How do you load a horse into a trailer for the first time?

Answer 1

There are many variables. For short hauls to the vet, farrier or another barn, with a healthy horse that is alone. I allow them access of the whole trailer. I personally do not tie them in or restrict their movement with dividers. After many years, I have never had a problem with a horse that was not restricted.

When going on linger hauls, hauling horses that are not used to trailers or not feeling well, restraint becomes needed. Tying the head to a breakaway strap and putting hay for them to munch on is the norm.

The divider is always placed in for these hauls. We also make sure we stop plenty of times during the warmest part of the day to give them water. Night hauling you can get further between stops, but checking is a great idea.

Some horses get a little spooky trying to get them in a trailer. Drugging is a last resort, but can be required. Training your horse before you start hauling is what I recommend. All of my horses load instantly (bragging here) because we regularly walk them in and out of trailers. If you have a spooky horse, you may wish to review some of the other things you do with the horse.

They tend to take on aspects of their riders. Are you getting jumpy and nervious around the trailer?

After hauling hundreds of horses thousands of miles, I can say that nothing is always the rule. Straight rigs, slants, big horses and small. They all have different abilities and challenges in the hauling of them.

Answer 2

There are many different ways to load a horse onto the trailer. You can either get a horse onto a trailer by force or bribery (which often doesn't work) or you can actually train the horse to go into the trailer.

One way, perhaps the most common way, to train a horse to go into a trailer is to work the horse outside the trailer and let him rest inside it. You may have to start with just letting him rest near the trailer, but eventually the horse will get the picture.

Another way is to use reverse physicolgy kind of. The idea of this is to lead the horse up to the trailer, and when the horse reaches a point where he subtly tells you he doesn't want to go any further, you back him up, kind of saying "We can go close to the trailer, but we can't go in" and sooner or later, the horse will want to get in the trailer. This works best with very curious horses, and you must be very observant so that you can back up the horse before going past his comfort zone.

The first version is your best bet, but every horse is different and some do better with version 2.

Well first you have to get a horse trailer then (if your horse is trained) you should be able to lead him in there. If he is not trained then you should use some hay twine and put it under the horse's tail then pull the leadline and the twine. It works for me

Answer 3

Continually walk him up to the trailer until he goes in but do not force him.