Posted 2011-04-06 4:50 PM (#132684) Subject: loading practice
Regular
Posts: 85
I want to know if it is safe to practice loading a horse into a straight load trailer (bumper pull with dressing room) without being hitched to truck. I don't want any see saw effect. Would the trailer stay stationary to do this?
Posted 2011-04-06 4:54 PM (#132685 - in reply to #132684) Subject: RE: loading practice
Expert
Posts: 3802 Location: Rocky Mount N.C.
To be safe, practice properly hitching the trailer to the truck before loading, then you can practice making the horse behave and stand still while hauling.....
Posted 2011-04-06 9:26 PM (#132696 - in reply to #132684) Subject: RE: loading practice
Expert
Posts: 3853 Location: Vermont
The small amount of time it takes to hook up the trailer is minimal vs the problems that can arise if the unhooked trailer moves/tips/or creates an dangerous situation if the horse does something stupid...
Posted 2011-04-06 10:26 PM (#132699 - in reply to #132696) Subject: RE: loading practice
Expert
Posts: 5870 Location: western PA
Originally written by PaulChristenson on 2011-04-06 10:26 PM
The small amount of time it takes to hook up the trailer is minimal vs the problems that can arise if the unhooked trailer moves/tips/or creates an dangerous situation if the horse does something stupid...
Posted 2011-04-06 11:13 PM (#132702 - in reply to #132684) Subject: RE: loading practice
Expert
Posts: 1351 Location: Decatur, Texas
Originally written by whoaboy on 2011-04-06 4:50 PM
I want to know if it is safe to practice loading a horse into a straight load trailer (bumper pull with dressing room) without being hitched to truck. I don't want any see saw effect. Would the trailer stay stationary to do this?
NEVER EVER do this I would not even do it with a living quarters trailer!!!!!!!!! NEVER EVER try this with "blocking the back end of the trailer as someone replied. It takes all of 5 miins. to hook up a trailer! Way cheaper than a vet bill!
Just saying because we do training work and 75% of ours is trailer training for people who have NO CLUE what they are doing. It takes us longer to fix problems that other people caused than it take to fix the horse! We are working on a barrel horse now that the previous owner let turn around in the slant load to unload EVERYTIME! Talk about a train wreck lookiing for a place to happen.
Posted 2011-04-07 11:45 PM (#132763 - in reply to #132684) Subject: RE: loading practice
Member
Posts: 48
I agree...hook up. I am practicing now and luckily have another car to drive while I leave the truck hooked up so I can practice everyday for a while. My trailer is the same, large walk in dressing room in the front--2 horse straight load with a ramp. I would NEVER load any of my "children" without hooking it up to the truck.
Posted 2011-04-10 6:37 PM (#132863 - in reply to #132684) Subject: RE: loading practice
Veteran
Posts: 186
I agree with - just hook it up to a truck,,,but years ago I rescued a 13 year old horse that had a life long trailer issue, I was told he was wenched and shoved into a trailer to get him to me. He was so trailer tramatized I didn't even try to work with him. I put my two horse bumper pull in the 60' x 70' arena where he was to live - to brace it I used 4 chuncks of 15"- 17" diameter hard wood ( fire wood before split) I had it cut to the height to hold the trailer steady. And chocked the wheels. My trailer had a ramp (I don't like them but that is what I had) I startred feeding the horse on the ramp. After a weekish he was used to the trailer, I put his water bucket in the trailer so he had to walk on the ramp to get a drink. Eventually I put the water and the feed in the manger so he had to go all the way in to eat, now mind you this horse was all ribs when I got him he was motivated. It took about a month but the horse got over his fear of trailers. I re-homed him and saw him a couple of years after at a trail ride he had been trailerd to, they said he always took a few minutes to think about it before he loaded but he wasn't the worst. I could not have saccraficed my truck for that long of time. I Never Shut Him In the Trailer untill I had it Hooked Up to My Truck.
loading practice
