Angry mare trailer issues HELP!!

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Exmoor horseman

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Hi

We have recently bought an IW HB506 trailer for our 2 x 16.1 ISH to go out hunting with. Both horses are fine hunting.

We started off with the mare on the drivers side and the gelding on the other. Problem was the mare kept falling over in the trailer and scrabbling to get up. We swapped them over and now she can stick her right leg out and stand up fine - problem solved....

BUT

Now we have a real issue. She has always been an angry mare, aggressive and territorial. The last 2 times in the trailer (10 days apart) she has started to get really angry towards the gelding - stamping and screaming and trying to kick out. All so bad she is cutting her own face and starting to demolish the back of our very expensive trailer and arrives at the destination soaked in sweat. She doesn't like horses in her personal space but didn't have an issue with this the first couple of times in the trailer.

I'm presuming as the events were 10 days apart and in October that it's not an in season problem? So why has she started to do it now? There is hay in there if they want it (and she also did it when there was no hay). She is good as gold in there on her own - the problem is only when she is in with another horse. She is perfect to load and unload and goes back to normal as soon as she is unloaded.

Any help much appreciated as we have no idea what to do next....
 
My guess is that she feels squashed by the other horse. She would have been too busy concentrating on standing upright on the first few trips to be able to do anything about protecting her space but now she has got that sussed, she has moved onto her next issue. What is she like on her own?

I have a mare who protects her personal space, it has taken almost 5 yrs and a change of diet before she is happy to ride alongside her field companion without pinning her ears back and generally making it clear that the other horse needs to move away. She also now allows the other horse to get closer in the field. Sometimes you just have to put yourself in their place.
 
Hi

Thanks for the reply. Interesting idea that now she has sussed how to stand up in the trailer she's now thinking what's this gelding doing in my personal space... She doesn't like any horses coming too close to her generally. She is fine in the trailer on her own.

Our concern is what is the short, medium and long term solution. She is already trashing the trailer and has damaged the internal partition, the rear bar and the rear door and that's on 2, 20 minute journeys!!

Is it curable - maybe feeding her "stroppy mare" supplement?

Thanks
 
I have a grid for the front of my IW trailer because I used to have quite an aggressive mare. I just wonder if you had one of these and covered it so that the mare couldn't see her travelling companion whether it would make a difference? Might just make them both claustrophobic of course.....
 
soloequestrian said:
I have a grid for the front of my IW trailer because I used to have quite an aggressive mare. I just wonder if you had one of these and covered it so that the mare couldn't see her travelling companion whether it would make a difference? Might just make them both claustrophobic of course.....
Click to expand...

Now that's an interesting idea. She dislikes most other horses coming naer her face - it triggers off the screaming fits. There's a window either side in an IW506 so that might deal with the claustrophobia. If she can't see him she might not be quite so pissed off by him!

Thanks
 
Are you trying a haynet up at the front for them to share? Might be worth giving them one each, she might be jealous about sharing food? Just a thought x
 
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