Dear Stephanie,
The key to this situation is time. Unfortunately your poor mare is very scared now, as you know, and now you are going to have to re-teach her that trailering is OK. I would start with taking out the middle divider; some horses feel a need to spread out their hind legs, sometimes all legs, to feel more secure; since her harrowing ride, she may feel like that now, too. Once you've done that, reintroduce her to the trailer. Don't try to go anywhere the first few times, walk her in, keep talking to her, telling her what a good girl she is, that everything is OK, and let her see her new space. While walking her in, watch her eyes and body language; as soon as you see her get tense, try and lead her out of the trailer -- again, keep talking to her, telling her what a great girl she is, pet her a lot and reward her. I know this seems silly, but you have to re-teach her that she is not going to be trapped. Horses have a fight or flight mechanism built in; she feels like she is trapped and has no control and panics. So you have to re-establish a trust with her, and this is going to take time. Keep walking her on and letting her get out when she gets scared; just calmly talk to her, and back out with her; don't raise your voice at all, even if the first few times she flys out of the trailer. Just go back with her, not trying to stop her, keep talking to her and reassuring her that she is OK. Practice this on days that you aren't in a rush or have a lot on your mind; she will need your full attention. She should gradually be staying in the trailer longer and longer, without getting scared. You can also encourage this by rewarding her in the trailer when she is in by giving her carrots or other treats. Once you have her willing to stay in the trailer with you, you could also stand there with her while she eats her supper. This whole time you are working with her, DO NOT try and put the back of the trailer up -- she must feel as though she can get out if she has to. Only re-attempt to put the ramp up or the butt bar once she is able to stand in the trailer without panicking. Otherwise, you will be doing more damage than good -- you want to regain her trust, not crush it.

I wish I could give you an approximate time frame of how long it will take to go through this process but it really depends on her and how often you practice. I really believe that with some time and effort, you and she will be happily riding the trails again. My best advice is to never push her; if she backs out after only being in the trailer 2 seconds, let her, and don't scold her, she is only doing what comes naturally in the horse world. She is "flighting." You can't punish her for that; she was in a pretty traumatic situation before and has to learn it's OK now. If you remember to reward her for the little things, like staying in the trailer 2 more seconds than she did the last time, that and given time will help her come around for you. Always watch her body language and try and help her before she hits the point of panic. If you notice she is really scared, then back her out or stop her where she is and just talk to her and pet her. Taking the divider out may help a lot, too, because she will be able to spread her legs. Once you feel like she is ready, try a short trip -- even if it's only to the end of the drive, if that's what it takes. "Baby steps" will get you much further than anything else.

I truly wish you the best, and have patience -- she will come around.

Katie,
Hoof and Paw Therapies

Your health expert is: Dr. Michael Q. Lowder, DVM, MS
University of Georgia
College of Veterinary Medicine
Department of Large Animal Medicine
Athens, Georgia 30602-7385
E-mail your questions to Health@horsecity.com

The opinions expressed are those of the author and not those of HorseCity.com, its management or parent comapnies. As always, consult with you local veterinarian.