Hind End When Traveling - Advice Needed!

[aimeehorses]

DESPERATE for some advice!
Hello, looking for some advice about travelling my horse. Have had him for 3 years and have competed regularly throughout, he always travels fine but we can hear him thrash around on the turns. Haven’t worried too much about it as he is always happy, relaxed and injury-free on arrival. However, we have just purchased a new trailer that has a camera inside and we used it today. We could see that my horse was throwing himself against the partition, and realised he has too much room so upon arrival we moved the partition over to help him brace himself. However, on the way home he has been just as bad. At one point his back end seemed to be very close to the floor while we could hear the thrashing, and after a few seconds (and much panic from myself) he sprung back up. I don’t think he fell over, his front legs were fully upright but backend just seemed to get close to the floor then came back up. It is important to know that the thrashing sound is the same as it has been for the past year or so we have been travelling him, so I’m led to believe that he has always been like this. It’s just more concerning now I can see what’s actually going on. Has anyone had any similar issue?

 

[MissTyc]

I had a mare who did this - always loaded fine, always arrived fine, but lots of noise and throwing herself about en route. The solution was to get a full width breast bar and remove the partition entirely. I did a lot of reading at the time, and that came up as the top recommendations, and it worked for us! Since then, I give all horses as much space as I can as some of them like to spread out a bit.

 

[Snow Falcon]

I would get vet out to check no back or hind leg issues that are making him unable to maintain balance when travelling as your first point of call.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Has he got enough room I would make the partition wider and try it again if not remove the partition completely.

My horse started to lean on the sides of my horse box and I couldn't work out why and then he went slightly lame behind, after a work up he had a suspensory injury so that behaviour could have started when he started to feel pain.

It might be worth having a vet check.

 

[Rowreach]

Some of them do travel better without the partition so they can stand crosswise/herringbone - it helps with balance across the camber of the road. However, I'd be wondering about a physical issue too (hocks in particular). I'd start by trying with a full width breast bar and no partition though.

 

[aimeehorses]

I had a mare who did this - always loaded fine, always arrived fine, but lots of noise and throwing herself about en route. The solution was to get a full width breast bar and remove the partition entirely. I did a lot of reading at the time, and that came up as the top recommendations, and it worked for us! Since then, I give all horses as much space as I can as some of them like to spread out a bit.

Thanks for your reply! I did wonder about this but I’d be worried he would just fall over with nothing to brace against. He does have his back legs spread out over the space he’s got but still seems to have the issue

 

[aimeehorses]

Has he got enough room I would make the partition wider and try it again if not remove the partition completely.

My horse started to lean on the sides of my horse box and I couldn't work out why and then he went slightly lame behind, after a work up he had a suspensory injury so that behaviour could have started when he started to feel pain.

It might be worth having a vet check.

On the way out he had quite a lot of room and he was letting himself fall onto the partition/wall to brace, so I moved it closer so he wouldn’t have to thrash against it as much. Thinking if it was closer like in his old trailer he would find it easier?

 

[aimeehorses]

I would get vet out to check no back or hind leg issues that are making him unable to maintain balance when travelling as your first point of call.

Just had the vet to do a full MOT pre-eventing season and no issues found

 

[Rowreach]

On the way out he had quite a lot of room and he was letting himself fall onto the partition/wall to brace, so I moved it closer so he wouldn’t have to thrash against it as much. Thinking if it was closer like in his old trailer he would find it easier?

A lot of horses need to stand diagonally to be stable, like they would in a lorry. Horses that are travelled completely loose usually choose to stand diagonally.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

On the way out he had quite a lot of room and he was letting himself fall onto the partition/wall to brace, so I moved it closer so he wouldn’t have to thrash against it as much. Thinking if it was closer like in his old trailer he would find it easier?

It's common people tend to think make the space smaller when infact they need more room I would try him with the maximum space.

 

[aimeehorses]

I had a mare who did this - always loaded fine, always arrived fine, but lots of noise and throwing herself about en route. The solution was to get a full width breast bar and remove the partition entirely. I did a lot of reading at the time, and that came up as the top recommendations, and it worked for us! Since then, I give all horses as much space as I can as some of them like to spread out a bit.

I had a mare who did this - always loaded fine, always arrived fine, but lots of noise and throwing herself about en route. The solution was to get a full width breast bar and remove the partition entirely. I did a lot of reading at the time, and that came up as the top recommendations, and it worked for us! Since then, I give all horses as much space as I can as some of them like to spread out a bit.

It's common people tend to think make the space smaller when infact they need more room I would try him with the maximum space.

I had a mare who did this - always loaded fine, always arrived fine, but lots of noise and throwing herself about en route. The solution was to get a full width breast bar and remove the partition entirely. I did a lot of reading at the time, and that came up as the top recommendations, and it worked for us! Since then, I give all horses as much space as I can as some of them like to spread out a bit.

Can I ask - did your horse lean against the partition and use it for balance? Mine has his legs spread for balance and also uses the partition but still can’t cope, I’d worry that if I took away the only thing holding him up then he would just fall over?

 

[sbloom]

He'll step to the side instead, stepping is far healthier than leaning. Until you try it you won't know, but it's a highly recommended practice since more people installed cameras so there was more data.

 

[Red-1]

I have known this with a few horses and, although they were all sound at the time, they all did go lame within the year. Hocks or one was a ringbone. I'm not saying this is true for your horse, but this has been my experience.

One of them was better in a horsebox than trailer for a while, but then started to do the same.

One of them had hocks medicated, then was fine for years.

 

[ycbm]

Mine passed a hind limb lameness workup a few months ago but he started travelling badly at that time. X rays showed hock spurs. He is now on his way back to hospital for treatment some time soon as he isn't coping with work. This is so very often the first sign of hock issues.

If giving her more space doesn't stop the issue then I think, given my current experience, I would be asking for scans and x rays of the hind legs. I had to demand them, there was no clinical evidence for justifying taking them, just my gut feeling, which was right.
.

 

[Rowreach]

Can I ask - did your horse lean against the partition and use it for balance? Mine has his legs spread for balance and also uses the partition but still can’t cope, I’d worry that if I took away the only thing holding him up then he would just fall over?

They will use the partition for balance because they haven't got enough room to balance themselves.

 

[Gloi]

In nearly every case making the partition smaller makes the problem worse.

 

[Cortez]

Can I ask - did your horse lean against the partition and use it for balance? Mine has his legs spread for balance and also uses the partition but still can’t cope, I’d worry that if I took away the only thing holding him up then he would just fall over?

No, this is a common misconception, they're not "using the partition for balance" they are trying to find the space to move where they can balance best. Every single bad travelling scrambler I've ever had has been sorted with the removal of the partition and a full-width breast and back bar.

*A lot of people don't/won't believe this, the solution is to try it and see.

 

[The Xmas Furry]

No, this is a common misconception, they're not "using the partition for balance" they are trying to find the space to move where they can balance best. Every single bad travelling scrambler I've ever had has been sorted with the removal of the partition and a full-width breast and back bar.

*A lot of people don't/won't believe this, the solution is to try it and see.

I absolutely agree.

OP, if you can, do try removing the partition, borrowing full breast and breech bar - and do a test drive on a round local trip.

 

[irishdraft]

As others have said entirely remove partition & put in breech bar, he isn't using partition to brace himself it's probably in the way of him balancing himself. I travel all my horses like this now and have never had one fall .

 

[Dasher66]

Take the partition out and cross tie, ie tie with a halter rope both sides so he can’t turn round.

 

[Squeak]

On a slight tangent - what boots do you travel him in? Mine couldn't balance very well in travel boots or basically anything more than his everyday brushing boots, I think he felt like he couldn't move as easily in other boots.

 

[Michen]

Why have you just accepted him thrashing around for the past year as ok, regardless of how he appears when he steps off the trailer? Hardly nice for the horse, I'd have been looking for a solution upon hearing it, not because you can now see it!

Try taking out the rear partition.

 

[Errin Paddywack]

Something else I observed when once travelling in the trailer with my pony, very long time ago now. When you go round corners, particularly things like roundabouts, lift your foot off the accelerator and let the vehicle coast round, only pick up again when on the straight. It is much easier to keep your balance that way. I think everyone who is going to tow a trailer ought to just try a short trip in one to feel what it is like, a real eye opener to me.

 

[Cortez]

I think everyone who is going to tow a trailer ought to just try a short trip in one to feel what it is like, a real eye opener to me.

When I taught at an equine college I used to take trailers full of students for a spin around the campus so they could have some appreciation of what it's like for a horse to balance in transit.

 

[MissTyc]

Thanks for your reply! I did wonder about this but I’d be worried he would just fall over with nothing to brace against. He does have his back legs spread out over the space he’s got but still seems to have the issue

But he's only "bracing" against the partition because it's there (most likely!). Many horses, including my mare (who was ans stayed sound) prefer to stand herringbone, which just isn't possible with a partition in the way.

 

[Ceriann]

Mine prefers to travel herringbone. I either remove the whole partition or the back section and travels fine. Full partition and she struggled to find back end balance.

 

[spotty_pony]

My boy is terrible in a rear facing box and will not load into a trailer. He has hock arthritis and I am a great believer that he finds it uncomfortable. He is fine travelling herringbone in a big lorry and stands like a rock - I even took my HGV just so we could get out and about a bit

 

[meesha]

Not read all replies so apologies if repeating what others have said.

i travel mine with full bars front and back, he stands on an angle and never moves even round corners, solid as a rock you need to cross tie so doesn't turn round.

Recently also had to travel my 20 year old retiree with torn meniscus in trailer, travelled perfectly with no partition.

 

[Tiddlypom]

When I taught at an equine college I used to take trailers full of students for a spin around the campus so they could have some appreciation of what it's like for a horse to balance in transit.

Wish this was part of the towing test. I'm a very careful and sympathetic tower after being taken to pony club rallies by my friend's farmer dad in his tractor with both of us in the trailer with the horses.

 

[nagblagger]

I travelled in the back of empty trailer when I was a teenager and had to guess what speed we were going, always slower than what I thought, and what happens if you pulled away round a corner. Frightening but learnt a lot.