Quick Exit
September 18, 2009
Solutions for a horse who rushes violently out of the horse trailer.
Question:
What do you do with a horse who rushes out of a straight-load horse trailer? We have gotten our 10-year-old horse to get into the trailer. But when we try to back him out slowly, he pulls out of our hands and rushes backward.
Susan and Ronald Marcotte Sr.
Answer:
Your horse is rushing backward out of the trailer out of fear. When horses are unsure of themselves, the flight response kicks in, and they get in a hurry.
There is no time in nature when a horse would have to back down a step, which is one reason why many people prefer a trailer with a ramp.
If possible, you should load your horse in a trailer that he can turn around in at first so he can see the step he has to take. Maybe you can take out a divider so he can turn around. If he can see and understand the step first, he might be a little calmer about backing out.
You might try walking him in part way, then gently asking him to back out one step at a time, gradually increasing how far in and out he goes until he is more used to the step down. Make sure you control his movements entirely so he doesn’t learn to back out while you are loading him.
You also need to do more ground work with your horse so you have better control over his feet and can control each step he takes. Practice this outside the trailer by asking your horse to back one step at a time, pausing between each step and waiting for your signal for the next step. There are lots of exercises you can do from the ground to gain better control.
Julie Goodnight
AQHA Professional Horsewoman and Certified Horsemanship Association International Spokesperson
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3 Comments on “Quick Exit”
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May 16th, 2009 at 7:32 am
Sometimes it isn’t a fear issue, it is impatience. In that case, I have had good results with unloading into a “puddle”. It makes the eager-to-unload horse think about what his footing is going to be like when he gets out.
July 16th, 2009 at 7:39 am
It can be really dangerous when horses rush out. We take them back and train them to stand still using a voice command ” wait” with a food reward. Start on the ground. Walk forward, stop say wait. Stand still for a few minutes and give a food treat. Load the horse, say wait and give a food treat (do not close the box) . Wait a few minutes and say “back” and push him out of the box. Repeat a few times. The food treat encourages them to stand still. It is good to then give a food treat just as you start opening at the back and keep feeding for a few moments before saying “back” which gives permission to back out of the box, whenever you go to a show. By “food treat” I mean a few horse biscuits, alfafa hay or carrots.
September 22nd, 2009 at 5:56 am
I have had good success by putting the horse in a slant load in a forward stall, leaving the butt bar in place and then asking the horse to back out. (If you don’t have a solid bar at the back, then leave the door closed.) When the horse backs and starts to run out, the physical obstical at the back of the trailer stops the backward momentum. This tends to show the horse that he doesn’t need to panic on a level that doesn’t hurt him and allows him to teach himself that there is nothing to worry about. When the horse stops, if I am in the trailer with him (but only if I am sure he is not going to rush forward when the obstical is hit) then I praise him and give a nibble of grain from a feed bucket. Usually after a few days of this the horse is looking forward to the grain reward and I have to push him off the trailer. Once this is acomplished with the larger slant load, the idea seems to transfer over to the smaller trailers with the horses I have worked with. This method is non-threatening to the horse and allows him to basically teach himself that trailers are nothing to be afraid of. Remember, though, that horses DO NOT like closed spaces and must be reminded constantly that trailers are not a bad thing. Which is why feeding them while hauling is always good – they associate food (which is good) with the trailer.