We have been there. That 1 horse that simply won’t load onto a trailer no matter what. They’ve either had a traumatic experience with one or not been trailered or merely despise trailers. Lately, I had that lovely experience with a few of MY horses (an unusual occurrence, my horses nearly always do exactly what I ask!).
We tried everything-feed, lunging, coaxing- and he wouldn’t go on. And while trying to lunge him for him to load, he also developed a new habit of cutting across the lunge circle, in essence nearly running me over hgv training yorkshire. Eventually, they left without him; they would come a week and deliver a larger preview. In the meantime, I had a brand new issue.
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Trailer Training Review
After having that expertise with their trailer, he wanted nothing to do with ANY trailer, the exact same 4-horse I had he previously walked onto without flinching or batting an eye.
Now, I began trying all of the old tricks, initially I coaxed him in feet of it with a bucket of feed, then tied him to it, where he balked, then calmed down. I untied him, walked all around it; all without touching it opening the doorway.
After getting that close, he balked again, so I flipped him around and backed him, this time coming within 5 feet of this opening, and then I turned him about. Wide eyes, heavy breathing, and general anxiety followed his body language, eyes rolled in the back part of his mind, whites vulnerable; he refused to appear closer. I coaxed him to feed within 2 feet of the opening, but he had been coming no farther. I stopped there for the day and waited for a different day.
The next day, I tried lunging him and because of his new habit of falling in on the ring, he had been dangerous-flicking the rope across his shoulders did nothing, neither did keeping the whip pointed; he shoved himself by anyway.
Now I was really puzzled. I had never taken care of a horse that was terrified of this trailer, refused to lunge, and was much too big (1,000-1,200lb) to force to go onto a trailer, especially with my 5’6″ inch frame. I opened the trailer door and started trying for him to come closer and closer, alternating coaxing him and just clicking at him while tugging on the lead.
Each time I got within the loading space of this trailer, he balked, rearing up and dragging me (literally) with him. I made him lead forward, right up into the opening of the trailer again, and then he stood braced against meso.
Conclusion
I reached up and rubbed his forehead in small circles with my fingers, almost instantly, his mind rested and fell, so that he stood with his head hanging in the trailer, a little calmer now. I let up tension on the line, and let him have a bite from the bucket of grain I had put inside the trailer’s opening.
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