I have a 13 year old mare who loaded in a stock trailer with zero issues for more than half her life. She was the horse they would load first for the fussy horses to follow. Then I bought a 2 horse straight load and the issues began. (refusing to enter the trailer, flying out the back once she was on, etc.) After a year of working with her, I now have her to the point where she will load very calmly if she is at home. She even started self loading last week. Our problem is getting on the trailer when we are away at shows. She will go half way onto the trailer before backing out and eventually she will just feet plant. Getting her fully into the trailer is not pretty at shows. My plan right now is to trailer her to a neighborhood next to our barn, unload her into a different setting than what she is used to and then try to reload her. Does anyone think this will make a difference? It seems pointless to keep practicing with her at home when she has no problems there. Looking for advice from anyone who has experienced this before or knows of someone who has.
Can you move the center divider over? I have a really big guy who dosen’t think he has enough room (to walk in) in the straight stall of my two horse. I just swing the back of the stall partition clear over as far as it will go and then load him. Once he is in I then move the partition back in place and fasten the rear but bar. Also, if he is the only one going that day I tie the partition over giving him more room to move his hind end around. It gives the straight load trailer more of a “stock trailer” feel to the horse and I am guessing that your mare feels a little too confined after spending her early time in a stock trailer.
Yes, I think you have to take her different places (keep mixing it up) and do everything that you did to train her to load at home. Eventually she’ll get used to loading in strange places.
We sold our trailer and got a slant load; end of issue at least for us as our horses like yours didn’t like straight loads… I decided there were bigger battles to fight and changed trailers
Use a wiffle bat! (jk)
I had one like that.
This is my ‘suggestion’:
I would make sure she is a little hungry before trying to load her…like her last meal was a snack.
Swing/ move the divider to the side if possible.
Get a small bucket filled with a few scoops of her favorite grain.
Ask her to step onto the ramp…I assume it has a ramp.
Put the bucket just outside of her reach and wait. …
If she moves forward to get the grain…praise her and move the bucket a little farther inside…and wait…grab some out of the bucket to feed her from your hand if she is not taking the bait…make sure you are using her ‘favorite grain’
Repeat until she is in the trailer. Be prepared to let her back out and start over.
Be patient, be calm and remain relaxed. Don’t make a big deal out of her not moving forward right away. Talk to her…reassure her…be happy in your attitude…no matter what she does.
Lots of praise if she moves forward a step. Reward each step…let her stop and look if she wants to. Let her back up and out if she wants to…this is how she will become more relaxed and trusting. Your ‘goal’ is to get her to take one step into the trailer at a time.
If she backs off bring her right back to the ramp and ask her to step on the ramp. Reward her and Let her stand there. I like to see how many steps they will take into the trailer before they refuse…then I put the bucket down just out of reach…so they have to stretch their necks to get it and wait.
They usually find it much easier to take another step forward. Reward any forward step…don’t get angry or upset if she doesn’t step forward. Keep encouraging her to move forward…‘ask’ with the lead.
The idea is to help her become more confident. She used to get in the trailer, but now she is unsure. Help her to get past her concerns by rewarding the behavior you want…keep in mind that you will be asking her in the future to get into the trailer without a food reward.
Many people believe that a horse should get in the trailer…no matter what. I believe horses need to be confident and must learn to trust what you are asking them to do. Sometimes that means taking ten steps backwards with ‘extra’ encouragement and kindness.
I have used this method many times with success. I switched to using this method after one horse ‘taught’ me that I could not get him into a trailer. He busted the ramp at one show and all but stranded us before we found someone to weld it back together so we could drive him home…this method might not work for you, but it is something to try.
Practice at home first. 
I have removed all dividers and partitions from the trailer so it is very much like a box stall. We have tried just about every method (good and bad). None got us any further than the other. Beating on her with whips or bats only makes the situation worse. This is just such a bizarre situation.
When you are done showing, do you let her sit for a bit, or just load and go as soon as done showing?
Have you ever tried loading her at home after a hard workout?
Wondering if she is just feeling tired and grumpy, and so uncooperative like a tired toddler.
I would be curious if she loads well off site if you just haul her, unload and reload without showing in between.
Have you tried riding in the back of the trailer to see if there is something wrong with it? How are the skills of the person driving? It sounds a little like she’s trusting the first time she gets on (at home) but the no way jose of getting back on makes me thing something isn’t kosher. Will she get back on to come home after an overnight stay away?
So here are the varieties of behaviors we’ve seen:
- I can bring her home after a show (and a great big fight to get on the trailer). I open the ramp and she just stands there. She will unload when I give her the cue and not until.
- After the last go around coming home from a show, I decided to take her off the trailer, give her a break and reload. She went right on the trailer.
- I have loaded her both with and without a prior workout at home with no problems. Usually at shows she is given a break since I have to repack the trailer with my gear.
She went back and forth to shows without problems for many years. This is something new that surfaced about a year ago. I’m hoping some mini field trips will help us work through this.
[QUOTE=kbowski;7006810]
So here are the varieties of behaviors we’ve seen:
- I can bring her home after a show (and a great big fight to get on the trailer). I open the ramp and she just stands there. She will unload when I give her the cue and not until.
- After the last go around coming home from a show, I decided to take her off the trailer, give her a break and reload. She went right on the trailer.
- I have loaded her both with and without a prior workout at home with no problems. Usually at shows she is given a break since I have to repack the trailer with my gear.
She went back and forth to shows without problems for many years. This is something new that surfaced about a year ago. I’m hoping some mini field trips will help us work through this.[/QUOTE]
Ok, I think I understand a bit more. If you are ‘leaving’ the show grounds I would try a little ’ ace ’ to relax her on days she is being difficult. You might also consider that she is sore from showing and Give her some pain relief…see if that makes any difference. You may have to declare the drugs with the office even though you are leaving if it is a rated show…not sure what the current rules are.
Thanks for all the replies. I greatly appreciate all you ideas. Ticker - we used Ace twice. The first time it worked and I thought it was going to be my way out. The 2nd time she fought like crazy even under a very heavy dose. We used something a little stronger at the last show and that is how we made it home. In the long run, I am not crazy about drugging my horse just for trailering purposes. I know I have to teach her about loading at shows. Just not sure how to do that when there is a time constraint. Do you all think the “mini field trips” to different locations near the farm will work? I guess at least if they don’t, I can always just walk her home.
Just an idea here, but I’ve had this issue as had some others I’ve known and wonder if it might that over the course of the day, the trailer heated up (even in the shade, they can get hot to the touch), and perhaps the horse got burned touching the metal.
Another thought is: again if there all day shadows change and it doesn’t ‘look’ like the same trailer she arrived on?
Just a couple a random thoughts.
OP: I feel your pain.
My BTDT TB would load onto anything until I got my brand-new 2H BP.
Then he became an iffy loader about 50% of the time.
What worked for me was making sure my own anxiety level (“will he load this time???”) was kept down.
If I relaxed, eventually he’d relax and walk on.
Leaving a show means you are tired, mare is tired, both of you probably still a bit wound up too.
The pressure of having to load to go home may be coming through from you to mare.
Any chance you could trailer to a show without competing?
Maybe a local schooling show.
Just get her there, hang out, handwalk or “trail ride” the grounds then reload to go home.
No pressure on you that way and maybe mare will decide show brouhaha is just another trailer ride.
clanter:
Slantload is not always the answer.
My big - 17h+ - WB is hesitant to get in the back section of my 2H slant - even if it’s just him and I have the partition tied back, he eyeballs the space and just doesn’t seem to think he’ll fit.
And once he’s on, he’s right - it’s a tight fit for his Big Self.
Wish they made XL slantloads.
[QUOTE=kbowski;7007407]
Thanks for all the replies. I greatly appreciate all you ideas. Ticker - we used Ace twice. The first time it worked and I thought it was going to be my way out. The 2nd time she fought like crazy even under a very heavy dose. We used something a little stronger at the last show and that is how we made it home. In the long run, I am not crazy about drugging my horse just for trailering purposes. I know I have to teach her about loading at shows. Just not sure how to do that when there is a time constraint. Do you all think the “mini field trips” to different locations near the farm will work? I guess at least if they don’t, I can always just walk her home. :)[/QUOTE]
Lots of mini trips may help a great deal. I would not ‘fight’ with her when and if she refuses…that response from the horse is too easily learned as you have discovered.
I have the opposite problem. Mine is better loading elsewhere because she knows she’s going home, and worse at home!
My friend borrowed my trailer to practice though because she was in your situation. Lots and lots of mini trips with lots of hang out time and treats and scratches were the key. I think it was from the stress of her feeling like they needed to leave immediately, but during the practice sessions with no agenda, she was less stressed and so he was less stressed. It did take 4 or 5 mini trips with lots of loading and unloading though.
I think your mini trip idea is a good one. More practice is never a bad thing in a situation like this.
