Decreasing Stress: Horse Trailer Unloading Skills and Tips

 The Unloading of the Horse

Here are some things I've noticed over the decades of watching horses unload.

Frequently, especially if the loading of the horse was stressful or concerning (for both human and horse,) when folks arrive somewhere they tend to want to rush when unloading and "hurry" to get the horse to the new stall or pasture.

If during prior interactions with the horse a common language of communication has been established, the equine will have the availability to "hear" and address what the handler is asking of them, irrelevant of the location.

But in many cases, as there is during other times of the interaction when the human's focus is on the task, the Quality of the Conversation diminishes. Especially when arriving somewhere unfamiliar or new, this is the time the horse most needs the human's support to create a "safe" space for the animal.

I have witnessed an endless number of folks who unload and let the horse look around at the new location. Which isn't an issue if the horse is mentally available towards the human's communication (most are not.) The problem for most people is as soon as the horse starts looking, their mind is "gone" far away from their body, this results in chaotic, tension- filled movement as they start "dragging" the human around.

There is a balance between allowing a horse to look, not wanting to take the awareness a horse naturally has out of him but also recognizing the difference between looking with curiosity versus fear.

Just getting from an unloading area to a stall or pasture can be a "lot" of new stuff, and stimulation between arenas, round pens, hay covered with tarps, chairs, hotwire, other horses, etc. Even on a calm day, it can be a gauntlet for new horses.

This type of scenario is why I'm always reminding folks to break things down into specific, slow, and intentional segments when asking something of their horse in a familiar place. This helps one recognize if there is mental directability separate from the physical.

Then, when it comes to the unloading, there can be pauses during the horse stepping back, stopping when his hind end is on the ground and him waiting to step down with his front feet, there can be a quiet halt while the trailer door is being closed... and on the person's terms, the horse can be asked to look towards something specific, then to focus their thought elsewhere, etc. Followed by asking for a few steps. Checking in that the horse has a mental and physical halt, that he is not defensive towards communication with the lead rope, addressing his counteroffers in a manner that helps him let go of tension... and then heading through the new area.

By offering this, as the walk continues, there is the ability to influence what is about to "happen" as the horse sees the chairs, hotwire, tarps, etc. It diffuses potential build-up of the horse rushing past the unfamiliar and barging into the pasture. It diminishes the stress of the "newness."

Yet for most folks, when experiencing the unfamiliar and feeling an increase in their horse's concern, they rush in hurrying up to "get it over with." So what does that teach the horse for future scenarios? If unsure hurry, the person will "contain" them with a general heaviness on the lead, and then they are turned loose on their own.

It is very hard for folks to realize that at all times they are teaching our horse something, whether or not they realize it. Even if things don't go as ideal as you'd like, or it takes longer to work through a situation, the more you stay present and help the horse work through things in his time of worry, concern or stress, the more he'll turn to you for help in the first place.

It isn't about being somewhere new, unloading, or walking past scary stuff. It is about the two-way communication that addresses the horse in real-time, which builds his trust. Any opportunity you have, planned or not, try to stay present to what your horse needs in the present moment, and not have a "we'll work on that later" approach.