Trailer Loading Practice

I was out of town last week so Whisper was on his own. Initial indications were that he didn’t do too well. The rescue facility thought they had a cougar problem. Even though it turned out to be dogs or coyotes the end result was a couple of nights of terrified horses stampeding around their pastures. I don’t know if that’s how Whisper hurt his leg but when I went out to get him today his left front was swollen from his forearm to below his knee. I took him to see the resident vet tech and she said he’d just scraped it and put some ‘Surpass’ on it. We worked a little in the round pen and with exercise and the medication he stopped favoring the leg and moved out pretty well.

On to the trailer loading practice. We worked on approach and retreat which became a game for him. He’d walk up to the trailer and back away. Yep, that’s how we play that game. So, we did some lungeing close to the trailer and we practiced the sending exercise. He definitely wasn’t bothered by the trailer but he wasn’t about to get in either. Bring out the big guns. A pocketful of treats later we had both front feet in. No way was he moving his back feet. Back to the approach and retreat game. I thought about calling it a day. After all we had had 2 feet in which was more than I expected. But, you can’t take half a horse home.

Off I went to find the bigger gun and she showed me how it’s done. I’m not sure if he developed an instant trust for her or was persuaded when I picked up the handy stick and walked behind him but he walked into that trailer like a pro. We left him standing quietly for about 15 minutes then unloaded him. He unloaded slowly, quietly – better than horses that had taken dozens of trailer trips. After trailer practice I turned him out in the arena to unwind and think about things before I took him back to his pasture buddies.

I think a couple days more practice and he will be ready to come home. All the arrangements have been made. His pasture is ready for him. I’m thinking maybe next Tuesday or Wednesday.