One of our horses has a problem with unloading from a trailer. He
bolts out of the back as soon as we start to open the back gate, often
before we can undo the butt bar. He has done this since we got him over
a year ago. He loads and rides great, but just scurries or explodes out
backwards. We can't figure out why he does this. He is a really nice
horse otherwise. So arrival and unloading have become a nightmare. We
have to be sure there is a long safe path behind the trailer so he
doesn't hurt himself. Now sometimes he'll begin to rush backwards just
after he gets inside the trailer, before we can do up the rear. We end
up doing the in and out thing, sometimes for several tries, before we
get the back up and secured. It is getting dangerous, particularly for
the person closing the gate. We have tried all sorts of ties at the
front and butt bars on his rear, but when he's ready to go, there's no
stopping him. He can break just about anything.
Kaye, Texas
In my experience, most horses that rush out of the back of the
trailer, or similarly out of a stock or chute, seem truly afraid. In
most cases, you'll probably never know what frightened the horse to rush
out backward in the first place, but once the behavior starts, it's
tough to correct. The panic and commotion of rushing out seem to
reconfirm the fear for the horse each time. As with your experience,
trying to hold the horse back seems counterproductive in many instances.
Discipline also seems to further confirm to the horse that this really
is a fearful situation.
Interestingly, the panic and rushing typically seem specific to the
back out unloading situation. Simply changing to a van or stock trailer
in which you can lead the horse out can immediately reduce the danger to
the horse and the handlers.
If it is necessary to try to re-train your horse for a regular
trailer, the most efficient and long-term effective approach I know is
to go back to the basics and re-train the horse to walk forward, to
stand, and to back on command. For the first training session, just work
on these commands in an open area without a trailer. Keep repeating the
training until the horse responds and calmly obeys on voice command,
without any tension on the lead shank. While the horse is obeying the
stand command, give him a treat.
Then move on to doing the exact command sequence, but going into and
out of the trailer. Load, stand, and unload several times at first
without trying to close up the butt bar or back gate. Just lead the
horse into the trailer, ask him to stand, and give a treat while he is
standing quietly. Try to maintain a loose lead and a relaxed calm
manner. Then use your back command and direct the horse to back slowly
out of the trailer. As he backs out, you can give the stand command and
reward his stopping and standing as he unloads. Be sure that the ramp
and pathway behind the trailer have good footing. Use a long lead so
that if the horse does scoot out in a hurry, you won't lose him or put
tension on the lead. Just quietly gather him up and resume your relaxed,
positive training attitude and procedure.
What you are looking for is steady improvement with each practice
replicate. With each replicate of entering the trailer, encourage the
horse to stand quietly for longer before giving the reward for standing,
then give the back command. Keep repeating these exercises until he
seems to be taking all commands from you to enter, stand, and back out
quietly. Avoid fighting the horse or disciplining him for scooting out
too fast. Gradually increase and vary the time the horse stands in the
trailer before the back command is given. If the horse goes before the
command or rushes, just skip the treat and resume. Then, once he begins
to reliably follow the commands with little or no tension on the lead,
reintroduce the butt bar and the closing of the back gate. Try to be as
calm and relaxed as possible, so that your fear of the potentially
dangerous situation doesn't alert the horse to the
"boogeyman." While the back is being done up, the person at
the head can distract the horse with a treat for standing quietly. When
the gate is taken down, again calmly hold his attention with a treat
rather than tension on the halter or lead. Wait a variable length of
time after the bar is removed before giving the back command. After the
horse is calmly following all commands in this situation, you can
actually practice going on short hauls and repeating the procedures.
Some would argue that this problem is a situation-specific variation
of head shyness, in that it develops and is exacerbated by tension on
the head. So, some trainers advocate re-training without a halter or a
lead so that the horse readily learns that it will not have tension on
the head. The same re-training procedures could be done without
restraint--have the horse follow or self-load into the trailer, stand,
then back out on command. You can work within an enclosed paddock so the
horse cannot escape. The popular Clicker and Target Training programs
demonstrate similar techniques. (To order a copy of Clicker Training
For Your Horse, call 800/582-5604 or go to exclusivelyequine.com.)