How to stop pawing in the trailer

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JCbruce

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Has anyone successfully stopped their horse pawing in the trailer. It is driving me insane!

He started doing it a few outings ago and only does it on the last road home. Today we went to dressage it was 1.5 hours each way. He was an angel on the way out and didn't hear a peep from him until we turned for the last road home and he is just relentless. As soon as we park up he is good as gold and is not anxious to get off the trailer.

Last week he broke the rubber mat, so I stuck another bit on top but there is a plastic thing which he is ruining (see photo). Do you think I should stick some mat over this?

I was thinking of next weekend going somewhere and stopping and getting him out once or twice on the way home so he doesn't expect to come a
Straight home.

He won't do if there is another horse in there and only did it once when my sister went in the back with him. Literally the last ten minutes otherwise an angel. 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻😆
 
JCbruce said:
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My friend’s horse started this, damaged a tack box, the mat, also scraped the jockey door - so she put hobbles on, which stopped it instantly, and after hunting season ended, found they weren’t needed again.
But the travelling horse does need to have both a partition and breast bar, and you do need to remove before walking down the ramp - or horse has to bunny-hop out! That looks very entertaining, but could be hazardous.
 
My mare does this, drives me mad. When we turn down the driveway from the main road to my house its 300 meters, she goes balistic, once i had to stop as i thought she had fallen over. When I opened the grooms door she was just standing there looking at me quite happily.
Be careful with the hobbles, I tried that and when i turned the car engine on she went mad throwing herself around and bent the partition. She had been wearing the hobbles in her stable on and off for a week or so prior to this so she was used to them.
Now I am just resigned to it. Not great though, can you glue that mat down again?
I have heard about some people using a strap higher up than the knee and attaching chains to it so the horse gets hit by the chains, only lightweight ones of course so not painful just irritating. It is my understanding that it sometimes works well. Worth a try if you don't want to go down the hobbles route.
 
One of mine does this except it is the WHOLE way home. Travels like an angel on the way out to anywhere but is an impatient brat all the way home, if we hit traffic it’s horrendous 😩 like OP, soon as I get home and drop the ramp he’s stood there cool as a cucumber. It’s not a balance thing as he’s much worse when we’re stationary than moving. I don’t want to do hobbles as he’s a sharp bugger and I honestly think he’d just throw himself on the floor. I have no answers sorry 🫠
 
Mine did this. It seemed to be about needing a pee and knowing he was nearly home, where he could have one!

I taught him to pee on command; he now pees at home before boxing up and at the venue before boxing up. The pawing stopped.
 
Like Landcruiser - just the thought of hobbles frightens me, esp to travel, but I have nothing to prove my fears - I have never used them or seen them used! My boy also paws when he needs a pee - do you have bedding in the trailer - if not worth a try to see if he needs a wee?
 
Sorry, this might be a little out of the box. I've never tried it and it's inspired by what you would do if your dog started lead pulling only on the way home.
Could you turn around / take a different direction when the horse starts pawing in the trailer. When the pawing stops, head for home again. Rinse and repeat until no more pawing. I'm aware this might not be easy depending on the roads near your yard.
@frankieduck, I would try arranging multiple stop trips, say two or three arena hires in a day (you don't have to do much at each) so its not always out and back again and see if that helps. Or perhaps go out, mooch around a venue, then come home and work / ride properly a few times, so there' less impatience to get back to free time.
 
My friend forgot to take hobbles off her horse when unloading and it banged it head on the top of the door frame, nearly knocked itself out.

So you have to remember they are on which you'dhave thought would have been relatively easy but it wasn'tin her case.
 
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I had a horse that would bang and crash and paw in the trailer. He was much better if I closed one half of the top doors. He was different to yours though as he did it all the way there and back. He eventually gave up and travelled beautifully but it took a while. Could you break the habit by perhaps stopping and putting something tasty in his haynet to distract him or a small feed? Just on that last bit of road.
 
Titchy Pony said:
Sorry, this might be a little out of the box. I've never tried it and it's inspired by what you would do if your dog started lead pulling only on the way home.
Could you turn around / take a different direction when the horse starts pawing in the trailer. When the pawing stops, head for home again. Rinse and repeat until no more pawing. I'm aware this might not be easy depending on the roads near your yard.
@frankieduck, I would try arranging multiple stop trips, say two or three arena hires in a day (you don't have to do much at each) so its not always out and back again and see if that helps. Or perhaps go out, mooch around a venue, then come home and work / ride properly a few times, so there' less impatience to get back to free time.
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I like this idea but it's only the last road home it's a single track country lane, no where to stop off or turn around. The rest of the trip he's an angel
 
When I bought my horse 3 years ago from a friend, he had only ever been in a lorry (he is 17.2h) and always pawed the lorry when they arrived at a show. She had him for 7 years and said he always pawed at each and every time he went out in the lorry. I now have a trailer and will never go back to a lorry so all my horses need to be ok in a trailer. I had Lorry’s for many many years but when I stopped showjumping I made the switch and wouldn’t go back.

I showjumped BSJA for many years and my best jumping horse was very naughty in hand. At our shows we never got the horses off the lorry ever and never tied them to the side. My lorry was too beautiful to be scratched and my good jumping horse too much of a liability to get out of the lorry. We tacked up in there and got on when they come out.

Since switching to the trailer I still do the same thing. My horse is so big I only ever take him on his own. The first few times we arrived at the show he pawed to get off. Once he realised he stays in the trailer until tacked up and ready to go, and isn’t brought out to be tied to the side of it- after a few trips he completely forgot about pawing and is as quiet as a mouse. My friend who used to own him said she couldn’t believe how well behaved he was in the trailer.

I genuinely think it’s because I don’t get my horses out and tack up. I go to shows on my own and they stay in there eating hay until we are ready to get on.

My showjumping habits die hard and even now I switched to dressage I still pop him back on the trailer in between classes and he is as good as gold.
 
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