Tallman Training Centre
Affordable Quality Horse Training and Sales
Food For Thought
I would like to call this page "Tip of the Week" or something like that, but judging from my predictability on the Day to Day page, it seems a little presumptuous to think that I will be able to post a new tip every week. I created this page because often when I am out training horses and run into an issue that is either new or one I have dealt with time and time again, I find myself putting it to words and posting it on my website (in my mind, of course). So here it is, and when such an event occurs, I hope to have time to post about it here for the rest of you to explore. The content comes in no particular order, just as it comes. This page may not be limited to training tips, I may also include other horse care tips if/when I come across something I feel is worth sharing. I hope you enjoy my ramblings when I have the leisure to ramble in your general direction.
Everyone's a Trainer
Like it or not, everyone who approaches a horse, touches a horse, leads a horse, rides a horse - is a trainer. Whether or not they are good trainers is the question. Like people, horses will learn throughout their life. Training is never complete, even on a "finished" horse. The horse you get on is never the same as the horse you get off, it is up to you whether that difference is going to be a positive one. I try to make the changes positive every time. I try to teach something new every time I spend time with a horse, especially a young horse, or a horse "young" in their education. A horse more advanced or "finished" may only need maintenance or conditioning, but any horse can be spoiled or taught poor habits through improper riding or handling techniques. My purpose here is not to make anyone feel like they shouldn't be handling a horse - quite the contrary - but I like to encourage people to think about this and to strive to improve themselves so that they might improve their horse and get the most out of the relationship. I like to encourage horse people to try to be good trainers.
Got something you'd like me to talk about? I can't make any promises, but your suggestions just may be inspirational - drop me a line!
Trailering
Trailering is so important for so many people, and so often an area where people/horses have issues. Let's face it, trailers are scary. If (you are a horse, and) you have never been in a trailer, it is a big black hole, it makes scary noises that echo in your (very sensitive) ears when you step into it, and all too often it is accompanied by stressed out handlers who don't realize how important it is to be patient and supportive here. If you have been in a trailer on the move, you know how important it is to drive gently, brake easy, take corners slow, accelerate with grace. Remember your horse has nothing to hold on to in there, they are basically surfing. Think about that when you are driving. Horses that used to load well and don't anymore (with no explanation) - they have likely had a hellish experience with a bad trailer ride that nobody even knows about, because nobody was in that trailer with that horse to realize how traumatic it really was.
- SO - when loading, the first and most important rule in my mind is to NEVER FIGHT AT THE TRAILER. This concept can be spread across many, many scary circumstances throughout your training. Your horse is going to associate any fighting with the trailer, and it will only serve to reinforce his/her idea that the trailer is scary.
- When you approach the trailer, remember you have all day (I don't care where you have to be or when, this will go much more smoothly and much faster and save you countless hours in the long run if you remember that rule).
- Make sure your trailer floor is not at all slippery.
- If your horse is reluctant to get up to the trailer, take them away from the trailer aways and lunge them a bit, then lunge them up to the trailer and allow them to relax. This way they will learn that the trailer is a relaxing place.
- Never try to drag your horse into the trailer, especially once their front feet are in. Dragging on the halter when your horse is not in the trailer at all is only going to distract them fro the matter at hand - they will forget about getting in to the trailer and think instead about pulling back on the halter. Dragging on the halter with your horse's feet in the trailer is a recipe for having them hit their head on the roof and that is NOT going to help.
- I find horses load much faster if you allow them to load themselves. If they are distracted by other things in the yard and want to look around, redirect their attention back to the trailer and leave them alone. As long as they are looking, sniffing, thinking about the trailer, leave them alone. If the horse decides to hang out and have a nap, ask them to walk forward again with a little pull and a cluck, but never a steady pull.
- If they get 2 feet in and then back out again, that's okay. If you force them in all at once they may not want to back out when you get to where you are going, because they got in trouble for it last time they tried. Also, being able to back out seems to give them a bit of confidence that they are not, indeed, walking into a trap.
- Remember that ANY thought in the direction of the trailer is worthy of reward. The more rewarding (and I DON'T mean food treats), the more positive the trailer will seem, and the sooner the horse will step in.
- Once your horse is in the trailer have your helper swing the door mostly closed before you secure the horse, so they don't feel the need to back out once they are tied, causing disaster.
- When I tie in a trailer, I always tie in such a way that I can undo the rope in a bad situation without having to be in front of the horse. In my trailer (a stock type - was a 2 horse with chest bar, divider and tack compartment, but the divider is removed), I tie the horses forward if there are 1 or 2, slanted if I haul three (removing the chest bar). When tying forward in a 2 horse with a bar or manger, it is important that the horse cannot put their head down, so they must be tied short enough that the head stays in the manger, or over the bar, to avoid broken necks in the event of hard breaking emergencies. My trailer ties have quick release snaps, which I have on the end opposite the horse. I have access to the ties through the side door. If I am tying in a slant load, I will run the lead shank through the ring (or around the bar) closest to the horse's head, then run it toward the back of the trailer and tie it with a quick release knot that I can reach without being in front of the horse.
- At the end of the trip when it is time to unload, always have the horses released before the door is opened if possible. If you are hauling in a slant load with dividers, then have them freed before you open the divider. You do NOT want your horse to halter pull in the trailer, and there is no better place in their mind to panic.
- I always back my horses out of the trailer, no matter how much room they have to turn around. Once they start turning around to unload, they often think they should do that every time, and it is very inconvenient in a 2 horse straight haul trailer! Yes, I have been stuck with my horse in a trailer, because she was certain she needed to turn around to get out. A horse can also injure themselves unloading forward if the trailer floor is wet or deeply bedded (or just plain slippery) - when they jump out their back feet can slip out behind them. I teach them before I ever take them near a trailer how to back off a platform and teach them the word "step" which means the ground is about to disappear beneath them, so they should not panic, but start reaching down. It works remarkably well if you are consistent.
- At all times BE PATIENT. BE FORGIVING. BE UNDERSTANDING. BE CONSISTENT.
I used to think my horses had to get in the trailer without me every time (be lunged in). This is very handy if you have a 2 horse side by side trailer, however, I have dropped the "every time" aspect of it, some horses are real followers and will be much more comfortable if you are confident in the trailer, since you are, after all, the leader (at least you should be). Even if I am leading the horse in rather than lunging them though, I do not try to pull them in.
I have a whole section of my training program that benefits the load and unload ability of horses that takes place completely separate from the trailer itself. If your horse has loading issues, let me know when you drop them off for training and I will be sure to address it to the best of my ability.
