Thoughts on Trailering

A horses thoughts are always determining how he will position his body in relation to where he wants to be. Lately, I have been pondering the idea of how horses like to ride in the trailer. It is common knowledge that most horses prefer to ride backwards in transport. Do they turn themselves around to face the door where their thoughts are, or because there is a true physical comfort or advantage?

If I were in a space that wasn’t preferable for me, I would feel more comfortable facing the door where I could quickly escape in forward motion. Not only does facing forward cause the horse face away from the exit, but it often forces him to back up over a ledge with no true awareness of where his feet are. This is definitely manageable for a horse, but there is still stress and anxiety involved at some level.

Photo: I get a lot of horses that struggle to trailer load. They have to be able to settle when asked even when they are experiencing a lot of anxiety and resistance. My approach is to help a horse stay with me, diminishing as much anxiety as possible every step along the way. This can help a horses confidence tremendously