loading

Question
"i am very frustrated and need your help bad.  i purchased a QUARTER HORSE in september and he loaded in our 3horse slant fine and rode great -- i have a decent size two horse straight load and he loaded in this fine for a couple of times ( he had another horse with him also)--- he started hesitating and is gradually getting worse.  he will load into the trailer-- but will back out extremely fast before i can get the door shut. i can get him in about 6 or 7 times but cant keep him in there. after many attempts -- he just gives up and wont load at all. he plants his feet---= i have tried lunging him right outside the trailer and its not working -- i dont like to bribe -- but the food isnt working either -- he gets in the trailer just enough to reach it and backs out.   he will load with another horse --- but he is becoming hesitant with this also.  what can i do?"---i thought cause maybe he didn't care for the straight load and that is not the case -- he is not going into the slant load and a 4 horse stock trailer we have -- he does the same thing in all of them -- help  

Answer
Hi Lacey, I have a section about trailer loading on my horse site.  www.freewebs.com/horseawareness  Go to the site and read about trailer problems, it is under Horsemanship and training.  The site is not finished, but feel free to look around.

The more you put the horse in and let it leave or try and trap it, the worse the problem will get.  You have to load the horse every day and not just when you want to go somewhere.  Also work the horse and groom it by the trailer, so it knows not everytime it sees the trailer, it will be loaded.  Load the horse and don't shut the door, load her and don't let her go in, just let her start to enter and then back her out slowly.  If sounds like the horse knows and has learned that you main goal is to trap or load her, you have to change that.  check out the site and let me know if it helps or if you need some more info.

take care,

Rick