My horse keeps trying to lie down in the trailer!!

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fudge.ness

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My horse had and incident on the way home from a show before christmas where a screw fell out of the trailer and cut his leg. We bandaged it up and he travelled home ok. Due to the snow and christmas we have not put him in a trailer since but yesterday we were meant to be going to a dressage competition. He loaded absoloutley fine and stood on the trailer quite happily but when we started to move it he completley freaked out and tried to lie down. He then became very stressed and started shaking and proceeded to try and lie down. I took him off the trailer and he calmed down straight away and quite happily walked up onto the trailer again. We didn't go to the show but I tried again today but he just did excactly the same thing ( fine to load but once we started the movement just kept on trying to lie down. We tried it with the back partition open and closed back shutters open and closed but it didn't make a difference! Has anyone got any suggestions? I just don't know what to do!
 
i would suggest you take the partition out completely and have full size breast and breech bars . hes obviously had a real fright and you need to restore his confidence. i would try this and gradually drive a tiny bit further each time with lots of praise and reassurance if he remains calm.
 
Surely taking the partition out, will increase the likelihoods of him laying down, having more space and all?

Can you try travelling him with another horse (preferable one that he has a bond with and trusts) to travel with him and hopefully he'll feel more relaxed?
 
My horse started doing this a few years ago and ive tried everything but he really panics and throws himself on the floor and thrashes his legs. Very scary!I now only travel him when i have to and thats in a lorry. Im sure your horse will calm down its just i get really nervous with mine in a trailer now as its sooo scary when he does it.
 
I have already tried putting another horse on with him but it didn't seem to make any difference! And I'm not sure about the partition as if he lies down I'm scared that he might not be able to get himself back up! It's so hard to know what to do!
 
take the partition out!!!!
my pony is exactly the same(although he just started doing it with no fright at all!) he travels perfectly in a trailer with no partions, and also side ways on a lorry with partitions, wierd, but that is how he is happy!
we tried after nearly a year of travelling without the partitions in the trailer and he still did it!
but defo take the partition out!!
my pony has actually laid down twice in the trailer, with the partition in, he was quite wedged the second time but luckily managed to launch himself out, don't know what we would have done without the front ramp!
 
Agree with the partition out, if a horse panics, it will panic more in a confined area, plus if he does go down without partition it's alot easier to get him up than with it in! Agree with above remove partition, move a few feet first on yard, stop and give reward, then a little further etc.
 
definatley worth a go with the partition out as my mare cant get her balance facing fwd she used to do exactly the same,she was better with no partition but i was still not happy,she was fine on a straight road but as soon as you corner(very slowly i might add)she would panic and go down,she now travels herringbone in a lorry and is absolutley fine,just cant balance facing fwd!!
 
Take the partition out completely. My horse started doing this, we tried for ages to try and get him out of the habit- he managed to keep hurting himself- so we took the partition out and he was perfect again straight away, good luck :)
 
I agree, try without the partition. I had a mare that suddenly started doing this. First we tried making the partition solid to the floor, that made her worse. So then we tried taking it out. We watched her (illegal now, it wasn't then) and discovered that she always stood with her head to the left and her bum to the right-so taking up all the space in the trailer. Eventually she gained enough confidence to travel with another horse and partition, but she had to go on the left even when on her own. When we upgraded to the lorry, we had the same problem, until we put her in the very back partition, which was wider at the tail end. Basically she liked to spread her legs to balance :o and would travel 100% like this, but scrabble up the walls in any other space. TBH the need to "spread 'em" is more common in mares but it could be what's panicking your boy.

Also it might be worth trailer-cam so you can see exactly what your horse is doing when he tries to lie down?
 
Aoibhin said:
my boy prefers to travel laying down (little bugger goes to sleep!)
it could be they feel safer laying down so they cant fall down
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agree with that.

when travelling dogs they mainly lie down and go to sleep, if they stand then they fall over, rock around and all that.

if you stand on a bus you feel very uncomfortable and it feels unsafe so always try to find a seat. we understand about the movement of vehicles and it can still catch us out.

maybe your horse is just feeling that he would be safer to lie down than stand up. i know it's not practical (or probably safe due to size) for them to do it though but it could just be that he feels safer down.

i know for humans if we are off balance then it's normally an ear problem (middle ear i think). don't know if that is the same for horses.
 
My horse has never had an accident while travelling and has always travelled ok. One day he decided just to lie down. Perfectly happy. Got him back up and carried on with me in the trailer shouting at him to stay up.

Got to beach had a lovely ride. Loaded fine, pulled three foot farward and he led down again. More than happy down there, but as we had another horse in there i decided to call for a lorry to pick him up.

Travelled him loose in a trailer to find when he got home he was stood up but side on.

he had spent a year travelling in a side facing lorry, turns out he now can't cope with the forward facing movement. Doesn't panic just lies down. Lucky for me he doesn't really go any where anymore his comp days are over. But if he does go out then he travels in a lorry.

:D
 
PogoPumpkinBecky said:
take the partition out!!!!
my pony is exactly the same(although he just started doing it with no fright at all!) he travels perfectly in a trailer with no partions, and also side ways on a lorry with partitions, wierd, but that is how he is happy!
we tried after nearly a year of travelling without the partitions in the trailer and he still did it!
but defo take the partition out!!
my pony has actually laid down twice in the trailer, with the partition in, he was quite wedged the second time but luckily managed to launch himself out, don't know what we would have done without the front ramp!
Click to expand...

I had a pony that did this too. She would only travel in the trailer on her own with no partitions and was fine in a lorry with partitions. If the partition was in the trailer her knees would buckle and she would try to go down, we don't know how she had been travelled before we had her but we thought it was some sort of claustrophobia.....
 
We travel Lottie tied really loose with no partition. I would not DREAM of doing this with my other horses but Lottie ALWAYS lies down. Unless we do this then she stands as good as gold no matter how bendy/bumpy the road or windy etc etc

Maybe try the partition thing for a really short journey and see how it goes.
 
naza said:
Surely taking the partition out, will increase the likelihoods of him laying down, having more space and all?
Click to expand...

Years ago I had a large horse that did this - it is very frightening for the owner/handler!
I solved the problem (with a lot of help from a kind friend) by taking out the partition and putting a breast bar in only. The horse is then able to stand herringbone (almost) and spread his feet out to keep himself upright. This brought me a new lease of life with him.

The original fright was possibly being too big for the trailer I had hired as well as getting in washed and a bit wet (and cold) ready to go to a hunter trials one day and shivering so much the trailer shivered with him and frightened us both silly! I didn't go to the HT I remember. My own fault really but OK to be wise after the event. We all learn by our mistakes (hopefully).
 
Just another vote for taking the partition out - then take her for a small slow steady trip, see how it goes.

I have had 3 horses now that totally prefer it.
Yes its a pain only being able to take 1 horse at a time - but then thats 1 comfy happy horse!
 
Thank you everyone it is really reassuring to hear that other people have had the same problems. I have borrowed a breast bar from by friend and am going to try and travel him without a partition in tomorrow! Thanks again!
 
Yes fingers crossed for you and remember to keep the first time very short just to build experience and confidence, you will usually find they will naturally stand herringbone across the trailer. Let u know how it goes. xx
 
Another one for taking the partition out and travel with a breast bar. My mare started throwing herself to the floor in the trailer and also does it in the horsebox but travels fine in trailer with no partition. Re travelling two, travel both without a partition but I think its illegal unless its your own horses, i would only do it with horses that know each other very well.
 
Most people who travel their horses without a partition,can only travel one horse at a time,but im very lucky that i have a 3 horse trailer,so i can fit my mare on,and my sons horse who is 15hh.Would not have room for anything bigger though
 
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