I want Sky to be able to travel so we can enjoy the amazing rides locally, and to have experiences at clinics further afield so I am working on preparing her to be a calm horse to load.

She arrived on a 3.5 ton box when I bought her, but had little training specifically to prepare her (other than standing on tarps which was helpful). Fortunately she loaded well as she trusted her handler and had a mild sedative in preparation for her first long journey (3 hours) as a green 2 year-old.

Since then, I've worked to build her confidence around trailers. There are several that are often parked on the yard so I started to invite her to put her feet up on ramps, then walked her up to stand on the ramp before backing off. She's naturally curious so this didn't seem to worry her at all. I had a short loading session with Joe Midgley one day as part of our lesson time, and worked with her on a 511 trailer and a 7.5 ton lorry. After about 10 minutes of practice she was self loading into the lorry and turning to look out calmly, and standing in the trailer for a few moments. We didn't push it further than that, or secure her in, but just allowed her to stand and relax for a few minutes before bringing her off. This was sowing seeds so it could be built on another time.

However, those trailers aren't always handy, so I set up a simulated trailer in the arena inspired by a post by Yvet Blokesch of Featherlight Horsemanship. I created a narrow area bounded by the fence on one side and a jump on the other, with a marked 'chute' (aka 'ramp') outlined by a pole leading into it. Using our groundwork skills of leading with lightness, halting on a body cue, and backing, Sky began to 'self load' into the space and relax when halted.

Loading practice continued over the winter, and, although we weren't as far along as I would have liked, it came in very handy for a trip to the vets-thankfully she loaded and travelled well. This was a great testament to the power of preparation!

Late spring and we got a last minute place on a clinic about 25 minutes away so Sky had a chance to practice loading solo on a trailer and travelling (she was quite sweaty on arrival) and with a buddy coming home (she seemed much happier). There's still work to do, as I want a calm self loading horse who is capable of travelling in a variety of boxes, trailers and lorries both solo and in company, so we have more trips planned this summer to build our confidence in travelling together, and I'll practice loading in as many types of vehicles I can get my hands on!  

She recently tried out loading in a friend's converted camper and seemed to love this, she even self loaded while we were chatting so she could munch the hay net inside, so she is clearly feeling happy with that vehicle!