WHY HORSES CAN DEVELOP FEAR OF BEING FLOATED OR TRAILERED
Why Horses Can Develop Fear of Being Floated or Trailered - It is Deeper Than You Think…
Most people will assume that horses struggle to get confident with floating or trailering because they get worried by confined small space of the float or trailer. While this is true and we will look at it in more detail shortly, it is more than that.
It is important to understand all the things that can lead to a fear phobia or negative association with float or trailering to support horses get confidence with the process but to also help those that have developing troublesome and difficult behaviour around being floated.
Lets examine each reason and what you can do to support the horse:
Confined Space - This cause is generally well understood and respected. Horse’s are naturally hardwired to avoid trapping themselves in confined spaces. Therefore, they will avoid a sense of confinement and be triggered to feel threatened in such spaces. Other spaces that can be perceived as confinement include stables, wash bays, treatment crushes, shelters etc. Therefore, it is important when you are supporting a horse to develop confidence with floating or trailering that you introduce the float and feeling of confinement slowly and don’t make them feel trapped. Things such as moving the divider right over so the float bay is large, reducing the requirement to only walk up the ramp and then as they get more confident ask for me. If they want to leave, let them. The more they experience the confined space of the float and nothing terrible happens to them, the less threatening it will become. Then you can work on them staying on the float for longer periods of time. When the horse will load and can be locked in, then put them in with a confident horse that is good with floating and trailering. This horse will help instil confidence in inexperienced horses or those that have developed fear. I always recommend that the first trips in the float are done with a confident travelling companion. If you don’t own one, borrow one off a friend.
2. Movement, Noise & Feeling Unbalanced - If you have not yet gone for a ride in the back of the float or trailer down your drive way then do it. What you will find is that it is scary! The feeling of the movement and momentum of the float, the rattles and bangs, the road noise, traffic moving past can all trigger alarm. Therefore, make sure you inspect your float and reduce rattles, bangs, tyres (can impact on road noise) and consider storm door covers etc. Reduce as much noise unsettling noise as you can. Now for feeling unbalanced. Feeling unbalanced is one of the most alarming sensations for a horse to feel. It is very important to drive a float with great care. The general rules I follow is to go no more than 20km/hr around corners and to increase and decrease speed gradually. Therefore, when you are supporting a horse to develop confidence or helping with a horse that has develop fear or difficult behaviour around float or trailering make sure that you start off by going for lots of short drives on good quality roads that are quite. This will help grow their confidence and get used to the noises of the float during travel.
3. Arriving in New Places - This is something that is poorly respected about horses. Horses are greatly impacted by changes in the environment. They are hardwired to notice change. A complete change of environment, a new place etc. really confronts them. We don’t experience this because our brains are better at what is called generalising. If you take us to a shopping centre, we will be able to recognise other shopping centres. We will have an idea about what to expect, if they are safe places etc. Horses do not have this capacity. They learn about the environment from experience. Therefore, when they are taken to a new location there sensory system and emotionally processing parts of their brain go into overdrive trying to ascertain if they are safe or if they might be threatened. Therefore, horses can find their arrival at a new location as stressful and overwhelming. They can then learn to associate the float with this discomfort and start to become difficult and anxious about loading. This is why I always advise people to spend a lot of time taking the horse on trips where you just arrive back at home, not somewhere new. And when you do start going somewhere new, make sure you take them with a horse friend that is well travelled and confident in different locations. Horses will learn to process new locations, however, it is important to set them up to get confident with confinement and travel FIRST before adding on the need to process new locations.
4. What the Horse Endures When They Get Off the Float - If the float arrives at a location and the horse then endures physical, mental or emotional discomfort from fatigue or conflict with a rider or handler or distress from the environment - then the horse can create a negative association with floating. In the horse’s world, it gets into this box and then endures great discomfort. People routinely make the terrible mistakes with horses of taking them to a show or clinic (so a new location that will trigger them) and then works the horse hard or has to fight with it as it is emotionally distressed by the environment. The horse ends up having such a traumatic experience and it connects this with getting on a float. Therefore, to support horses I advise taking them on lots of short trips to that just return home. Then when the horse is confident with this, take them to new locations that are peaceful and no pressure. You let them eat or graze, but allow them to process the environment and work out they are safe. Once they are confident with this, then take them to peaceful locations and do simple easy work. Then take them to more complex environments, such as small shows or club days, but don’t work them. Just let them hang out and work out they are safe. After they get confident at this then start introducing more if the horse is demonstrating it is coping with the environment.
5. The Fight to Get On - If you cause a horse distress it will remember what you did, where they were and what happened to them…and they will be motivated to avoid the situation again. So many horse’s experience anxiety with floating or trailering because they have to endure the some form of conflict or force surrounding the back of the float, the ramp or inside of the float. So, they might not necessarily be concerned about the confinement, it is what they endure to get on. Therefore, it is important to make the float training process as calm, with the least amount of conflict as possible. You do this by breaking them process down into easy steps and allowing the horse to get confident at each step before expecting more. You also do this by taking time and not being in a rush. I start introducing young horses early to the float and not making it a big deal. You can start by just making the horse float a tie up spot after groundwork sessions, then walking over and standing on the ramp. Then walking into the float and out. Then resting in the float for a bit longer. Not making any big deal about anything. However, if I have a horse that has developed evasions and is triggered into difficult behaviour, I will focus on first getting the horse confident just to work around the float. Walk up the float and stand square at the tailgate. Simple stuff that doesnt’ progress to a fight. Because horses are expecting a fight and then don’t get one they stop becoming so anxious or reactive and start learning. This changes everything as it changes the experience and association with the float.
If you are interested in my float training process I have added a new section to my groundwork course that shows how to apply the groundwork process to help horses learn to load, travel and come off the float with confidence.
Here is a link to my Master Class in How to Groundwork a Horse course.
