I am new to the trailer thing.  And do not know what to do.  I bought a really nice in excellent, excellent condition 03 Featherlite straight pull.  Ihave a 1500 ram, well, my horse hates the straight load and I could never go anywhere without 2 people to shut her in and get her out.  I have looked at trying to trade it in, but no one wants to trade on another used only new shich I cannot afford to do.  Everyone tells me to just keep working with her and soon she will load herself if I work at it and that my Featherlite will keep its resale a lot more then a Miley slant etc that I have been offered as a trade.  My probalme is I knwo they are right about the condition, and resale value of my trailer...but if I can't load her and go (she walks right on a lant, still sweats to death though) what is the sense holding on to the really great trailer I have?  thoughts, any...

torn!

If you have a trailer or any item that isn't working for you, it has little value to you. If it's unable to perform the function for which it was purchased, is it really a "great trailer"?

You would be better off with a less valuable trailer that you can use and enjoy. We have all made mistakes in purchasing wrong items for our needs. The sooner this problem is recognized and a replacement is effected, the sooner you can enjoy your horses. If something were to happen while loading or trailering with your present trailer, you would not be happy, knowing that the problem could have been alleviated.

Get a different trailer and move on. Enjoy your life and get rid of the problems.

Gard

Good perspective.

You are aboslutley correct!   I have read and printed more articles of teaching your horse to load this week!  If only someone could tach me how to teach!  

Thank you all for your input!  and underlying encouragment!

My overly anxious imported mare had only been in a straight load with ramp and I have a slant without.  She refused to go in at first.  Then ABSOLUTLEY refused to unload since she was afraid she would fall into nothingness.  I went back to groundwork and insisted that she back on command, then backed her out of the arena (Railroad tie perimeter).  Then loaded her 1/2 way in and backed her out, etc.  I keep a rope to put around her rear end if I'm by myself, but she unloads to the step down and waits for me to say "down, down" before she unloads now. 

She's not a good hauler and is nervous but that would be in any trailer.  I've a friend that uses a light sedative on her horse when she trailers him so that it's not so stressful for him and he doesn't sweat so much.  I'm probably going to try that at some point.  But, the groundwork is the key to the loading and unloading.  Just because there is a slight change in what they are used to doesn't mean that they get to say no.  I tell mine that I buy the oats. . .   But, if there is a physical reason that the trailer is uncomfortable or something, you should check that out - can't figure out what that would be though.

Good luck - I wanted to skin my mare the first couple of days!

I have a couple of perspectives on this.

I had a large grey foxtrotter gelding, that had always turned around and walked out forward of my slant load trailers. When I bought my 1st trailer with managers, it no longer could get turned around. He was almost impossible to get unloaded the 1st few times that I used the new trailer.  After fighting with him for hour on the 4th of July in 100+ degree heat. I vowed he would learn. We went back to the basics of just backing on command. Backing over a curb or ditch, things where their were no walls to obscure his turning and looking. We practiced that getting on taller steps offs. Then we started the process again but with walls. I'd back him down cattle chutes, anything where he could not see behind him and couldn't turn to look.  Back to the trailer, we did a lot of half in and half out exercises. It took an hour a day for a few days, but he soon learned he could back out.  So practice does pay off. But 5 eyars later that grey gelding is still nervous of backing out of a trailer. He shakes, he steps off and back in and off and back in.  He just doesn't do it with any confidence.

Another experience I pulled into a fair ground parking lot to pick up my daughter and single mom was trying to load her daughter's horse. It would not load in her two horse trailer. I was waiting for my daughter and being helpful I tried to help her load it. It would not load in her trailer, so I tried to load it in my larger GN.  Went right in. The mother exclaimed, Please just haul it home for us!  I said no, lets just teach it to load in your trailer. We unloaded and loaded a couple more times in my trailer and then went to try her trailer. The horse loaded in her trailer, but as I went to tie the lead, the horse exploded and tried to back out. Her 13 year old daughter was directly behind the horse trying to push it back in the trailer, So I tried to hold the horse so it didn't back over the girl. My fingers got caught in the rope and the metal of the trailer I was tying to. I ripped off two finger tips. If I had it to over again. I would just haul that horse home in my trailer and not fight the battle trying to teach it to load in a smaller 2 horse trailer.

So yes a horse with practice can be taught to load/unload into almost anything. But if you are not comfortable training, the safe bet may be buying a different trailer that she will load in easily. I would hate to see you sell a great trailer. but I would hate to hear that you got hurt trying to get your horse into a trailer she hates. Sometimes the smarter choice is to choose the battle that are easier to win. So either buy a trailer she will load in, buy a different horse that will load in your current trailer or hire some help to teach you ohow to load the horse.

Riding 4 Me, we had a similar issue this Spring. My husband bought a very large MFT gelding that had only been in stock type trailers. We have slant load trailers - 1 7ft. and 1 8ft. However, I prefer my horses to back out since I want to place them either in the first slant or second slant without worrying about where to place each horse and how they have to come out.

The poor guy had never been asked to back out before nor had he been confined in a slant- he's 12. He was scared the first few times - but comes out like a champ now. Only took about an hour to teach him to back out with lots of praise and always going slow.

Here is how we taught him to back out quietly.First of all he is a very easy loader and stands quiet in the trailer, he also knows how to back on verbal command on the ground and bend and flex with the halter and moves off body pressure. If your horse doesn't know how to back on the ground along with flexing start here first. He also needs to respect your space and how to move off pressure -you don't want to be smashed with him trying to turn around in a small space.

We took a small bucket of grain (1/2 cup or so),  showed him the grain and then hung it in the trailer. He was eager to walk in and get the food. We let him stand quietly and then placed a bit more food in the bucket - unhooked it, pressed the bucket on his chest and ask him to back while saying "Back". He has to flex his head down and everytime he took just one step, he got a reward by eating some of the grain out of the bucket. At the edge of the trailer we say step and he has learned that "Step" means the edge of the trailer and he needs to step down.

As far as closing the divider, we let him eat his grain with the slant closed and another horse next to him. This really helps ease anxiety for the first few times. He doesn't have a problem traveling by himself or with others.

This worked for us. There are many other methods too. Clinton Anderson has a good video and I'm sure a local trainer can help you with this issue and get it solved quickly. The main key is the horse needs to feel comfortable in the trailer and respect you.