TRAINING TO LOAD
First published in Equi-Ads, April 2004
Last month I described how important it is to have your horse load into the horsebox without getting stressed. Over the next few months I'll describe a series of exercises that you can use to help your horse to stay happy and relaxed while loading.
This month's exercises are designed to train a horse to cope with the ramp. Horses instinctively avoid unsafe footing. So walking up a ramp, with its wobbles and noise, is not something they would normally choose to do.
I find a thin rope training halter is essential when doing these exercises. I use the Wizard as its good for both training and keeping control. It encourages the horse to walk onto surfaces he dislikes, discourages him from pulling back and yet is gentle enough to do both without upsetting him.
Some horses simply do not want to walk over poles; many bulk at a tarp. But the better control and communication offered by a training halter make it much easier to ask the horse to walk over poles laid on the ground and over noisy plastic sheets.
The exercises will prepare him for the more scary aspects of the ramp. So be patient with his fears and use the 'approach and retreat' method. Using gentle pressure ask your horse to approach. Each step nearer should be rewarded. A kind word or a rub is good but the greatest reward for a horse is to retreat from what is stressing him. Once you have a horse happy to walk on these surfaces then try asking him to move backwards over them.
Build up in small achievable stages, always setting yourself and your horse up for success. Then you will both feel good during the session, and like a winner at the end.
Sue demonstrates these training exercises in her video, Training To Load.
