Anyone successfully cured a bad traveler?

My horse loads perfectly - travels perfectly if with another horse too.

As soon as he is on the waggon on his own - nightmare - rears - the lot.

Will be watching this thread with interest.
 
Bipolar pony was poor in the lorry. Richard Maxwell techniques and a Dually halter sorted the loading. She was fine once travelling. When arrived/left on the lorry she'd rear and get up on the tack locker. We just never left her and kept getting her down and eventually she became used to it and stopped bothering. She's fine now.
I think as others have said you need to check the is no reason for the behaviour, pain, the change of trailer, you driving style etc. And if not just persevere, calm consistent repetition with sort it.
 
Isn't it just the worst experience when your horse (or anyones) goes beserk in transit!!!

I've found the very best arrangement is an IW510 with everything taken out, even the full width breastbar and go for a plenty of steady, short journeys, then try with the breast bar.

If he's got plenty of room, he'll be able to get in a position where he feels stable. Go extra steady round any corners and choose a sunday when there's no traffic to get stuck behind.

Just keep doing it until he finds travelling boring
 
My 36 year old had always been a bad traveller, think hours to load and then arrives sweated up. I had many different trailers during the 28 years this went on. I also used various horse transporters and lorries, same problem. Then my Warmblood grew too tall for a standard 2 x 16.2 trailer and I had to buy a new 510.

After his first trip he loads himself, I just throw the leadrope over his neck. I have worked out that as he is long (6'9" rug) but only 15hh he must have felt too confined. Even the herringbone lorries dont give them much length front to back, the 510 does.

However my little (14.1hh) cob, also quite long, doesn't like it so much. Her favourite trailer was a Rice Beaufort 2 x 16/2hh trailer with a double wooden floor and rubber mats (put in by myself and very very strong) It also had a very heavy solid high wooden partition. I though it was claustrophobic but she loved it.

My thoughts on her are either she doesn't like the light airy roomy feel of the 510, or its the floor.

Even brand new aluminium floors flex slightly and give a bouncy feel compared to the double wooden floors I always put in my older trailer.

The result of this rather long post is that I think it is a process of elimimination, different horses like different things. Some like to travel sideways and backward too, not easy in a trailer.

My rather stupid stressy warmblood who is normally far more difficult to please than the two cobs - she will go in anything and travel anywhere and totally loves it, even in the old trailer when her ears were on the ceiling :D :D :D
 
My horse was a bad traveller! he would refuse to load and arrive in a sweat!
My friend travelled a short distance with him and with the evidence gathered i altered my box to suit him. he was moving around too much. i added a back bar for him to sit on. i covered the wooden floor with rubber so he would not slip and he always has plenty of hay and a mouth full of nuts when he in. He now runs me over on the ramp trying to get in! I always drive slowly as well so he is not thrown about, as you can guess i am popular on the roads :)
 
MagicMelon said:
Basically the horse would flip out and try to rear up the whole time. Eventually after an awful lot of practice I ventured out to local shows with him but I remember I still had to travel with him to the first few as every time I went out the jockey door when I'd loaded him he would go nuts and launch over the breast bar! It took a long time but eventually I could travel him without anyone in with him, but we still couldnt leave him in the trailer when it wasn't moving. As soon as we stopped, he wanted out. So wasn't fun when we met traffic lights (we tended to creep slowly up to them!) and the day we met a big accident... There was the odd time where mid-journey he'd just jump over the breast bar for no reason and we'd have to dislodge him (not fun when the horse was a very solidly built 15.2hh!).QUOTE]

I read this with interest MagicMelon - I have a small horse on loan and has spent the first few months of our time together going here there and everywhere with no problems; one small show, to my local riding school for lessons, friends for hacks etc. etc. Then one day got to my friends to use her school, opened up the front top door at exactly the same time said friend was gathering up her pony in the field in front of the trailer, two horses walked behind the trailer and all hell broke loose! He reared up over the breast bar and went beserk. Got stuck half over the bar and half behind it. Took us about ten minutes to dislodge breast bar - he walked away unscathed. Me, on the other hand, am now emotionally scarred for life! I have had him back in the trailer a few times since both with another horse and on his own and have NEVER opened the top door since. He backs out nicely but does get anxious and wants to be off asap, but thats probably my nerves rubbing off on him.

Hes a small chap so I have attached another tying ring right at the front of the trailer so he cant walk backwards in order to have the room to rear. I have an old Richardson trailer - not one where the breast and back bars can be adjusted depending on the length of the horse.

Show season and lovely weather will soon be upon us, so time will tell how he goes.

Any advice gratefully received for going forward.

Thanks.
Click to expand...
 
MagicMelon said:
Basically the horse would flip out and try to rear up the whole time. Eventually after an awful lot of practice I ventured out to local shows with him but I remember I still had to travel with him to the first few as every time I went out the jockey door when I'd loaded him he would go nuts and launch over the breast bar! It took a long time but eventually I could travel him without anyone in with him, but we still couldnt leave him in the trailer when it wasn't moving. As soon as we stopped, he wanted out. So wasn't fun when we met traffic lights (we tended to creep slowly up to them!) and the day we met a big accident... There was the odd time where mid-journey he'd just jump over the breast bar for no reason and we'd have to dislodge him (not fun when the horse was a very solidly built 15.2hh!).
Click to expand...


I have one of these and he has not grown out of it in six years. Left to his own devices he will still rear and break the bars on the windows. We tie him down with a rope over his wither, and he also has breast restraints, one at his chest and one at the top of his legs (this is in a lorry). Restrained like this, he travels quietly and eats his haylage. He still weaves a bit but he seems unconcerned.

His behaviour is genetic, he has a full brother the same. Although he could travel without restraints for months at a stretch, we know that one day something will set him off (sunshine through trees is a good one, we do wonder if he has some kind of epilepsy. Horses in a field or in the yard we stop at will do it too.) and he will try to break through the window and get out. So we never trust him.

He loads fine and travels dry and stands happily in the lorry waiting for his tests and for the results to go up. This is not a training issue, I have oodles of experience with horse behaviour problems and he is a one-off.
 
lt was going well today, 3 times, loaded fine and ate his dinner, we stayed in the trailer for 5 mins, he was pawing but nothing major, was accepting treats, exit was still horrendous but thats the last thing on my priority list right now.....THEN refused point blank to load...never had this before, I spent 35 mins circling and getting two feet on the ramp then him going off the side :-( DEFLATED:(
 
last year I had the same problem.

One of my Arab mares (Who always travelled very well) started to throw herself around the trailer. She would load with no problem and stand in the trailer plus unload as if nothing had happened, but once the engine started and the trailer moved she was off.

I did the following:
1) Had her looked over by my Chiropractor
2) Gave her plenty of space
3) travelled her loose
4) Travelled her without boots or bandages
5) Started her on Nupafeed calmer

I take it easy around bends / roundabouts etc otherwise she is fine now.

Once you load your horse and he is happy I would not try again at that time just reward him for being good.

My mare had to learn to travel with a partition in as I have to travel 2 horses together.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top