Re: Re: Re: safe loading in a slant load

["John Bass" <jbass@beattynv.com>]

----- Original Message -----
From: Karen Sullivan <greymare@jps.net>
To: <CMKSAGEHIL@aol.com>; Suzanne Mounts <mountss@usfca.edu>
Cc: <ridecamp@endurance.net>
Sent: Monday, March 27, 2000 8:49 PM
Subject: RC: Re: Re: safe loading in a slant load


> > >
> >
> >
> >
> Suzanne, what works for me is to never allow the horse to back out.  In
the
> slants and stock trailers, there is pleanty of room for the horse to turn
> around.  Mine are trained to wait quietly while I untie or unsnap them,
then
> turn their head facing out and we walk quietly out.

You must have that rare breed of "spookless horses".   If possilbe the
horses should be
untied before you open the back doors. That's common sense. If you horses
are so
well trained they will still stand there.


This way, once the last
> horse is loaded and facing forward on the slant, he knows he has to stay
> there until I take his head to turn him. You can also load the horse and
> stand there with a lunge whip and tap his hindquarters if he starts to
back
> out.  If my "last horse" is iffy, I run the leadrope through the stock
> sides; making the horse think he is tied.  I then close the back door.
> Don't do something stupid like have your body behind the door, in case the
> horse exits quickly.  If I have a kid available, they stand on the other
> side and swing the door hard across to me.  But usually I am by myself.
>
> I'm sure the idea of the rope through the feeder door would work, but
> frankly, it is just too much trouble and time for me to go to.  I am
hauling
> out most everyday, and just am not going to go into that.  I have two
babies
> that go regularly, that learned to get in and out with pans of grain and
get
> hauled all the time.  I hung haybags at first for additional encouragment.
>
> Another argument in favor of NOT allowing the horse to back out is that
you
> have a
> lot less control of where the horse goes, or if he slams into you.  If you
> have control of his head, you have more control period.

I question your advice here. How is the horse going to slam you if you are
at his head and backing him out?
If you are leading him out you have more of a chance of him jumping on you
if you happen to trip on your way out of the trailer. When was the last time
you saw a horse step out of a trailer head first? Probably never, they jump
out.
Backing a horse is the safer of the two ways.
John
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