Just got Maddie loaded and practiced loading and standing in the trailer 5 minutes. Did that four times. Been trying to load her for 8 months with no success. Your technique worked. Lots of drama at first but she finally knew exactly what she was supposed to do. Took about fifteen minutes the frst time. Thank you so much!
I thought I had invented this technique! I used it on a 16.2 Appendix Q.H. that I spent 14 hours attempting to load. I used every trick I knew, but he wouldn’t load. After it got dark I tied him to the trailer for the night and started again the next morning. I’d spent the night thinking about how I’d get the horse in the trailer and I realized I needed to do something that would irritate the horse without hurting or scaring him. The timing is so important; you only tap when the horse goes back, and stop tapping when he goes forward. He loaded in less than two hours and subsequently would step in with just one or two taps. I would add that I had a bucket of grain at the front of the trailer and allowed the horse to eat some when he went in. This was an excellent demonstration with good explanations.
My horse that has been trailered hundreds of times had 1 bad trailering experience last month. We were all ok but he was pretty freaked out. We did our event and went to load up to come home and he refused. It took us 6 hours to get him in the trailer, and my trainer even showed up. We eventually sedated him and pushed him in which was our absolute last option, but we could not leave him overnight in that area. Hes a 14 year old seasoned horse. We went back to square one with the trailer. I did some research and really liked your method. We are now loading and unloading like a champ again. We are gonna take some short trips to get him comfortable with being in the trailer again before we haul him over an hour away. I know this video is old, but this method works.
Hi Liz.! it was good to see that you showed the warts n all of this video. some people would edit the bad bits, and just make it look like they were better than what they are. If i can make a couple of suggestions, i would put some shavings or straw on the trailer floor. Next i would use a longer lunge whip, and tap him on the base of the tail, right where it meets his rump, you will find this is much more annoying than other spots, and because the tapping is coming from behind them and not from their side, it tends to want to make them move forward to get away from the tapping from their behind. Best wishes from Australia.
Thank you John. Those are excellent suggestions. In my 2nd video I show tapping in other places. I guess I’ve always used the shorter whip, but a lunge whip makes sense.
@@lizdaffner Thank you Liz. That was a good demonstration and your communication is spot on for the horse and veiwers! Sorry if this is a stupid question but I wondered about what you would do when you got to your destination how to then not have the horse rush off the trailer when you open up the back? In NZ we tend to have ramps rather than a step down. Thanks for any advice you can give.
@@karenburrell2283 Hi, I’m so glad you liked the video. When I have had horses with anxiety, I’ll sit with them in the trailer and wait for them to calm down before moving them. Don’t be in a rush. This may sound silly, but think about having a strong, calming, leadership energy and WAIT it out. If you unload them and they start rushing out. Stop them and wait. Then allow them to take a step and wait. Never have a time restraint for doing this. Look for signs of relaxation such as sighing, wanting to drop their head and licking/chewing during the unloading process. If I had a horse hurry out without being able to stop them, I’d immediately load them back up and provide positive reinforcement while in the trailer. Consider having treats on hand. Hope this helps!
Hi Liz, I keep watching your clip so I can be really familiar with what I need to do and there are a couple of questions I want to ask you. 1) I watched another clip where the man tapped the shoulder and when the horse didn't move he tapped harder unitl the horse moved forward. You tap lightly by the bum but don't increase the tap but stay light. Can you explain the difference and what is best? 2) Who is the person you refer to who the tap and release method belongs to? I either don't have the right spelling or am hearing the wrong name. Thanks!❤
Yay!! I have another video example from this year where I don’t explain as much and I just show how I used it on a horse that had never loaded before. 👍🏼
Great video! I attended a Lyon's clinic and watched him load one of the demonstration horses that wouldn't load when it was time to go home. He just took his time and it made a great addition to the clinic. Great job, you explained the technique perfectly!
At last, a full clip of an anxious horse not sure about getting in a horse box (float). Simple, to the point and got results. Thanks for taking the time to share the clip.
Stop pretending to get in the trailer and get in. Lmao You are very good. I saw a Lyons video a long time ago and this gave me the impetus to watch it again. Thank you.
You should watch Steve Young horsemanship videos. He is based in the British isles. He also uses the tapping method, but prior to that if you have a horse that wants to walk into you whenever it feels pressure you need to learn or teach at first to respect your space because if you have a terrified horse that tap it’s just gonna make it rare and do anything I can to keep from going in the trailer he does not like hand feeding treats, or trying to trick your horse in or anything. He just tries to teach you to face forward and move forward and he does use the tapping technique although I think he taps the horse closer to where your heels would touch it if you were trying to get it to move forward well in the
Hey Liz! It's a pity because you would make an awesome horse trainer: crystal clear explanation, composed attitude with your horse, and the perfect pressure-release technique. I will look forward to your next training video ;) Zoltan, from Hungary
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Very good video. I use this process when I am teaching a horse to side pass over to the fence or mounting block to be mounted. Never thought to use this for trailer loading. One suggestion. I have a trailer like the one you are using in the video. If they bump their shins trying to load they will start balking, so I wrap their legs if possible.👍
Using a stick increases the horses anxiety. It puts a horse on high alert and is not necessary. It puts brace into a horse and by not allowing him to back up increases his suspicion and any claustrophobia that he has about the trailer and it makes him concentrate on the stick and then associate it with his dislike of the task. If you teach him to back away and come forward it works on his curiosity and thoughts and not the stick or trailer and allows you to keep it simple and clear. Teaching him to back up also allows him to know how to use his body both forwards and backwards in order to negotiate the step up. It also teaches him that you are in command of where he puts his feet. Most horses are not properly halter broken be forehand and it shows up at trailering more than at anything else.
i tried to load my mare into a trailer last week, she put me in hospital and onto crutches! so we tried this week with sedation, still didnt work but at least she didnt put me in hospital again lol, i have a trainer who specialises in loading problem horsesnow coming out on the 2nd of june, hopefully then i will be able to get my mare to her perminant stable by then :) he uses the same tec's as in this video. much love from the uk xxx
@@lizdaffner thanks sweetheart, the trainer is rather exspensive but will be worth every penny if he can get her loading with quality without herting herself or anyone else, when not being asked to go into a horsebox she is just the sweetest little lady :D xxx
@@marydoherty9188 I commend you for doing what it takes. It’s hard to put a value on the ability of a horse to leave the property and experience the world!
@@lizdaffner OMG!!! he did it! he got my mare into the box :D took 2 and a half hours but he did it and with quality too :D by the time he was done, my mare was walking on and off multiple times, then he got me to take her in and out a few times and i didnt have any problems, then he even got my eldest daughter leading her on and off the box :D i was so stressed the last few days and now i feel like its my birthday all over again :D xxx
@@lizdaffner ok so after my horse following me in the trailer she then decided she didn't want to go in after she had been taken a few places, i tried this method yesterday...WOW after 10 minutes she was walking through again, amazing thank you
@@cbpoultrysaddles5580 also check your trailer for rattling or tack that bangs around. Lots of slant load trailers have a tack room where people hang bridles that bag right by their horses head on the other side. Hang a towel or put carpet on the wall. We often forget that horses are stuck back there! That way you can rule out the trailer causing any discomfort
I love your video! Your a good horseman I see. You have to be consistent too I see. I love horses and want one so bad. Thanks for this video. You got a new subscriber 🙏🏾🫶🏾🙏🏾🫶🏾
I know that this is an older video but good info is good info, no matter when it is/was offered. If you have a different technique that works for you, awesome. Don't belittle others for sharing the technique that works for them. You never know when your technique will not work and you need to change things up. Until I got my OTTB I never had any issues with loading. Still puzzling to me why he resists so much knowing that he was hauled many, many miles in the 6 years before I got him. I have a QH mare also who loads like all of my prior fat babies, lead to trailer and load with no contact needed. I also train them to unload only AFTER clucking and being touched on the butt. I am not a fan of trailer tying and this keeps them from all trying to unload at the same time when the gate is opened. I also use a longer, more open trailer, think stock trailer, for about ~20 loads/hauls until the problem child gets more at ease. And don't be afraid to load up and just haul while doing errands or short trips while being cautious with stops, turns and acceleration. The more exposure/experience they have the better. Great video!!
I’m sure there are many different opinions on this but I would teach each horse to load separately. You don’t want the horse that’s already loaded to experience the anxiety of their friend having trouble. I would also try to separate them and work on their attachment. I know that’s a VERY difficult thing to overcome. They find safety in each other, but I would try to encourage them to see you at their leader and protector. I don’t think loading a horse’s friend will change anything about the other horse you are trying to load.
This is great but for my horse anytime we get his front feet in the trailer he will just rear up and pull us out of the trailer so do you know how to fix that
Sounds like he has a lot of anxiety and might have been pulled in before. I’ve seen horses with that reaction when pressure has been applied to their head. Is he treat motivated? I would try to change his reaction to the trailer slowly with positive reinforcement. You can still do this technique but I would incorporate treat rewards. That’s not the same and trying to bribe a horse in. It’s based on clicker training where you help to reform pathways in their brain through treats/positive experiences. Don’t apply any pressure to his head and as soon as his head is in the trailer, give him a treat. If he puts a leg up, give him a treat. If he has any big reaction going backward don’t treat him. Once you can get him to relax in the trailer, you can follow up with getting his back legs in. You have to address his big reaction of rearing first. I would also apply more pressure behind him if a horse gave me that big of a rear. I wouldn’t want him to think that rearing ends the pressure. Does that make sense? This is getting into professional training territory though. I’ve never done the treat technique like this before but if it were me, that’s what I would try along with this. Good luck
Ahhh! I’m feeling so discouraged. We did this for an hour today and she still wouldn’t load 😞. It’s so defeating. Once she even put her two front feet in but immediately backed out. I never got it again. So frustrating. But we need to master this. I don’t want to not do things bc my horse won’t load.
I’m sorry this is a struggle. You may need to do things slower if your horse has anxiety or fear. If your horse puts a foot in the trailer or even lifts a leg to try. Give them a treat and take a break. Reward any try more dramatically. Is your horse fearful or more confident? I push a confident horse more and go very slow with an insecure one. Hope this helps
@@lizdaffnerYes! This helps a ton. Thank you! She definitely has some fear and anxiety. I know she trusts me, but it is really hard for her to go as far as I'm asking, into the trailer. She is food motivated, so I'll work more slowly, and do more treat rewards. Thank you!!
You are very welcome. I’ve changed my tone a lot since making this video and I’m more empathetic to the horse’s viewpoint. Treat training can encourage positive brain patterns when asked to do certain things I learned. I don’t do a lot of treat training myself, but it’s definitely something worth exploring. I’m glad she’s food motivated. I would probably reward her try, rather than distance getting in. If she flies back, let her. You don’t want her feeling trapped or pressure on her head. That can create more anxiety. Just step her back up again and again. And when she comes back up to the trailer, give her a treat. Go slow, be patient. You got this! Do a little as often as you can, as she gets more comfortable, if you hit a wall, start being a little tougher, but quick to reward her
@@lizdaffner I have good news!!! She loaded today!! No hesitation at the threshold either, just walked right in. Didn't need the whip even once! I gave her an apple, and she just stood in there for awhile, all relaxed, checking out the windows, etc. It was incredible. This is a mare who once reared and landed on her back to avoid going in. It's amazing. Thank you so much for all your help. I think I found your video a exactly right time to apply your techniques and advice. I really appreciate it! Life-changing!
@@Kas873 Congratulations!! I’m so happy for you and your horse!!! I made the video but you did the hard work! What changed? What made the biggest impact? Now you two can explore the word ♥️
I learned this method off a horse forum believe it or not years ago because my horse wouldn't load. It worked fantastically and when he would move forward on que i did reward him with horse crunchies it didn't seem to hurt progress at all and in the end, he would go in the trailer even when i wasn't there looking for a treat that i had in the front. That happened by mistake as actually didn't think he would go in without me it's not something i practiced. The vice i didn't know how to stop was pawing and screaming in the trailer. I stopped trailering him because it made me anxious and when we would get to our destination he would panic getting out. this wasn't because of hauling badly i was very careful it had to do with him being herd bound i believe. Do you have suggestions for this? Loved your demonstration of how to use this method!
Hi Annette, I'm glad you found this video helpful. Treat training can be a great way to train with positive reinforcement. Working with anxious horses that stem from being herd bound is very difficult. I might not be the best person to help. Search "Warwick Schiller separation anxiety" he's done some breakthrough work with this and helps people to connect with their horse by showing the horse they're also in tuned to what's around them and the horse's concerns. I've found there needs to be a mix between providing emotional support and continuing to push the horse slightly outside their comfort zone. I would work on it in steps: Trying the horse in view of their friends, tying out of view, then to the trailer. I would haul the horse with a friend that's comfortable hauling. then alone. It's critical that your horse wait to unload when you tell him. Its unsafe for both of you for him to fly out of the trailer. I would immediately load him back in and firmly tell him to whoa or wait. Then I would try to comfort him. That's just me trying to offer advice without knowing you or the horse though. I would load him in and out and make him wait. Give him his treats in the trailer and tell him how good he is. The trailer isn't a bad place. Horses often associate pressure with places. This is okay. I don't try to avoid that I accept it and work through it. Good luck and keep up the good work!
Good job Liz. Here's an assignment for you. Search and find an Arabian with high percentage Morafic blood about 2 years old. By the time you get him (Stallion) in the tr you will be a pro.
Pretty Good. If I could offer any critique (NOT Criticism) I would say you should become more and more aware of your whip actions. For me (us) the simple position of the whip means something very, very specific to the horse! We don't RUB him with the whip. If we are talking to our friends or the camera, the whip should be absolutely at Neutral, not flailing all over the place, hither and yon, up, down, in & out, but Dropped Down and Neutral. Also, when we ask the horse to come forward, we do so with a simple pre-cue, make sure you ask him with a simple lift or weight in the lead rope for forward. Then if he Fails to step we simply SHOW him the whip at the RIB position for forward, wave it a couple of times AT him, not up and down, then tap, tap in the ribs.. Not the hip. If I present my whip to a horses Hip/Rump he should move away. If the tip is at the Hip and ABOVE his hip, he should come and move TOWARDS ME!! At the shoulder?? Move the shoulder away. Ribs?? Forward. Don't rub him with it. Otherwise pretty good...
Hi Gerry, thanks for the feedback. I agree that I should be more aware of my whip action while talking. Your advice about the pre-cue for stepping forward is not something I do. We have different cues for the position of the whip, pressure on lead rope, and the corresponding body control and that’s okay! I’m sure your technique gets the results you want just as my technique gets the results I want. Part of how we teach horses to give from pressure is through “intention”. A balance between desensitizing and sensitizing horses. A horse knows the difference between me talking to my friend while moving the whip vs. turning to them, looking in their eye, and directing their body. If I lift a tool, I don’t want the horse to be worried or anticipate the cue. They need to wait for me to ask them to move. The whip itself is not the cue. Clucking is the cue to move like your pre-cue with lead rope. There is also an annoyance factor to this tapping strategy. I’ll tap in a very steady and annoying way to get them to move. Everything I do is about keeping the session calm.
Ir so dramatic instead of the horse u just blame the horse for been dramatic 🙄😒😑😐🤣🙃 good job looks like a great tip thank u cutie pie great video keep up the good work just be his partner 😘
Everyone’s a critic. I know this horse. It wasn’t my first time working with him. He doesn’t belong to me and he’s not in training with me. He needed to get in the trailer and I tried to show people a step by step process to do it. I have a partnership with all MY horses, doing groundwork, and building trust helps make things like trailer loading much easier. I 100% agree with that
And it looks like you didn't asked him to back up out of the trailer he back out on his own, you do have control of that horse,you might want to careful around that horse
Yes, I worked with the horse until he stood quietly and was calm. He has anxiety about loading and was backing up without being asked. By the end of the video he is loading, standing calm, and waiting to be backed out. That’s why I took the time to make this. I’m not perfect, just trying to help people if I can.
?? Never been a problem. There’s been a recent surge in people buying warmblood trailers by me because people “think” there need to have taller trailers. This horse can step in and hold his head in a natural position with room to spare. Sure if he throws his head up he’ll make contact, but maybe he shouldn’t do that…
@@lizdaffner The size of the trailer never entered my mind. I would have noticed if the trailer was too low. In NZ we have floats with ramps and they don't look as roomy as your trailer.
Training a horse to do something can be stressful. We try NOT to make it that way, you're trying to get a 1000 lb animal to do something it doesn't want to do. You could NOT train the horse to get in the trailer. It won't ever see the world or be left in an evacuation situation. OR you can roll up your sleeves and do the work while having compassion and respect for the horse.
I live in California where we now have an official "fire season" which seems to be becoming longer and and longer every year. If I were to recount how many horror stories I've heard, including some only a few miles away from where I live, about horses lost in the fires because they had to be turned loose to somehow survive the fires, simply because the owners could not get them loaded into a trailer to be taken to a safe place - well, that's what I would call "stressful..." (and I won't even go into the stories about horses having to be euthanized because they wouldn't load up to be taken to the vet hospital in an emergency situation...)
Try loading a horsecin an emergency fire situation! They have to learn to liad for their own safety. This is horse training 101. No cruelty here at all.
I videoed this because my neighbor called saying she couldn’t get him in the trailer that day. Yes I had worked with him before. Same concepts for horses that’ve never been in the trailer.
Could you be more rude Kg? If this video isn't for you, move on without the rude comment. I happen to think her talking is very helpful to those who don't know these tips and techniques. She gives a lot of helpful info. If you cannot appreciate that, that's your issue to deal with, not hers.
