My gelding won't back out either. I always
blamed it on his race training - he is a slow starter and I wonder if starting
gates were made unpleasant experiences for him so he wouldn't back out
and instead, would surge forward if he sees an opening when there are
walls beside him. He has wonderful ground manners as a rule, and gives
readily to the mildest of halters, but surges through gates, particularly when
stressed, and will not back out of a trailer, although he loads easily,
gives to fingertip pressure to move sideways and back in the open. He will
also back over a step - without walls. When I've worked on gates, or
backing out of the trailer, he will tremble and start to sweat and I know his
little horsey brain is too terrified to even begin to listen to me. It is
so ingrained as habit now, I doubt he even knows where the fear has come from (I
got him as a 5 year old and I've had him 11.5 years). Probably an hour or
two a day for month with walls that progressively move in would cure him, but
I've never been able to find that kind of time. Oh well, there's always
next year. . .
