Conference noted::equitation

    Stephanie,
    
    Couldn't help but to reply to this one.
                     
    When my two Arabian fillies down right refused to load, feed them
    in it it worked wonderfully.  The only way to a horse sometimes
    is thru their stomachs.
    
    Be patient though sometimes this can take some time.  One filly
    responded to this in a day. The other too 2 weeks, she lost some
    weight but she learn't to go on the trailer and the trailer wasn't
    going to hurt her.  Don't get me wrong, we didn't starve her, she
    knew where the grain was and she did get at least half of her ration
    with every session. I just left the other half in the trailer.
    
    The toughest filly, got so comfortable that she wouldn't unload!
    
    Good luck and remember, be patient, praise even the first foot in
    the trailer, you'll be more then happy with the results. A very
    happy horse in the trailer, with no (or at least few) fears.
    
    Lorna
    
    

    I started one of my horses out by feeding him in the trailer starting
    at the ramp and working up with the grain with hay at the front.
    This worked out very well but it did take some time to get him to
    load normal. Unloading was no problem. 
    
    Reminder: Some Horses do not like to go into dark places so a light
    at the front of the trailer might help if your trailer does not
    have side and front windows.
    
    -D-

    I think one of the most important things is, don't wait until you
    *have* to get the horse loaded, to try to load him.  If you do,
    that creates a lot of stress because you know that you have to load
    that horse or else... It doesn't provide a calm, patient atmosphere
    and horses easily pick up on any tension in the air.
    
    I have a 2-year-old, quite large (half-Trakehner) filly that I just
    taught to load.  I have done lots of short sessions.  No pressure.
    Before I started actively loading her, I fed her in the trailer
    for awhile.  It took her awhile to get used to the idea.  She went
    without her grain for several days because her neck wasn't long
    enough to reach.  During this time, she never entered the trailer
    all the way, just enough so she could get to the grain - but that
    was ok, because I just wanted her to knwo the trailer wouldn't hurt
    her.
    
    The first day I tried to load her, I didn't get all 4 feet in the trailer,
    but I didn't push it - she was calm and pretty willing, just a bit
    hesitant.  I gave her a treat, repeated a few more times, and called
    it a day.
    
    Now, she will practically load herself in the trailer if I go in
    and call her.  I think this is because I spent time standing in
    the trailer, with her on a long loose lead, letting her line herself
    up and coming in to me (I did this because my mare has abolutely
    no sense of how to line herself up to go straight into the trailer;
    she is absolutely dependent on me to get her in straight, and it's
    a pain sometimes because she doesn't load very well).
    
    I might add that this filly is stubborn and strong, and I was very
    apprehensive about this and kicking myself for not teaching her
    how to load when she was smaller and more controllable.  However,
    since I didn't do it when she was a foal, and she was incredibly
    snotty as a yearling, I think it all worked out for the best.  If
    I had waited until a "must load" situation to teach her, however,
    I think I would now have a filly that was a major problem to load.

    In addition to all that's been said, one other idea may be useful.
    When you actually start loading her, take a long lead through the
    front window and loop it back along the outside of the trailer.
    Then you can take up the slack while standing beside her at the
    back end of the trailer.  It'll work very much like you are 
    leading her into a two-horse.  Of course, I used to cheat a little
    and use a butt rope, too, but if you can get her to go in to feed,
    the butt rope is probably not necessary.

    	Another point,once you get her to load, always be sure to put
    some grain in before you load her to continue the positive
    reinforcement. I have a five year old who was trained by parking
    the trailer at the end of his run,and fed in it. I always put a
    handful of grain in before loading him,and he usually can't wait
    to get to it.
    
    	George
    

    As I thought just like a man, reach him through his stomach.
    As I said before, Metrik will load into a two horse, but I have
    to lead him in, but even then he has to think about it.  He is a
    good boy about loading seeing he as ridden in a trailer about six
    or seven times, once he got on with a stallion he didn't even know
    and on the left side for the first time in rain by a puddle! 

    I've had a lot of trouble loading my horse, and here are a few things
    that I find helpful.
    
    If the horse trys to swing round sideways as you lead him in, it
    often helps to park alongside a wall. You could then have a helper
    to stand the other side to stop him swinging that way too, or get
    someone to hold a lunge line attached to the side of the trailer.
    
    Horses sometimes don't like walking up too steep a ramp, so if you
    parked on a downward slope that might help. 
    
    Someone else suggested having a light inside to make the trailer 
    look more inviting - I always open as many of the front doors, 
    windows, ramps etc. as possible, to get more light inside.

    I recently did a tour of Newmarket, the main racing town in the
    UK, and one of the things I noticed was that nearly every stable
    yard, auction room and the racecourse all had specially built loading
    pens. These have fences either side, just the width of a horsebox, and
    are at the same level as the floor of a box, so that the horse just
    walks straight in as if it was going into a stable. I think they
    are a great idea - I'm all for anything which makes life easier,
    but I suppose it's a bit too much trouble to go to, to build one just 
    for your own horse! 
    
    Good Luck, anyway.
    
    Alison

<    yard, auction room and the racecourse all had specially built loading
<    pens. These have fences either side, just the width of a horsebox, and
<    are at the same level as the floor of a box, so that the horse just
<    walks straight in as if it was going into a stable. I think they
<    are a great idea - I'm all for anything which makes life easier,
<    but I suppose it's a bit too much trouble to go to, to build one just 
<    for your own horse! 
    

That's just like the cattle loaders on cattle ranches. I've seen those all
my life and never thought of using them for horse. Now if I could just get the
barn I'm at to build one! liesl

    	Loading ramps are great,,but if your horse get used to loading
    with one,won't you potentially have trouble loading him when you
    don't have one; like after a trail ride??
    	Just a thought,
    
    		George
    

    All of the above suggestiona are good but remember:
         1. You don't want to get on in front of him.  If he decides
    to rush forward you have no place to go.
         2. What do you do when you don't have a wall or another person
    handy to help you with long lead-lines through windows, or with
    a butt rope or straightening out the horse to go on straight?
    
    The best thing you can do to help yourself is to teach your horse
    to self-load on a two-horse trailer and then switch him over to
    a single. Now you ask how do I teach him to self load?  It's really
    not too bad if you set the proper foundation.
    
    The first thing is to teach him to mave away from a long whip,or
    switch.  In other words when you tap him on his rump you want him
    to step forward calmly.  You can do this next to a fence.  Put him
    next to the fence, you stand at about his shoulder and then tap
    him with the whip until he takes a step forward.  Don't ever hit
    him hard, you don't want to upset him just irritate him enough to
    get him to move away.
    
    You can also be working on leading him into the two-horse as often
    as possible.  Load him up, give him his reward, make him stand there
    a couple minutes and the unload him again.  Then load him right
    back in again.  Do this a few times each session until loading becomes
    automatic.
    
    Once you have these two steps accomplished the real fun begins.
     I recommend you do this when you are alone, and have plenty of
    time  and are in the mood.  In other words set yourself up for success.
     I would also make sure you horse is comfortable, no flies, it's
    not near feeding time and there'not a bunch of distractions.  Again,
    you are still using the two-horse.
    
    Put some kind of reward in the trailer, grain and hay is best. 
    Then lead you horse up to it.  Stop him at the bottom of the ramp
    put the leadrope over his neck so hecan't trip on it and then tap
    him with the whip and ask him to go forward.  Don't make a big deal
    out of it.  He will eventually get tired of you tapping him and
    he'll step forward.  Don't expect him to go all the way on.  He'll
    probably take a few steps and then back up.  That's ok.  Line him
    up again and ask him again.  Use your voice a lot for praise and
    encouragement.  Keep at it, eventually he'll get on further and
    further until he sticks his nose in the hay and grain.  The hay
    and grain should be where he can only get when he is standing in
    the proper hauling position.  When he's finally on, do up the rump
    bar or chain, go to the front do up his head, then do up the ramp.
    
    
    Now you ask how do I get him off.  The same way you got him on.
    Off-line you teach him to back to your voice.  When he backs up
    with reasonable reliability you're ready.  Remember he knows how
    to back out of the two-horse, he just needs to learn how to do it
    when your not in front of him.  To self-unload, put the ramp down,
    undo his head and throw the lead-line over his neck, go to the back.
     Now this is important, do not undo the rump-bar if he is touching
    it.  Make him step up and get off it.  You don't want him backing
    out of there untilyou're ready.  Ok, put down the rump-bar and ask
    him to back.  He'll probably try to figure out why the hell you're
    back there, then he'll take a couple steps.  Again he may go forward
    but don't worry.  Keep asking him and he'll do it.  If you want
    someone in front can get him started as long as you have a patient
    friend who will help you do it your way.
    
    The first day one trip on and off is enough.  After that you could
    load him a couple times each session until you're comfortable. 
    Yes this will take time.  However when you're done you are independent
    of outside props.
    
    The final step is to load in the single.  Any horse calm enough
    to self-load in a two-horse will go into a single.  Just make sure
    that the single is tall enough and wide enough for him.
    
    I have re-trained a mare who refused to load and unload because
    of a trailer accident to self-load.  And all the other horses on
    my farm load this way.  I go where I want when I want with any of
    my horses including my stallion and never worry about wether they
    will load.
    
    Good luck!   

	I give a deffinate second to the advice to not get in front of
	your horse when you put them in a trailer. My girlfriend and I
	were having trouble loading my mare (we were taking her brand new
	trailer out for it's maiden voyage). I was getting rather frustrated
	and stood in front of miss Taffy expecting to step out the side
	escape hatch and pull the lead when she just suddenly jumped right
	in the trailer. Thank god she's a sweet girl and can stop on dime
	or she would have mashed me into the wall. She avoided even stepping
	on me but I'm not going to press my luck and do it this way again.

	I really like this self loading idea. Now I just have to work on
	my patience to practice it. liesl

    re. 626.10
    I have been to two clinics that involved teaching your horse to
    load and the basic idea behind the instructors theory is similar
    to that as described in note 626.10. 
    
    The way I have been taught and the way I have trained my horses
    is to stand them at the bottom of the ramp and tap them lightly
    on the rump until they look into the trailer, stop and praise them.
     When they look away from the trailer tap them again.  When they
    look back at the trailer stop and praise them.  Next ask them to
    take a step forward, if they shy away or look away tap harder. 
    
    As each step of the training is successfully accomplished lead the
    horse away for a minute and start over.  The theory behind this
    is that each time the horse focuses on the trailer or moves toward
    the trailer you reward them by stopping the tapping.  The trailer
    then becomes a safe place for the horse because they realize that
    moving away or moving their concentration away will make the tapping
    start over again.
    
    This is a very difficult concept to describe in words, but I have
    seen it work on horses who have had accidents in trailers and refuse
    to load to the point where they can become dangerous.
    
    Using this training concept I can stand at the bottom of my trailer
    ramp, loop the lead over my horses back, let go and they will all
    walk into the trailer by themselves very calmly.
    
    Whatever your training method I agree that the most important thing
    is to teach a horse to load and trailer before that day arrives.
    
    Just an additional note:  The horse I mentioned that was dangerous
    to load, after 1/2 hour of this training I saw this horse load by
    itself, back out onto the ramp calmly, turn around (never stepping
    off the ramp) and back into the trailer, all of this with nothing
    but hand signals and voice commands.  "I'm a believer"
    
    Karen
         

    Thank you all.  Metrik will load into a two horse, although trailering
    is still not his favorite thing to do.  He has done is so few times
    and the times he did in the begining ment that he was never coming
    back to the farm so he learned to be wary of trailer appearances.
    Since then we have gone to a few shows and back again, much to his
    relief, so trailering is getting better.  At one show I had no stall
    except the trailer so he had to get in and out all day.  I did find
    that he would load very readily if the center partition was moved
    out of the way some.
    
    I will teach him to self load.  My old mare did, for me anyway.
    (I discovered that her previous owner could never get her in a trailer,
    but could get her in water, I could load her in the trailer but
    not go through water without a fight... figure that one out.)  Anyway,
    with a single horse trailer he will have to learn to self load anyway
    because I can't get in there with him.
    
    Thanks again, and happy trailering to all.
    Stephanie