Bad traveller-but only on the way home

[sarahcma]

Can anyone help? My 7yold ish has suddenly started misbehaving on the way home from places? Have 3.5t back facing lorry.he loads happily and is a quiet as a lamb on the way to wherever! But on the way home he crashes around, Kicking and shouting. When we are home he is hot and exited but quickly cools. I travel him in a mesh sheet.... Any advice as too what do? Rex wine and cheese straws on offer xx

 

[christine48]

I'll be interested too as our 5 yr old is exactly the same.

 

[feefeeb28]

My 7 yr old is the same!!!

 

[PoppyAnderson]

And my 5 yr old had a similar spell as well. Fat lot of good we are in coming up with advice though!

 

[ester]

Mine is also worse on the way home (and now 19..) can take him anywhere. I think sometimes it has been because he has got warm doing whatever and gets itchy and is desperate roll! No ideas to improve though!

He was fine on the way back from the vets though.... sedated!

 

[Jane_Lou]

One of mine went through a similar phase - he would never pee away from home or without a decent bed or some long grass in a quiet spot to "perform on" and was basically busting for a pee! I put down a deep layer of shavings in the lorry and would give him some "quiet alone time" before we left, he would have a big pee and travel home like a dream........ odd I know but true!

 

[smac]

We have a couple like this- generally when they go in trailors- so we just gave them more leg room.

Fewer do it on the lorry- except for one who does it until he has competed in which case he is as quiet as a lamb (or until he has sj'ed if we are eventing)

Those that do we just give them more room. not really much help sorry...

do I still get the red wine ;-)

 

[Always Henesy]

I would love some ideas on this as my TB gets in a right old mess when he travels in my trailer. He sweats up so much that he is literally dripping and creating massive pools on the floor! I have to take at least 4 various coolers/fleeces/sweat rugs with me as he soaks them through. He also violently shakes just before I load him and the entire time he travels. I have never seen a horse shake so much.
He is 17.1hh and I have the big brand new Ifor Williams HB511 trailer, so he has plenty of space.
When I first bought him and picked him up he travelled beautifully and was not at all bothered.
The last three trips in it (2 to the vets and 1 to dressage) - he was a quaking, dripping mess.
It has got to the stage where I am now reluctant to travel him anywhere - as he is obviously very stressed about it.
What to do?????

 

[Mickeymoo]

I would love some ideas on this as my TB gets in a right old mess when he travels in my trailer. He sweats up so much that he is literally dripping and creating massive pools on the floor! I have to take at least 4 various coolers/fleeces/sweat rugs with me as he soaks them through. He also violently shakes just before I load him and the entire time he travels. I have never seen a horse shake so much.
He is 17.1hh and I have the big brand new Ifor Williams HB511 trailer, so he has plenty of space.
When I first bought him and picked him up he travelled beautifully and was not at all bothered.
The last three trips in it (2 to the vets and 1 to dressage) - he was a quaking, dripping mess.
It has got to the stage where I am now reluctant to travel him anywhere - as he is obviously very stressed about it.
What to do?????

This is possibly due to your Ifor Williams trailer. I had mine for 5 weeks and sold it as quickly as I could. Horse hated it.

 

[mocha911]

I would love some ideas on this as my TB gets in a right old mess when he travels in my trailer. He sweats up so much that he is literally dripping and creating massive pools on the floor! I have to take at least 4 various coolers/fleeces/sweat rugs with me as he soaks them through. He also violently shakes just before I load him and the entire time he travels. I have never seen a horse shake so much.
He is 17.1hh and I have the big brand new Ifor Williams HB511 trailer, so he has plenty of space.
When I first bought him and picked him up he travelled beautifully and was not at all bothered.
The last three trips in it (2 to the vets and 1 to dressage) - he was a quaking, dripping mess.
It has got to the stage where I am now reluctant to travel him anywhere - as he is obviously very stressed about it.
What to do?????

Mine did that also in a trailer.....so sold trailer and now have a 3.5t rear facing bright and airy lorry...... he loves it and is a dream to travel... and has a pee in it every time
trailers are very noisy so perhaps your horse doesn't like all the rattling that goes on in trailers..

 

[glamourpuss]

I would definitely look into the pee situation
My young lad came to me with a reputation of being a 'bad' traveller...along with other horrible traits.
I always like to have an absorbent layer down on the floor. The first time I travelled him he was a total pain, the second time again a total pain but had a wee. Now he is mostly a dream to travel although literally almost as soon as I load him to come home he has a widdle.

 

[Always Henesy]

Mine did that also in a trailer.....so sold trailer and now have a 3.5t rear facing bright and airy lorry...... he loves it and is a dream to travel... and has a pee in it every time
trailers are very noisy so perhaps your horse doesn't like all the rattling that goes on in trailers..

Yes, sadly I think you are right. He was a point to pointer for 14 years and only ever travelled in a lorry. However, we spent nearly £5k on a trailer last year and really can't afford a lorry.
My last TBxWB loved the trailer. This TB clearly doesn't!
We have a 4x4 as one of our main cars purely so that we can tow the trailer. Finances just don't allow us to get a lorry and the amount of times I need to travel him just doesn't justify it.
I have someone coming to see him (natural horsemanship chap) - he is going to try and help my lad get over his obvious anxiety.
I was just curious to see if anyone else has the same problems and how they managed to get over it (other than buying a lorry of course!)

 

[burtie]

Mine is 9 this year competes about twice a months, is easy too load, travels without a squeak, stands in the trailer at shows munching hay. On the way home, as soon as we come off the motorway about 20 mins from home he starts launching himself around the trailer. I've even had passing motorists kindly flag me down to let know! I've tried all sorts to no avail. He is better if he has company but still does it, he will even do it a bit when close to a venue he goes to regularly.

Once we have arrived he'll stand and wait politely to come out and seem fine, just very hot and sweaty!

Funnily his mum was the same yet they never travelled together!

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

To the OP:
Try the getting the horse to pee if you can.
Next, when you go out next time try to arrange a short trip for a lesson/schooling session very local (say within 5-10 miles or so)
Then instead of going straight home, put him in the box & take the box up the road for a couple of miles max & then return to lesson place & unload & ride around for 10 mins.
Then re-load & set off home, or even hack home if safe to do so. See how that goes.
If all goes well, then introduce a different stop if its possible, so you can unload in a different place, to where you have had your lesson/schooling.

I had one lovely little pony gelding who did this every time with his owner & he was such hard work on the way back from shows.
We applied the training sessions/loading/unloading/reloading over a period of a month or so, gradually introducing the other show liveries on trips & gradually he got the idea.
On one trip out, we stopped off to unload & school, then re-loaded & went for a cuppa at a friends (daughter rode pony for 10 mins & then reloaded him) then went on to feed merchant for a couple of bags of feed (and with their permission unloaded him & led around) & eventually pony got home - a bit bemused but quite calm.

Might not work for you, but worth at least trying the short trip, unload & school & reload & get off somewhere else that isn't home....

Good luck.

(caveat, this does not work with a worried loader tho, just an excited/worried horse who is keen to get home)

Edited to add: Has he suddenly started doing this in the same box?
If so, please DO get it checked out mechanically, horses pick up noise/vibration much more than humans do.
This could be a worn part (possibly) that once it is warm then causes a problem. Vehicle may well have warmer mechanical parts on the return trip, check out suspension, brakes, axles, bearings as soon as poss to rule this out.

 

[sarahcma]

thanks for the advice... done the pee one, but will try the alternative stop points - good idea. Box has been serviced since he started doing it and he hasn't changed.

 

[sarahcma]

Mine is 9 this year competes about twice a months, is easy too load, travels without a squeak, stands in the trailer at shows munching hay. On the way home, as soon as we come off the motorway about 20 mins from home he starts launching himself around the trailer. I've even had passing motorists kindly flag me down to let know! I've tried all sorts to no avail. He is better if he has company but still does it, he will even do it a bit when close to a venue he goes to regularly.

Once we have arrived he'll stand and wait politely to come out and seem fine, just very hot and sweaty!

Funnily his mum was the same yet they never travelled together!

That is EXACTLY the same as mine!