Used Western Saddles

Out Training Saddle

15" SHOWMAN Rough Out Training Saddle - FULL QUARTER HORSE BARS $850.00

Western Training Working Cowboy Ranch Saddle Rough-Out Pleasure 16" USA made $695.00

16" Training Saddle - Rough Out Leather $380.00

How do you train a horse to come to you when it knows its about to be trained?

Im training a Tennessee Walker.Its saddle broke but will rarely go where you want.I can lead her anywhere but when the lead rope is off she doesn't listen or come to me unless i shake a snack bag.Any advice for what to do?She thinks that i want to train her every time i go out side.Its not like i train her anytime im with her but i do try to train her twice a day.What do i do?

Hummmm Multiple accounts...... Troll, my guess.

15" SHOWMAN Rough Out Training Saddle - FULL QUARTER HORSE BARS $850.00

Western Training Working Cowboy Ranch Saddle Rough-Out Pleasure 16" USA made $695.00

16" Training Saddle - Rough Out Leather $380.00

Yearling Training - Mr. Chip Packs a Saddle

I am currently training a horse to load into a stock trailer. Her front goes in but not her back end. Help?

I only have one other person to help me. One holds her head and the other tries to get behind her. However, each time she backs out too quickly. She's been in a trailer twice but each time we had a large number of people. She's also recently decided to rear up in an attempt to get away. We tried putting another horse in the trailer, but it only makes the space smaller.

Don't have someone behind her. That makes her apprehensive and causes her to back out quickly. It makes the trailer feel like a trap, if someone behind her is forcing her in.

I think it's a great sign that she's step up with her front feet. And I think the back ones will follow, she just isn't sure of the situation yet and wants to be able to get out quickly; it isn't that she doesn't know how to lift her back legs, that's a natural instinct that horses have.

Here's what I'd do:

1. Use a long lead line and halter on her. You can also have a flag stick (whip or smooth stick with a plastic bag tied to the end works just fine) to help. Get your trailer backed up to a slight incline, if at all possible, where the truck is either aimed uphill (so the back of the trailer is low to the ground) or where the trailer is backed up to a lower place that starts to incline, so that the trailer wheels are low in a hollow, but the back end of the trailer is a few inches from the ground. This will help a lot, for the first time or two loading.

2. Ask her to longe around you a bit first, just to get her feet moving and relax her a little. The flag stick can be used as a lunge whip, just to encourage her to move around you in a circle. I would have her trot some, maybe for about five minutes. Do not allow her to stop. Then bring her up to the trailer step, in perfect position for loading, and let her stop and stand and rest. Pet her, reward her, let her stand, but do not allow her to leave. If she attempts to walk away or back up or leave the door of the trailer, immediately send her into a trot and longe her again. Don't try to hold her at the trailer door, but if she won't stand, make her longe in a circle again for a few minutes.

3. Repeat this step until she will happily face the trailer and stand. This teaches her that the trailer is a "good" place to be, she doesn't have to work, she can just relax and be petted.

4. After rewarding and petting her a little, with the lead rope loose (do not attempt to pull or drive her or force her to load), use the flag stick to tap her back or side, right in front of the hindquarters. (I don't tap her hind end or back legs, because you may encourage a kicking habit.) You should be standing beside her as she is facing into the trailer. The tapping with the flag stick should be in rhythm, more of an annoyance type of tap than a harsh or punishing swat. You just want to change her comfort level so that she feels a need to move. While tapping, watch her very closely, because in the instant any of her feet or body moves in a forward or positive direction, you should stop tapping immediately to release the pressure and reward her, which tells her "Yep, that's the right thing to do!" If she tries to move away from the trailer in any way, keep up the tapping (no harder or faster, just the same) unless she really moves out of there away from the trailer, in which case, longe her some more at a trot around you, and bring her back quickly to the door of the trailer and stop her right in loading position again. Every time she leaves the trailer, longe her around once or twice, right there at the back of the trailer, and bring her trotting right up to the trailer door and let her stop and stand. When she moves in the right direction (to or into the trailer) reward her by stopping all pressure and petting her, lowering the flag stick, changing body language, etc.

5. Continue this step until she loads. She may put her front feet in, and when she does any forward movement like that, stop tapping her, and praise her, pet her, allow her to relax. Wait a moment with her, and then ask her to step forward more and begin tapping her to encourage that. She will probably get so her back legs are right up to the step of the trailer. I have reached down and lifted a leg and set it gently into the trailer, for a young horse that feels like he just can't step in. This puts you in a dangerous position if she is at all touchy around her legs, but if she normally picks them up for you to clean or trim them, then she should know how to respond, and you can carefully set it right in the trailer. She will then have to test it, and eventually learn that it's okay to put weight on it, and then she'll probably step right in with the other one. She just doesn't trust the trailer yet. But she can learn this, with consistent and gentle handling.

Hope these steps help. I know a lot of people will tell you to use treats or feed to lure her inside, but that takes a lot of time and may not get results if she isn't hungry, and you don't want to starve her to make her load. So I think the above way is best, it trains a horse to think of the trailer as a safe, nice place to relax and to be comfortable. Horses naturally try to avoid anything that makes them uncomfortable. So the work of longeing will change her mind about moving away from the trailer, since you make moving away the uncomfortable thing by longeing at a trot for a few minutes. And the tapping makes it uncomfortable for the horse to stand with just her front feet in...she will seek a better place and situation, and she will learn to move into the trailer if you reward her forward movement.

Good luck!

Edit: I wouldn't tie her, as mentioned above, because horses can really get their head and ears and eyes banged up if tied to a trailer and they're resisting. I would leave her rope loose and teach her that nothing in or around that trailer is going to hurt her.