Advice please on problem with new horse

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YvonneP

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I bought a horse which was sold as 100% box, for my son to compete on at pony club. riding club etc. Also sold as 100% handle. I have had him a month. In the three times I have travelled him since I bought him, he has on two of the occasions reared up getting his legs over the front bar. He doesn't panic when he does this, just waits to be freed. On the first occasion my son was in the trailer with him when he reared and got one leg over the bar. On the second occasion, I had just loaded him and didn't even have chance to start my car, when he got one leg over the bar. I freed him, went back to my car and he immediately did it again, getting both legs over the bar. I struggled to free him, and he lurched forward knocking the bar down, and narrowly missing someone who had come to the jockey door after hearing me call for help. I then tied my leadrein in place of the bar, and he reared up again with me stood next to him and got his legs over the leadrein. Where do I stand? I can't use this horse for purpose as I can't travel him. My son or I could have been badly injured.
 
scary.how was he transported to you.have you considered contacting old owners for a chat and ask if hes been in a trailer.would not feel happy trying again without help as i agree this could end in an accident
 
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The previous owners had a trailer, and I asked about him travelling in a trailer as that was what I had.

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have you checked if he likes a certain side?! or without partitions? or with/without the lower half of the partitions (i know some wont ttravel with fixed partitions and prefer the rubberones) or tied up a certain way etc etc?
if not then i'm afraid it sounds like they lied about the 100% thing...
crazy.gif
 
My old pony used to do exactly the same thing. We used to tie him up with one leadrope over the breastbar and one leadrope under the breast bar. It meant that he couldn't lift his head high enough to rear and he was fine after that.
 
Your son should not have been in the back of the trailer if it was moving, I am sure it is illegal, but also very dangerous!
 
oofadoofa! My very clever andalusian sussed that one out by dropping his back end on the floor then just lifting his front legs over the bar and standing up again! He's very athletic and ingenious though. Just thought would mention it as it doesnt always work.
 
we bought a horse and were told it was good in a trailer.it promptly went beserk when we went to collect it damaging my trailer and itself .luckily they returned my money and took the horse back.our recent horse isnt keen on trailers and scrabbles if the partitions are in but i contacted the old owners too discuss.i would definatley contact the old owners but you could try without the partition.however from how you describe the horse behaving it sounds like its done it before and isnt in a blind panic if he waits to be released.
 
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I would be returning him on this basis as he is obviously not 100% to box. Have you contacted the old owners?

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How can you say he "obviously" wasn't OK to box with the old owners. The OP says that it did this 2 out of 3 times with her. Does that mean it was fine the first time she travelled it? Maybe it is something about the trailer or driving that the horse doesn't like and it WAS fine with the original owner.
 
The horse did it both times when the trailer was stationary. The first time was after arriving somewhere before he was unloaded. My son was not in whilst travelling, but had stayed near the trailer, and went in to check on him. The second time he did it I had travelled him to meet friends, and he did it as soon as I had loaded him to come back, before I could start my car. We have tried contacting the old owner, and have asked them to take the horse back. I drive very carefully and slowly with my trailer. He certainly isn't panicing when he does it.
 
There are many reasons this could have happened, is he used to having another pony in the trailer, did you take him on longer journeys than he is used to, do you shut the back doors (did they), did you leave him the trailer a long time when you arrived, do your storm doors rattle and scare him ?

I hate my husband driving my horse because he drives too fast, if you ask him, he considers he drives her very carefully, but he definately goes too fast. You may consider you drive carefully, but maybe the pony does not think the same.

I am sure you are very disappointed, but there are lots of questions to be asked before you write the pony off. You need to find out exactly how he travelled in their trailer, so you can do the same thing, rather than just asking them to take the pony back.
 
hi i would try to travel him with a compainon for a while or maybe all the time , im n ot sure how old he is so he could grow out of it with patience , i would say he did do this before and you werent told, my horse would get into any trailer not jump bars because its a rattly trailer, you should seek some help as he could be a really nice pony in other ways, it sounds like he is just trying to get out which means to me that he just dont like the confinement, its not like a stable , one it moves and two there are no windows so its quite hard really for a horse to accept trailers and lorrys but they do , good luck and seek some help
 
I had a similar problem with a pony in an Ifor W, solved it by taking central partition out and using two lead ropes tying him up to either side of the trailer. His head was in a comfortable position but he couldn't raise it high enough to rear up and get his leg over.
 
I sold a pony a few years ago that we had travelled in a full sized trailer most weekends for 2 years with no problems. The new owners travelled him in much narrower smaller trailer and he completely went mad and seriously injured himself resulting in 6 months box rest.
Might be worth trying with no partition in
 
Tie a rope to the breast bar on one side, put it over his withers and tie it fairly tightly on the other side. I have to travel my horse like this or he jumps onto the tack locker. With the wither rope he is absolutely fine. It's how they travel horses in open-top trailers in Australia, someone sent me a picture to show me how to do it when I was having problems.
 
I would examine your trailer before condemning the horse. Its more likely the trailer is somehow at fault than the horse. In terms of size, space, stability, positioning of breast bar, whatever. Why not get someone experienced in transport issues to have a look at it? If the horse is good in all other respects, I would work through this minor issue. Most horses travel better in a lorry anyway, can you not trade up?
 
I'm amazed so many people are saying well it's probably because it's a new trailer etc.
Having sold several horses as 100% to box-they all were! And non reverted when in a different trailer.
Add in this is a dangerous situation, with the potential for horse/human/trailer to get hurt I see no reason why the purchaser should have to keep a horse that is not as advertised.
I suggest contacting the old owners, perhaps just first ask if he needs any special treatment for travelling e.g certain sides, as this would also reveal if they were lying but '100% to travel' and if they say no invite them to either return him or demonstrate he doesn't do it in their trailer!
 
Caribb, it can be a different trailer that causes problems tho. My horse is more than 100% to box if thats possible - literally the most relaxed traveller I have ever seen, when I first had him he travelled in various trailers with no problems, we traded up, he travels fine in our quite elderly lorry, even to the point where I messed up a few weeks ago and didnt secure the partition properly and it swung back and squished him and he was not even slightly bothered.
However he hates my friend's older rice trailer, he won't load alone, and even with a companion is quite sweaty and stressed on arrival - yet our other horse and her horse are absolutely fine in it.
I'd still describe him as 100% to box - perhaps I would say he doesn't like anything that might rattle but having said that our old ifor did and he was fine in that!
Def worth speaking to previous owners I think?
 
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