Think Like A Horse - Natural Horsemanship

This the most common problem of all horse people.  Yet it is the one of the easiest things to teach a horse.  It amazes me how so many people blame the horse for not loading.  Things like my horse is stubborn, my horse is a fighter, my horse has a high pain tolerance, I have to hit my horse hard to make him listen, and the list goes on.  There are always tell-tell signs of someone that truly understands a horse.  Lead rope, reins and trailer loading.  Leading: Watch someone lead their horse, if they are relaxed, leading with a lose rope (Photo to right is the wrong way to lead, notice the tight rope).  Leading should be relaxed verses dragging, pulling, tugging and tight lead rope.  Reins:  Watch someone hold their reins, it they are lose, relaxed and never held tight verses pulling, tugging, yanking and always moving the reins unconsciously. (Photo reins too tight)  Trailer loading:  Watch someone who loads with a lose rope, relaxed and calm verses someone who yells, pulls, tugs, whips, hits or forces a horse to load.

If you watch other horse people and you see someone do these three things calmly, with lose control and without any force, fear or pain, then they probably understand a horse.  You may see people do one or two of these but I rarely see too many do all three.   

NEVER USE a whip, a stud chain, multiple people, multiple ropes, twitches, ear pulls, force, fear or pain to load a horse into a trailer.  You will only teach the horse to fear the trailer more and confirm that the trailer brings pain, fear and force. Too many people only load their horse before they leave for a trip.  This teaches the horse all the bad things about the trailer.  It is the same thing as if a person only catches or visits their horse when they saddle up and ride, the horse learns not to be caught. 

Before attempting to train your horse loading set the trailer up so it appears open with good light.   You will want to open all windows, open all doors, secure all doors so they do not swing or move which may spook the horse.  If someone has not ruined the horse by beating, forcing and hitting the horse to load it, you will not need much time spent on removing this fear.  However, if you had a so called trainer or horse knowledgeable person do all these fear and force tactics to load the horse, then you will have to take more time undoing all the damage they have done.  If you do it right the first time it will be faster:  "If you take the time it takes, it will take less time."

How many horse people can say they have ridden in a horse trailer as a horse?  Not very many.  I can tell you, it is loud, unstable, rough, dusty, and not pleasurable.  I know this because I wanted to see how my horse felt. I could not hear myself talk.  A trailer is a scary, closed area, with no way out and makes a horse feel insecure and trapped.  A horse is a flight animal and Mother Nature programmed them to run when in danger, to stay in open areas to easily see danger and not to get in small confined areas where a predator can trap them.  So getting into a trialer goes against all that Mother Nature as told the horse.  Anyone that does not understand this fear, does not understand a horse.

I am not a big fan of using food for trailer problems even thou it may help, it is not my first choice.  You always hear great advice from everyone to put food in the trailer to train a horse.   Trailer loading is about trust and respect that the horse has for the person putting them in the trailer.  I have my doubts about any trainer that can't get a horse to load.  I have loader horses that have broken halters, kicked and have been in trailer wrecks.  Therefore, I know that loading is about understanding the horse, not about tricks, food or force.  With that said once a horse knows how to load and has loaded for years, if that horse refuses to load, it becomes a respect issue and not a fear issue.  That horse needs to be disciplined and made to load.  But only if the horse is good at loading and has done it so many times that you know it is a respect issue and not a fear issue.

Here is a link to Monty Roberts trying to promote a special halter.  I like Monty, think he has done good for horses, but this video is not what I would call his best work.  he shows how to load a horse and succeeds.  He makes it more about his halter, but his technique works.  Look at teh video as pressure and release.  He keeps the focus on him, he gives lots of direction and does not let the horse freeze up and just focus on the scary trailer.  This was done a little fast for me but the concept is good.  Allow the horse to accept it, keep the horse focused on you, give good consistent direction, keep the hrose's feet moving, don't trap or lock the horse in, don't shut the door and don't get into a fight with the horse.  Watch the video:  Click Here  

I was told a story about a "trainer" that came to get a horse and could not get the horse to load.  So he left the trailer and when another horse went in the trailer, the other horse (first time loader) went in with the first horse.  Guess what happened?  The door was slammed shut and the horses were trapped.  What happened to that horse's trust?  Did the horse learn to load or learn that he gets trapped if he goes in a trailer.  So the trainer had to come back for his trailer, no telling how long this took and how long the poor horses were caged and trapped in the trailer.  Anyway, the "trainer" went to let one horse out and ended up letting both horses out.  Thinking like a horse, how do you think "the never been in a trailer horse" felt about his first trailer experience?  What lessons do you think this horse learned?  I will give you a hint, nothing good!

I don't see a lot of patience from a trainer that first of all, can't load a horse and secondly, once a horse is loaded he can't get one horse out without letting the other horse out.  This guy may be a great trainer, but I believe good trainers are good horseman with good horsemanship skills.  Any good horseman understands a horse and can work around most horse issues.  The problem with many trainers are that they train the horse for them and not for the owner.  If I help someone with a problem, I don't just work on the horse.  If I do that, then only I can handle the horse and the owner will still have the same problems.  I will only work on horses if the owner is willing to get involved, learn the horse, and understand the horse.  That way they will be able to fix problems and become a better horse person, which helps the horse in the best way.  I see many people say that guy has a good horse, he must be a good trainer.  Because a horse is good for someone does not make that horse a good horse.  He may be scared, he me so controlled that he cannot react or he may be drugged or in pain from large bits or spurs.  OK off my soapbox on trainers and back to trailer issues.

You don't absolutely need a trailer to teach a horse to load, but it would be better and is a bit easier.  So if you can get a trailer at you place that would be best.  If you can get one put it near your horse, in the horse's pasture or at the gate where the horse comes a lot.  The more the horse has to walk by it, see it, and is exposed to it, the better.  (NEVER ride a horse into a trailer, if it spooks and rears it will break your neck and back)  Bu leaving the trailer where the horse is exposed to it a lot, it will soon see it as part of a safe environment and will ignore it.  Then you need to lead and walk the horse by the trailer, tie her to it to groom her, give her grain or treats by it, make it a safe and nice place to be. Once the horse feels safe by the trailer, then you can start working on getting her inside.  Don't let the horse know your goal is to get her inside.  The horse needs to figure out that when I am inside the trailer, I am left alone with no pressure, I am safe and it is not a bad place to be.  If you only focus on getting the horse inside, the horse will know it and will resist.

If you don't have a trailer, you can use a garage, a small area, make a covered area with a sheet or tarp, or find some place that resembles a small-enclosed area that is spooky or scary to your horse.  Once you get your horse in any of these areas, he will go into a trailer with little or no problem.

You have to be able to handle your horse well before you start.  Work on moving your horse in and out of gates, doors and confined areas.  Back her in gates, around corners that she cannot see, etc.  She has to know a walk command and or go signal.  When you move a horse’s feet, you build trust and gain respect.  Most horses won't load because it does not trust and respect you enough to give up its safety for you.  I like my horses to load without halters or ropes and just by me pointing to trailer and telling them to load.  That is the way all horses should be able to load.  However, this takes time, trust and understanding of the horse.  You can get your horse to load this way in about two hours.  I know what you are thinking.  I have heard it a 100 times.  Not my horse, you don’t know this horse, my horse is stubborn, my horse is too smart, etc.  Trust me on this, you can load your horse as easy as walking it into pasture, if you do it right, within a couple of hours, without pain, whips, force or fear.

First, don’t force it, don’t trap it, don’t scare it, don't hit it, don't cause it pain and don’t shut the door as soon as it goes in.  Most people do all of these things trying to load a horse. Why, because they think like a person (predator) and not like a horse (prey).  A horse is always more relaxed with they think they have an escape or can run if needed.  Most horses are always better when their feet are moving.

Once you work on getting your horse to walk when you tell her and to go where you tell her, she will walk into the trailer.  Many people rush this step and make this a lot harder than it is.  When you try to get her in the trailer, don’t let her walk in right away.  If you try to get her in the trailer, she will not want to do it.  Just let her explore and check out the trailer without entering.  Walk her up to it and then walk her away, walk her up to it, stand with her and let her relax and then walk her away from it.  Don't just concentrate on the door or she will pick up that you just want her to get in.  Work on the whole trailer, front, sides and entrance.  You don’t want her to know or think you are trying to get her in the trailer, it has to be her idea. 

The more you walk up to trailer and then walk away the easier it will be.  If she attempts to get in the trailer, only let her put one or two feet in and then calmly back her out and walk away.  This is an important step.  If you let a horse go all the way, they may get scared, won't know how to back out and will go into panic fear flight mode.  Then you blew it and have to start over. By making the horse back out after one foot, two feet, one rear foot, both rear foot, you train the horse how to back out and let her know she can get out easy.  Pretty soon she will be thinking why can’t I walk in the trailer and she will want to walk in.  

Bring her back to the trailer, you enter and walk to the end of the lead rope with you in trailer and her out (don’t pull her or call her) just stand there or sit there.  She may sniff, paw, snot, step up and step down.  Let her do what she wants, she is learning.  If she steps in, fine let her and just relax. Don’t you react or get excited or happy, just act like any other time she walked up to you. The less of a big deal you make it, the less of big deal it will be. 

Another tip is open all doors and windows, let as much light in as you can, secure doors with hay string or strap so the wind will not blow or move them.  Once she goes in on her own, give her a little carrot (this is my touch, not required).  Next time, maybe scratch her favorite spot, give her treat and walk away.  If you are in a closed and safe area, after she enters on her own (not by you pulling or pushing her!!!) take her halter off and walk away.  Let her think she is not going to be trapped or cornered as soon as she is tricked in.  Don’t close the door for the first five or six times she enters. Then close is slowly, don’t leave her alone, give her a treat or some grain and then let her out after a few minutes with the door closed.  The more you can get her to associate the trailer with calm, treats, grooming, relaxing, the better she will be a loading.  Too many people teach their horse to associate the trailer with fear, whips, being hit, being dragged, stud chains, force and fear.  Then blame the horse for not wanting to load.

People make a much bigger deal about trailer loading than it ever needs to be. You just have to understand the horse’s point of view, think like a horse, and put yourself in their horse shoes. Loading is about trust and respect, if you have good ground control skills and making sure the horse knows you a good leader that he can trust and not fear.

Once your horse is trained well, try and mount your horse from the wheel/fender of your trailer.  It is always good to let your horse know that you can mount him from anywhere and he should stand and allow it.

Trailering Tips:  Always pick your horse’s feet before loading him into a trailer.  Rocks and other debris in feet will just vibrate in hoof, get jammed into the frog from bumps and driving and be very uncomfortable for the trip.  You should also pick them after the ride, since most horses have a nervous release as soon as they get into a trailer and then step and stand in their feces for the ride.  Remember an hour ride in a trailer is like a horse walking three or more miles.  That means a two hour trailer trip means your horse already went six miles before you even put the saddle on.  Be aware of this when your horse gets out of the trailer and is tired, it takes a lot of muscle energy to balance 1000 pounds in a moving vehicle.  Another trailer debate is should you tie your horse or not tie.  Tying helps keep your horse’s head from falling on the floor, if prevents your horse from tucking his head too low and if you hit the brakes could cause your horse to fall.  If your horse is tied, the rope may help prevent a horse from falling and will help him get up if he falls.  I think tying may also give a horse a little more security since he is used to being tied to other things, this is just another place to get tied.  Don’t tie too short, a horse needs to lower his head to clear out debris from his nose, if he can’t lower his head at all, he can’t do that.  A reason I hear a lot is don’t tie in case you are in a accident, then your horse can’t get free.  The chance that my horse will fall is greater than me getting into a wreck, I tie my horses with I trailer them to help them balance.  I don’t put shavings in my trailer.  It blows in the air, creates dust, gets in may horse’s nose and eyes and shavings keeps the urine in the trailer and increased the smell that my horse has to breathe during the trip.  With no shavings the urine goes through the floor and evaporates quicker and reduces the smell.  Feeding in a trailer while traveling, does a lot what shavings do, so I do not feed while traveling.  I give hay before and after trips but not during. Tying your horse to outside of the trailer before you load may cause him to have a bowel movement.  Another old trick is if a horse is showing signs of colic, try and load him to force or encourage a bowel movement and it make help him feel better.

There were recent fires in California, many horse needed to be evacuated.  Some horses has not been loaded into a trailer in over 15 years.  Other horses had never been trailer loaded in their life.  Some horses were lose in a pasture and could not be caught.  Some owners did not want to load their horses without leg protectors, pads and others things.  If you don't prepare your horse for an emergency evacuation and make sure anyone can load your horse easily, then you are setting your horse up for failure.  Abuse of a horse comes in many forms.  Neglect of training is not much different than the person who does not feed or care for a horse, many types of neglect end the same for the horse and it is all bad and can even end in death. 

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