Trailering a horse?

If the horse is used to being blindfolded, that can work. If the horse isn't, then it probably won't.

I've gone through tunnels under highways and railways on horses. There's a big difference between them and a horse trailer and that's smell. But all you do is work with the horse patiently. I'd get off, lead the horse into the cave. As soon as the horse stops, I'd stop, and let it get comfortable. Then when the horse relaxes, you ask the horse to move forward again. A well-trained horse that's confident will usually enter fairly quickly. Five minutes or so. Some horses you give treats to.

For a poorly trained horse, you have to make outside more uncomfortable than inside. A plastic bag about ten feet behind the horse can do a wonderful job of this. The trick is not to get the horse too excited. And be willing to spend a lot of time in the process.

Or most likely for most nomadic tribes, you get the horse so it doesn't have any place else to go but forward and whack the shit out of its ass until it goes forward. Crude but effective.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

Jclarke pretty much covered everything. Going into a 'black hole' would cause most horses to pause at the least - depending on their training. Smell is a big incentive - they'll be trying to sniff out what's ahead. If there were any other animals in the cave, especially predators (Bears, wild cats) Then it will be a tough go. Patience, a blind fold, treats (carrots, sweets, etc) BEFORE 'the stick'. If it's an absolute must, and the horse is simply resisting - (Pulling them is almost never effective) then a 'butt strap' might help. Depending on how your 'cave' is situated - tying a rope around a boulder/tree/stake on one side of the entrance, looping it around the horse's butt and then looping it around another tree/boulder what have you. So when you pull on the rope - the horse is 'pushed' forward towards the opening, and there is no way he can back up because the rope is up under his tail. (This is an old trailer loading technique) But that usually requires two people. One to lead the horse forward, while the other pulls on the butt strap.

But honestly, if the horse trusts the rider - a bit of patience and dismounting to lead is a believeable scenario.

(Horses are like people - different sorts of temperaments. You can write whatever your story requires - and with attention to detail, it will be believable)

As the others mentioned above, some horses will not react well to going into a dark space, but I've found that HOW you lead them in is important - just like a horse that doesn't load into a trailer well, you need to be confident and sure of yourself, lead the horse with purpose and don't assume the horse will stop. Usually if YOU don't make a big deal out of things then the horse won't either.

If the horse won't go in then you have several options, one is to wait at the entrance until the horse has a chance to have a sniff around and get accustomed to the surroundings, then it might well allow itself to be led.

Blindfolding is useful, but only if the horse is used to it, some horses panic.

I remember my sister using a blindfold, but I see that seems to be a common answer. Sorry I'm not much of a horse person.

I've had to trailer load various resistant horses, so the first thing is the horses attitude. Is it easily scared? Hot headed? Thick as a brick and stubborn as an ass? (I find the last two have owners who are pathetically ineffective around horses and the base behavior is built on and learned, making the horse a pita. In some situations I can waltz in and tell the horse how it is. In others the learned behavior is too strong and they constantly fall back on it. )

A hot horse, or even a usually calm one who cant handle this totally new idea will lose it. When they feel they cant go forward (cave! Danger!) or back bc of their handler or sideways, then they go up and rear. An evasive horse will turn his head, shuffle sideways, try to powermarch away, dragging the human if the human doesnt stay on top of things and thus lets the horse get in a position to drag them. They can plant their feet. Other behaviors when checking out the cave include snorting and raising and lowering their head (it affects their focus)

No worries. Watch some trailer loading clips on you tube. Or some morons handling stallions and only succeding in not getting killed for more visuals.

My mother's old Arabian used to balk horribly, and he was a show horse being trailered every week in the summers.