Trailer loading is a major source of stress and injury for horses and handlers. Evidence-based training methods improve outcomes for both.
Trailer loading anxiety is a pervasive welfare problem in horse ownership. Horses that refuse to load face forcible handling that causes fear and physical injury, while the underlying anxiety persists or worsens. The welfare solution is prevention through early positive experiences, and remediation through systematic desensitisation and counter-conditioning. Handlers must learn to read horse body language to work below the fear threshold. Veterinary assessment should exclude pain causes before assuming the problem is purely behavioural.