TRAINING TO LOAD
First published in Rider, Spring 2004
Loading a horse into a trailer can be stressful, both for you and your horse. Training your horse to load is an essential preliminary to a successful loading. Sue Gardner, Natural Horse Trainer, explains.
Instinct tells a horse to keep to open spaces and to avoid unsafe surfaces. So asking your horse to walk up a shaky drawbridge and squeeze into a small dark cave is expecting a lot!
By thinking about the horse's instincts we can anticipate the problems a horse will have with loading. For instance you rarely see a horse walking over unusual objects or squeezing himself through tight places. Once we understand that it is his instincts that make him avoid these situations then it becomes clear that we need to replace his instinctive responses with taught behaviours.
The two main instincts to overcome are the fear of unstable footing and the fear of being trapped in a small space. With the right training both fears can be dispelled.
The Two Essentials
There are two essentials for successful training; patience and the correct training aids. Patience is something that horses have in abundance but we rarely do. So make up for your shortcomings by reducing your expectations to fit into the available time. Never rush - even if you only have 15 minutes. Instead focus on positively using what time you have and make a point of finding a sensible opportunity to stop. By all means have a plan of what you want to do in each training session but be prepared to be flexible. Real success is when both of you walk away feeling calm and relaxed about the training.
For me, the equipment I use is very important. In a training situation it is crucial that the horse clearly understands my request. So I prefer to use a thin rope halter as it communicates my intention more clearly than a halter with a broad strap. A rope training halter will also offer good control, enabling me to regain the initiative if the horse pulls away.
Pulling away is a fault that often arises during loading. When a horse is feeling afraid he wants to move his feet - which is why so many horses rapidly back out of trailers! It is best not to try to stop this instinctive response because if you do his head may go up and hit the roof of the box. Better than restraining your horse is to go with him as he runs out. Then use the training halter to regain control once he is outside. By letting him go and then regaining the initiative you can start working with him before he realizes that, for a moment, he was the one in control.
Training for the Ramp
To prepare your horse to walk up that shaking, echoing ramp its necessary to start with something much less scary, like a pole lying on the ground. It seems strange to think of a pole as being an issue but remember that the horse didn't put it there. He hasn't seen it before and when he does see it he won't see it clearly, as horses find it hard to see objects close up. A situation made worse by their lack of depth perception.
A horse has three questions it asks of anything new. Can it eat me? Can I eat it? Can I play with it? Until the horse has answered the first question with a confident 'No' he is going to be nervous. So let him smell it. Then he will realize its only dead wood! He will not want to eat it but you will find that the training goes better when you both see it as playing together rather than doing a chore.
Let him experience seeing the new obstacle out of both eyes so he can make up for his lack of depth perception. Indeed this is so important that its best to let him see all new things with both eyes and to do all exercises from both sides.
'Approach and Retreat' is the essential training technique. It seems such a little thing to do - to let the horse follow his instinct to retreat - but after making an approach the horse finds the relief of retreating is a reward in itself.
Starting with just one pole, let your horse smell it, walk away and approach it again. Build up to where he can not only calmly walk over two or three poles on the ground, but also stop astride the poles and then walk backwards over them. (Start training for this with just one pole at a time.)
Do not try and back all four legs over the pole the first time, this is too hard for most horses. Once the horse is comfortable standing astride the pole walk him forward. When you come to the next pole stop him astride the pole and ask him to back up. Only when he can do this with ease is he ready to walk all the way across and then back up over the pole.
It is amazing how hard walking backwards over a pole is for most horses, so imagine how hard it is for them to walk backwards down a trailer ramp!
The Squeeze
Horse boxes are quite narrow and as many horses dislike narrow spaces an excellent training exercise is to have your horse walk between two jump wings. Or those forever useful 44 gallon drums! For some horses going through a gap of 15 feet can feel scary to them. In such cases start with them further apart and then gradually reduce the distance between the drums.
Once you have got down to a width of around 5 foot see if your horse can comfortably stop in the middle. If so then, right there in the middle of the squeeze, start him backing up. This is excellent training for loading as it is often when the horse is half in and half out that he likes to rush. Only when he will happily back through a one-metre gap, the average size of a trailer partition, is he ready for the trailer.
The Ramp and Trailer
It is essential to introduce your horse to the trailer by letting him smell it and by walking him around it. Going in both directions so he sees it out of both eyes. The time to approach the ramp is when he is calmly walking around and showing no further interest. Again let him smell it and then use his natural instinct of approach and retreat to encourage him to investigate the new situation.
Initially encourage him to put one foot on the ramp and reward him with gentle tones and a rub before asking him to back off. By taking him away and bringing him back you stimulate the horse's own natural curiosity. Making it easier to ask for two feet on the ramp. Gradually build up until he is fully on the ramp and then apply the same approach and retreat techniques to entering the box itself.
Once your horse is in the trailer increase the amount of time he stays in before backing out. Now is not the time to throw up the ramp and drive off! I like my horses to be able to stand calmly before I try putting the ramp up. Then I lower the ramp, back them off and finish the session. If you gradually introduce your horse to being driven around he will soon become accustomed to it.
Following this training program will take an investment of time and effort. But the benefit is that will both arrive at the show stress free and ready to perform at your best. Your horse's improved performance will be the only proof you need to know that training your horse to load was time well spent.
Sue demonstrates these training exercises in her video, Training To Load.
