ponytug
Super Member
Great thought on how to help the horse.
I have been around a few horses that had trouble with backing out of a trailer, and not just step down ones. Practice makes perfect, and I think doing it under training, rather than at the end of a trailering helps. I have known some folks who just took to feeding the horse in the trailer, moving the hay further and further into the trailer as the horse got used to it. My current horse needed to go one step in, and back out a few times before he had confidence in it. When we first got him he leapt in and leapt out of the trailer. Literally. Worked ok in a livestock trailer, but wasn't exactly safe, and not really suitable for a slant load trailer, not that he didn't pull it off once. To be fair to him, we were new to him at the time, which makes it harder to build trust.
My favorite step down trust moment was with a friend's horse that I was riding in a 75 mile ride along the California coast. It was an amazing ride through a wide variety of habitats and ecosystems from all out desert to lush practically temperate rain forest. The route included logging roads, park trails, and, at a few points, basically bushwhacking. About half way through, the trail had been rerouted due to a trail failure from an El Niño washout. We were going through thick brush down a steep section of single track. (Ok, the trail was basically a bushwhacking shortcut that the organizers had put in.) I was leading the horse because it was such a steep downhill, and we came to a four or five foot high rock outcrop. The trail went straight over it, and the horse plainly conveyed that he didn't think it was something he was up for. He was never great going downhill because of his conformation, which is why I always used to walk or jog downhill with him. The brush was so thick that there wasn't really another option for us. I thought for a bit, and knew that he trusted me, so I picked up a front hoof and placed it on a step like bulge on the outcrop. He seemed ok with it, so I picked up the other front hoof and put it a bit farther down on another bulge, and then went back to help him with the other front hoof, and we repeated the routine. He tiptoed down the outcrop with my help, and we went on our way. It is always so wonderful to have a horse that trusts you!
Afterwards, I heard that more than a few riders had interesting experiences on that section, but I was, and am, thankful for his trust that I would get him through something that was not in his comfort zone. He was an amazing trail horse and would go all day if you let him go at his pace, once finishing the Western States 100 in such great shape that in the finish barns at the end of the race we had more than a few people comment on how nice it was for us to have brought a barn buddy to the finish line to keep a competition horse company. I think he actually gained weight on the 100 mile ride. A great horse in his own way.
I am a big fan of training and cross training with horses. My wife used to compete in dressage. We do more than a little dressage, and I think it helps so much on the trails. It certainly improves horse / rider communication, and I think good communication builds trust. Both ways.
All the best,
Peter
I have been around a few horses that had trouble with backing out of a trailer, and not just step down ones. Practice makes perfect, and I think doing it under training, rather than at the end of a trailering helps. I have known some folks who just took to feeding the horse in the trailer, moving the hay further and further into the trailer as the horse got used to it. My current horse needed to go one step in, and back out a few times before he had confidence in it. When we first got him he leapt in and leapt out of the trailer. Literally. Worked ok in a livestock trailer, but wasn't exactly safe, and not really suitable for a slant load trailer, not that he didn't pull it off once. To be fair to him, we were new to him at the time, which makes it harder to build trust.
My favorite step down trust moment was with a friend's horse that I was riding in a 75 mile ride along the California coast. It was an amazing ride through a wide variety of habitats and ecosystems from all out desert to lush practically temperate rain forest. The route included logging roads, park trails, and, at a few points, basically bushwhacking. About half way through, the trail had been rerouted due to a trail failure from an El Niño washout. We were going through thick brush down a steep section of single track. (Ok, the trail was basically a bushwhacking shortcut that the organizers had put in.) I was leading the horse because it was such a steep downhill, and we came to a four or five foot high rock outcrop. The trail went straight over it, and the horse plainly conveyed that he didn't think it was something he was up for. He was never great going downhill because of his conformation, which is why I always used to walk or jog downhill with him. The brush was so thick that there wasn't really another option for us. I thought for a bit, and knew that he trusted me, so I picked up a front hoof and placed it on a step like bulge on the outcrop. He seemed ok with it, so I picked up the other front hoof and put it a bit farther down on another bulge, and then went back to help him with the other front hoof, and we repeated the routine. He tiptoed down the outcrop with my help, and we went on our way. It is always so wonderful to have a horse that trusts you!
Afterwards, I heard that more than a few riders had interesting experiences on that section, but I was, and am, thankful for his trust that I would get him through something that was not in his comfort zone. He was an amazing trail horse and would go all day if you let him go at his pace, once finishing the Western States 100 in such great shape that in the finish barns at the end of the race we had more than a few people comment on how nice it was for us to have brought a barn buddy to the finish line to keep a competition horse company. I think he actually gained weight on the 100 mile ride. A great horse in his own way.
I am a big fan of training and cross training with horses. My wife used to compete in dressage. We do more than a little dressage, and I think it helps so much on the trails. It certainly improves horse / rider communication, and I think good communication builds trust. Both ways.
All the best,
Peter
Last edited:
