Teaching youngster to load

L

Lala77

New User
Joined
31 January 2026
Messages
2
Visit site
I have a 4 year old that I’m teaching to load into single Ifor Williams trailer.

She’ll walk on calmly and stand for a few seconds but barges off the front ramp and stop at bottom, not nasty just keen to get off.

Looking for tips on how to build her confidence, and how to progress onto bars then closing ramps. Thanks
 
I use food reward..which will not surprise any of the long term HHO ers on here lol. So walk on, friend with feed treat in bucket and I do barge bars up first..doors open. When pony calm with this I close rear then front..takes some time with some. Others I’ve had just stand and don’t have any problem. I ll bet there are many YouTube videos covering this.
 
I taught mine a verbal command "wait" first. So she has to wait when I open her stable door before leading her out, wait at a gate before going through etc. I then used a pressure halter and the wait command to make mine wait at the top of the ramp. I've now taught her to go down the ramp, step by step, and wait in between. She's really good at it. I had someone to help me at the start and she was insistent about how dangerous barging out of the box was for the horse and for you, and I'm really glad she made me work on it. She also made me stand further forward than I usually would, right up by my horse's head, and kept telling me to "control her head".
 
I’m not averse to a bit of food reward/bribery/distraction.
I parallel I would make sure she is solid with standing still and stepping back on the ground in unfamiliar areas where she may be a little more anxious- ie train her to get with you without the trailer involved first. You often find that unwanted loading behaviours, subtly manifest them selves in other situations too
 
Yep I'm not adverse to food reward/bribery in new environments. For a while my daughters cob had his dinner on the trailer every evening.

I echo what IHW has said regarding work away from the trailer too. It's all good practise for other parts of life as you take her out and about to different places.
 
Food always helps in these situations. And have mor epatience than you need. I think sometimes we can forget how insane it is for these flight animals to get in a tin box to travel along loud busy roads over and over again.

I think it feels more normal that horses get anxious in them, rather than not. Make it the best place ever.. which usually involves feed or some yummy haylege that they're not normally allowed :D
 
Thanks everyone. She’s very good on the ground with standing and waiting and manners through gates which are all good signs.
Patience and food looks like the best advice 😄
 
And repetition, do it until it's boring.

Also think about how your trailer is set up to be optimum. I put some ring bolts in various places in mine. one on either side of the nose with a tight rope between them flush against the front wall allows an over the door trough to be hung in there with a small feed. One either side of the front ramp exit, allowing a stall guard to be put across, so the front ramp can be down but the horse can't barge down it even when the front bar isn't being used, when practicing loading. (Another two lower in the nose also secure 2 20l water containers - I love a ring bolt!).

Also, practice stopping on the front ramp after a step or two and backing back in, or stopping and then going forward, rewarding each time horse is standing in the correct place. Barging is a big no no.
 
I also fed on the trailer every day for a couple of weeks., working up to shutting the ramps and wobbling it about a bit while he ate! Then we did "proper loading" where he had to walk up and stand in there for a bit with the breast bar up and a haynet. I'm pretty sure he just associates the trailer with food now so when we actually start going places in it this summer I'm hoping it will remain a non-event. Mine never actually tried barging anywhere though so I'm aware I've had it pretty easy so far.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top