Trailer Loading your Horse

As a volunteer on the Front Range Animal Evacuation Team, I have gone out on numerous calls in the past 3 days to pick up horses from the mandatory evacuated fire danger area and in the voluntary evac areas. I am sad to report that most of the horses my team and other emergency animal evac teams have gone to pick up, do not load. This means long turn around times for us, fewer horses being rescued, and yes, some horses are left behind.

Now, this isn't a case where 17 of 19 horses needing to be moved are nervous and therefore, not wanting to get into a trailer. This isn't a matter of fire being so close that the horses are freaking. This is lack of training. It is your responsibility to halter break your horse, and to be sure that your horse will load into a trailer. Period.

As individuals donating our time, our trailers and our talents, we are patient people, and I, personally, will take as long as I must to load an unwilling animal as long as my life is not in immediate danger. But people, please, please, please, be responsible. Train your horse to load into a trailer; not just lead him up and "hope" he gets in. Not bribing with food, but a command, a trained response is what we need. Either train him yourself or hire someone to do it for you. Be sure he'll load into a straight-load trailer and yes, you must also train him to back out.

If you are not willing to take that responsibility, then, when you leave your home with your belongings, lead your horse out with you. Turning him loose will almost guarantee an injured or dead animal when and if you find him.

Bottom line, get your horse trained to load into a trailer. Last year, many of us offered this service very inexpensively or free. I had exactly one person take me up on the offer. Call. Now. Today.

TRAINERS: Please, if you are willing to offer some trailer-loading lessons for horses and owners, post your information here--how much you will charge, whether you can take a trailer to people to train their horses, how to reach you, etc. Thank you.

I second this motion! Our crew of volunteers was held up loading one terrified horse for 2 hrs after midnight Monday night, including dodging when he reared and went down hard. We could have been down to the fairgrounds and back for more animals in that time.

It's not the horse's fault. If you are a horse owner - if you care about your animal - teach it that trailers are nothing scarey so they can be rescued in case of emergency without endangering or delaying the volunteers there to help him. Don't wait until there's smoke in the air and the animal is already terrified.

I completely endorse anything loping along says in this post, its so true!!!!!
Train your horse to load easily no matter what is going on
Come to my free clinic ap, 15th
Just posted today

Also 1st and foremost come to my FREE clinic!
second, if you cant, and dont have a trailer, Ive got trucks and trailers and can come to you for training and practice.
I'm $55 an hour from the time I pull up.
Many local references.
When I'm done with your horse it will load effortlessly,
There's lots of ways to load horses, the best is safely, willingly, and no fear. A good and responsible owner and handler has many tricks up their sleeve, and we have to learn how to think like a horse.
( comes natural to me its humans I seem to have a problem with haha! )

My best advice is thru me or not, ( theres some good trainers out there,,,,Tanya, Shane ) teach your horse how to load easily, I mean walk em up to the trailer, throw the lead over their back and say "load up" and they walk right in, and when a fire is burning up your pasture you have full confidence your horse will load.

Somewhere in the bible or koran it says horses are the most noble of all creatures, I think all us horse lovers all ready knew that!