Trailer Trainer

A Trailer Trainer can be a very valuable piece of equipment on any farm which raises young horses. Our unit, which we built in the Spring of 2008, was inspired by Leigh Ann Howards’s unit at Valley Creek Farms, and her description of its benefits. Trailer Trainers can provide the one thing that ground training cannot, and that is exposure to entering and exiting an enclosed space by walking up and down a ramp. Since trailer ramps have a "hollow" sound when trod on, the young horse is soon taught the valuable lesson that the sound, plus the ramp incline and the enclosed space of a trailer are not to be feared.

Soon after seeing Valley Creek’s unit we decided to build one for our farm, and began looking for anything that we could use as a starting point for the project. We soon happened across a "retired" tractor trailer that we were able to acquire for $200. A Trailer Trainer does not necessarily have to be moveable, it can be stationary as long as there is plenty of space for movement of the horses into, out of, and around the unit. We chose to make ours with an axle and tires for versatility. During foaling season it is installed it against a paddock entrance so mares and their foals could be led either thru a stall, into the adjoining paddock and on into the Trainer Trailer, or vice versa.. Later in the season, as the trainees became more accustomed to the unit we park it in the open area where we load horses. It is constantly in use, every time we move any horse we automatically lead it into and out of the Trainer.

Our Trailer Trainer was a "design as we build " project, and we were able to use lots of materials from our "boneyard". The trailer itself was originally 15' in length by 6' wide, we shortened it to 12' and left the width at 6'. We cut up an old steel mobile home frame and welded the pieces into the supports for the sides, roof, and the two ramps. The steel door frames we made resulted in a 4' doorway width by 7'-5" high, for plenty of headroom. The ramps are a little less than 4' in width by 5'-8" in length. The trailer sides are 2" x 8"x 12' boards stacked to a height of 6'. This leaves about 17" of opening at the top on each side so the interior is not too dark. The roof is 8' from the floor for plenty of headroom, and is made of corrugated sheet metal on a steel and wood frame. The tongue by which to move the trailer is detachable (to allow the ramp down), and there are four trailer jacks (one at each corner) to stabilize the unit so it will not move when horses are entering and exiting.

The flooring and ramps are 2" x 12" wood on metal frames. We investigated rubber matting and decided to use commercial short nap office carpet instead, glued to the wood floor and ramp planks. It has worked well, the traction is good and it is easy to keep clean. The trailer is symmetrical, each end is the same with identical ramps. Each ramp has two detachable "wings" of plywood to guide the horse into and out of the unit. We have not yet installed a swing door at one end, we may do so in the future. So far, it is working well without the door, the trainees are encouraged to enter, stand for a short period, and then exit. We also lead all our mares with foals-at-side through the unit, so the soon-to-be-weaned will have had a head start.

The total cost for purchased parts was under $1,000, this included the tractor trailer, ramp boards, side boards, 2 replacement floor boards, jacks, carpet, plywood wings, paint and fasteners. There was a lot of labor involved, but it was fun to bring all the parts together and make a useful piece of equipment.

  

In the Fall of 2008 we shipped our first two yearling colt graduates of the Trailer Trainer program. We brought out the colts, led them thru the Trailer Trainer, and then directly to the shipping trailer. Although there was some initial hesitation in boarding the unfamiliar "new" trailer, the colts soon decided that there was no problem and walked aboard. What a difference from previous loading experiences! Even the van driver was very impressed at the ease of loading our first graduates of the program. Building the Trailer Trainer has proved to be a worthwhile effort, it makes trailer loading a much easier and safer experience for both horse and handler.

For further information contact Myron Johnson through the CTBA website at www.ctba.com