Help ! At wits end. Banging while travelling

M

misswagtails

Active Member
Joined
8 March 2009
Messages
39
Visit site
I am literally at my wits end with this. My horse who can travel beautifully no banging about can obviously balance well. Now paws/bangs the floor most of the way home and sometimes on the way out.
He sits on the back bar. Throws his head up and down and paws so badly the car moves.
When he gets really bad he arrives home v sweaty and hot.
As far as I can tell he's just impatient and wants out but he's damaging the trailer floor. (Rubber has Already been replaced twice) and I'm worried he's damaging his legs too. We already have joint issues!
I've tried it all. . Treats /licks in the trailer even hobbles. . Not ideal but he can still bang!
Please please has anyone had any experience of it and how did you solve it?
 
Have you checked the tyre pressures recently? Heidi did this once completely out of character and she was aware of a slow puncture which had changed the balance of the ride.
 
Yes he's ok in a lorry but there's not a hope in hell I'll ever be able to afford one so that's out!

I'm reluctant to take the partition out because I don't have full length bars and he can obviously travel fine in a partition but that might be my next stop!
He used to travel fine with company but has started pawing with another of my horses in. :(

Good shout on the tyre pressures I'll check but this has been going on for months and through new floors and new tyres! Will def check tho.
Thankyou guys so far so helpful! X
 
Keep him starved for 3 hours then a small tight haynet with some carrots well forwards in the trailer.
I would get a full length bar tbh.
Has he been stood in overnight, would he have less energy build up if he was brought in straight from field.
What if you taped some gorse on the back bar?
 
Last edited:
Get full length bars and travel without the partition. Mine, who loads and travels perfectly fine in every situation, is still much happier in my IW505 without the partition and with full length bars (and he's only 15hh). He places himself diagonally and seems happier.
 
You say he can obviously travel fine with a partition...but he can't - he bangs? Likely related to the joint issues you say he has, it is probably difficult/painful for him to balance. My horse because difficult to load and travel when he got bone spavin, sorted his legs out and he now travels fine, however only with no partition (or just the front part of the partition, full width bar behind), as he seems to need to spread out his back legs more than the width allows.

I agree don't take the partition out until you have purchased full length bars.
 
My horse went through a spell of doing this - bit controversial, but i hobbled him in the trailer.

He would paw so badly (always on the way home), he would literally bounce up and down and i was frightened he would either go through the floor of the trailer or flip the trailer. I think it was boredom / adrenalin, as would only do on way home and when alone.

So i got some hobbles. Got him used to wearing them in a stable first. I had them lose enough he could still move about / steady himself, but he couldn't get either leg high enough. Travelled him in them for a few journeys, broke the cycle. I kept them in the car for a while but he's never done it since and that was years ago.

Just remember to take them off before u unload!

P.s. tried mirrors etc etc - he thought that was great fun as he could watch himself bounce!

Edited to add - just seen you used hobbles - how could he still bang with them on?!
 
Lucyad said:
You say he can obviously travel fine with a partition...but he can't - he bangs? Likely related to the joint issues you say he has, it is probably difficult/painful for him to balance. My horse because difficult to load and travel when he got bone spavin, sorted his legs out and he now travels fine, however only with no partition (or just the front part of the partition, full width bar behind), as he seems to need to spread out his back legs more than the width allows.

I agree don't take the partition out until you have purchased full length bars.
Click to expand...

Agree with this it sounds like he may be uncomfortable.
 
misswagtails said:
I'm reluctant to take the partition out because I don't have full length bars and he can obviously travel fine in a partition but that might be my next stop!
He used to travel fine with company but has started pawing with another of my horses in. :(

Good shout on the tyre pressures I'll check but this has been going on for months and through new floors and new tyres! Will def check tho.
Click to expand...

I'd say get these done first of all. The tyre pressure thing may well be out, you may not have a flat or anything - we took our trailer for servicing at a local professional trailer place, my usually wonderful traveller began banging about and then started hurling himself to the floor on the first 2 journeys of having the trailer back. We found that the trailer place had pumped the tyres up way too much which obviously affected the ride to such a degree my horse absolutely hated it. He kept doing it from then on even once the tyres were correct :( However, I solved it by removing the back 1/2 of the partition (so you can leave the front section in with the bar, not sure why everyone assumes you have to take the entire thing out) and this is how he still travels to this day. And I can put another horse (that he knows) in beside him like this. Otherwise, does he have a nice big haynet of good hay/haylage to keep him amused?
 
Stilltrying that is exactly it!!! It's awful when you're bouncing about!
I say he can travel properly because all the way there he will! He can stand. He just doesn't want to!

He could be uncomfortable. But god knows what is making him uncomfortable.
I have absolutely no idea how he can bang with hobbles on! They're not tight enough so he can't spread his legs. That would be a bit cruel! I think he just throws his weight around more.

In answer to the rest of the questions. Yes I unload straight away. He won't stand on it (although that is getting better)
We travel about 3 times a week. So starving him isn't a viable option.

Looks like full bars might be the only way guys! I'm glad so many of you have tried it.
X
 
I'm
So so glad you've had this. That's exactly it. He's bored/lonely and impatient! I've done treats and music. You sound like you got as desperate as me!
 
You need to leave him on the trailer til he stops banging. If you unload him while he's banging he's going to do this forever.

I would take him for a run in the trailer every night don't unload him and leave him in there while you have your tea or something.

He will soon learn to stand on the trailer eating his hay patiently. My horses would stand there all day happily and it's because I never load and leave and I never arrive and unload immediately.

Does he stand tied up properly on the yard? If not, tackle that too.
 
I'd say he's definitely unhappy, esp if he's sweaty when you get there. Mine travels beautifully in our herringbone style lorry (he stamps around when he knows we're home as we have to reverse in, but that I don't mind) but travelled terribly in my friends front facing lorry, was a foamy sweaty mess by the time we got there. Get the tyres checked, and if that doesn't work borrow/rent a rear facing mode of transport and see if the behaviour stops. If he has joint issues its likely he's uncomfortable, some horses will put up with being uncomfortable, others won't.
 
10 drops of Rescue Remedy in the water bucket the night before travelling, or administer neat the in the morning.
Have you tried a Trailer Mirror? Similar to Stable Mirror, but I know it cured one horse completely.
 
lucemoose said:
Try him on the other side, mine struggles to stand on the correct side.
Click to expand...

That's a good idea. I'll give that a go. Thankyou.

I honestly don't think he's struggling to stand. Anything that can balance on three legs while waving the other around is not falling over!

And I've tried all sorts of homeopathic remedies. But I'll give the rescue remedy another go.
A mirror. Funny someone said it didn't work for them but again it's worth a try. Thanks guys.

I don't think I've ever seen a rear facing trailer. Are equi-treks rear facing?
 
Mine kicks off in my lorry when he needs a wee! as soon as i unload at home thats the first thing he does if he has been banging about all the way home! I try to make sure he has a wee before we leave...
 
Thanks stencil face!
I really fancy a Titan one but for that price I could buy a cheap lorry!

I will definitely investigate this. Thankyou so much for your help
 
Have just remembered this, years ago a friend had a showjumper that kicked on the way to shows, he wired up an intercom into his trailer and told her off when she did it. This worked fine and he found that if he talked to her a bit she was quiet and happy when he arrived.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top