REPLY: Good questions! When loading a horse into a trailer, you want to load them first (on this page I show how to: teach a horse to trailer load), then secure the butt bar or divider, then close the back door, then go around and tie them, in that order, if you can. Always secure the butt bar/chain/divider before tying the horse. If the horse were to pull back before the butt bar was in place you don't want the horse breaking the rope, halter, hurt his neck or have the horse fall down. Do not stand directly behind the horse when hooking the butt bar in case the horse flies backwards; always stand off to the side. The reason for this order is safety of the horse. If a horse ever exploded in fear when in the trailer and the door is open, you wouldn't want them tied just yet and pulling back on that rope dangerously. You want them "free" until the door is closed. You can toss the lead rope over their back after they're in and go around to the side to grab that rope, then tie them (depending on what kind of trailer you have), but you don’t want to tie them until the door is safely closed behind them, as a general rule, and definitely don't tie them until the butt bar or divider is fully secured.

When ready to unload them, it's the same safety concept concerns as above, just the reverse order: First untie them, then open the back door, then undo the butt bar, in that order.

I prefer to tie horses for trailering in a quick-release knot, and with enough rope length room for them to permit head movement for balance, but not enough length for them to get a leg over the rope or for them to reach a horse traveling next to them.

Here is a link for how to tie a quick release knot:

Tying a Quick Release Knot - Best way to tie a horse: quick release knot

Another additional safety-feature route you can go is to install Blocker Tie Rings inside your trailer and secure the rope in that. It's a pretty neat device and we have Blocker Tie Rings all around my training center here. What's appealing about using those in your trailer, if a horse ever went down, the rope would give enough slack to not hang them up there. You can check out/order Blocker Tie Rings here: CLICK HERE

Here are a few other general trailering safety tips:

• When loading/trailering just one horse, place the horse on the left (or driver's) side of the trailer. When trailering two horses, put the heavier horse on the left (or driver's) side. This will make towing the trailer smoother, safer, and the ride easier for the horse(s) because of the contour design of most road surfaces.

• Make sure that trailer ventilation is adequate for the horse, and that the hay bag or manger is securely fastened so that the horse cannot become tangled in them. Keep fresh hay in the trailer so the horse has something to chew on when transporting, which helps reduce their stress. If your trip is longer, stop every hour or two and offer water.

• Don't allow the horse to put its head out a window while the trailer is in motion; that is extremely dangerous. A bug or rock could cause serious eye injury, even blindness. There are screens on the market that let the air in but keep debris out and your horse safe. If you are hauling horses in an open livestock trailer, put fly masks on the horses to keep road debris from injuring eyes or ears.

• Do not use bedding on the floor of the trailer (like hay or shavings). Instead, use rubber matting for secure footing.

• Check all doors to make sure they are secured and that the hitch is tight. Safety chains should be in place and all lights and brakes functioning properly.

• When driving, make sure your turns, starts and stops are very slow and careful.

• Allow extra stopping distance when towing a trailer. Moving horses and the weight of the trailer will push against the towing vehicle.

• If there are two horses in the trailer, have someone hold the second horse while the first one is backed off the trailer so that the second horse doesn’t think that he is free to back off also just yet.

One last note: On this page on my web site, in the left sidebar, I have some additional links for trailering tips/safety issues that you might check out as well: http://www.naturalhorsetraining.com/HorseTrips.html (let the entire page download there before clicking on links)

Hope this answers your questions and thanks for asking!