Horse falling over in trailer!!!!

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berry

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My friends horse cant travel in a trailer, she keeps falling over!!
My friend was told to get a bigger trailer to give her more room so that what she did, took her horse and mine out in it today and she fell over again, on the way home we got in the back with them just to see what she was doing. It seems like when the 4x4 towing us was slowing down to go round a corner she put all her weight on her back end (like the do when they try to break away when tied up!!), then when it starts to turn she picks up a back leg and loses her balance and her back end goes. We were going really slowly and all the slowing down and turning was done really gradual and gently, no sharp movements.
She never used to do this in the horse box and has only started to do this in the trailer since the partition in the old trailer came undone and fell on to her. Its not like she is scared cause she is quite happy to go in the trailer it just once we get moving.
I said to my friend that it may be that she is finding it hard to balance facing forward and that in the horsebox she was probally better as she was travelling sideways.
So now my friend has 2 trialers to sell and needs to find somewhere that she can hire a horsebox from as she doesnt want to go and buy one and find out that she is the same in that!!
Any ideas on how to try and help her mare and where she an hire horseboxes from please let me know.
Really sorry for rambling and hotcross buns for getting this far
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Our mare did the same thing (it's usually mares who do this) and it was always round corners. She actually fell right down and cut her foot so badly that a vet had to come and stitch it by the road
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However we tried her in a lorry travelling herringbone and she was fine, so we bought our own and she has travelled with no problems ever since
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I had a gelding who did exactly the same thing - fine in a lorry, but not in a trailer! We took the partition out and he was fine; think he was claustrophobic - after we sorted the prob we would look back to see him stood with all four feet splayed, quite happy! If you need to travel 2 horses at the same time, see if the other horse doesnt mind a smaller enclosure - you may still be able to do it!

Good luck!
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Her mare may travel fine in a trailer with no partition and a full width brest bar, but that would mean she could only carry one horse.
 
My old mare did this we had to travel her in the trailer with no partition she still wasnt the best in that. When we changed to a lorry she travelled fine never stumbled or anything
 
I have a gelding who did this. For 7 years he travelled in the trailer with the partition just fine then all of a sudden he started going down in the trailer even when travelling at like 5 mph!!! We have no idea why one day he was ok and the next day he wasn't.
I took the partition out and put in a full breast bar and he has been fine ever since. He can't be travelled in a trailer with another horse but is fine inbetween the partitions of a lorry.
 
I had a horse who began falling like this, it got worse and worse until he would go down as soon as Id close the doors!! I moved the back section of the parition (if you can) over so he could spread his hind legs right out, sorted it instantly! Or Id take out the whole partition (need a full length breast bar of course). Never had problems with the horse again!
 
hi, both my ponies did this, they had only ever been travelled in a big lorry too. my pony that i have now was getting worse and worse falling over as soon as we put him in, leaning on the partition and it was getting to be dangerous, so our friends horse did the same and they got an equitrek and it travels fine, so we have just recently got one, and he loves it he drags us up the ramp and no more leaning hopefully, they say that travelling backwards do not make them feel sea sick as it does when they travelled forwards. Hope that this helps you and hope the horse gets sorted out. Hannah.
 
Merlin falls over in the trailer when going round left bends!!!! Only left and not right!!! He hasnt always done this but when I took him out on wed last week he struggled and pulled a shoe half off, putting paid to a nice hack out at frensham
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On the way back it was suggested that I moved the back half of the partition out of the way and travelled him like that..... he didnt struggle at all..... a friend was following and said that he moved his bum more towards the middle of the trailer and balanced that way.

I may try like that again, or get full width bars and take the partition out completely.....
 
No help Im afraid apart from travelling without the partition. I just wanted to say how interested and enlightenning to read your answers as Im told a horse will and should travel in whatever you put it in. My horse had only ever travelled in a wagon, we cant really afford to run one and tried him in a trailer. He loads fine but freaks out when I try to put the ramp up and Im convinced he would get out one way or another ie through the roof if neccesary if we managed to shut him in, he really is that bad. Its odd as we have travelled him in the trailer but he wasnt happy so maybe some horses just cant cope with trailers and forward travelling.
We have borrowed an Equitrek but I couldnt get him in it but after reading this I really might hire one for the weekend and try again.
Thanks for posting this, I rfeel there may be hope
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Just a quick tip here..... having experienced a owner who wanted rid of her horse, simply because she couldn't figure the problem out.

Get somebody to tow the trailer, ideally off the public highway....whilst the owner stands still in the partition which causes the horse some difficulty.

You'll reach the conclusion pretty damn quick, that it ain't easy to balance even at the slowest of speeds. Now try it on all fours, as soon as that left hand movement comes up, your on your botty!!

I have a video of humans in the rescue unit, whilst I drive, taken from the onboard cctv.... not really a laughing matter, but it helps to understand!! As soon as I can locate it, i'll throw it up for viewing.

As for mares....it's rather strange that it's female owners who experience most difficulty when trying the trailer experience!!!
 
So do you think its trailers in general or that it is overcome by taking the partition out????
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Just wondered before I hand over a wad of cash for a full width breastbar!!!
 
Thank peeps for your replies, my friend is going to try and hire a box for next weekend, and see if sheis fine traveling sideways (she always used to be!!).
If anyone knows any reasonably priced horse transporters in the surrey/hants area then that would be great x.
 
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