Horse now panics when shut in trailer

[I don’t like mondays]

Hi everyone
Looking for advice and support please. My horse has always been a sticky loader but usually gets there in the end (after 20-30mins). I thought I’d get an expert out to see if they could help train my horse to load quicker and more confidently. Well that was a huge mistake (which I massively regret). Horse loaded well for this person, they then decided to tie the horse directly to the metal ring (no safety breakaway, unbeknown to me) and close them in by putting both bars up and walking away. Horse massively panicked and realised he couldn’t break free and exploded and kicked his way out of the bars (and cut himself). Luckily the lead rope snapped eventually. I’m now left with a horse who will load but cannot tolerate even the bars going up (which is totally understandable)

There’s so much experience on the forum I thought I’d ask for help- So any ideas of what I can do to try and fix this and build his confidence again? I’m thinking of feeding him in the trailer (with the bars off and sides open) so he has a positive association as the first step. He’s very strong minded (prone to big reactions and losing his head) so I’m worried he’ll never get over this (and feeling incredibly guilty that this happened to him). Thanks in advance

 

[stangs]

What you say about him being prone to big reactions makes me think that his stress threshold is quite low so reconditioning him will take a while, but isn’t impossible.

I’d be first making sure that he’s 100% comfortable with the act of loading itself. That means no tail swishing, no yawning, no pausing and staring in the distance, no looking away and not looking back, etc. You want to make sure that he’s continuously in his comfort zone whilst being loaded or else the bars will overload him. Lots of thinking time, lots of high reward treats to keep him chewing. Slowly reintroducing you just fiddling with the bars - or you might need someone else to do that whilst you hold him - but baby steps the whole time.

Making sure there’s always hay available in trailer during training sessions is a good idea, again encouraging chewing and positive connotations. But I personally am not keen on animals getting their scheduled feeds in stressful situations, I don’t like the idea of them having to ‘earn’ it. Treats yes, full feeds no - but that is just my opinion.

 

[stangs]

Also - it’s not your fault that this happened. Though what happened to you and him is awful, how were you to know? And at least now you can use your experience to make sure other horses/owners don’t find themselves in the same situation.

 

[I don’t like mondays]

What you say about him being prone to big reactions makes me think that his stress threshold is quite low so reconditioning him will take a while, but isn’t impossible.

I’d be first making sure that he’s 100% comfortable with the act of loading itself. That means no tail swishing, no yawning, no pausing and staring in the distance, no looking away and not looking back, etc. You want to make sure that he’s continuously in his comfort zone whilst being loaded or else the bars will overload him. Lots of thinking time, lots of high reward treats to keep him chewing. Slowly reintroducing you just fiddling with the bars - or you might need someone else to do that whilst you hold him - but baby steps the whole time.

Making sure there’s always hay available in trailer during training sessions is a good idea, again encouraging chewing and positive connotations. But I personally am not keen on animals getting their scheduled feeds in stressful situations, I don’t like the idea of them having to ‘earn’ it. Treats yes, full feeds no - but that is just my opinion.

Thanks stangs. Good idea, we’ll keep loading. I’ve had a friend out today and she’s been walking him through the trailer with treats for me, he’s slightly reluctant so that can be improved

 

[I don’t like mondays]

Thanks stangs. Good idea, we’ll keep loading. I’ve had a friend out today and she’s been walking him through the trailer with treats for me, he’s slightly reluctant so that can be improved

Like idea of just getting him used to me touching the bar. He definitely struggles with his stress response, poor boy. I’ve started TRT groundwork so I’m hoping that might help re train his brain

 

[TPO]

If not already a member join BHS Gold and phone their legal advice helpline.

Anyone working with horses should have business insurance. Given the damage to your horse I'm imaging a vet visit will be/has been required and them physio. Pulling back when tied affects the poll, neck and back etc. With the struggle muscle damage is very likely plus now you have an even bigger loading issue caused by negligence on the "experts" part. So yeah I'd get legal advice.

As for how to move forward I'd contact a "proper" expert like Richard Maxwell, Michael Pearce, Joe Midgely or Jason Webb. There might be others but those are thr biggest names that come to mind.

 

[PurBee]

I would wind right back to start at the basics. He’s had a negative association with the loading now, so to ‘undo’ or rather ‘replace’ his current ideas about trailers with new positive ideas will take some time. So hopefully you dont need to load him off for a trip next week, as it needs to now be taken at his pace of learning and acceptance.

There’s a trailer training technique which i saw videos of where the horse has access to the open trailer to be able to get used to being by the trailer, investigating it, in their own time.
This method is easier if you have the trailer parked at the side of a field they’re in, or beside their dry-lot area they have free access to roam in.
The idea is that the trailer is parked there so they get used to it not being a ’scary object’. Then the trailer is opened, giving them, in their own time, the opportunity to sniff, walk into, and walk out of , the trailer, all by themselves. So in essence, its potentially parked up for many days, so they get so ‘used to’ the trailer - the noises they make inside it etc - and they have free rein to investigate it. There’s no rushing the process - the horse gets to decide how to approach investigating the trailer.

You could put some treats in there once he’s accepted its presence. But dont initially go straight to tying him up in there. Give as much time as he needs. Then proceed with gentle introduction and methods as stangs suggested.

How you proceed depends very much on his reaction now to just seeing a trailer. A 30 min training exercise wont now get him used to it all again. So mini sessions, end on a good note - give him freedom to investigate and react.
My trailer has a front ramp aswell as back - of yours has 2 ramps you could leave both open because he has choice to walk through.

Maybe also extend the training first to him being headcollared in his shut stable with a hay net. How is he with that? Does he not like restriction like a shut stable? Or is the trailer scary also due to it wobbling and clanging about when he’s in it? If you identify the elements he is primarily wary of, you can work on those things outside of trailer training. Allowing him free access to walk on and off a parked trailer, without being led in or out, allow him free investigation is a way to get them totally used to the sounds/movement etc.
I understand these suggestions depend on your facilities and trailer design, but if the thing theyre scared of is daily in their view, daily around them, they can work on deciding for themselves, in their own time, its not a scary beast.

I’ve just inadvertently trained my 2 to be ok with excavators to be working close to them, as they had 2 weeks of seeing this weird machine monster wondering about the place! Slowly, they got more used to it so as not to even look up when it passed, whereas initially they were galloping crazily around their field. In the end they were snoozing under a tree while the digger worked 10 metres away.
Desensitisation works very well when the horse is allowed to learn at its own pace, and has the freedom to ‘run’ if the stress gets too much for them.

Another aspect that could help is if you have a buddy of his that is very ok with trailers to be paired with him, with trailer open for free investigation, some teeny hay piles dotted about their space and some by the trailer, in the trailer to eat. You grab a coffe and sit on the sidelines reading a book while keeping an eye on them investigating. The buddy can demonstrate that trailers are fine and encourage your boy to have a go too.

It all depends on how far back this recent session has put his security about trailers.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Thats a terrible experience with a so called professional and I totally agree with TPO.

I just wanted to say my mare had a poll injury I don't what caused it as it was old and she had scar tissue and muscle damage there, she would really panic with any pressure there but with certain exercises and a lot of patience she got so much better.

So I would definitely get him checked out for any soreness caused by him pulling back.

 

[Goldenstar]

That is a terrible thing to hear that is a rookie error to have made, what an idiot .

You doing the right thing winter is coming and food will help you if you have time feed him his nicest meal of the day in the trailer .
and gradually get him used to the bars .
Good luck and I am sorry your professional was not so professional .

 

[Fred66]

I hate to be the voice of doom but you have to face the fact that there is a serious risk that your horse will never be safe to travel in a standard trailer again.
If he stressed this badly that he kicked his way out imagine if that happened when actually in transit ?
Might be time to look at whether a horsebox is affordable.

 

[Winters100]

Poor you. What an unnecessary problem. I think the only thing you can do is to keep working on the loading, feeding treats, lots of repetition to make going in and out an everyday thing. But I feel for you, as most of us don't have endless time to spend on such things, and what a shame to have been put back. Very sorry to hear this.