How To Train Your Horse To Accept The Trailer

Being prey animals horses are fight or flight animals. Years of survival have taught horse to be wary of the slightest of threats and to a horse, a trailer seems like a dark and dangerous place to be. Horses generally escape danger through flight and a cave-like confined space is never a good place for a horse to become trapped in, it's important to understand this when trailer training your horse.

Many horses are initially fearful of being led into a trailer so it's best to breakdown the experience in order not to overwhelm the horse. A good way to do this is to introduce the horse to a thick sheet of plywood on the ground and have him walk over it. Allow him to look at the plywood and smell it and don't force him over it. A lot of coaxing helps relax the horse. Try this several times until the horse is comfortable walking over it.

In the next step of the exercise try raising the sheet over some 4x4s but make sure it is strong enough to safely bear the weight of the horse otherwise it may break and scare the horse. Place some grain or hay onto the raised plywood to encourage the horse to step onto it and to reinforce the idea that this is a pleasant experience.

Enlist the help of some friends to hold plastic sheets in order to fashion a chute or tunnel for the horse to walk through. Making it wider at one end will simulate a trailer. Again, coax the horse gently to walk through this makeshift chute. Once the horse is comfortable doing this, you can try creating a tent like tunnel using a plastic sheet for the horse to walk under. Your helpers can stand on hay bates to reach the desired height.

These easy steps should help trailer train the most difficult of horses because you have broken down the process for them making it easier to accept. Breaking down any exercise in this way makes the horse less prone to being overwhelmed by a situation and more accepting.

Work with your horse at his own pace and never lose your temper. A lot of gentle encouraging goes a long way and patience is definitely a virtue with horses. Once your horse is going through the above mentioned exercises confidently it's time to introduce the actual trailer.

Use a lead rope and lead the horse into the trailer confidently, if you display any sign of hesitation your horse will sense it. If the horse refuses to load, turn him around and try again. Keep doing this in a firm and calm manner until the horse loads. Once the horse is in the trailer, praise him profusely and offer him a reward for a job well done.

Calmly lead the horse out and try again, remember to feed and offer the horse treats in the trailer then unload him. Don't leave the horse in the trailer for long periods of time initially; your goal is to make him comfortable being led into the trailer.