Comments on: Train Your Horse to Unload from the Trailer Safely

By: Brenda

Brenda — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 09:34:22 +0000

My show horse always loaded and unloaded great, until a trainer hauled him to a show for me. After that I started to have problems. He walks into the trailer fine and backs out fine. The problem is, after walking in he will not stay there long enough for me to shut the gate and starts backing out and will not stop. If I try to hold him he will then speed up. I parked my rig in the pasture and started feeding him in it. At first he would walk in get a bite, back out and chew, the walk back in for another. This continued until he finished his feed. After a few days he started staying and finishing his feed, then would back out. He always walked in and backed out calmly. I then tried to walk him in and brush him while he was standing, but he will not stay for a full brushing. The only way I can load him and get him to stand long enough to shut the gate is to have a helper to shut the back door while I finish and then let me out. This is not always possible. I do not know what happened, but I do know he was the last horse they put in their 3 horse slant load, and I did hear a comotion at their trailer when they were loading. I suspect they tied him and he stepped off the back of the trailer and panicked.
Any suggestions would be helpful.

By: Anna

Anna — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 06:52:46 +0000

Wow! Alot to know! Thanks HC!

By: Mary

Mary — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 11:09:18 +0000

We have just brought a new 12yr mare and she is very quiet she loads great but she bolts out of the float. I will try your tips, do you have anyothers?

By: Jan

Jan — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 21:05:16 +0000

Help !!! Our gelding has always unloaded quietly until one day when for no reason that we can figure out he flew out of our stock trailer (backwards) and hit his head. We now have a head bumper for him, but he wants to fly backwards or run back into the trailer. He is hauled with an older gelding who loads first and unloads last. We don’t know what to do so that we don’t make this a bigger problem.

By: PKL

PKL — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 05:48:00 +0000

My horse does not like to back, and she ends up backing sideways. I do not have a trailer to practice with. I do set up a little stall type deal, where she has to set up, and then back out.

By: Diana

Diana — Sun, 23 May 2010 11:27:44 +0000

Thanks for the advice. My mare tends to tip toe out of our trailer. Maybe I’ll practice more often with her.

By: Bill Block

Bill Block — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 11:13:39 +0000

I understand what your saying. My problems is the horse in question does not want to leave the trailer forward or backwards. Any suggestions?

By: C

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:16:55 +0000

I wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy perfer Monty Roberts easy advice, instead of taking common sense and making it glitz and glamoury like Mr. Cox, he gets down to buisness with a proven method!

By: darcell

darcell — Thu, 21 May 2009 08:26:32 +0000

Good practical and common sense tips- a great reminder before trail riding season!

By: Susan

Susan — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 05:51:26 +0000

I’ve been looking for this article!! I have an older horse who loads great but rushes backing out; I worked with him last year w/ Monty Roberts’ halter and it did teach him to back out slower but he traded it for taking 5-10 min. to load – but I accepted the switch and it all eventually balanced out. Now to see what happens in 2009! Will work w/ Cox’s method in the spring. Thanks!