Learn To Trailer Your Horse
Trips to the veterinarian hospital or to a park are common place. Moving your horse from one place to another is a must whether you show your horse or not. Loading your horse can be a stressful time for the horse as well as the owner if the horse hasn't been taught correctly from the start. Any mishaps can scar the horse for life and it will be very difficult to change the unpleasant memory. Remain calm and give praise whenever possible.Trailers should be introduced to a horse from the time he is a young colt. Often times feeding them in a trailer that is parked and not going anywhere at all. You can start with putting the feed on the floor at the back door and gradually as the days go by, put the food farther and farther up in to the trailer until it is fully inside and completely confident inside. This can work with a fully grown horse also. Making them familiar with the trailer is key to getting them loaded.
Start by walking the animal near the trailer in a circle but don't actually go inside. Each time he completes the circle praise him and give him a scratch behind his withers. Approach the trailer closer each time. If you have introduced him to the trailer from a colt he will have no problems. If not then keep familiarizing him with the trailer. Walk him up to the trailer or up the ramp over and over until he feels secure.
There's a fine line between being pushy and firm, so just use your own judgment. Make your intentions clear that he is to go in to the trailer. Praise him when he makes progress towards entering the trailer. Never force him in, but a pat on the butt when he is close to entering encourages him to move forward.
On different days all through the day, load him up in the trailer to enforce the behavior that he must comply each time he is asked no matter what is going on around him.
posted by Posh Pampered Pets @ 9:57 AM
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