Kicking out whilst travelling..solutions?

[madhector]

My friends mare is very easy in most ways, but when she travels her she will be travelling along fine and then suddenly she will double barrel the ramp, she literally gets both hind feet off the ground.

She seems very settled when she travels otherwise, never sweats up or gets stressed, I have stayed in the trailer while it was driven round the yard and she doesn't look the least bit bothered when she does it. We have tried travelling her on her own with no partition, in company and on both sides of the trailer but she still does it.



Any ideas? Owner finds traveling her quite unnerving as she is worried she is going to hurt herself.

Thanks

 

[Maesfen]

You could try shortening the length she has from the breastbar to the ramp to scrunch her up a bit or you could try either hanging a carpet or a rubber sheet from the breach bar to deaden the noise and so she doesn't hurt herself. Another tip but only to be used if you are a very good driver is to increase speed a bit so she has to concentrate on keeping her feet on the ground but if you do that you have to be very road and traffic aware to read the road ahead.

 

[sueandtoto]

Our pony does this sometimes, but like you have no idea why

we thought it might be that his travel boots have slipped a bit or he's too warm , it makes an awful noise but when we go and check him he stops it so it may just be to get some attention

sorry, not much help but a least you know your not alone!!

 

[Baggybreeches]

Sov, my TB does it too, exactly like yours he isnt stressed at all, he has been much better since I put a mirror in, but still kicks a little bit, there isnt even a time you could say he was better or worse, we are at a dead loss too...

 

[Daisychain]

Is it the travel boots, are they annoying her?

 

[RachelB]

Maiden is a pain for kicking when being travelled, she never did it double-barrelled though. The things that made her better (she now only stomps about a bit, doesn't kick which is useful in my YO's expensive new herringbone lorry which would end up with a dent in the side...) were using brushing boots and over-reach boots behind instead of travel boots, and tying her as loosely as possible. Maiden's neck is set very low and I reckon she couldn't balance when tied with her head high (as I was always taught to do). She'd probably be even happier un-tied TBH. Other than that, I haven't a clue what to suggest!

 

[Happy2Hack]

My mare kicks out whilst travelling too! She only does it on the way out though never on the way home! Strange!

 

[tagalog]

My mare also kicks, we have tried many, many things already listed plus travelling her forwards, backwards and herringbone in the right vehicles of course! In the end, to save more mega bills of getting box mended she was hobbled. This helped for a while but she still found a way over the years to kick with these on. She now wears covering boots, she still kicks but much less damage is done to the box. As long as it isn't the travelling boots annoying her I would but the best pair you can find. My mare has the worst capped hocks now because of this lovely habit of hers.

 

[madhector]

She doesnt wear back boots just brushing boots as they drive eher mad.

 

[MagicMelon]

One of mine did this for a while when he begun travelling, he hated the back boots but I kept them on for safety - in the end he simply grew out of it. Sorry if that doesnt help! If I were you, Id hang some carpet off the back bar so at least it will cushion it and possibly feel a bit odd which might put her off.