Trailering in a slant

[Huntin_Fool]

Dear All,

I am in the midst of a quandary-I have a new horse who has some experience in trailering. He raced until he was 7, he just turned 9, technically, so he has been around. The person I bought him from had a straight load, very nice, tall trailer. She said he trailered just fine though didn’t like standing around in the trailer alone for any length of time.

I had a worn out trailer and needed a new one anyway. And got an old Sooner, 7’6” tall, four horse.

Well, the new horse will go in, but when I back up to get behind the swinging slant thing, what ever you actually call that, he backs up too. The time I tried clipping him in and did that, he sat back and broke the bailing twine I used to connect the trailer tie to the metal trailer ring and carefully backed on out. He doesn’t seem to be trying to “escape” but I believe thinks that if I’m backing out, he backs out too.

How can I teach him to stay in a slant load? How do you even do that? I am afraid that if I don’t use the breakaway bailing twine that he will flip out and kill himself. And here you see the other problem which is me. I hate trailers and trailering. And I find that I do not like the slant load at all. There is no escape door and there is a saddle rack in the back so the trailer “funnels down” to a smaller opening. I tried to set it up like a straight load-removed the last slant bar and put the horse in it with all that room. But he is long enough that his bottom was too close to the door for me to get out safely if he did get upset.

Any advice appreciated.

Regards,
Huntin’Fool

[Against_All_Odds2]

I am trying to picture the backing up.

when I load I walk my gelding onto the trailer. I have my horse tied to his left side- I clip him in with my left hand and keep a hand on his hip with my right. Then I swing the latch closed. He isn;t backing up anywhere as he is already slanted?

[JB]

The first thing is to not tie/clip him until he’s standing where you put him no matter what you’re doing.

Walk him in, drape the lead rope across his back where you can easily grab it if he backs out too far, and ask him to stand there.

If he backs up when you back up, just quietly put him back where it was, and praise him for standing there. Take a step back, and if/when he stands there, praise him. Repeat until he’s not even paying attention to you backing up. Then back up 2 steps, and repeat it all

But also, there’s a more basic problem if he’s pulling to the point of breaking things, so you need to work on that outside of the trailer (because it’s not a trailer issue). That’s a basic giving to pressure deal that’s a big hole in his training somehow.

You also need to work on your mindset around all this, because your hatred if it all WILL make it into his vision and behavior. Rewire your brain that this is simply a game

[trubandloki]

Does this trailer have drop down windows?

When I had a slant I would put the horses in their stalls, with the lead draped over their neck and go around to the window to clip them in.

When it was time to remove them I would open the window, add a lead rope, unclip the trailer tie and then go around and open the slant stall divider.

[Huntin_Fool]

Well re backing up at a slant-it is only a slant, and one step puts him headed for the exit. I can’t keep my hand on his hip and reach the end of the swinging slant thing. I could try to start swinging it, pulling on the middle and try to duck under as it gets closer. But I’m a bit hesitant to try that.

JB I agree with you-it is me not liking it as well!!! But I don’t like it. And my worry over hurting the horse-and me-is just there.

Re releasing to pressure-I also agree!!! I have practiced a bunch with just loading in the trailer and standing with him. And he does start to back out after a bit, but just the lightest pressure keeps him standing. However, he’s not the best stander in the world anyway and we are working on that on the ground and under saddle.

[Against_All_Odds2]

I have to think about it more or go load him up haha. I don’t think I ever let a hand off his hip before he’s latched in so that he kind of stands where I need him. I would never duck under the divider!

[Huntin_Fool]

Against all odds, lord, if you are anywhere near Alabama, come on!!!

However I think JB also has a point that I just need to do repetition and think of it as a game. And NOT be in a hurry.

I started the season thinking I’d have 2 hunt horses and the older horse is having all kinds of issues including being fine in the new trailer on the way out but acting so crazy when we got home getting him off was super scary. But sometimes stuff just is. And I have to work on it, with out getting all upset-New Years Resolution!!!

[JB]

@Huntin_Fool

I can’t keep my hand on his hip and reach the end of the swinging slant thing.

that’s not where you start. Trying to do all that is avoiding the issue, which is that he hasn’t learned to stay where you put him.

@Huntin_Fool

JB I agree with you-it is me not liking it as well!!! But I don’t like it. And my worry over hurting the horse-and me-is just there

Tough love here (really, LOVE) - figure out how to move past that. Your anxiety about it all is transmitting to him. If you hate it all, why should he want to stay there? Like seriously, talk through WHYyou hate all this to someone you trust, and figure it out.

@Huntin_Fool

I have practiced a bunch with just loading in the trailer and standing with him. And he does start to back out after a bit,

You need to back him out before it’s his idea. You’re letting him practice a behavior you don’t want, which is to move before you asked him to. So, reward things by asking him to move forward, praising him when he’s standing there, praise him when he moves when you ask. never praise when he moves without you asking

@Huntin_Fool

I just need to do repetition and think of it as a game. And NOT be in a hurry.

exactly ALL this is a game, all of it. One you get into that mindset, and forget a man-made timeline, it can be quite fun

[Huntin_Fool]

Let me add JB, he doesn’t get to back out. He just starts to shift his weight and I tell him no, and we stand. And he accepts that. And also gets a treat.

AND JB if you are near Ala come on over too!! Haha. I know y’all can’t. But the mindset thing is really important. And I appreciate it. I have made myself miserable worrying over this.

[JB]

@Huntin_Fool

Let me add JB, he doesn’t get to back out. He just starts to shift his weight and I tell him no, and we stand. And he accepts that. And also gets a treat.

that’s still letting him get to the point where he’s starting to call the shots, instead of you Break things down. If he gets treated for “dancing”, he’s going to keep doing that. I’m not sure how long between him starting to shift, and the treat, but if it’s short enough, you’re inadvertently training him to shift around. But go back and ask him to back off long before he even develops the thought, much less acts on it

like literaly, put him on and then back him right off. Progress to standing for 3 seconds, then back off. or back halfway off, stop, load fully again, 3 seconds, back all the way off. Mix it up. The point is to start teaching him to wait for you to ask him to do something.

@Huntin_Fool

AND JB if you are near Ala come on over too!! Haha. I know y’all can’t.

I would if I could! It’s a bit of a drive from NC!

@Huntin_Fool

But the mindset thing is really important. And I appreciate it. I have made myself miserable worrying over this.

Cannot emphasize this enough! Write down (there’s enormous power in pencil to paper) why all this bothers you, why you hate it. Of each thought, ask 'is that helping me?"

If it DOES help, because it means you’re trying to be safer, then reword things so that they are proactive, purposeful thoughts or steps that things you can do, and then don’t overthink them.

If it’s NOT helping, then ask why you have that thought, and work to remove its power.

[MadTrotter]

I’ve had a couple where I had to step back, myself, from a place of frustration and just let someone else do a quick trailer refresh. Horses can smell anxiety around things like trailering.

Do you have any “freedom horsemanship” or “gentle cowboy” type trainers? I find them pretty great if I have a training hole for “basics” that I think my horses should really be beyond and I have little patience for if it’s not straightforward.

Just a couple weeks and should be pretty reasonable cost vs a full performance sport-oriented trainer.

[Huntin_Fool]

MadTrotter-I love your photo btw-we are suddenly in a dearth of trainers here in my area. When I first got the older horse, 7 years ago, two of them immediately quit-one hopes a coincidence. There may be some western trainers tho-I’ll ask around. And I’m glad to see you use ‘cowboy’ not to mean ‘rough’. They are not the same!

There is a trainer about an hour plus away, I might be able to pay to come over. And yes! I’d happily pay someone to do this for me! And I know they’d do it better.

The other thing I am thinking of, which also won’t be quick, is just sell this trailer and get a straight load. Everything isn’t for everyone. But probably that can’t happen overnight.

Thanks for your ideas!

[Huntin_Fool]

Thanks JB!!!

[sami-joe]

@Huntin_Fool

sell this trailer and get a straight load.

Not likely I’ll ever need another one, but for sure my next trailer will not be a slant.

It sounds like you’ve already made adjustments similar to what I did when I found I didn’t love my slant load as much as I thought I would. i.e. I took the divider out altogether and now treat it like a box stall on wheels. It’s big enough that even a draft can turn around, and I still have the divider if I ever need to move more than one horse at a time.

[Rackonteur]

@Huntin_Fool

And I have to work on it, with out getting all upset-New Years Resolution!!!

The story of my life!

Sending jingles to you and your horse.

[Bonnie2]

If you don’t like the trailer get one you do like. Life is too short and too many horses and humans end up hurt around trailers. Have you tried a friend? Really gorgeous alfalfa? Good luck and be careful!

[Huntin_Fool]

Thanks, Rackonteur!!! That does make a difference re jingles.

[Huntin_Fool]

Thank you! I think that is the direction I’m headed. You’re right, life is too short

[SLW]

One thing to maybe try is to have an extremely long rope. It’s attached to his halter, run through the ring where a hay bag attaches, over the divider and into your hand. This might allow you to stabilize/redirect his feet while you unlatch the divider and use your voice commands. As he backs out with your permission just let the rope slide along.

Mostly JB has offered solid advice and ideas to employ!

Good luck!

[2bayboys]

Full confession: I hate a slant load and I’ll never have one again.

That being said, the backing up part seems unrelated (in my mind) to the configuration of the trailer. If you have to lead the horse on, what’s to stop him from backing up when you go to do up the butt bar on a straight load?

The trick is to teach him to load without you at his head. You stand at the ramp or at the step up, toss the lead over his neck as he walks on, put your hand on his butt to encourage to him to go all the way to the front of his stall, and either fasten the slant divider or the butt bar without ever taking a step backwards. It’s too dangerous for you to be up there at his head anyway, there’s no room if he decides he wants to move! After he’s safely secured into the stall with the divider or butt bar, then you go around to the front and attach his halter with a breakaway, either through the window of the slant or in the compartment in front of the chest bar of the straight load.

To unload, you detach/untie him from the front first, then go around to the back and open the divider or butt bar, and ask him to step backwards by tugging on the tail. Really this is the only safe way to load and unload by yourself.

Some loading lessons for your horse with a trainer are a good investment!