Welcome Home Greta
For the past 15 years I have been working horses exclusively for clients, without owning one of my own. That all changed on June 18 of this year when I brought home my new 2 year old Hanovarian/Thoroughbred cross filly. Greta was (and still is) very immature in both body development and handling experience. She lived in a 5-acre pasture with two equine baby-sitters her whole life. She led well enough to follow carrots. She had never been curried, tied, or put in a stall. I was nervous about bringing her home--imagining all the ways she could injure and/or traumatize herself. By sharing the process I used to get her home uneventfully, I hope to spare other young horses from traumatic first trailering experiences that could lead to life-long trailering difficulties.
Before I tried to move her I made several trips to work with her, and was able to work her consistently for the last 3 days before the move. We began with basic leading skills, including the use of a butt rope. It was important that she learn the word, “whoa” and that I could groom her all over, especially around the hindquarters and legs. My initial goal was to begin building a trusting and respectful rapport with her.
I brought Greta in and fed her in a stall to get her used to being confined. She was very nervous at first and would grab mouthfuls of grain as she paced back and forth. Eventually, she learned to stand and eat quietly. We gradually increased the amount of time we let her stand in the stall after eating, using her behavior as a guide. The goal was to keep her in as long as possible, but let her out while she was still relatively calm. We worked her up to two hours of stall time (the length of her ride home) with lots of hay to keep her busy and a friend in the barn for company.
Next we began acquainting her with the trailer. I prefer trailers with ramps to the step-up styles. Especially when it comes time to unload. When your horse steps back out of a step-up trailer (especially for the first few times) they have no idea how far down the ground is. It can be pretty scary. Some step-up trailers, like stock trailers, give you enough room to turn your horse around inside and lead him out. This is much easier on the horse. If Greta were younger and smaller I would have chosen a stock trailer, and trailered her without tying her head. But she was big enough to use the divider and sides of the trailer to lean on for support. I also chose a trailer that had no manger, just a chest bar in the front. I have seen horses panic, rear up, and get themselves up in the manger. It is not a pretty sight.
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