Trailer Loading

Now, with the gate issue not so big and the bridge conquered, loading in the trailer is anti climactic!  The bridge is about 8 inches off the ground made of rough cut 2 by 8 lumber.  It's eight feet long and four feet wide and it is HEAVY!  This is a great transition to the bigger step up into my trailer which is a two horse slant load.   
After Abbey was comfortable stepping on and off the bridge, we moved on to the trailer.  I have it hooked up to the truck of course to be safe before putting even a small horse inside.  I gave Abbey plenty of time to sniff the inside, and look around.  My yearling was already in the trailer the first time and I did get in first, which I'll only do until she's loaded once or twice, then I'll want to send her in by herself as it's MUCH safer for the handler.   Now, with the yearling out and not much coaching, Abbey put her front foot in and thumped the floor a few times.  I don't care how much of this she needs to do, as long as she's standing right at the back of the trailer and looking inside, not trying to get away to one side or back away.  I'm also ok with her taking her feet back out, as that's going to help when I teach her to back out of the trailer.  When she puts both front feet in and stops, that's a good time to let her decide whether she wants to come on in or to back out.  I've found the young horses are more comfortable if they know they can get out without any pulling.  And really, if one is going to pull back and get out, we can't hold them anyway.  So I give myself plenty of time and let her back out if she needs to as long as she stays calm and stays at the trailer.  Pretty soon, she's trying to lift a hind leg in too, since it will be more comfortable.  It takes a couple of tries to figure out how high to lift that hind leg, but when she does I tell her how good she is and give her lots of rubbing.  I still don't try to keep her in the trailer if she gets worried.  When she's calm, I ask her to back out.  Of course, she's already learned to back on level ground with pressure on the halter.  Because she was able to load and unload one leg at a time, backing out isn't difficult. 
The next time Abbey loads in the trailer, she finds some hay.  It's not a bribe as she didn't know it was there.  It just makes the trailer a positive place to be.  I'll have hay in the trailer each time she loads at first, then it will be there randomly.  After she loads a few more times and goes calmly out both front feet first and backing out, she's ready to self  load.  I tie the devider securely back, open the doors, take her lead rope off and let her loose.  The area is enclosed and I've made sure there isn't anything she can get in trouble with.  After exploring for a few minutes, she climbs back in the trailer and finds more hay.
The next step will be to close the doors and build up the time she's inside, always unloading when she's quiet. 
I won't tie her in there.  It could creat a sense of panic to feel so trapped.  There aren't many times with horses when you can use the words "never" and "always", but NEVER tie a horse in a trailer until the door or devider or butt chain is first secured.  Then tie from the outside.  And ALWAYS untie the horse before the door, devider or butt chain is undone.  You may get away with doing the wrong thing lots of times, but it is a very dangerous and risky mistake when things go wrong!  Tying in the trailer is a matter of personal preference and depends on the situation--other horses, devider type, etc.  Personally,  I don't tie mine in most circumstances.  They are all schooled to wait in the trailer until I take them out.  Schooling in this area is time well spent. 
I'm pretty sure I can put trailer loading on Abbey's resume now!

Flag is up!

Abbey tried her best to get a rodeo started with the other horses this afternoon after the rain stopped.  The best she could do was a couple of threats from the pony and a half hearted buck or two from the yearling.  Abbey had her tail in the air as she raced around the dry lot looking for a playmate.  I'm sorry I don't have another weanling for her.  On the other hand, she sure gets a lot of attention from me!
She happily took the wormer syringe today and enjoyed the tiny tastes of syrup.  After reviewing all her previous lessons, I started putting a cotton rope around her front legs and rubbing it a bit.  With every weanling, this is one of the first things I do. If they ever get tangled up  in a rope or fence, hopefully this lesson will keep them from fighting and making things worse.   When I put pressure on the ends of the rope, the idea is they give to the pressure and don't resist.  This has saved a couple of my horses later in their lives when they got in tangles with fences.  It also paves the way for hobble breaking.  If a horse learns not to panic when their leg or feet are "trapped" it's also easier to get ready for farrier work.  If I can do this before I buy a weanling, it gives me a good idea what kind of mind  they have if react with panic and fight or pull back.  What I like is if they give easily to the pressure.  I was really happy with Abbey's reaction which was to quietly give her foot.  I want to be able to lead her with a foot rope after a couple more lessons of this.  It's all about building her confidence and willingness to find the right answer. 
It was a short session for Abbey today as I spend most of the afternoon digging trenches to drain the runoff!   I can't stand seeing the horses stand in mud!  They don't mind I guess, but I do.