Trailer Loading with Michael Alway was a Game Changer

By Laura Reiman

My horse used to load like a pro and I took full advantage of this by trailering out to lessons and clinics by myself without a care in the world. I had no idea how lucky I was.

Then one day I seemingly used up all my good will and my horse stopped loading. Maybe because I’d last trailered to a lesson 2 hours away in a heatwave with a fun travel buddy, maybe because I ride my brakes like a granny, or maybe for no reason, who’s to say.

I tried everything I could think of – chain lead, alfalfa bribes, lunge line, using the barn aisle as a chute, lessons with my trainer devoted solely to loading – nothing stuck. The stress of not knowing if my horse would take 20 seconds or an hour to load was compounded by the fact that it was clear my horse didn’t want to be on the trailer and would dance himself into a frenzy at every stoplight. I stopped going places and became very happy to make my horse world a small, safe space inside my home base arena.

Unfortunately for me, one of my favorite parts of owning a horse is going to clinics and shows. I also consider myself an eventer, so off-property training is…important.

When my barn set up a clinic day with natural horsemanship trainer Michael Alway, I signed up for a trailer loading lesson. My first concern was that my horse Mark would load like an angel and I’d have 45 minutes to come up with some other issues to work through. Hilarious.

Mark wears his heart on his sleeve and showed Michael instantly that he had a lot of emotions about the trailer and wanted to please but also most definitely didn’t want to get into the death box on wheels. With confidence and consistent pressure, Mark was patiently taught that outside of the trailer was just a little less comfortable than inside the trailer, and within 20 minutes he was self-loading.

I watched as Michael stood on the trailer ramp and gently tapped Mark on the butt with a lunge whip until he made a forward movement and was then allowed to stop and think about it with no pressure. The pattern continued, allowing Mark enough time to want to get on the trailer instead of being forced into submission and crammed on. This approach led to a calm horse who was then happily eating hay and standing in the trailer of his own free will.

Sure, there were a few moments where Mark stepped off the side of the ramp and went anywhere but forward, but Michael was firm with his pressure and subsequent release, and didn’t move from his position which would reward the horse for not loading.

I was nervous to take the lead and try loading by myself. My biggest fear was doing something wrong and creating a problematic habit – which I’d already likely done – or Mark hitting his head or leg on the trailer and getting injured. Even after watching and listening about consistent pressure, I couldn’t help myself from yanking the rope once or twice to try and get the same result. That’s creating and releasing pressure, right?!

With a few tips and encouragement from the trainer and maybe a little magic from the rope halter, I was able to get Mark on the trailer with ease.

The lessons we both learned that day have become permanent fixtures in our routine. I was reminded that my horse is learning during every interaction we have. I’ve been guilty of looking at my phone when walking Mark to or from the field in the past, but this is an important time to reinforce attention and manners. When approaching scary obstacles from the saddle, it’s taught me to me consistent with my aids, fair with my requests, and to always reward small steps in the right direction.

I’ve avoided natural horsemanship training for 20+ years because I thought it was for western riders. It’s so easy to gloss over groundwork because riding, for me, is more fun, and there just isn’t enough time in the day. But the reality is that groundwork is truly the foundation to a good relationship with your horse, and a safe way to approach situations that might get tricky under saddle.

Since our trailer loading clinic I’ve had two more sessions with Michael, each time building on the trust and confidence created through introducing my horse to controlled situations that help him work through emotions, but that we know can have a successful outcome. Small wins add up over time.

A previous trainer had tried to fix our trailer loading problems by showing me how easy it was to load Mark when he was listening and respected your leadership. Mark would load because he was asked to, albeit in an agitated state, but I could never recreate the same approach.

With Michael Alway, I didn’t have to fake confidence because I could trust in the tools I had. If I calmly worked the progression of steps, I didn’t need to be dominate.
Not only is my horse my confident, but the groundwork we’ve learned from our natural horsemanship clinics has created a stronger bond between us, and I’m learning to trust him again as well.

If you have the opportunity, take a clinic with a cowboy even if you don’t have any specific behavioral problems to work through.