hi all - hope we can get help with this problem, my daughter has a 6 year old mare jumping pony who wont get into our trailer weve tried everything with no success, the furthest she will go is half way in, i would apreciate ant tips or help - thanks in advance

What have you tried so far?

I feel for you. Years ago I had a mare that would load in anything that you asked her to get into (even an old single wide). Then when I moved from TX to AZ, we had trouble. We stopped in NM for the night and she had been in the trailer for 10 hours. When we went to get her the next morning she wouldn't let me catch her (she used to walk up and put her head in the halter). Once caught she wouldn't load past her front feet. Very frustrating we tried for 5 hours when some ladies with a large slant load that had been staying there offered to help. We got her in once but they didn't close the door and she backed out just as fast and would not go back in. LOng story short she ended up riding in a strangers trailer (Since she loaded right into her 4 horse slant gooseneck, but not into our 2 horse slant bumper pull) from NM to northern AZ (I live in central). The ladies were on there way to a clinic put on by Lee Smith (I believe that is her name) She uses the Natural type training. Anyways I went up to the ladies place a day after I got home with our 2 horse straight load and she used her for a clinic demostration. Within 30 minutes she was loading in the trailer and I was crying (I know silly). So my best recommendation is to find a video or speak with a trainer and just start working with the pony and the key is not to get mad or frustrated and act like you have a Million years to get the pony in the trailer. I did find that it was just as much me that was the problem and it was her. All the natural trainers do it about the same way and it is a good place to start. Good luck and remeber dont try training the pony to get in the trailer when you have to go some where. Now if she sees the trailer open she will walk in even with out a halter. The key thing is do not use feed or treats to brib the horse in.

Good luck.

Had a friend who spent a couple of fruitless hours trying to load his horse, then called our trainer. Asked him how it went - "Five minutes" he says. I asked what the trainer did. "Nothing. He just stood with the horse, then the horse went in the trailer." Had to laugh, because they guy obviously wasn't paying attention to what really happened.

Every demo I've ever seen on trailer loading is a variation on a single, simple theme:

* Get the horse to "join up" with you (Not just a little, REALLY joined up)

* Go to or get in the trailer

* The horse follows

After just a few reps, the horse will get in if you just walk over to the open trailer door. I always get my horses' attention for a couple of minutes at least before asking them to load. I have the trailer door tied or otherwise locked open and when I walk over to it they load readily, even eagerly.

The only time I've recently had a problem with someone else's horse it was because there was nowhere to work with him and I didn't get him totally joined up with me before asking. And he had a bad history - someone had apparently tried to whip him into a trailer. What a shame. But after just walking around the little area we had to work with for about 15 minutes and reassuring him, even that high-headed 16-hand Arab got in a little 2-horse, though he wasn't too eager about it. Trailer loading is one problem that really shouldn't be a problem. PLEASE don't get in a fight or get frustrated - get a good trainer to show you how to get the horse to "join up" and how to recognize when he's ready. It will save both of you a world of grief.