How to load your horse in a trailer without struggle

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Two of the five horses that I’ve owned so far have had severe difficulties when it came to loading. With the first horse, it affected my competition schedule and made me even more nervous on the day than I already was. I never knew how long we would spend getting this horse to load into the trailer. I was very young, and the people around me did not have any effective tools to offer apart from what I had already been using. Years later, a second horse started showing signs of trailer reluctance, and after one specific incident, where it took me almost 2 hours to load her in, I decided I did not want to walk this path any longer. This decision took her and me all the way to Poland. But more on that later. 

Why is it important to be able to load your horse in a trailer easily? 

If you’re a first-time horse owner, you might be wondering why it’s a good idea for your new horse to know how to load onto a trailer. You might be thinking that you don’t plan on traveling or competing, so it really doesn’t matter that your horse won’t load into a trailer easily. What I’ve learned is that easy & stress-free loading is not just a matter of an “extra skill” but really a matter of safety – and even survival – for your horse. 

I owned an elderly horse once. He was the sweetest gelding that our whole family loved very much. One night, he came down with colic. Our farm is pretty remote (for European standards anyway) and our local vet hospital couldn’t help us, we needed to transport him to a specialized hospital to undergo surgery right away. He was an excellent traveler – and this saved his life. Another time, a friend’s yearling cut her leg open pretty badly while out in the pasture. Once again, she needed a specialist to perform surgery and save her leg. Her excellent travel skills saved her life. 

During the wildfires in California, hundreds of horses lost their lives because of their fear of the trailer – which ultimately proved deadly for them. 

Apart from life & death situations like the ones above, it is so fun for horse owners to be able to take their horses out to meet up with friends or go to a competition or a clinic. If every travel occasion is linked with stress, for both you and your horse, half the fun is gone. Long trips are out of the question when the horse’s stress level is constantly elevated. Travel stress kicks in for both rider & horse and eventually, they decide it is a good idea not to travel just to prevent getting into a dangerous situation. This was the case for me with my first horse, Dolly, and the main reason why I did not want to be in that situation again at all costs.

Meet my horse, Little Texas (LT)

LT is the daughter of one of our quarter horse mares and was born on our ranch. After I returned back to the farm from traveling with my family, I was very surprised to find out that she had somehow developed trailer anxiety. She spent the absolute majority of her life blissfully grazing in our pastures, tended by people I personally know and vetted. What could have happened that she developed a fear of the trailer? The only possible answer I could think of was her training. We sent her off as a 3 year for a 3 month training period with a horse trainer & friend of ours. Perhaps during her trip there or back, she had gotten into a situation that made her reluctant to enter the trailer in the future. 

My plan was to breed all our mares – LT included. Some were taken to a breeding facility, but because of LT’s young age & fleety temperament, I wanted to give her the luxury of breeding “the old-fashioned way”. A friend had a very good-natured stallion, a friendly herd & very large pastures not too far away and so I planned to take LT there and let her live and love to her heart’s desire. 

Plans Change

That was the plan at least, until travel day. She could sense she was being taken away from her home & herd, and in her stubbornness, she did not want anything to do with the trailer. It took us hours of gently asking her to enter the trailer, step by step, until she was finally ready to go. I was pretty certain LT would be sold after her foal was born – no one had the time or energy to deal with a horse that would not load into the trailer.

But luck (or unluck) would have it, that LT mysteriously did not get pregnant – despite being bred. And so I was faced with a dilemma of what to do with her for the rest of the summer. I decided to invest more time in her training, and see if that would help her be ready for sale. 

Summer with LT 

During that summer, I spent a lot of time with her. I got to ride her more than ever before, we got some training and developed a much closer bond than ever before. She started being braver when riding out in the woods, and finally wasn’t bothered riding out without the other horses present. We trained in our arena, and her loup became much stronger – one of her weaknesses. But her disdain for travel persisted. Despite my every effort, to load this horse in the trailer was still a massive struggle. I didn’t let that deter me, we practiced every day and went on regular little trips. But there was always struggle and stress involved. 

Finally, by the end of that summer, I had had enough. LT would have to be sold, because I tried everything I knew and saw very little improvement. Then I learned that Pat Parelli was coming to Poland. 

Pat Parelli and Natural Horsemanship

As a young rider, I loved Pat’s work, as well as Monty Roberts’. They were my heroes of sorts, championing a gentler approach to the animals I loved so dearly, and getting fantastic results. But as the years went on, competitions got more frequent as did school work and other obligations, I drifted from their work. I forgot most of their teachings. The horses with which I practiced this work were long gone. 

Then, one sunny August afternoon, I found out by chance that Pat Parelli was holding a clinic in Poland in 3 weeks’ time – about 5 hours drive away from the farm. I immediately felt that this was a chance for me to reconnect with an element of horse riding that I had long forgotten. And also a chance for LT to finally overcome her fear of trailering and for both of us to learn something new. 

Finding a way

There were a few significant obstacles to my attendance. In the Czech Republic, you need to have a specific driver’s permit to be able to tow a horse trailer. My husband has it, but I did not. Unfortunately, he was scheduled to visit his best friend in France at the exact same time as the clinic in Poland. Not only did I not have anyone to drive me there, but I also needed someone to watch our son while we were both out of the country. 

My Mom kindly volunteered to watch Aaron, so that problem was solved. But how was I going to get there? Hiring a driver turned out to be way too expensive. My only choice was…to take the course & get an extended driver’s permit so that I can drive myself. Long story short, after extensive searching and hearing that it is impossible to complete the mandatory driving hours, the written exam, and the driving test in this amount of time, I did it anyway. I found a driving school with an opening, completed my driving hours whenever I could, and learned how to back the trailer up, and all other required maneuvers. I studied diligently for the written exam that had changed extensively since I first completed my car driver’s permit. And I passed. 

Pat’s Clinic – Day 1

Turns out more people than me had the same driver’s permit issue. I was able to cover some of the costs of traveling to Pat’s clinic by sharing my trailer with another horse also traveling to Poland from the Czech Republic. It was a long journey – close to 8 hours – but we did it. 

We arrived in Wroclaw, and that same night we attended a welcome dinner with Pat himself. I felt like a fish out of water almost immediately. I realized my deep desire to help LT and solve a seemingly “unsolvable” problem led me to sign up for something I had no idea about. Yes, I had studied Pat’s work – but more than 10 years ago. I hadn’t touched it since. And there he was, the man himself, eating steak just a couple of seats over, drinking wine, and looking for anyone who spoke English well enough to hold an entertaining conversation. I sank deeper into my chair. 

The following morning, we assembled for day 1 of the clinic. I spent the previous night receiving calls from the stable staff, informing me that my horse was climbing the walls of her box, clearly unhappy with the lodging provided. Turns out that LT, a horse born out in the fields, does not do well at all when she can’t touch and smell another horse. She climbed the walls of her box for the first two days until we finally found an alternative box for her. 

Slightly tired and very nervous, I saddled her up – I was one of a small handful of Western riders there. Most of the other 11 participants were riding English, but I didn’t mind that in the slightest. As we were walking with our horses into the arena, it dawned on me perhaps for the first time, that this was a very public event. And sure enough, we walked into the giant riding hall and the stands are full of people. Packed. And I’m down there, on the sand, one of only 11 participants, with LT, and we are both wondering what on earth we got ourselves into.

I knew at that moment that deep embarrassment was inevitable that weekend, and I decided to leave my ego and any shred of self-dignity I had at the door. It would just get in the way. I was here to learn, and yes, I was going to make a fool of myself in front of hundreds of people – and live video. 

The truth comes out

Pat asked us to show any of the work from the ground that we do with our horse. I got pretty conventional training in English riding before I switched to Western out of necessity. Gone out of the country for many years, my English competition horses either passed to horse heaven or were sold. When I returned, my mother made a (wise) decision to purchase quarter horses instead. They were calmer, smaller, easier to care for, and easier to ride. I had learned Western riding from an old-school cowboy a few years prior and then got occasional training sessions here and there. But none of my teachers did a lot of groundwork. So I did the bare minimum too.

And now I was asked to showcase it in front of Pat & the audience. Yikes. Looking around, I immediately saw that some of the participants did not come here to learn – but to demonstrate their impeccable skills. Their horses were masters at (what I later learned was) every single game Pat taught. They were completing every task their riders asked of them effortlessly & with ease. “Why are these people here!?” I wondered in my frustration. I also noticed I was the only one with a leather halter. Everyone else was sporting a Parelli halter made out of rope. I knew of them, even had one with me, but always found them to be a bit of a hassle. What a faux pas. 

I could tell Pat noticed me. My absolute lack of skill & knowledge of his teachings. But I like to think that he also saw my willingness to learn, bravery to be here and humor – which I quickly learned was not abundant in Poland. Or maybe it was – but it didn’t translate into English at all. I liked Pat. He reminded me of my second home in the US. The plains of Texas. Black coffee at a diner. Wrangler jeans and worn cowboy boots. His accent was soothing to my soul. I felt like a piece of my second home came to visit me. I felt at home around him. And I think he felt that. 

Regardless of what he felt, he decided to spend a lot of time with me and LT over the next 3 days. Maybe it was because we were in dire need of it. But I think it was more than that. He loved to poke jokes at me about Texans, husbands, and other facets of American culture that a lot of foreigners don’t understand. But I do. We laughed a lot, and I came to genuinely like him as a person. 

Days 2 & 3

Over the next couple of days, I learned that I was being way too rigid and serious with my approach to horses. I saw it all as “work” rather than play. The results I was getting were indicative of that. Pat showed me how to play with my horse, and we both had fun and learn something new. We worked with our horse but then we switched horses too. I got to experience a bunch of different horses and play with them and their riders. LT learned things I thought she would never be capable of. She scaled fences, climbed pedestals, and walked over tarps. 

On Day 3, the long-awaited trailer loading lesson finally came up. I volunteered my trailer as one of the demo ones. I was so excited and nervous to see what LT and I would be able to walk away with. 

Method Pat uses to load a horse into the trailer

Pat showed us his method of loading a horse. And most of the participants – and audience – were floored. He was able to load a horse while standing OUTSIDE of the trailer itself. With a few artful flicks of his carrot stick, the horse walked in himself. I was certain LT would never be able to achieve this level of proficiency. Sure enough, when I tried to replicate what he did – she did not even come near the trailer ramp. So over comes Pat. And after some back and forth – she was in. Calm and content.

We repeated the same series of steps & maneuvers over and over until she was really very comfortable going in and out of the trailer as well as hanging out inside it all on her own. We both got so proficient and confident, that when we were leaving at the end of the following day to drive back to the Czech Republic, I was able to load her into the trailer while standing outside by myself. Yup. The horrendous travel problem that almost led me to sell her disappeared.

We return home 

We returned home, victorious. I hugged Pat before leaving and promised that one day I would come and spend 3 months with him on one of his ranches to continue to education. LT made massive leaps forward in groundwork but also under the saddle. She was calmer, more confident, and more mature. Mostly, I was at peace, knowing that any time we need to travel with her, the loading process is easy. I can load her myself effortlessly, and drive her myself wherever we need to go. 

Pat Parelli on how to load your horse in a Trailer

First off, here are 4 things Pat says NOT to do:

1. Don’t wait till you’re late for the horse show to load your horse in the trailer

2. Don’t open the trailer door and see if she gets in

3. Don’t try to ask her to get inside the trailer

4. When she finally gets in, don’t hurry to shut the butt bar as fast as possible. 

Now onto the things that you should do:

To truly understand how Pat is able to load any horse within minutes, one must dive deeper into his work. I learned this the hard way in Poland, in front of hundreds of spectators. But I feel that this video of Pat working illustrates the main concept well. 

The stick Pat is holding is not a whip, but a so-called “Carrot Stick”. It is never used to hit the horse, but rather serves as an extension of your arms. It helps you communicate with the horse in a way that horses communicate with one another as herd animals. “Lateral Thinking” as Pat calls it. 

He is using it repeatedly to guide the horse inside the trailer – the one area where he will be left to rest in peace. The horse can choose to go in any direction he chooses, but annoyance by the carrot stick will follow. It then becomes the horse’s choice to enter the trailer. His reward is peace and reassurance that he made the right choice. 

Step 1: 

Heard the horse, using the carrot stick, training rope, and Parelli halter. Don’t ask the horse to enter the trailer right away, just to put her nose on it. 

Step 2: 

Now ask to put the horses head in the trailer. Then the horse’s legs. Then the horse’s body. You might have to use the carrot stick and make it very uncomfortable for her to go in any other spot than the one you’re asking for. Just like Pat demonstrates in the video above. Once your horse enters, leave them alone. Stay calm, grounded & present. You may hang a hay bag inside to make the reward extra sweet.

Step 3: 

Repeat until your horse is content entering the trailer, even if she backs right out. Over time & with practice, the time she is comfortable staying inside will extend. 

For a narrated version of Pat loading a horse, watch this video. 

For a full visual of Pat loading a horse, here is a video of the full process.

Additional safety tips when loading a horse into the trailer

Before loading your horse in a trailer, it is crucial to thoroughly check the trailer and towing vehicle to ensure the safety and well-being of both you and your equine companion. Here are some key considerations to keep in mind:

1. Trailer Condition: Inspect the trailer for any signs of damage, such as rust, loose bolts, and trailer floor. Check the tire pressure, tread wear, and overall condition. Inspect the chest bars, trailer windows, back door, and escape doors.  Make sure the tire pressure is not too high, to prevent trailer tire blowouts. Ensure all lights, reflectors, and brakes are functioning correctly.
2. Hitch and Coupling: Examine the hitch and coupling mechanism to ensure they are secure and properly connected to the tow vehicle. Confirm that safety chain welds are in place and securely attached.
3. Electrical Connections: Verify that the electrical connections between the trailer and the towing vehicle are properly connected and functioning. Check the brake lights, turn signals, and any other electrical components to ensure they are in working order.
4. Weight Distribution: Ensure that the trailer is loaded appropriately, with the body weight distributed evenly. Improper weight distribution can affect the stability and handling of the towing vehicle. Consult the trailer’s weight capacity guidelines and make adjustments inside of the trailer as necessary depending on the type of trailer.
5. Towing Vehicle Maintenance: Assess that the tow vehicle is the right vehicle for your particular trailer. Make sure that it is in good condition, including the tires, brakes, lights, side mirrors, steering wheel, and fluid levels. Check the vehicle’s towing capacity to ensure it is suitable for the trailer’s weight.
6. Emergency Equipment: Keep essential emergency equipment on hand, such as a spare tire, jack, lug wrench, reflective triangles, first aid kits, and fire extinguisher. In case of an unforeseen incident, having these tools readily available can help address minor issues or safely handle emergencies.
7. Weather Conditions: Consider the current and forecasted weather conditions for your journey. Adverse weather, such as heavy rain, strong winds, or icy roads, can significantly impact driving conditions. Adjust your travel plans or take necessary precautions accordingly. Provide extra protection from the cold for your horse in cold conditions to preserve body heat.
8. Documentation: Ensure you have all necessary paperwork, including proof of ownership for the horse, registration, and insurance documents for the trailer and towing vehicle, and any required health certificates or permits. As a general rule, horses are required to have blood tests when traveling across state lines.