Tips for standing on trailer

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pixie27

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Does anyone have any tips or recommendations for encouraging a young horse to stand quietly on the trailer?

He's perfect to load and travel, but when we arrive somewhere, he gets a bit too excited and is desperate to come off. Doesn't do too much - almost piaffes on the spot - but it's enough that I don't want to leave him on there doing it.

As soon as you go in and talk to him or take the leadrope, he's quiet as a lamb. He walks off like a saint and stands tied to the trailer with no issues. Most of the time I can just tie him up outside, but really I need him quiet on the trailer so I can leave him to course walk etc. while eventing. A few venues near us don't allow horses to be tied up outside too.

Things I've tried so far and that have made no difference:
- Another horse on with him
- All ramps down and open
- All ramps up and closed
- On a lorry (backwards-facing 3.5 and herringbone 10tn) (and on a lorry alone and with company)
- Ignoring him

Next up is getting him some haylage - he's very food orientated and doesn't ever get haylage so hopefully that will distract him.

I'm hoping it's just a case of the more he goes out, the more he'll get used to it? He's only just turned five, and I've not had him long (old owners did say he does this - not sure how much he went out with them). It's not a huge issue as he travels so perfectly and is in general the easiest horse to have around, but would like to crack this before eventing season starts next year.
 
No, I mean just leave him on the trailer.

If I'm early somewhere/have a gap between times or riding and can't tie him up outside, I need him to be able to stand quietly on the trailer (without me needing to sit inside with him).

OH comes with me to events to supervise him while I'm getting numbers etc., but a. I don't want him to be responsible if horse is tied up outside and gets loose, and b. he doesn't feel happy looking after a horse that's jumping around in the trailer.
 
I had one that would fidget when he arrived, but if I took him off, let him have a nosey round, a pee if he wanted, a drink, maybe pick at some grass he would then be fine to stand on the box. TBH it was great, as I did all that while OH took the poo out.

I just did this as a routine, then loaded him back on, whereupon he would eat hay.

Over time he stopped making any fuss, but we still did the unload so he could orient himself in the new surroundings, get comfortable, and have a clean box to stand in.
 
Mostly they do settle down in time. You could try a mirror if he likes that sort of thing. Or a large stuffed horse - some like it, some don't. For safety I would tend to leave the ramps up but upon the top door so he can see out a bit but has no chance of actually getting out. A determined barge might pull a breach bar out - or he might be tempted to get over it.

We did have one that just would not settle and there had to be a human in sight all the time. There is such a risk of injury if they thrash too much - to them and the trailer! - and they won't compete well if they have wound themselves up into a lather. But mostly they do settle eventually.
 
Most improve if taken off, worked/ competed then put on to go home and left for a few minutes before setting off, they are usually relaxed and happy eating so you can gradually extend the time, next stage to put back on between classes or after a warm up as if ready to go home, after a while get them off walk round put back on given time most get better.
The problem is we tend to load up at home and set off straight away, most young horses will be unloaded quickly the first few times out, then loaded up after the class and set off for home, they don't learn to stand and wait because they never have to until we change the rules, routine sets their behaviour so if trained to travel and come off when parked we have trained impatience in them even if the rest of the time they are quiet.
 
Have you tried practising his standing at home? Following what BP says but you could add to it by loading, standing for increasing amounts of time and then unloading without even going anywhere.
 
Mines’s better on the box actually. He gets fidgety when he’s first unloaded and tied up outside. Anyhow, I’ve had some luck lately with using calming cookies which were recommended to me to help horse anxiety but still be ok to ride, and a small haynet with carrots and things in it for him to search for, so his mouth and therefore his brain is occupied.
 
Brilliant, thanks so much - some really useful advice. Haven’t tried taking him off and putting him back on but inclined to think that might make a difference as he’s usually much better once he’s worked and goes on before we leave.

At home stood up he’s better, but he does have a mentality that if he sees something interesting, he’d quite like to go and look at it straight away. V much a work in progress and thinking about it, likely to be linked to standing on the trailer.

He’s a very laid back character most of the time, so hopefully little and often using bp’s method will help get him used to it.
 
We quite often take off for a look around and put back on, my mare is pretty good but it gives her the chance to have a pee as she will just stamp in the trailer. She sees what is going on then will stand with or without a net, she very often goes to sleep. If we stay around we leave the ramp down but if going off as you describe we just leave the top door open.
 
Red-1 said:
I had one that would fidget when he arrived, but if I took him off, let him have a nosey round, a pee if he wanted, a drink, maybe pick at some grass he would then be fine to stand on the box. TBH it was great, as I did all that while OH took the poo out.

I just did this as a routine, then loaded him back on, whereupon he would eat hay.

Over time he stopped making any fuss, but we still did the unload so he could orient himself in the new surroundings, get comfortable, and have a clean box to stand in.
Click to expand...

Similar to NF who when I got her was a complete toad to load, also wouldn't stand on arrival.
Routine on arrival was take my time but unload her, calm walk round box and then back in again. Any hesitation in loading, then I repeated.
Once back on, a small haylage net kept her happy. Later substituted with hay once all good.
The unload and reload became a routine after going out at least once a week if not more, after 6 months of repeated routine I was happy to leave her on the box on own before and after doing stuff.
 
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