How to Trailer a Claustrophobic Horse

Trailer loading can be a challenge for any horse owner, but when you are dealing with a claustrophobic horse, the challenges can be even greater. Many horses are naturally afraid of closed-in spaces, while others associate small spaces like the interior of a trailer with a past traumatic experience. No matter what your horse's history, it is important to take a step-by-step approach to getting the nervous horse safely loaded.

Things You'll Need

  • Lunge whip
  • Long soft rope
  • Rope halter
  • Blindfold
  • Sedative, if needed
  • Food rewards
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Instructions

    • 1

      Approach the trailer slowly and calmly. Allow the horse to sniff the trailer and examine it carefully. Do not attempt to load the horse straight away. Simply allow him to get used to the trailer.

    • 2

      Approach the back of the trailer after the horse seems comfortable. Lead the horse with him on your right and approach the trailer. Step onto the ramp with a ramp load trailer, or step up into the left side of the trailer if it is a step up.

    • 3

      Stop and reward the horse with a small food treat if he follows you, and allow him to stand. After a minute or two, continue the process. If the horse moves further into the trailer, reward him again and continue until you are in the trailer.

    • 4

      Move toward the trailer slowly and deliberately. If your horse does not follow, have a friend stand behind and to the side of him and gently tap his rump with the lunge whip. Do not use the whip as a weapon--simply as a way to encourage forward movement.

    • 5

      If Step 4 does not work, ask your friend to attach a long length of soft cotton rope to one side of the trailer, then stretch that rope around the back of the horse. Slowly pull the rope over to the other end of the trailer, moving the rope under the rump of the horse as you go. This will encourage some horses to move forward and load onto the trailer. Reward the horse for each positive move he makes.

    • 6

      Sedate and blindfold your horse if he is simply too nervous or traumatized to load on his own. Be sure to use a sedative that is not too strong; you do not want to knock him out. The goal is simply to take the edge off his nervousness. The blindfold can help a great deal, since horses tend not to be frightened of things they cannot see. The same concept is what makes blinders work so well for driving horses.

    • 7

      Once the blindfold is in place, guide your horse gently and help him make his way up the ramp and into the trailer. Once the horse is in the trailer, connect the trailer tie quickly and then ask your friend to close the trailer door quietly.

    • 8

      Feed your horse once he is in the trailer. Even the most nervous horse will be motivated by food, and feeding your horse in the trailer is one of the best ways to make him associate the trailer with good things.

    • 9

      Feed a horse that is particularly difficult to load only in the trailer for a week or so until he begins to associate the trailer with positive experiences. After a solid week of this type of training, you may find that your formerly claustrophobic horse now walks on the trailer all by himself.