Loading up on Trailer Quietly: A Lesson

August 17, 2012 - Equine Behavior, Training Horses - Tagged: , , - no comments

8-17-2012

Last night I worked with an older mare who had issues with standing quietly in the trailer. No problem loading up (stock trailer) but then when asked to turn around, would touch the side of the trailer with her butt and then spin and prance then bolt out. The owner was nervous about being run over in the process (rightly so) and as such, asked me to work with her.

Just before working with her on the trailer we had worked inside the arena teaching some young gals (Trainers in Training) about Clicker Training. Both gals and the mare did great. The concept was readily accepted and the mare really responded very quickly. (She had had a bit of CT prior but very little and just very basic ‘stuff’)

So, after we finished up in the indoor we ventured outdoors to get the mare loaded up on the trailer. We proceeded step-by-step during the 45 min. session:

1. Two fronts on trailer. C/T.
2. Stand quietly. C/T.
3. Back off.
4. Repeat 3 times (maybe 4?)
5. All 4’s on trailer. C/T.
6. Stand quietly. C/T.
7. Back off quietly. C/T.
8. Repeat 3 times.
9. Load up on trailer and walk to front. C/T.
10. Stand quietly. C/T.
11. Back off quietly. C/T.
12. Repeat.
13. Load up, walk to front, turn around and stand quietly. C/T
14. Walk forward couple of steps and stand quietly. C/T
15. Back up couple of steps and stand quietly. C/T
16. Walk off trailer quietly. C/T
17. Repeat 3-4 times.
18. Instructed to now let the horse alone and ‘soak it all in’.

Mare and handlers alike ended session calmly, quietly.
C/T for all! 🙂

(Afterwards I talked with the owner of the horse about the importance of allowing the horse to EXHALE and lick and chew a bit. Also — the importance of her OWN exhaling. Many times its not the horse with the issue but the handler with the nervous issue that transfers to the horse causing the horse to get nervous. So after the owner walked the horse up onto the trailer a couple of times, turned around, exhaled, she felt much better and promised to do alot of ‘exhaling’ as she visualized this process in the week to come.)