Trailer loading probs - horse won't stay in and panics

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Muddywellies

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I have always travelled him in lorries - I much prefer them. However, due to change in circs, and current financial climate, its far more cost effective to just have a trailer.
Just one problem - horse is not too keen.
He has always been a little awkward to load in a lorry, but always eventually goes in. He also doesn't travel too well, and goes bonkers when we get to the destination so first job always has to be get the horse off before he blows a gasket. He once went in someone else's trailer, and panicked beyond belief when we got to destination, and absolutely hurled himself out of it at top speed (quite scary).
I have now bought a second hand Ifor Williams, and this weekend, took partition out with the intention of getting him used to it kindly by walking him through it. BIG MISTAKE ! After a LOT of pursuasion, he would go in, but run through at a zillion miles an hour (I couldn't hold him and had to let go). He is definately not scared on the trailer, he will walk over the ramp all day long (accross it) and will happily stand on it, without a care i the world. Its not the thing wobbling when he's on it, it seems to be more of a claustrophobia thing.
How to I proceed with this, without any injuries (yes, I had a hat and gloves on).
Selling trailer for something like an equitrek is not an option (finance), and neither is getting a lorry again. He has to get used to this, which i am sure he will eventually (somehow)
 
Shut the front door. Put in the partitions. Pull the back partition to the side. Then start to teach him to load correctly. Gloves and hat for you, controller headcollar for him. I use a dually. Take him forwards a dozen steps - then back him up. Then forwards, then back up. You need to do this about a dozen times until you have total control of his reverse. If he goes back on his own then force him back further. You have to be in charge of backwards. Once you have backwards in control you can start teaching him to load. Walk him forwards to the foot of the ramp - but do not allow him on it, back him up, and again and again. I normally reverse from teh bottom of the ramp about a dozen times. Then I take him up the ramp, and back him off, if he shows any reluctance to go up the ramp just back him off again and keep doing that until he goes up it calmly. Then and only then can you start to take him in the trailer and again one foot in then back out and repeat often. Any hesitation or backing and you force him backwards.

Eventually you should get him to walk in stand until you back him out. don't put the back bar up at all or the back you are trying to get him to accept standing calmly and quietly inside the trailer.

I did this process about 3 times before I could just let him stand in the trailer and eat his bucket of feed which I gave in one of the hanging feed buckets.

Before I put the ramps up I do exactly the same again with the engine running as that creates vibrations through the trailer which feel different.

Only when he is calm can you start to think about putting the bar across and the back up and a really tasty net - possibly haylage if he's used to hay and his feed bucket in the front. leave him in for increasing periods and ignore the stamping and banging. Only let him out when he is calm and then only ever back him out. Every time you let him out when he freaks you are reinforcing his bad behaviour and rewarding him for it. Obviously you cannot just leave him to tun the lorry inside out , but if you teach him to load and unload calmly and quietly and in total control you will sort his standing in the trailer.


I always make sure the first time I travel I have another calm horse in with them as that ensures they remain as calm as possible. I never tie my horses in the trailer as I have found that encourages them to panic.

My last horse I had to teach to trailer load was an ex racer - only ever been on lorries with other horses and loathed a trailer. It took me a week to get him loading and unloading calmly, now he self loads, I walk him to the ramp chuck his rope round his neck and he walks on himself I then put the back bar up and the back ramp - then go round to the front and take his lead rope off. When i get where i am going he stands calmly in the trailer until i am ready to take him off, i then go to the front clip on his rope, go to the back drop the ramp and take down the back bar. I then ask him to come back and he reverses back calmly and I pick up his rope as he comes out. Easy.
 
Time, patience, perserverence, repetition...

Sounds like he had a traumatic journey in your friend's trailer (perhaps he needed more room?) and you need to re-gain his confidence.

Keep doing what you're doing, a little every day, until you get him leading through the trailer nicely....try using a lungeline instead of a leadrope so you can hang onto him when he rushes. Once you can lead him through try asking him to stand for a few seconds once in the trailer then lead him out. When he's doing that nicely give him his tea in it....keep all the doors open though.

Bit by bit, slowly, slowly you will be able to get this sorted. You'll have good and bad days but don't be put off - you will get there!!!

Once you're able to load him I'd suggest travelling him without the partition and using full-width breast & breech bars and keep the first few journeys very, very slow and short.

Good luck!
 
I have had this with 2 of mine. One got over it, the other didn't. Feed; time; polos and endless amounts of time I found were the only way.
I did rows of carrots up the ramp and in, or polos & bucket of feed at the end.

I did it in stages. One day one foot on the ramp. The next day both front feet on the ramp. Then both back feet. Once they would stand on the ramp for a few minutes, lot's of praise & back to stable/field as appropriate.

Then I would get both front feet & the head in the trailer, having a competent assistant to hold a bucket of feed just out of reach is a really helpful thing. Then once they had eaten the feed, lots of pats back down the ramp & wait until next day.

Over about a month of evenings I could get them to stand in the trailer without shooting backwards or forwards. The next stage for me was to close the rear ramp, leaving the front ramp open.

Again slowly over a few days getting to put the front ramp up as well. I did this for 3 or 4 days to make sure they were happy before I actually took them for a ride in the trailer.

I’m sure lots of people would not agree with this approach but it worked for me. Sadly once we took one of them out she had such a panic attack we gave up & went back to lorries. But the there was ok.

Good luck.
 
Hi muddywellies,

The best thing you can do here, for yours and your horses sake is get help here. You have a dangerous and potentially disasterous situation.

ALL horses are claustrophobic.....just that some are more than others and others can control and confront the fear more than others. Just reading what you have written it is easy to pick up on little things which, to people who deal with such problems on a professional basis, may hold the answer to the "problem". Remember, if your horse says no....you may be asking the wrong question.....or simply asking the question wrong.

It is impossible for someone to solve a problem like this without seeing it first but little things matter in cases like this. By allowing your horse to walk THROUGH your new trailer you may have, inadvertantley (as is so often the case) taught him to go through it as opposed to into it. If he is so much more claustrophobic than most horses he needs to be taught to deal with that first before trying to load him. You need to learn how to be able to change his state of mind to keep his mind on you and what you are asking.

Sorry for not offering a solution, but in cases like this there is so much more to what is happening than meets the eye.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Shut the front door. Put in the partitions. Pull the back partition to the side.

[/ QUOTE ]

Some good advice there but I disagree with this bit....one step at a time. By all means put the partitions in once he's confident about going in and out of the trailer but until then you need the space to work with him safely.

When horses travel they like the space to spread their legs which helps them to balance. The amount of space needed will differ from horse to horse but if they don't have enough space they will panic. You may find that your boy won't travel with the partitions in, particularly if he doesn't travel well in any vehicle.
 
I'd probably chuck the trailer into his field, electric tape off a small paddock round it so he has to be near it. Then Id leave it opened up completely (with no partition etc.) then put his feed into it every single day! He'll soon start wondering in and staying in there to eat. Then you can move onto other things like adding the partition etc. then putting the breast bar up and leading him in etc.
 
I had wondered about that.
I would be interested to hear if anyone else has done this, and whether it created any probs (possibility of accident) or worked a treat ?
 
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