RE: Trailer loading

[Marlene Moss <marlene.moss@wcom.com>]

Cool, let’s expand upon this thread.  How do people teach backing out of trailers – particularly to a horse that is very traumatized by the idea?  My mare loads beautifully – now.  I did a lot of work to get her that way.  But backing out, no way.  I’ve tried the in 1 foot, back out, in 2, back out, in 3 back out.  No problem.  In 4 – back out?  Up goes her head hits her head on the roof, panics even more and crashes out.  Then of course going back in again isn’t quite as easy.

 

What I’m doing right now is when we unload, just ask for a couple back steps, before allowing her to turn and go out gracefully.  Just to teach her that backing in general isn’t a panic situation.  But to her, backing in general isn’t easy.  She’ll back all day in an arena.  Put a log behind her and ask for the back?  Nope, not gonna happen.  Break it down simpler and draw a line in the sand, she still has a problem.

 

So I don’t think I should be asking her to back out of trailers until a lot more comes together – but I welcome suggestions, both for on the ground now and when we get to the trailer part.  I do have another horse that I need to teach to back out, so I can use those suggestions now too.

 

Thanks!

Marlene & Venesza (I only have forward gears!)