Silversand Horsemanship

The following is a description of trailer loading from the Silversand Horsemanship Programme,

The goal is to have your horse confidently load into the trailer while you are standing outside at the back of the trailer, allowing him to stand in there quietly without feeling the need to rush out. This is to enable you to safely load him on your own and close the back without tying him up first (which can be dangerous if he tries to back out and feels trapped by the lead).

Before proceeding with trailer loading the horse must first be taught to follow a feel from the halter and lead without resistance and know how to move forward when he is tapped on his rump near his tailhead (dock).

The other thing we need to understand is how to reward every try the horse makes to move towards the trailer or to move further into the trailer while allowing him time to think his way through the whole process.

We need to consider the horse's point of view.

Allow him to check out the ramp and back of the trailer in his own time. If he is afraid we need to give him time to accept it in stages and break down the whole process into small achievable steps. Before you start trying to load take the time to check out the trailer for areas of danger such as sharp edges on the ramp that could cut your horse's legs if he backs off the edge. Watch out for brackets that stick out and could trap your rope. You are going to allow your horse to back out at first if he feels the need. If during this time the rope becomes trapped around any part of the trailer and he finds himself trapped by the halter pressure he could panic and pull back resulting in a lack of confidence or even serious injury. We will really need to pay attention to where our rope is at all times and look out for potentially dangerous situations so that we keep ourselves and our horse safe.

Now we will start with a plan to progressively move our horse further into the trailer while we are standing next to the ramp and close to the body of the trailer so that there is no gap between ourselves and the trailer where he may push through. Offer a feel on your lead rope that directs your horse's nose towards the ramp and support him with your stick over his back to encourage him to move forwards. Ask him to put one foot on the ramp and reward him for this, then two feet, then three feet, giving him time to think each time he tries to move further into the trailer. When he is standing quietly on the ramp with his front feet in the trailer you can ask him to back out using a steady pressure on the lead rope. This is an important part of the process, as we do not wish to ask our horse to go all the way into the trailer only to discover that he is afraid to back out. In fact, if your horse backs out on his own during your attempts to put him in, rather than making him stay in allow him to back out and then just ask him to go in again with a little more energy by tapping him on the rump with your stick. Pay attention to the places where your horse can stand comfortably and allow him to relax there before asking him to move further into the trailer. If we stay patient and allow the horse all the time he needs it should not take long before he can confidently stand in the trailer. Do not worry if you go through some stages where your horse seems to become worse and puts effort into avoiding going in the trailer as he is just going through a decision-making process. Try to persevere keeping enough pressure (mental pressure) on him until he makes an attempt to move back towards the trailer. Reward this change and start over again.