 times during our work time, and ask for the trailer load.

I also got to where I’d leave Bob in the trailer for 5-10 min while I “did stuff” --he was fine for about that long.

Bob now consistently self loads –

BUT since I always haul alone and often where there is no one to help me if I have a problem, I do carry ACE with me just in case Bob won’t load, I have a plan B. I’ve only used it once --and that was very soon after I bought Bob and I had to be at the hunt club --my DH decided to help me load (he is not a horse person) and it came down to ACE DH or Bob because both of them were becoming upset . . . I picked Bob. 1 cc and 10 min, a very happy Bob loaded just fine.

[alteredcarbon]

So the butt bar he broke was the full length one. I had the divider slid over and he was happy to chill in the trailer like that but once he realized the bar was up he sat down hard and panicked. I can’t swing my divider over with a horse inside because it loudly drags on the floor and takes my entire body weight to move. So I’ve been loading him with the divider in place and he won’t stay on very long.

I haven’t replaced the full length bar as the shop said the reason it ripped out of the wall is because the brackets aren’t designed to handle the load without the divider.

[alteredcarbon]

I did try the “annoy them into the trailer” method! I think it’s Monty Robert’s tapping method where you basically tap tap tap until they even think about going forward. This guy stood there with his front feet on the ramp for 30 minutes getting patiently tapped and never moved other than to stomp at flies. This is a horse that moves off the whip normally. I think HE thought I wanted him to stand on the ramp and let me bother him.

He will generally follow me on the trailer, but I think I accidentally taught him that I want him to load and then unload pointlessly and he’s done after two reps. Again this horse lunges and understands moving forward and sideways from the ground, I can send him through narrow obstacles or into the stall or wash rack, etc. Clearly he doesn’t ground tie, but I’m working on it. The issue is I need to haul him regularly starting this week, so spending a few months teaching ground tying and then playing games around the trailer just isn’t practical.

I have considered drugs for the next couple of trips just to get the necessary stuff done. Drugs and having a helper (which I usually don’t).

[SusanO]

Just be aware that sometimes drugs do not work. Sometimes it makes the horse harder to load. My bad loader got worse with drugs - she just did not care and tuned everything out and was not going in no matter what you did. And she somewhat reverts when she gets hauled out to the dentist and is still on some happy juice. It is very horse dependent.

As is “annoy them into the trailer”. My problem child needed to know I meant business when I started her lessons. She was really good at tuning me out at first. Now I don’t have to do that. She is also very claustrophobic, something that my easy loader is not. So I did many lessons with her loading and eating her meals in the trailer without putting up the butt bar. I waited until she was very relaxed in there to put up the bar. I was expecting fireworks but none happened. You just have to tailor your time frame to the horse you have.

[Texarkana]

@alteredcarbon

So the butt bar he broke was the full length one. I had the divider slid over and he was happy to chill in the trailer like that but once he realized the bar was up he sat down hard and panicked. I can’t swing my divider over with a horse inside because it loudly drags on the floor and takes my entire body weight to move. So I’ve been loading him with the divider in place and he won’t stay on very long.

I haven’t replaced the full length bar as the shop said the reason it ripped out of the wall is because the brackets aren’t designed to handle the load without the divider.

Do you have this style center divider?

Cimarron Trailers Traveling Divider | Just a reminder of how Cimarron...

I know this isn’t the most helpful advice, since your trailer is your trailer and it’s not like you are going to sell it on a whim. But if it were me, I might try to find a more “open” trailer to school in for a bit. Maybe a friend has something like a slant with a swinging divider or a stock trailer?

I just think it’s so much easier to address the problem when you can break it down incrementally. Get confident loading into a less claustrophobic space without the backing up element, then add that factor back in once everyone’s confidence is high. Because flying backwards is such a tricky behavior to address, pretty much the only way to get them to stop is for them to forget about why they think they need to do it in the first place.

[NaturallyHappy]

If you choose drugs, ask your vet about Trazadone. I have one that works up through ace. Trazadone is a wonder drug for him.

[clanter]

Could you get a slant load to see if the horse likes it better?

We sold our straight load after have a somewhat similar experience, went to a slant load then never had an issue afterwards.

Yeah I know many people hate slants, but there are more than one horse that hates straight loads

[alteredcarbon]

So a friend has a stock slant, but it’s small. It’s one of the round nose steel trailers - which is fine but this horse is rather large.

I don’t have the full divider that slides. My regular center divider just has a leg on the ramp side that is rather snug to the floor. It’s swings, just not freely!

He did arrive in a huge slant and was allowed to walk off instead of back off. Mine is a bit small for that, my smaller horses can turn around and walk off if I swing the divider, but this guy is 16.2ish and long.

[alteredcarbon]

I have some trazodone actually - I may try that! Thanks

[alteredcarbon]

Honestly I’ve considered it. This horse is rather long though and arrived with a heck of a hip rub from the shipper’s slant load. To be fair, I will likely never haul as long as it took to ship him here (14 hours), but the shipper said he was sitting pretty hard on the divider and they ended up putting him in the back stall. I’ve yet to haul him in my straight load.