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Veteran
Posts: 160
 
| I recently bought a youngster and she will get on the trailer perfectly but wont back off the trailer. I have a step up which im sure is the issue shes having of feeling like shes falling off. Her backing on the ground is great. I have backed her off of side walks etc and shes great, i can back her off with 2 feet in the trailerjust not the whole way. I have tried ttapping and increasing my tappingtil she makes slightest move back then stop, ive tried 2 longe ropes on both sides to guide her bck. Im at a LOST....any other suggestionsother then letting her turn aaround and jump out? |
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 Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
 
Location: Louisiana | We had a mare that we literally tried everything with. She even got to the point where she wouldn't get off if you let her turn around. I guess by that point we were all annoyed! We even tried completely retraining her to the trailer. And each day would work with her one foot at a time were she was calm. But as soon as we hauled somewhere(after about 60 days of being home and daily in and out) she refused again.
With a lot of work we finally got to where she would consistently get out when turned around. It wasn't ideal, but it was what it was. After we just let her turn around each time, she became much more calm about the trailer, and would just hop off. |
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 Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
Location: Bandera, TX | dashnlotti - 2015-07-28 6:26 PM We had a mare that we literally tried everything with. She even got to the point where she wouldn't get off if you let her turn around. I guess by that point we were all annoyed! We even tried completely retraining her to the trailer. And each day would work with her one foot at a time were she was calm. But as soon as we hauled somewhere(after about 60 days of being home and daily in and out) she refused again.
With a lot of work we finally got to where she would consistently get out when turned around. It wasn't ideal, but it was what it was. After we just let her turn around each time, she became much more calm about the trailer, and would just hop off.
I have one like that too - after so many years of trying, I have given up on changing her. She turns around and we are ok with this now... |
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Veteran
Posts: 160
| Thats where im at how much do i want to fight her...do i just allow her to do it her way she doesn't rush off she calmly hops off. Or do i make her do it my way? Shes PERFECT every other way! |
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Location: on a hill | Back your trailer up to a hill so the step isn't high almost level with the trailer. Start from there. Get her confidence backing off almost level then increase the step as she gets confident in her backing off. Let her take her time. Dont rush her. |
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Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
Location: Louisiana | A lot of it also depends on how often you haul her. If you have a couple months to just play in the trailer at home, you might get her comfortable backing off. If you're hauling her, at some point it just becomes a burden to fight with her in public. Bc by the time you get her off the trailer you're both frazzled and not ready to run. That was my experience anyway. We were able to spend about 2 months at home loading and unloading daily. And she went back to her old ways the first trip to town. Once she realized we weren't going to fight her about it anymore, she was very calm about unloading. She slowly turned around and would step out. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1087
Location: Midland, MI | I've done this before with a couple that don't like backing out and it does work pretty good, get two lunge lines and hook them up, stand outside the trailer and do some ground work backing them out, like you're driving them. Make sure they understand the concept before doing it in the trailer. Try with a halter and possibly a bit if that won't work. |
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 Peecans
| When I teach them to load I do it one foot at a time. So I ask them to step in they put one foot up I scratch and back them up. Do this until its awsome then both from feet in then back up. Then a back foot and back off, then all the way in and back off.
This way you are teaching the horse the whole picture, getting on AND getting off. Sometimes I think people forget that huge part of trailer traning is getting off the trailer. Lol
I would start there, teach her one foot at a time. |
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Veteran
Posts: 160
| I have done this also, on the ground she does it ibside the trailer she wont move an inch. |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | paturninburnin89 - 2015-07-29 6:08 AM I have done this also, on the ground she does it ibside the trailer she wont move an inch.
Then your horse has a leading problem.
If there is a situation where your horse won't lead (whether that's forward or backwards motion) then there are holes in the leading training.
Ground work, ground work. If there's a situation where you ask the horse to move their feet and they refuse, once again, there are holes in the ground work.
Whether or not you want to fix them, that's up to you, but I've never had a horse I couldn't train to self-load and to back nicely off the trailer. It's about gaining control of their feet at all times. I find it a necessity that my horses back off the trailer b/c if they are ever loaded in the last slant of my slant trailer, they HAVE to back off.
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Veteran
Posts: 160
| I wouldn't say its a leading problem if she backs every where at anytime besides off of the trailer, id say she has a fear of falling. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3815
Location: The best kept secret in TX | My boy is so long he can barely turn around safely with me in the trailer. He likes to ride backwards anyway so I unclip his halter and move out of his way and he eventually turns around. When I open the gate he waits until I have his lead clipped before stepping off head first.
I tried backing him off the trailer when I first got him and he hit his head really hard on the top of the trailer...I guess he felt like he was falling and tried to catch himself.
He wears a helmet now just in case LOL He looks funny in it but I'm not taking a chance again on him hitting his head again if he ever got spunky in the trailer again.
Wish I had more advice. Some horses just don't like to back off trailers... |
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  Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | della - 2015-07-29 5:45 AM When I teach them to load I do it one foot at a time. So I ask them to step in they put one foot up I scratch and back them up. Do this until its awsome then both from feet in then back up. Then a back foot and back off, then all the way in and back off. This way you are teaching the horse the whole picture, getting on AND getting off. Sometimes I think people forget that huge part of trailer traning is getting off the trailer. Lol I would start there, teach her one foot at a time.
Exactly.....when they learn this way with one foot on & one off a million times, then two feet on & off a million times then by the time you get to loading the 4th foot they've already unloaded a million times and don't have to be taught how to. Teach them to load properly to begin with and the unloading fixes itself. Just because a horse goes on a trailer ok doesn't mean they truly know how to load properly. |
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Born not Made
Posts: 2937
Location: North Dakota | paturninburnin89 - 2015-07-29 11:07 AM I wouldn't say its a leading problem if she backs every where at anytime besides off of the trailer, id say she has a fear of falling.
You aren't backing her off a cliff and your horse KNOWS that. They're often a lot smarter than we give them credit for.
Your horse has your number and is refusing to let you lead her backwards in the trailer. Yes, she has a leading problem.
I do exactly what Della said above: one foot on, one foot off. Rinse. Repeat. Basic foot control through leading. They place their feet where I tell them.
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Peecans
| paturninburnin89 - 2015-07-29 10:07 AM
I wouldn't say its a leading problem if she backs every where at anytime besides off of the trailer, id say she has a fear of falling.
Then you got to teach her one foot at a time that is all ok.
Even forget the trailer for the moment and do some good solid ground work, lunging for respect, sending her in between you and a fence. Back with just a little shake of your hand. Challenge her mentaly and be there to support her and encourage her to look to you for not only advice but safety.
Basically she either has a hole in her traning or dosent trust you or both. Some good constructive ground work will fix that. |
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