Question: I cannot find trailering info that helps once the horse is loaded. For example, how to prevent hauling problems. Especially with slant load trailers and in situations where I have no help from other people. Should the horse be tied or not? Backed out or led out from the front stall? Should you train one to actually exit through the escape door? What if the horse is becoming a worse traveler as time goes on? Are there thought processes that would help figure out the reason? Should one ever leave the dividers open and the horse loose? What about loading order for more than one horse? What about the pros and cons of straight load versus slant load? How much clearance does a horse need around his body while in a trailer stall?

Charles: First, let me answer your question on how to get a horse to be comfortable in the trailer to prevent hauling problems. You can solve this problem by working with your horse on the four parts of trailer loading. The four parts to trailer loading are: going into the trailer, standing comfortably in the trailer while stationary, unloading from the trailer, and being relaxed while riding in the trailer.
First, your horse must be comfortable going into the trailer. Comfortable means the horse is relaxed and willing to calmly walk in; not resistant and not showing fear, such as eyes bugged out. One thing you can do to make your horse more willing to walk into your trailer is to make the trailer more inviting for him. Two ways you can do this are to make the trailer smell appealing and to make sure it is not too hot inside. One problem some owners may unknowingly create is to buy a new trailer that has the smell of rubber mats and expect the horse to jump right in.
The owner may like that new, clean smell but the horse may resist loading because the trailer does not have the smell he is familiar with. Horses feel more relaxed in a trailer with familiar smells. What I always do is put shavings in the trailer to make the horse more comfortable. I also add a little bit of old manure and soiled shavings to the new shavings. Shavings encourage the horse to urinate when I stop and fuel up my truck (most horses won’t urinate when they are traveling). Shavings prevent splattering, which horses do not like, and they smell like home.
Keeping the inside of your trailer from becoming too hot will also make your horse more willing to go in. Adding shavings also prevents the heat of the road from heating up the temperature in the trailer. In addition, insulating the roof of your trailer helps to block the sun’s heat. It keeps the heat from bearing down on the horse, making them more comfortable in the trailer.
Secondly, your horse must be comfortable standing in the stationary trailer. If your horse goes in the trailer but then tries to come right back out, this is a sign that it is not comfortable in the trailer. Some horsemen believe that if a horse rides facing the back of the trailer, it is more comfortable. I believe that is a fallacy because the reason the horse wants to turn around is to escape.
Horses always seem to know where home is. If you ride in the arena, you may have learned that most horses know where that arena gate is. Also you could be trail riding 10 miles away from home and I guarantee your horse knows what direction home is. It is no different in the trailer. What is happening is that the horse is not comfortable in the trailer so it wants to leave. It is our job to make it relaxed, like it is standing in its box stall at home. We have to train our horse to be comfortable in the trailer. What I do is to send the horse into the trailer many times, until the horse stands on his own in the corner facing forward—loving that forward corner. To make it even more inviting, I drop the windows down.
Thirdly, your horse must unload in a relaxed manner. Once the horse goes in calmly and stands calmly, it will no longer want to rush out and leave the trailer. If I am teaching a horse to load into a slant load, I will let them turn around and unload in the beginning. The horse is still uncomfortable with the trailer and for me to insist that it back out is detrimental to the horse because its instinct tells it to turn around and flee. It is also dangerous for the handler because of the width of the trailer.
In the beginning, I send it in, the horse comes out, and then I immediately send it back in again until the horse stands quietly on its own in the trailer. At that point, I can go in and teach the horse to back out. I only start teaching the horse to back out after it already knows how to back up on the ground. The back up cue must be well-established so that the horse will listen to the cue even under emotional pressure.
So to answer your question, “Should a horse be backed or led out?” I always teach my horses to back out of a trailer.
The fourth part to trailer loading is making your horse relaxed while riding in the trailer. You have spent a lot of time making the horse comfortable in the trailer while stationary, by adding shavings, opening windows, etc.
You must now do the same thing while the horse is riding in the trailer. You do this by being a good driver. You are not a good driver if you go around turns too quickly and throw the horse to one side or stop too quickly at stop signs and throw the horse forward. All of this will scare the horse and create anxiety. If a horse is not relaxed after a ride in the trailer the reason may be your driving. If you spend time taking short trips with you horse in the trailer making his ride smooth, he will become comfortable riding in the trailer.

Next month, I will continue giving you trailering tips and answer the rest of your questions. If you have any questions, please visit me online at www.charleswilhelm.com.

God Bless,

Charles Wilhelm
It’s Never Ever the Horse’s Fault