How to Teach Your Horse to Load
Before practicing loading and unloading, let your horse become comfortable with the trailer. Lead your horse around the trailer and let it inspect the curious object. Remember to stay calm and act normal, as if the trailer is nothing special. Your attitude will help keep the horse stress-free. You want to avoid bribing or punishing your horse to make them trailer. When training your horse to load and unload, you should be helping the horse load without having to lead it or force it into the trailer.
Next, make sure your horse knows simple commands. The most important to know when learning to trailer are:
- Walk
- Stop
- Back up
- Turn around
Finally, teach your horse to trailer. Back the trailer up to an enclosed area, and calmly walk your horse to the ramp. Guide your horse’s nose into the entryway and command him or her to “walk.” This step takes a lot of patience, because your horse may want to stop or back out several times. If this is the case, let your horse readjust before trying again.
Practice this as much as necessary until your horse is comfortable and well versed in trailering. Your horse transportation carrier will thank you, and you can be sure that your horse will remain safe during the loading process.