Re: one more lesson learned....comments.....

[flemmerl@rcbhsc.wvu.edu (Flemmer, Linda)]

Leigh331@aol.com wrote:
> Dbeverly4@aol.com writes:
>>  Why anybody would willingly get INSIDE a horse
>>  trailer with their horse is beyond me! 

> I reach
> the two inches required inside the trailer at the head of the horse
> and....undo the trailer snap, then I open the back door and the divider.  I
> still encourage the horse to stand until I get to his head and ask him to
> back, but if he decides to come on back, at least he's not tied.

I agree with not entering the horse stall when loading the animal.  All
of our horses have been trained to walk on with the lead rope over their
neck and stand patiently while we tie them from the outside and close
the but bar.  With unloading, we untie them, attach a lead rope thrown
over their neck, open the door and butt bar, all while they stand
patiently.  They back out on their own when we say "Back".  Ours is a
step-up style trailer, so we verbally say "Step" when they should feel
for the ground with their back feet.  It is amazing how quickly they
learn this!

A friend once entered a slant load leading her horse - no escape door. 
The horse panicked, and she tried to get thru the drop down window to
escape.  She got stuck!  The horse panicked even more, and eventually
the horse shoved her out the window.  I will NOT walk in with a horse in
such a confined area.

When we haul for somebody who has not trained their horses to load (and
getting on when swatted with a broom or when 2 strong men heave the
horse up is NOT trained to load!), we run a lounge line thru the front,
thru the trailer, to the horse.  We can then stand next to the horse as
he steps in and we can direct his head as he loads.  If he freaks out a
backs out, we still have control of him with that lounge line.  It works
well, but I HIGHLY recommend a cotton line as opposed to a nylon line. 
Nylon leaves nasty rope burns.  

A session like this with an untrained horse generally lasts from 10min
to 1 hour, but he'll have learned that it isn't scarey and that there
are treats waiting for him when he's in.  They are almost always better
at it the next time.

I don't care HOW good a horse is, if he doesn't load, he's no good to
me.  A horse that self-loads and unloads is worth his weight in gold.

Linda Flemmer