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[RC] Unloading Too Fast! - Benedikte Webb-WhitmanI have worked with a couple of horses that had been made afraid of trailers in
various ways and am working with my baby on this right now.
I start by teaching them to take one step back at a time and then stop inside
the trailer and then reward with a cookie. Then when they get to the edge I
tell them to stand and reward them. Then as they step off I tell them to "ho".
They will still come out all the way for the first few times but eventually
they will pause and then you can get them to stop and take a cookie, get
petted, etc. in that position. Then get them to bring those 2 back feet back
in and then back out; back in and back out before letting them unload the front
end. Then I do the front 2 feet in and out many times until they finally get
comfortable with being in the half-in, half-out spot that they seem to hate.
My goal is that my horse unloads one foot at a time and I can stop them with
any number of feet in or out at any time and get them to go the other way. It
does take time and effort, but is so worth it. Since I have had horses that
have come to me terrified of the trailer, I have never used negative
reinforcement with them as they would have fallen apart. So only cookies,
pets, and good words for doing it right and no response (except try again) to
doing it wrong. It is the most wonderful thing to have horses that load and
unload reliably into anything - and I know if there was an emergency and
someone else had to evacuate them, they are very likely to do really well and
not have to be left behind because they would not load in a short period of
time.
Good luck,
Benedikte
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