After 6 yrs he has suddenly become a problem traveller! ADVICE NEEDED!!!!

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Small65

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Basically my horse use to be a star at travelling to the point of we use to travel 5hrs to some competitions……… now I can’t even get out of the yard! Every time we go round a left bend he falls over, he won’t go anywhere near the partition in the centre (I have a double ifor Williams and I have considered a lorry but all the other expenses it comes with I don’t really want to do this……. I will if it becomes the last resort!).

I have been doing lots of regular lil trips out and you could go round a right bend flat out (obviously I haven’t done this) but you even think about going left and he goes down. I don’t think he is getting his confidence by the little trips and im starting to worry that he will injure himself. I did think about taking the partition out as I have a single breast bar I could use. Has anyone done this? Some people have said it is a really bad idea. Has anyone else had this problem? If so, how did you overcome it? Im at my wits end and really don’t know what to do……….. PLEASE HELP!
 
The exact same thing happened to me with my mare. I took the partition out and put in full width breach bars. She now travels like a dream. its actually a fairly common thing to happen, and giving them the whole area to balance in seems to be the best solution. Good luck!
 
worth trying without a partition = you can but try and might be your answer.... my mare will go down/panic with a partition in apparently... i've never tried - i was told that by her pervious owner so have no risked it as she travels perfectly without...
good luck :)
 
Sorry to possibly spread gloom and doom but I had a similar problem and it turned out that my horse was developing arthritis in a hind fetlock joint and in his case he found it difficult to support himself round right hand bends. It is quite alright to travel without a partition and some horses are much happier without as they like to stand at an angle or spread their legs wider than the partition will allow. However in your case as it has suddenly happened after 6 years I would have him checked by a vet to make sure that he isn't developing a problem that make it uncomfortable for him to travel.
 
Hello, my horse started doing this after years too (used ot be a racehorse and travelled beuatifully all over the world), and i was mortified so did a lot of research - basically it's actually quite a common problem, adn is caused when they don't have enough room to spread their feet. it seems like they're fine and then all of a sudden just realsie they don't have much room and freak out when the trailer touches their sides when going round a bend. So, using no partition works beautifully and they travel perfectly - alternatively, you can use a partition as long as it is one of those ones that has a rubber flap along the bottom - i.e. it's solid at belly height and above, but the bottom half is flexible to give them more space. If you go in with your horse (not recommended) you'll see his hind legs are as wide as possible to give him as much stability as he can. you'll probably also find he's fine in a lorry because it doesn't have the same trigger effect pf the feel of the side when turning.

Also, if you can get hold of one, i've always wanted to try out those carpet rugs monty roberts designed for racehorses which don't like the feel of the starting stalls as they might eliminate the problem too?
 
i read about someone else who had this problem and they contacted richard maxwell who said to take the partition out and cross tie, for her particular problem she had to tie up the right leadrope shorter, and this worked for her, her horse now travels fine, so its worth a try.
 
I would try removing the partitions, but might also be worth getting your horse an MOT too if they are suddenly unable to stand.

Maybe they have tweaked something in their back, or could be a number of things, so maybe a vet visit followed by physio? :)
 
Thanks guys I feel much happier about trying without the partitions now I know other people have tried and do this. He is having his back done this week, the amount he has fallen over he must be feeling a little sore anyway!

Will take him out tomorrow and let you all know how it goes! Thanks for your support!!!
 
As above, remove the middle partition and cross tie and I bet you will not have a problem any more. Had the very same thing happen with my horse, and he travels perfectly without the partition. Best of luck!
 
Definitely try without the partition, my oldie won't travel in a trailer with a partition (although he used to!) and is absolutely fine without. He seems to need to spread his back legs to balance himself. I seem to have a vague recollection of your mum having a problem with her horse trying to sit down in the trailer years ago? or am I going barmy?!
 
This is good advice, I am currently trying to get the money together to get single breast/breach bars for my Rice as my mare is a scrambler. I am confident that it will work.
 
My previous horse used to slip in the trailer. Have you rubber matting so it is a non slip surface? Is the horse particularly long in the back as the breast bar may need to be moved forward? Can you move the partition so it is 3/4 to 1/4 giving the horse the 3/4 space. These are all the things I did to rectify the problem and I have never had a problem since. Could it be that you have changed towing vehicle and you are pulling your horse faster around bends? You must not attempt to tow any animal without a breast bar in the trailer - not only is this illegal it is also highly dangerous. Think about when you are stood on a moving vehicle like a bus for example. You spread your feet to keep your balance. That is why moving the partition 3/4 / 1/4 will work. My dad altered mine for me - it was a simple operation.
 
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