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Member
Posts: 8
| Okay I'm at a lost my daughter new mare will not back out of the trailer, She goes in fine no problems jumps right in then will not back out. She tries turning herself around to go out forward, BAD DEAL! Any ideas or suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
Edited by sliles 2017-02-18 4:27 PM
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Addicted to Baseball
  
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright, TX | Wish I could help! Used to bother me too until I got a horse with an injury that made it uncomfortable for her to step out backwards. She and my husband went round and round over and over and both hated each other. He wasn't giving in and neither was she. Stressed me out. Her injury was discovered later after other riding issues showed up when she was being started under saddle. We have a big enough trailer for her to turn around and exit the way she's most comfortable. We let it go, she's happy. Problem solved. When you have no choice it suddenly stops being a big deal.
Edited by Tilt The Kilt 2017-02-18 5:45 PM
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 380
| My mare is the same way. Hates backing out and I have a small 2 horse straight load. I can't really fault her for not wanting to. She gets in and out of a slant load without question. So I just plan on getting a slant load if it would make her more comfortable. Until that time she will just have to deal. She does it but doesn't like it. |
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 Not Afraid to Work
Posts: 4717
| This may not be what some want to hear but I literally will force them out. For example, new horses not used to hauling. I give them chances, spend a lot of time hoping they will do it willingly. Eventually I will shove them out. Sometimes they just need to understand you're not backing them off the edge of the world. Had this issue with a few horses and now they load/unload like a dream. I make sure I praise them after I shove them out like it was their idea. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
Location: Durango CO | One of my mares was the same way. I had to have a lot of patience and told her to "step" at the end of the trailer. There were times I wld shove her put and other times I wldload her first so she had more incentive to come out. Then, other times I wld leave her there untill she really wanted out enough to try. She still prefers to turn around and sometimes I let her but now she knows what to do and will do it every time. |
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 Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
Location: Bandera, TX | I have one that has to turn around. I fought this for years, but eventually gave up.... |
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  Keeper of the King Snake
Posts: 7616
Location: Dubach, LA | Back the trailer into a ditch so the step out is mere inches. Pull up a little each day until she's comfortable with any height drop |
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Expert
Posts: 2121
Location: The Great Northwest | CanCan - 2017-02-18 6:00 PM Back the trailer into a ditch so the step out is mere inches. Pull up a little each day until she's comfortable with any height drop
I insist to back out even a eight foot wide is not good to turn and sling shot out.
I have a low spot to set the trailer for lessons on backing out. I will start just as if it is the first time to load. When they know to back out, I will gradually increase the step down. |
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One Grateful Mom
Posts: 2702
Location: wolverton,mn | Put a bit on one,attach long lines and back them out. You are driving them,but in reverse.
Pull back as hard as you need to,go ahead and have someone in front of the horse and while you are pulling back,have that person reinforce it.
Obviously,if it gets in a panic,back off some.
You might need to put a bridle on it til he learns to come out. Might take a handful of times but that will teach them it's o.k. To back out |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 808
| stayceem - 2017-02-18 4:08 PM
This may not be what some want to hear but I literally will force them out. For example, new horses not used to hauling. I give them chances, spend a lot of time hoping they will do it willingly. Eventually I will shove them out. Sometimes they just need to understand you're not backing them off the edge of the world. Had this issue with a few horses and now they load/unload like a dream. I make sure I praise them after I shove them out like it was their idea.
I do the same thing. Normally only have to so it once or twice with babies. The look on their face when you shove them out and they realize that is wasn't that big of a deal can sometimes be comical.
As someone else commented earlier. I don't care if my rig is 10 feet wide or 3...my horse is going to back out. None of mine (not even my yearlings) have any issues with backing off the trailer. It's always been one of those things that this is the way it is, no ifs ands or buts. |
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | Put a chain on her nose and ask her to back, Let her take as many or few as steps as she wants to start with. Continue until she is out. Make take a bit, but I won't let mine turn around. |
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Location: South Dakota | First, they need to be very soft and good at backing, with ground work....then practice backing out of the barn, through gates, that type of deal, and when they can do that easily without resistance, work on the trailer backing. |
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Expert
Posts: 2121
Location: The Great Northwest | Caution to those who may attempt to shove or force one off, the horse or weanling is much heavier and stronger. You could get seriously hurt! |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
Location: Durango CO | The "shoving" comes into play when they make an attempt to put a foot down and you help them commit to it by pushing them backwards so they have to step out. Im not strong enough to push a 1000 lb horse out of a trailer. |
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 Born not Made
Posts: 2931
Location: North Dakota | sliles - 2017-02-18 4:25 PM Okay I'm at a lost my daughter new mare will not back out of the trailer, She goes in fine no problems jumps right in then will not back out. She tries turning herself around to go out forward, BAD DEAL! Any ideas or suggestion would be greatly appreciated.
You say "new mare". Has she been trained to back out of a trailer? Maybe she doesn't know how.
Or maybe she's just pressing your buttons.
Regardless, you just need to TRAIN her to back off the trailer. One foot in, one foot out. Repeat a thousand times. Then two feet in, two feet out. Repeat a thousand times. Then 3 feet ..... then eventually you'll do all 4 feet. By the time you get there, it's going to be no big deal for this mare.
It's about having control of your horse's feet and being able to place each foot wherever you want it, when you it. Even if you just so happen to be unloading from a trailer..... Even though she loads fine, do not let her load all the way until she is ready, or else you run right into the problem you are having.
It's a ground manners problem. Your horse is refusing to do what you are asking them to do. Just like if you have a barrel horse that is blowing by a barrel, you take a step back in your training, and trouble shoot what you need to do and then TRAIN to fix the problem. Ground work is no different.
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | r_beau - 2017-02-19 2:07 PM sliles - 2017-02-18 4:25 PM Okay I'm at a lost my daughter new mare will not back out of the trailer, She goes in fine no problems jumps right in then will not back out. She tries turning herself around to go out forward, BAD DEAL! Any ideas or suggestion would be greatly appreciated. You say "new mare". Has she been trained to back out of a trailer? Maybe she doesn't know how.
Or maybe she's just pressing your buttons.
Regardless, you just need to TRAIN her to back off the trailer. One foot in, one foot out. Repeat a thousand times. Then two feet in, two feet out. Repeat a thousand times. Then 3 feet ..... then eventually you'll do all 4 feet. By the time you get there, it's going to be no big deal for this mare.
It's about having control of your horse's feet and being able to place each foot wherever you want it, when you it. Even if you just so happen to be unloading from a trailer..... Even though she loads fine, do not let her load all the way until she is ready, or else you run right into the problem you are having.
It's a ground manners problem. Your horse is refusing to do what you are asking them to do. Just like if you have a barrel horse that is blowing by a barrel, you take a step back in your training, and trouble shoot what you need to do and then TRAIN to fix the problem. Ground work is no different.
Very wise explanation  Also I would make sure this mare will back from you while putting pressure on her nose and asking her to back up, So if you can you can ask her to back out while your applying the pressure. |
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Member
Posts: 8
| She is 10 years old and new to us, the lady we brought her from knew nothing about her, she was pretty skinny, we have put weight on her and my daughter has been riding her. She backs on the ground and I can use my hand to push her nose down for her to back more. I did try backing her through a little gate she didn't want to at first I walked her half way through it and then back and walked her more and back again it was better! I thank everyone for there input it really does help and I'm just going to have to take it back to the beginning foot by foot! |
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