Loading

Loading issues are extremely common. As we discussed in the previous post, asking a horse to get into a small, confined space with no idea where they’re going, having to balance with no idea when it is going to stop or turn and having no idea when you’ll be let out again is stressful and scary. I think it is extremely logical from the horse’s point of view not to want to load.

The most common loading techniques use some form of pressure and release, but unfortunately this often slides into using punishment. We must understand that if we are using pressure halters, chains, chifneys etc, the choice for the horse is either load or be caused pain. Regardless of your thoughts on welfare, this is not going to build positive associations with loading and the box. While it may (or may not) produce compliance quickly, that’s going to be a very internally stressed, shut down horse. It is also very dangerous to both people and horses, we’ve all heard stories of horses flipping over backwards.

The language used around loading training is interesting, I see many people advertising their techniques as “kind”, “ethical” and even “stress-free”, yet their videos show rearing horses desperately trying to get away. I used to load horses like this, and I was successful in that I would get compliance with most horses, but now I realise I was causing them so, so much stress until they just gave up and realised there was no way out. I wasn’t building confidence or helping them feel safe.

The way I approach loading now is to focus on the horse’s emotional state rather than the task itself. People find this really unappealing as we all want a quick fix. Why would I spend weeks desensitising my horse to being near the box when that other guy can just come and get him on in 2 hours? Because I don’t want compliance, I want co-operation. I want a horse that feels comfortable and able to cope with what I’m asking. If we cause horses to experience high levels of stress during training we will pay the price in their health and their associations with us. Everything is linked.

When dealing with any sort of anxious or fear-based behaviour (which all loading issues are) I personally try not to use pressure anymore. I find the point where the horse starts to become uncomfortable and work there until they’re okay with it. Sometimes this looks like feeding the horse from a bucket with the trailer in sight or using poles and jumps to build a fake partition in the arena so we can get used to being in tight spaces. I heavily utilise positive reinforcement to build positive associations with what we’re doing and we slowly and carefully shape the steps we need to get the horse confidently loading, standing, being shut in and doing everything that requires.

Please understand this is very different to just trying to bribe a horse to load with food or treats, people always say “we’ve tried food it doesn’t work!” It’s because you went too fast or the ask was unreasonable (i.e. the trailer is unsafe, the space is too small, the horse is in pain, the horse isn’t in a trainable state)

When we try to train loading by presenting a horse to the ramp and waiting for them to say no so we can get into a battle with them, we are setting them up to fail, there are much easier and safer ways for everyone.

Pictured is the brilliant Equus with Millie loading a police horse in central loading with positive reinforcement, you can watch a loading webinar we did together for free here: https://youtu.be/yW40apjCIwo