The Ultimate Guide to Trailer Loading Volume 1

Loading and hauling a horse in a trailer seems quite simple, yet almost every horse person out there has a story or two to tell about something that has gone wrong. Most of us have a fairytale dream of loading our horse and heading off into the sunset on a trail ride, camping, competition, play day, etc. adventure! Our dream is quickly shattered when we get to the trailer and find that our horse won’t load, takes over, runs away and now we cannot go anywhere. This is a frustrating situation to be in for the horse and human. It is easy to give up or resort to measures, like force, that we feel bad about later. Instead of our dream improving, it gets worse and worse and we start to wonder why are we even doing this? Horses are prey animals and have an intense fear of being trapped and eaten. When we ask our horse to go into a trailer, it is one of the most challenging exercises in trust and respect. Look at it from your horse’s point of view. While you see a beautiful, expensive horse transporter, our horse sees a monster in the form of a trap! A trailer is an ultimate trap for a horse - a trap on wheels. Not only is your horse boxed in on both sides, but also from above and below. When you think about it, it’s incredible that they can get in at all. Successful trailer loading and traveling involves building your horse’s confidence to be in small spaces, as well as enough respect for you as the leader who would never ask him to do something that was dangerous or harmful. You need to prove to your horse that you are a friend, leader, and protector. This takes knowledge and skill, especially if your horse has been shoved into trailers against his will before! This amount of trust can only be accomplished if we can: Help him feel safe and confident. Earn his respect as a leader he can trust. Help him overcome the fear of being confined. While many horses are afraid of loading into a trailer, we need to recognize that each situation is unique and could be based on the horse’s history of previous bad experiences. Is the horse’s hesitation based on fear... anxiety... a bad experience... dominance (you’re not the boss!)? The good news is that fixing these issues can be relatively simple once you know. Whether you have a horse that won’t load, won’t stay in, doesn’t travel well, or won’t come out, this book will teach you everything you need to know. Your horse will become so confident in and around a trailer that he will feel safe, comfortable, and it will become his idea to get in, stay in, stand quietly, and unload with ease. The dream of easily loading your horse and heading off into the sunset will come true! You will Learn: Understand trailers from your horse’s point of view Learn how to read horse behavior and body language Improve your horse’s confidence in you as a leader Teach your horse to be a confident learner Learn the prerequisites to have in place before you load – for you and your horse Simulations to overcome claustrophobia and build confidence Teach your horse how to tie to prepare for travel Learn safe knots to use when tying your horse Learn how to become a better leader Learn the safest way to load and unload your horse Create confidence and understanding in the 3 phases of trailering