OklahomaHorses Magazine March 2022

March/April 2022 • OklahomaHorses 11 Tips for Trailering Your Horse Try the Equine Point of View by Dr. Kris Hiney, Equine Extension Specialist, Oklahoma State University I n the January-February 2022 issue, we discussed the many problems horses might have with trailering and why those might occur. We also mentioned frequent trainer errors that might increase the horse’s dislike of trailers, including poor driving, failure to provide negative reinforcement when the horse performs part of a correct behavior, or applying too much pressure. Habituation Habituation is essentially the process in which a horse learns over time that some- thing in its environment does not induce fear or stress. It is a gradual process that should not be rushed or it can inadvertent- ly create fear. For example, foals that learn to load into trailers following their dams will learn to load easily because it becomes normal to them. However, you can easily imagine that if the mare exhibits stress near the trailer, the foal will quickly pick up on that behavior. You can easily duplicate that process for a yearling or young horse prior to taking your horse for a long haul. Ideally, the horse would learn to load and unload without traveling. Then sched- ule short trips and drive carefully in the learning process. Often the biggest mistake we make as horse handlers is to have all those actions take place in one day, loading into a trailer, traveling a long distance, and perhaps showing up in a new stressful en- vironment (veterinarian, new home, horse show). No wonder the horse never wants to get back into the trailer! Unloading Many owners are surprised or frustrated that horses might be unwilling to get out of or unload from a trailer. In human minds, if you can figure out how to get in, you can clearly figure out how to get out. Not true! From a horse’s perspective, backing off an obstacle is very different than stepping up onto something visible (the horse will lack any ability to have depth perception toward the back). In addition, horses are often not taught to back up as willingly as they are to lead. Some simple exercises such as teach- ing horses to back easily down slopes, off curbs, etc., will gain their trust and ability to back off trailers. Do Trailers Always Mean Something Bad? Think about the outcome of trailering from the horse’s perspective. If a horse is trailered only to a location where a stressful procedure occurs, it is natural that the horse would develop an association be- tween the trailer and the outcome. Perhaps the owner can help to break the cycle of anxiety for the horse by adding a trail ride to a show horse’s career, a trip to an equine massage therapist, or just a trip with no negative outcome at all. In my teaching career, students are often surprised at how easy it is to load young horses. Part of the reason is the background in quality training and ground control that the young horses have before we train them to load (hint — this is a big part of it), but another reason is that the horses have no negative experiences with trailers. The horses are simply following the direction of pressure and release, albeit in a new environment, from the handler whom they already understand. Emotion Horses are quite adept at picking up the emotions of their handlers. If trailer loading or the reason you are trailering your horse creates stress in you, that can cause unwanted behaviors in your horse. If handlers are rushed, worried, or — even worse — angry, expect that the trailering session will go poorly. The biggest challenge for many horse handlers is learning how to conquer their own emotions. If you rec- ognize this anxiety in yourself, it might be better to work with a professional who can help you through the training period until you are as calm and collected as you expect your horse to be. Final Thoughts Trailering doesn’t have to be stressful for your horse. Take your time to think through all the individual behaviors your horse has to learn, and take the time to teach! Don’t be afraid to ask for profes- sional help when you need it, and most of all — don’t get frustrated with your horses. They will thank you for that.