Let the horse decide whether he wants to load
Request the horse only when he’s losing interest in the trailer
The 4 most common mistakes I noticed
I will offer you a series of 4 articles where I list the errors to avoid if you want to easily get a horse into a trailer:
- Error #1 : the leader keeps requesting when this one thinks of going in.
- Error #2 : the horse backs up really quickly and end up hitting his head in the ceiling of the trailer
- Error #3 : too many people around the horse give inconsistent commands
- Error #4 : the horse leader/owner passes on his stress to the horse due to an important stake (e.g. competition, tight schedule, etc)
How to make an analogy with an example of the day-to-day life?
To illustrate the error 1 of over-solicitation of the horse, here is a comparison with our human life which will allow you to become aware of the consequences. Imagine a seller trying to make you buy a product, you do not know this product and see no use in it at first sight, but you are gently persuaded by the sales pitch. Your decision to buy is almost taken and you grab your check book to make the payment but … you still have a little doubt when filling out the check … Seeing that you could change your mind, the salesperson suddenly changes tone and pushes you to quickly conclude by physically approaching you: “Go ahead!” Buy, this is an unexpected opportunity! Go for it! “
This increased pressure makes you lose confidence and you ultimately give up on that purchase. If the seller had given you time to think, you would no doubt have bought his product. This is precisely what happens with a horse: if the horse seems hesitant but voluntary despite everything, letting him think and take the time he needs will make him master of his decision and he will ride on his own …
How to proceed?
Here, the solicitations only come:
- when she turns away from the trailer
- after a break in the solicitation from me
However, this mare has one rule which must remain clear to her: a formal ban on trying to push me around the van on the right! Other horses can obviously be much more impressive and a stick may be necessary to ensure their own safety.
Going slow will make you go faster. The book of Chinese wisdom (1876)
