Horse scrambling in trailer-opinions on possible solution wanted

skint1

skint1

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When our mare travels in a travels in a trailer she has trouble keeping her balance and scrambles if you have to make any turns. People who have followed us have verified this, and say it looks pretty scary. I drive really slowly when towing and take corners really wide, I avoid sudden braking and all that but she still seems to do it.

I have a Rice Beaufort Double trailer, it is pretty spacious, quite old but clean and well maintained. It has rubber matting floor, quite new, quite thick. I did some exploring and I've found a place that has a single breast bar so I could take the partition out. My idea is that with more room she could adjust her position and find it easier to balance.

So, I just want to check, has anyone done this, did it work? Is there any danger to her from doing it? (ie would it be easier for her to fall right over, things like that)
 
I have to take the partition out for my lad to travel..he too falls all over the place with partition in
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However he now stands diagonally across it when being travelled and you dont know he is in there
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Just had same problem - mare had actually travelled fine with partition then suddenly started scrabbling and panicking - switched to full width breastbar and no more problems - she now travels slightly diagonally - I don't cross tie her, just tie to one side as normal.
 
A horse on our yard used to do that and apparently she was known to lay down in a lorry,

someone said to travel them backwards, but to me that would mean having their head out over the back door and surely be more dangerous.

Another theory I heard the other day which I think is quite true. when we have to stand on a bus we stand sideways as when the bus breaks it is easier to adjust our weight, where as if we are facing forwards we would stumble forward, hence the reason I had a few problems with my mare in the trailer as she had always been travelled sideways in a lorry. I can see what the person ment by travelling them backwards as they could theoretically sit/lean on the bar there are a few trailers designed this way I believe.
 
Also try her in different travel boots or none? I've found that some horses panic in the long hind boots that come up over their hock.

Or, you could try travelling the horse in the other side. My pony is fine on the left hand side, but does as your does if she goes on the right hand side!!

I know from the road camber point of view this isn't deemed best if you're only travelling one horse, but the trailers are stable enough
 
My mare did this in the Ifor Williams, had to take out the partition. Bought an Equitrek in the end and she travels alot better now.
The scrabbling was very scary when she did it, I stood in the back of the trailer and hubby drove round the manege once and it was very frightening, she still did it when we came to a stop.
 
Thanks to everyone for answering.You know, I think as soon as I can get the money together I am going to give it a try, I'd really like traveling to be less of an ordeal for her than it has become.

I think I'd feel safer if she were tied up, I could picture her sticking her head out the back of the trailer and scaring motorists otherwise!
 
Mine's been known to do this on occasion - about 5 times in the 5 years I've had him. Every time, he's come off the trailer with a new rip or tear on his back travel boots, I think he's stood on one with the other foot and tripped himself up. I now used bandages and the problem's gone. When he has done it, though he gets himself on a panic and the only to sort this out is to take him off and load him up again on the wrong side, it's enough to calm him down for getting home so maybe you could try her on the other side?
 
Interesting thoughts on the travel boots, she has those Amigo ones but maybe she'd do better in bandages. My daughter is her rider so I would need to discuss that with her, but I'm sure she'd be up for trying it, I think we even have a set somewhere.

With traveling on the wrong side, how does that feel when you're on the road though? Can you feel the trailer listing toward the camber or anything like that? (I'm quite a nervous tower)
 
Does she have plenty of room to brace? (Sorry if you've answered this already, haven't read the whole thing
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) When they travel they need to spread their legs out to lower their centre of gravity.

Also, if you could give her more room this might help by allowing her to self-orientate. I think it's been shown that horses generally prefer travlling either facing the way they're going or to stand at a 45 degree angle (I'll have to find the reference later).

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Just to add my two penneth, a lady that used to be on our yard had a hyper arab mare that couldnt stand up in the trailer when she was going along, she took the partition out and loosely cross-tied her and never had a problem after that so definitely worth trying that.
 
Take the partition out!!

We had these problems with my mare. We tried everything changing sides, different travel boots, no travel boots (short journey and cut legs
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), companion no companion and the partion was the only thing that worked.
 
Ooh I've done quite a lot of research into this as my boy used to be a nightmare and was so upsetting!!! I've contacted all sorts of people who've had this experience. Nothing in terms of boots/companions in out etc seems to maek a difference, neither does starting from scratch and feeidng them in there etc etc (oddly!).

As you say the problem is about feet-spreading. Many horses wiht the problem seem to respond to having one of those partitions that is only solid at the top - at the bottom, it's made of a thick rubber sheet. this allows them extra leg-room. That's the most practical answer!! Travelling wiht no partition is also ideal - many people suggest travelling backwards but i don't know if that's worked wiht this specific problems ever.

one thing i always wnated to tyr was one of those thick Monty Robverts blankets that they sue so racehorses can't feel the sides of the stalls - scrabbling seems to be related to them feeling the stimulus of the trailer on their side so it would be interesting to see if that would help, if you can get hold of one??

So ideally remove or alter your partition, as well as covering the horse up to prevent damage as much as possible of course!!

good luck! Let us know how it goes - i;d love to hear what works out!!
 
Echo all the others, take the partition out. Murph used to be a nightmare to load and travel in the trailer. Took the partition out, put in full width breast bar and cross tied and he now loads himself.
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From memory the IW breast bar was only around £50 (was a few years ago).
Murph also wears a Comfort zone travel rug, which is padded at various points, hips, tail etc, as he does tend to lean against the side of the trailer.
 
Echo what a lot of people have said already - partition out and cross-tie!!! Did this with my big lad since he couldn't stand up with a partition in - he had very broad shoulders so I think couldn't spread his legs far enough apart with a partition in to get good balance.

Also, old pony could only travel on the right and would fall over immediately when you moved off if put on the left (and he was the most rock solid, chilled out boy I've ever known!!). So yes, try different sides but really, partition out is the best way - I'm yet to find anyone this hasn't worked for, or that has had a problem as a result **prepares to be proved wrong!!!**
 
It makes sense, as anyone who has ever stood on packed public transport will know it is much harder to stand up when you have to keep your feet close together
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Yeah take out partition!

We also (if you have time) took our scrambling horse out every day just 5 mins down the road and back with me stood in the back (thats illegal apparantly) I held on to him and just comforted him- when he crossed over his legs when we started to corner I slapped him in between his front legs with a whip and told him to stand up - when he did lots and lots of praise! but that worked really well - he's now perfectly fine. It didnt take long for him to get his confidence back.
 
IW full width breast bar was £35 when I bought one a few years back.
My horse did this and taking out the partition helped -BUT drive v v v slowly round corners and roundabouts in trailers! I know it's illegal, but unless you try travelling in a trailer (not with a horse in! and not on a road!) you cannot appreciate how hard it is to stand up in one, esp when changing direction then straightening up again.

Also - resist the temptation, however hard, to accelerate away from junctions/roundabouts like you would in a normal car. You will definitely unbalance your horse if you do that.
 
Thanks again for all of the great replies. It does make sense that more room would solve the issue. I was just worried that she would bounce about even more and injure herself but having read your replies it seems this is not the general experience.

I'm in contact with a Rice Trailer spares guy and he's told me how to measure for a breastbar and how much it will cost etc, my daughter is going to try using wraps instead of boots to protect her legs as well.
 
I have a large mare who was travelling well but then got worse and scrabbled horrendously. She ruined several sets of boots and pulled shoes off in the box. Took the partition out and bought a single breast and breech bar and cross tied her. She travels perfectly now standing diagonally. Make sure you get a breech bar. The catches on the ramp will probably not resist a horse sitting on them.

My breast and breech bar for an IW were £80 altogether within last year.
 
Echo the others, my mare will not travel in horsebox throws herself to the floor, same with trailer with partition, but travels brilliantly with no partition in the trailer, just losely tied up. Im not sure I would try travelling backwards in a normal trailer, ie Ifor williams
 
I've known a number of horses who have gone from travelling perfectly in a trailer to suddenly flipping out. It's almost as if they forget how to balance and instead they lean against one side with their legs scrabbling about on the other side. The horses come of the other end completely lathered with sweat, cut legs and shoes missing.

In each case what worked was using a full length partition, as well as swapping travel boots for bandages with 4 over-reach boots. Unfortunately this wasn't an option with my sister's pony as we needed to travel toehr horses at the same time. We bought a cheval liberte 3 horse trailer where they travel sideways and it's been a 100% success with horses that "don't travel in a trailer".
 
Sorry, this is going to make me sound like a loser but I am presuming the breach bar goes across the back part of the trailer? Currrently my trailer only has a strap at the back that goes from the partition to the wall.

If I could have any trailer I would have one of those Fautras ones, I saw one at Your Horse Live a couple of years ago, they look really nice for a horse to travel in, but alas I am stuck with the Rice!
 
After having exactly this problem with our mare after she came back from loan, we did improve things by using the full width bars (yes breach is across the back) but the solution was a change of trailer. We now have a rear facing Richardson Supreme Excel and she travels like a dream in it with partition.
 
I have to take the partition out otherwise he scrabbles all over the place, even with the back end out- bends round the corner... round corners he dissapears then reappears- hate it but is absolutley fine in a trailer with no partition!
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