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Trailering Your Horse # WI478

Copyright protected material, excerpts from "Trailering Your Horse".
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PART II - TRAINING (Intro to Chapters 6 - 9) pages 57,58, & 59.

TRAINING

Training a horse to load in a trailer is no different from any other aspect of horse training. Start with the basics and build using a progression of lessons. It helps to have a clear picture of your end goal in mind, but to get there you must develop a group of smaller sub-goals. Treat each subgoal as a separate lesson. If you and your horse master the ground-training lessons that follow, your horse will load in a horse trailer.

As you go through the lessons, show the horse what you want him to do and what he must not do. Horses are much more content when they know absolutely what is expected of them. Remember, horses are basically followers and will do almost anything for you when your requests are clear, consistent, and fair.

Consistency

Let your horse know each time he has made a mistake. If you don't, it will be confusing for him and it will take him longer to learn the correct response. For example, each time he puts pressure on the halter, whether he is just lightly leaning on it or trying to blast past you, give a tug on the halter to let him know he should not do that. Your goal is to have him lead lightly — like a butterfly on a string, not a runaway freight train.

Praise

The doling out of praise is a little hit different. At first, praise your horse each time he responds correctly. You can lavish the praise on him with a good rub on the withers or stroke down his neck as you say "Good boy" or "Good girl." In later lessons, eliminate the scratch or stroke but continue with the verbal praise. Finally, when the horse knows the lesson thoroughly, eliminate the verbal praise. Then you can use the verbal praise and/or the scratch or stroke occasionally to reinforce his good habits. Once the lesson has been learned, praise is most effective when it is used sporadically. If you lavish praise continually, it will be hard for the horse to distinguish exactly what he is being praised for and the reward will lose its effectiveness.

Whether you are correcting your horse or praising him, your action should follow the behavior immediately. If you are slow to respond, you may be punishing or rewarding the next behavior instead!

Repetition

Once your horse has learned a particular lesson, repeat the exercise regularly over a period of days and in different locations to establish it firmly in his mind. Repetition is the key to developing a conditioned response, which is a requirement for solid horse training. Don't think because you can load your horse on a warm, quiet day when his buddy is already in the trailer that he knows the lesson definitively. Can you load him when the wind is blowing, his buddy is in the barn calling to him, and a dog is barking nearby? The more thorough you are with the entire ground-training program, the more assured you will be of your ability to load your horse during exciting times such as during a storm, along a busy highway, or when he is injured or ill.

Cooperation

When you establish a solid base of in-hand work and work over obstacles, leading or sending your horse into a horse trailer will be easy. Trailer loading should not be a battle between human and horse. In order for the human to win, it is not necessary for the horse to lose. A horse should not be mechanically or physically forced into a trailer. He should enter willingly, of his own accord. That way both you and your horse are winners.

Physical and Verbal Aids

As with other training lessons, your mind is a powerful aid in guiding the horse. But you also need physical aids to tell him what you want. These aids, are your body language, a halter and lead rope, your hands, an in-hand whip, and, in some cases, a chain for the halter. As the horse learns what you want him to do, start coupling verbal commands or signals with the physical aids so the horse doesn't depend on the physical cues.

For example, in one of the simplest lesson, "Walk on," when leading the horse, you want him to walk forward when you walk forward. At first you might need to use a tap with the whip or a pop with the end of the lead rope on the horse's hindquarters to cause him to step forward promptly. Or you might need a sharp tug or two on the halter or chain to keep him from charging forward or crossing in front of you. Or perhaps you might need to poke him in the neck or shoulder with your elbow or the butt of the whip to keep him from crowding you.

But once he has learned to respect your personal space and walk forward promptly with you, subtle voice commands, sounds, or gestures will confirm the guidelines for the horse. Then, later, he will just operate from your body language or any specific cues you want to use. Remember, as you progress through this battery of lessons, it is better to perform the simple lessons well than to rush ahead to the end goal ill prepared. Do your homework, take your time, and be patient.

The Cast of Characters

For the training examples in this book, I have used one very seasoned loader and traveler to demonstrate some of the ideals you are aiming for. Except for that mare, the other horses in the photographs are either learning their lessons for the first time or having a review. Here is the cast.

* Veteran: A 25-year-old Quarter Horse mare that I've had since she was a weanling. She's the experienced, dependable horse on the cover that I describe in the preface.

* Mr. Mellow: A very people-oriented, loveable Selle Francais/Quarter Horse gelding that is very tractable but a little bit slow (cold-blooded) in his responses. Because of his tendency to nuzzle and invade space, he could easily become a large, spoiled pet. He's very curious and likes to inspect everything with his muzzle.

* Ms. Antsy Pants: A Trakehner/Quarter Horse filly that is a bit impatient. When asked to do something new, she'd never refuse hut she might try to hurry or push.

* Reflex Queen: A Trakehner/Quarter Horse filly that has unusually "large" reactions to physical stimuli.

* Rookie: A 12-month-old Quarter Horse filly with very minimal in-hand training. She's built like a tank and has a strong mind. She can be tough when first learning certain new things but is confident and solid when she has mastered them.

Overview

In chapter 6, you'll learn important in-hand lessons that are the basis of all horse training and handling, whether trailer loading, longeing, riding, or just grooming and health-care procedures.

Chapter 7 provides ideas for obstacle training. Obstacles are objects that your horse negotiates in a particular fashion to build his confidence and to develop skills that will be useful during trailer loading.

In chapter 8, I'll demonstrate loading and unloading in a number of ways, using horses at different stages of training and with various style trailers.

Because of the progressive nature of the program, you won't see too much misbehaving, but in chapter 9 I'll point out common trouble spots and how to avoid or correct them.