How to get a horse to relax when travelling

[njyr]

Hi,

Looking at getting a van conversion to get me and my first horse out and about. He is 12 and i have had him for 18months. About 3 months after I first got him various friends took us to local sj/xc/dressage events. We probably went to about 8 events in total before he went lame. He never travelled well, always dripping with sweat and sometimes reluctant to load. Since then he been on a lorry 3 time - twice to the vets and once to move yards. The last time he loaded ok but as soon as I shut the partition he started - little rears and bucks, kicking out at times. He did this for 3 hours, all the way to Newmarket and back. It looked like shear panic. This was new behaviour before he just used to sweat.

The question is if I get a lorry how do I get him to chill out? Do you think by loading him again and again, each time asking him stand for a little longer, eventually building up to closing the ramp and then the doors. Then short journeys, at first just around the block would work?

Any other tips for getting a horse to learn to relax?

 

[The mad TB]

Conn is similar so i'd be interested to hear the replies!

I take it he has a haynet?

I've heard good things about Blue Chip's intantcalms, carrotcalm and applecalm but I'm yet to try them?

 

[Littlelegs]

Firstly rule out any obvious causes, such as less than perfect driving, a floor surface that feels unsteady etc. If he travelled well with the last owner work out the differences, whether that's cos they had a large box, company etc.
Then I would start feeding in the box daily & then as you've said work up to closing him in slowly. Really I would want a steady companion in with him too that won't react to anything. Then I would start with small journeys round the block, building up to journeys to something he would like such as a nearby hacking route he likes.

 

[njyr]

Conn is similar so i'd be interested to hear the replies!

I take it he has a haynet?

I've heard good things about Blue Chip's intantcalms, carrotcalm and applecalm but I'm yet to try them?

Not when he last went to the vet - I used a professional horse transporter who didn't like horses having nets when travelling. All the other times he has travelled he has had a net and he gorges on it like it is his last meal. Do you always take a net?

I haven't tried the calmers. From the experiences with the vets it seems that the adrenaline pumping through his veins overcomes the sedatives the vet uses!

 

[njyr]

Firstly rule out any obvious causes, such as less than perfect driving, a floor surface that feels unsteady etc. If he travelled well with the last owner work out the differences, whether that's cos they had a large box, company etc.
Then I would start feeding in the box daily & then as you've said work up to closing him in slowly. Really I would want a steady companion in with him too that won't react to anything. Then I would start with small journeys round the block, building up to journeys to something he would like such as a nearby hacking route he likes.

The previous owner brought him to the yard where I keep him and he got off the lorry all sweaty. I asked about whether he is good to load and she said "yes" which really he does...I didn't about how he travels....lesson learnt!