The truth is, the trailer-loading problem is a halter-manners problem, not a horse-trailer problem. Horses that refuse to load into a trailer do not respect the halter, and the way to cure the trailer problem is to address the halter problem.

When the handler pulls on the halter-rope to cue the horse to walk into the trailer, the horse that refuses to load will immediately shift his weight back, plant his feet, then probably toss his head in the air. All of this is to evade the halter, not the trailer! I guarantee that a horse who balks at a trailer is also disobedient on the halter rope at other times -- such as tying, leading, longing, etc. In each case, the action is the same: shift the weight, plant the feet, toss the head.

The cure for this type of disobedience is to use either a Chain (under the horse's chin -- not over the nose) or a Be-Nice Halter (see the HT Equipment page). Because the horse does not want to load into the trailer, it's crucial that he respects the pressure of the halter more than he fears or resists loading into the trailer. A plain halter is too mild to convince the horse to lead where he does not want to go, so the Chain or BN Halter gives him a lot more incentive.

Do not load the horse into the trailer until both you and your horse are comfortable using the Chain or BN Halter. Once the horse works well in general with a Chain or the BN Halter, then it's time to try the horse-trailer. Definitely have the Chain or BN Halter on the horse during the horse-trailer training sessions.

NOTE: If you are using a Chain, make sure it's adjusted so there's no extra slack hanging off the halter, or else the horse could hit himself and/or the trailer sides with it when he tosses his head. Also be careful when using a BN Halter, as the slack, bottom rings the halter rope connects to can be tossed around and do the same thing.

Do not use grain or other treats to bribe your horse into the trailer, unless you are completely at your wits-end! First of all, it probably won't work beyond getting the front legs loaded. Second, you are ignoring the real problem -- which is the horse's lack of respect for the halter. If you don't solve that problem, the horse will never load consistently.

It can take several sessions or more to successfully load the horse into the trailer. Be patient and do this right, or else you'll be fighting this battle for a long time to come. If you do it right, you'll be able to load your horse anytime, anywhere.

The steps below work best with a 2-Horse Straight-Loading Horse-Trailer. Go to the bottom of the page to see the amendments for other types of trailers.