Home
>
Pet
>
Do You Make These Mistakes Loading Your Horse Into A Trailer?

Do You Make These Mistakes Loading Your Horse Into A Trailer?

Mistake #1:

"Here, Kitty Kitty..."

Unless they have been educated, new horse owners often think a horse is like a cat or dog. They figure if they tap their thighs and say, "C'mon,...C'mon,...C'mon..." the horse'll will simply jump right in the trailer like a happy dog or cat.

Mistake #2:

"Using Food As Bait"

Putting hay, grain, apples, or whatever at the front of the trailer to tempt a horse to step in and eat almost never works. If it did, it would be a fluke. I've seen horses lean forward to try and eat the food but wouldn't step into the trailer if their life depended on it.

Mistake #3:

"Forgetting To Hook The Trailer To The Truck"

Don't forget to hitch the trailer to the truck before getting a horse to go in the trailer. If a horse steps into a trailer that moves around unforgivably, you will have a harder time getting that horse in later. He'll remember it - especially if this is the horse's first time.

Mistake #4:

"The Classic Tug Of War"

Here's the scene. Man (or woman) pulls lead rope to desperately drag their horse into the trailer. Horse weighs 10 times more than man or woman and has far more strength than the man or woman. Final score of this battle is: Human - Zero...Horse - Won

Mistake #5:

"Going Trail Riding Before Horse Is Good At Loading In A Trailer"

I've seen it time and time again. People go trail riding and when the ride is over the horse won't get back in the trailer. Amusingly, the horse owner comments, "Dang horse, he got in their last month". Remember to get your horse to practice this so it gets fixed on his brain.

It seems there will always be at least once a horse owner cannot load his horse into a trailer. But the secret is to teach a horse sending signals so he knows what you want him to do. It's partly how man and horse communicate.

If you ever find yourself frustrated with your horse because he won't get in, here's a quick solution.

Get a long rope and loop it over his rear and let it slide down to about the top of his back legs. Let the rope hit around his back legs and note his reaction. (Be holding this rope in your right hand and hold his halter with your left hand) He may kick at the rope on his back legs or he may not. If he doesn't, it means he's likely okay with the rope being back there.

If he kicks at the rope then he needs to get used to it. Just let the rope kind of hang there and touch his back legs. The horse may get jumpy and try to move from it. He may move forward or in a circle. While holding his halter stiffen your left arm a bit and make him go around you while holding the rope and halter. You, the handler, are acting as an axis.

Fairly quickly the horse will realize the rope isn't hurting him and you can move to the next step.

Pull on the rope to get the horse to move with you. When he moves forward from your pull, release the pressure. The idea is for him to move when you exert the pressure. He should catch on pretty quickly to what you want.

Now lead him to the trailer and guide his head into the trailer if necessary. With the lead rope attached to his halter, pull on the lead rope while pulling harder on the "butt rope".

Your horse may or may not jump in the trailer but chances are he will. Also, be careful doing this because he may pop in the trailer very quickly and you could get hurt.

About The Author

Andy Curry is a nationally known horse trainer and author of several best selling horse training and horse care books. For information visit his website at www.horsetrainingandtips.com. He is also the leading expert on Jesse Beery's horse training methods which can be seen at www.horsetrainingandtips.com.

top rated cleaning service Bannockburn ...

In The News:

Americans average 10-plus hours online daily, according to recent survey, splitting time between streaming shows on TV and browsing websites on multiple devices.

Boost your smartphone privacy instantly with these security tweaks for iPhone and Android that limit ad tracking, hide notifications and prevent unauthorized access.

Platforms like Hoax Tech and JS Click Cloaker help cybercriminals bypass detection systems using machine learning to selectively display scam content to victims.

A new battery recycling technique transforms old lithium-ion batteries into high-performance components that retain 88% capacity after 500 cycles with minimal waste.

Google's Android operating system can warn users about earthquakes before the shaking even begins – and there are ways to do it on your iPhone, too.

Meta's new gesture control wristband might just be the most seamless way to control a computer yet. And no, it doesn't require surgery, a camera, or even a touchscreen. All it needs is your wrist.

Long-haul trucks are now being upgraded with a surprising twist, thanks to California-based startup Revoy. Their electric boost doesn't replace diesel but works alongside it to cut emissions and fuel costs without major disruption.

PayPal and Venmo just rolled out something big: AI-powered scam alerts for Friends and Family payments.

As data centers multiply across the United States, energy demand is increasing at a rapid pace. This has not escaped the notice of large investment firms from Wall Street.

The Unicode Consortium, the nonprofit organization that maintains the Unicode Standard to ensure emojis work across devices, has announced Unicode 17.0, which includes nine new emojis slated for release this fall, in September 2025.

OpenAI is one of the world's leading AI research labs. Founded in 2015, it's behind some of today's most talked-about tools, including GPT, DALL·E, and ChatGPT.

Ever catch your dog staring at the screen during movie night and wonder if they're actually watching? Turns out, they might be. A new scientific study from Auburn University found that many dogs really do engage with television, and not all pups react the same way.

Stop the scammers from making contact in the first place. They're getting your parents' contact information and much more personal data besides, from somewhere.

The Walker S2 robot from UBTech autonomously exchanges its batteries in just three minutes, allowing continuous operation in car factories operated by BYD, Nio and Zeekr.

The FX Super One electric MPV from Faraday Future offers flexible seating, zero-gravity recliners and an AI system that creates a personal connection between driver and vehicle.

Practical solutions for reducing unwanted charity mail, political texts and email spam by opting out of shared lists, replying "STOP" and using data removal services.

Delta's new AI pricing system eliminates static airfares for personalized rates based on individual data, raising questions about fairness while promising optimized revenue.

AI data centers are straining the power grid across 13 states, contributing to a $9 billion increase in electricity costs, and PJM customers face monthly bill increases of $25 or more.

Artificial intelligence is transforming the music industry as AI-generated bands like The Velvet Sundown earn substantial streaming revenue, prompting lawsuits from major record labels.

Microsoft phishing scams use fake security alerts and links that redirect to credential-stealing pages with warning signs, including urgent language and unusual senders.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Tesla vehicles manufactured since mid-2021 with AMD Ryzen processors can now access Grok 4, xAI's witty conversational assistant designed to make drives more engaging.

Understand how technology affects mental health through five concepts, including blue light exposure, screen time management and algorithmic bias.

Electric vehicle maker Lucid adds hands-free driving through an over-the-air update for Air sedan owners with the DreamDrive Pro package and Gravity SUV support coming later.

Protect your home network from hidden dangers, including router vulnerabilities, ISP tracking and smart device weaknesses with proper encryption, firmware updates and VPN technology.

Do You Make These Mistakes Loading Your Horse Into A Trailer?

Pet