A stompy traveller

[Thea]

It does sound like you are making progress, all be it slowly which is hard to feel anything but frustrated about but it does seem positive. It sounds to me like a confidence thing if he is happy in company and nothing to do with him not being a happy traveler which i originally thought.

I know this is less than ideal as you want to get out solo but if it was me i would be inclined to get some really positive trips out in company for him to gain his confidence travelling and as soon as you have a number of outings clocked up that are completely stress free try him on his own. I would also take him for a drive and unbox back at home rather than somewhere new the first few times so he is back somewhere familiar after going out alone.

My friend had an awful loader and traveler and it was so stressful planning to go anywhere, she too spent time with a loading trainer to try to solve the issue. In the end she just did weekly trips out round the block for no more than ten mins at a time once the loading issues were solved and the horse has slowly gotten better and better. This horse has to go on her own though as she cant be trusted next to anything unless blocked by a stallion partition which her trailer doesn't have.

Just keep going, as frustrating as it feels I do think you will get there. Did you try a mirror in the end?

 

[huskydamage]

Following, as my not-so-great loader who travelling fine, has suddenly started scrambling in the trailer when it moves and after I thought we'd really cracked the loading and done almost a whole season of hunt stuff with no issues. No idea why she's started this but seems genuinely petrified. Is the general consensus then once a horse starts doing this it will never learn to travel happily again without some drastic change like a new trailer or partition removal?

 

[Mule]

I have one that dances a jig when stopped at traffic lights on the way back home. He's just impatient. A hay net helps, as does a sturdy box.

 

[Minny]

Don’t give up! YOU are doing a great job and making progress albeit slow. Disheartening and hopeless feelings are part and parcel of smoothing out the little issues our beloved equine friends present us with. My advice is to not reason or rationalise just keep going with what you are doing if it is working.

 

[bubsqueaks]

Following, as my not-so-great loader who travelling fine, has suddenly started scrambling in the trailer when it moves and after I thought we'd really cracked the loading and done almost a whole season of hunt stuff with no issues. No idea why she's started this but seems genuinely petrified. Is the general consensus then once a horse starts doing this it will never learn to travel happily again without some drastic change like a new trailer or partition removal?

Sometimes they scramble because of a balance issue so worth checking the trailer & her our physically - also I would never travel without a camera to see what is happening to give you more of an idea why.
We have had numerous travelling issues - our pet hate which yes we may transmit to the horses! but it does just involve an awful lot of patience, time, puzzling, practice, & as with most horse issues can be resolved if you have all these things in abundance!!

 

[milliepops]

Don’t give up! YOU are doing a great job and making progress albeit slow. Disheartening and hopeless feelings are part and parcel of smoothing out the little issues our beloved equine friends present us with. My advice is to not reason or rationalise just keep going with what you are doing if it is working.

I think I'd agree with this.

I have one that was like this, she was also awful to load and when I only had access to hired transport the only approach was to bundle her on and get going, sharpish.

as soon as I got my own box I was able to properly address her issues which were all about not staying with me mentally, getting impatient and then following her own agenda
It took about a year to get to the point where she will tootle up the ramp and stand quietly on the box without kicking off. She's a complete angel now, but it did take very very regular practice,( several times a week if not daily) lots of time, patience and unquestioning repetition. There aren't any short cuts unfortunately. If you were seeing progress then you will get there, little setbacks are normal and all you can do is pick yourself up and carry on. Red's posts earlier were really good too.

 

[LHIS]

Thank you all - I will keep plugging away at it. I have 'booked in' with a friend to get him out in company this weekend and we'll just keep practising in the meantime.
Realistically once we have cracked this he'll be out in the trailer a few times a week at least as I'm fast getting to the stage where I no longer want to ride on the road from home, so I will have no choice. Short of except moving house.. which has crossed my mind.

 

[Tarragon]

This is a very interesting read and it it useful to get the regular updates and reports of signs of improvement. There has been some excellent advice on here.
It is a real shame though that the last time you boxed him up the hail arrived and not only made it a scary experience but you ended up having to take him off, as it has probably set you back a bit! I was out riding on Sunday when a hail storm arrived and pony and I just had to turn our backs to it and wait it out so I so do know what it was like.
I think that the idea of travelling in company a few times just to help setting up a foundation of good experiences was good advice and also to invest in the camera to help work out what the cause might be. I also think that despite wanting to get out and about and finding it so frustrating that you can't you should tell yourself that you really need to stick to the plan and not do too much too soon again.