HORSE TRAINING- LOADING
If you ever had to load a horse in a trailer for the first time, you'll know this can be a rather traumatic encounter for both you and your horse. These tips will help train your horse to load in a trailer with ease. First of all, as the old saying goes, you catch the most flies with honey.
Set up your first trailer loading experience to be positive, by allowing plenty of time for training. If your first try at loading your horse causes pain or agitation, it can develop into a great deal of trouble down the road. If possible use an open top trailer for the first time or two. Have good quality hay and some grain handy to both reward your horse and entice him into the trailer.
Lead him up to the trailer slowly allowing him to see and become used to the idea of being near a trailer. If you have other horses, load one or two of them first, while allowing your trainee to watch and see how they take to it. If this is possible you may not have much trouble at all with your first loading.
Lead your horse up to the trailer gate and spend some time with him just standing there while feeding him a handful of grain. Slowly but surely back into the trailer yourself making sure you aren't in a position to get stepped on or mashed if he lunges. If this is a two horse trailer, keep the partition between the two of you.
If your horse balks, speak quietly to him. Horses like to be reassured just like people do. Remember, this is something new and possibly terrifying to him. If your repeated attempts to entice him into the trailer fail, then you can proceed to some more persuasive methods.
Two people can get behind the horse (make sure he is gentle if you try this method) and gently loop their arms around his buttocks grasping hands together and exerting slight pressure up against his back side. This will cause him to move forward, however one person still needs to be leading the horse. If you are by yourself, you can loop a rope around his hind quarters and essentially apply the same pressure by pulling on the end of the rope.
Don't do this at the trailer though, this may cause a bit of rebellion the first time you do it. Take the horse out in a pen and lead him around with the rope looped over his tail end. Make sure the rope doesn't get up under his tail, though, or you will have a little rodeo. After leading him around the pen a few times you can move him toward the trailer and gently apply pressure on the rope until he climbs in.
At times you may even have to lift his front foot into the trailer and get him started that way. Be sure to feed him once you have him in the trailer. Speak gently and encouragingly to him the entire time. If you take your time, your first trailer loading experience can be positive and your horse will be traveling with you everywhere. Story by Jay Hopson For more Horse Tips and Western Stories visit http://thechuckwagon.net Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jay_Hopson
Thanks Jay for a great article. It can also help if the trailer is parked against a wall or in an alley, limiting the horses opportunity to run out to the side of the loading ramp.