TRAINING TO LOAD
First published in Equi-Ads, March 2004
Another season beckons. Now is the time to be thinking about preparing for those busy summer months. One thing all too often left to the last moment is …loading the horse.
Rare indeed is the horse that wants to load up into the box. So for most of us training to load should be an important part of preparing for the season.
Even with a horse that dislikes loading, training need not be traumatic. The trick is to start practicing now when there is no pressure on either of you to succeed. Instead you and your horse can take it slowly.
Give him plenty of time to smell the ramp and to try it with just one or two feet. Since there is no pressure it doesn't matter if he doesn't want to load. Reward the successes he does have and you have created a sound foundation for the next lesson.
Then, when it comes to the time to go to the show, you will find you have several advantages over your less well-prepared fellow competitors. The unprepared horse that has not seen a trailer for six months is unlikely to load without incident. Bullying the horse onto the box and then holding him in restricted space - which lurches alarmingly - will raise his stress levels.
Arriving sweaty and emotional will have a negative impact on his appearance and his performance. Worse, if the horse finds the experience too stressful he will want to move his feet. He may fidget, struggle to escape or even lash out. This is when injuries can happen.
Teaching your horse in advance that a horsebox is not a scary, dangerous place is not only fair, but in the long run it will save a lot of time. More importantly it will help you and your horse keep your cool this summer!
Sue demonstrates these training exercises in her video, Training To Load.
