My youngster jumped over breast bar in trailer yesterday....

Devonshire dumpling

Devonshire dumpling

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My youngster is fairly new to travelling , but been an absolute dream to travel with my other coloured mare, we even went to exmoor on Tuesday and he was in he the trailer for an hour each way no problems.
Yesterday we were off hunting and my friends 25 yr old tb mare just wouldn't load, so we put my coloured mare in with her and decided to travel the 10 min journey with my youngster on his own, thinking he has to learn sooner or later ( yep bad decision ).
He is 16 hands of drum cob ... Anyway he loaded lovely, and was nibbling on his Haynet , set off down the lane and felt the trailer rock , stopped immediately to see his nose pushed up against the window, he was over the breast bar completely stuck, he nearly popped his head out of the roof flap .... Husband is a fireman and attempted horse rescue solo... While I begged him to not open the trailer... Anyway he put his hat on and opened the front ramp, he was panicking and rearing and attempting to free himself, nothing was breaking ( shame) ... Trailer a sturdy old rice trailer. He paused and allowed my husband to calm him, he released the empty side breast bar and then managed to release one side if his breast bar, but it was at a funny angle with 650 kg of horse on it, but managed to break the other side free, where said muppet of horse walked off calmly and munched on grass verge while we breathed a massive sigh of relief!
Anyone else had their horses do this?, he obviously panicked as wanted to get out to see his friends , so he won't be travelling alone again until he's much older and wiser. He has a history of attempting to get over his stable door, pops his field gate etc, he gets stressy when you walk another horse away and attempts to jump out of his stable, so really we should have known better, but then hindsight is a wonderful thing!
Any tips , or similar stories? I am seriously considering buying a lorry, but really not so practical. I am wondering if I should travel with rear doors shut from now on too!
Scared me half to deaf! Horse had no injuries .
 
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Unfortunately - Yes, when we first got our big mare we were practicing loading and travelling because she wouldn't load well. What we didn't realise is that she panics when leaving anything and had probably been drugged when we picked her up.

Anyway all 16.3hh of very large horse 30ft from the field (the plan was to load, go to the top of the lane turn round and come home) decided to leap the breast bar, we opened the front ramp and because of how she was wedged she mainly stayed still, however because we couldn't move her or the partition we also put the rear ramp down. She was on the left as she never loaded on the right and then proceeded to walk her way up the wall and over backwards - when we sold the trailer there was a hoof print on the ceiling! she fell over backwards and the image of her lying still with her head on the back ramp will never leave me. She then thrashed about again, getting back legs under the partition and eventually got up, only standing on 3 legs a back leg swinging as if broken.
By the time the vet got to us she was at least standing on it and it took ages to heal (she basically scraped her skin down her legs like a glove and this was after she'd pulled the boots off thrashing about.

We upgraded to a lorry but didn't think about the tack locker, its quite scary with the same horse with her front end on the tack locker trying to get out of a tiny window or over a partition!

Our learnings are -
if using a trailer, make sure the bolts to the breast bars emergency release can be undone from the outside - most can
We don't use boots, if we need to we will bandage
Don't have a lorry with a tack locker if your horse is a climber!

She does travel and has travelled on her own but its really knocked my confidence and although I only currently have a trailer its for our small horse as an interim until I find a lorry with the config I like and can work with! (she doesn't currently need to go anywhere) But like you hindsight is a wonderful thing!
 
You need a mesh in fill, like a anti weave. My one highland is a popper too, we have a fautra so not a problem but I recommend a travelling mirror and like I said block the escape rate. Don't not travel him alone as it will still be an issue at 5! I would get him used to being alone. Sounds like a panicking baby who is not used to being alone!

Yes I would shut backdoors I used to like mine open for airflow but not after hearing about accidents.
 
Oh my goodness, that sounds horrendous !! Now we need to repair the trailer and altho we managed to release the breast bar , we are thinking of having some king of release from outside the trailer!
 
He's a complicated creatures, was feral, I posted here many times with issues getting him into the stable, he climbed the walls, so I but him a mirror.. Omg biggest mistake of my life. He freaked out, so we meshed him in and again major mistake he climbed for a week! In the end we put him in a bigger stable and he was fine instantly.......
He is used to hacking on his own, being left in field on his own, being in stable on his own, he has brat attacks if friends leave yard or walk out their stables, but is fine if we ignore him, he can't quite get enough head room to come out over stable door ( well thinks he can't). He was fine when we loaded him and fine when we set off his friends had gone 20 mins before so was calm it was 3 mins into journey when he said I am out of here where are my friends .
 
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I'd look into a fill in grille thing, although not sure how they fit in trailers? I'd put a poll guard on him too. Have you thought about giving him the whole trailer? Full breast bar, back doors closed and cross tying him? May not like be 'squashed' on his own as he is a chunky chap?
Equally, even though I don't like it, some give some sedaline, and it does seem to work. At least takes the edge off their worry.
 
Yes had young mare jump over the breast bar on her first journey but as mine is an if or Williams you can undo the breast bars from outside. Initially we had to use an Allen key to do it but after this experience we have upgraded to the new bolts which have a loop on the outside that takes the wheel brace to allow athem to be undone. Of course se this first disaster she's travelled absolutely fine!
 
I have full breastbar so perhaps I should try it... He's as calm as a cucumber with a mate, this is first time he's been travelled alone apart from when he was moved to our yard. He travelled loose with Sedalin then as totally feral...
 
J did this I arrived home to find Tatts loose in the garden and my groom trying to catch him he saw the trailer and cantered down the drive towards the gate .
J got in a tizz and jumped over the breast bar he was hanging by his tummy just in front of his stifles the front of the trailer was full of a a complete jumble of grey horse it just looked like he had been poured in he was making a terrible groaning noise I was sure he was badly injured .
We called a vet and moved the trailer carefully through the gate .
I tried releasing the breast bar from the out side no chance with him hanging from it ,he was conscious and still groaning then there was a enormous bang and he some pushed himself back where he came from he then promptly fainted ( vet later explained his bowels will have compressed his lungs while he was hanging and that and effort of pushing himself back meant he lacked oxygen and passed out ) and was down on his side with his legs in the other side . We got the rear ramp down and got the back bars off he came round and jumped to his feet quite calmly .
Vet arrived and had a good check of him and stayed a while in case he was bleeding internally somewhere he had danilon and gastrguard for a few days
He got away with bruises all along his right side where he hit the side and had some physio help oh and the shock triggered a sarcoid to grow on a scar he has on his neck .
I had such a fright I was so shocked I could not drive to pick up his drugs my groom had to for me I was so so lucky .
 
Goldenstar said:
J did this I arrived home to find Tatts loose in the garden and my groom trying to catch him he saw the trailer and cantered down the drive towards the gate .
J got in a tizz and jumped over the breast bar he was hanging by his tummy just in front of his stifles the front of the trailer was full of a a complete jumble of grey horse it just looked like he had been poured in he was making a terrible groaning noise I was sure he was badly injured .
We called a vet and moved the trailer carefully through the gate .
I tried releasing the breast bar from the out side no chance with him hanging from it ,he was conscious and still groaning then there was a enormous bang and he some pushed himself back where he came from he then promptly fainted ( vet later explained his bowels will have compressed his lungs while he was hanging and that and effort of pushing himself back meant he lacked oxygen and passed out ) and was down on his side with his legs in the other side . We got the rear ramp down and got the back bars off he came round and jumped to his feet quite calmly .
Vet arrived and had a good check of him and stayed a while in case he was bleeding internally somewhere he had danilon and gastrguard for a few days
He got away with bruises all along his right side where he hit the side and had some physio help oh and the shock triggered a sarcoid to grow on a scar he has on his neck .
I had such a fright I was so shocked I could not drive to pick up his drugs my groom had to for me I was so so lucky .
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Hiya?
I don't have a horse that does that (touch wood!!) but I am looking at trailers and Equitrek have collapsible breast bars that you accursed from outside..... No need to open the door on a panicking horse... Maybe worth a look if you are changing trailers?
Good luck!
Nx
 
My friend's horse did this she had just finished a days hunting loaded him up then went into the pub for a drink before heading home. She had left the top of the side door open so that he could see out ( he was 17.2hh). 30 seconds later a man came running into the pub to say there was a horse going ballistic in a trailer outside. Anyway my friend ran out to find her horse with its front legs and head out through the top of the side ramp!!!! Looks like he had tried (and succeeded to climb over the breast bar) and was now hanging half out of the tiny top door of the side ramp!!!!! Unfortunately his injuries were so severe he didn't make it. This was the most bizarre freak accident god knows what was running through the horses mind that he could actually get out of that gap!!!! She will not travel any of her horses in trailers now. I would buy a lorry as her vets bill could have bought a nice second hand lorry and she had no horse to show for it!!!! Failing that yes shut the rear doors, we will never know what happened with my friends horse but one theory is that he got seriously spooked from behind and was in a serious panic to get away from 'it' Also when I picked up my horse when I bought him he was only 5 and hadn't travelled much, my dad was driving the trailer and I was following on behind. Got onto road and lorry went past horse panicked so I shut the right hand rear door and he travelled perfectly. Good luck it's a really frightening thing to happen glad your horse is ok
 
Yep, mine will try and rear over partition in trailer or lorry. Or if tied up will rear up onto tack locker....... Has to be travelled loose like a mare and foal.
 
That's so sad, she must have been devastated , sadly horses will attempt to go out through any gap, even jockey doors :-(.
All these stories are freaking me out ...... Might just put roller skates on his feet!!!!!
 
My 6 yr old mare is amazing, stood like, a rock while the tb was rearing on the ramp.... She will always babysit my baby for the time being until he grows up a bit, she won't tolerate his nonsense... I hate travelling horses anyway. Had a tb go nuts once in the trailer, bloomin horses.
 
Our highland climbed over the partition into the rear of my 3.5 ton horsebox whilst I was driving down the A1!
He had previously travelled fine in there, but I think it was because I had left some empty buckets in the back (stupid!)
He wasn't panicking, we managed to get him to climb the rest of the way over and out of the back doors, it was very scary, thought he was going to have seriously damaged himself, but he just hopped out and ate grass.
We now have a 6.5 ton (rear ramp), it has tack lockers, but they are very high.
 
There's a couple of points about IW trailers that haven't been mentioned.

Replacing the screws that can be undone from the outside with eyed bolts is a good one, though if you tie a horse to the trailer at a show, it is another thing for the lead rope to get snagged on. Your choice. I have used barrel headed bolts which still need an Allen key but have a deeper recessed head so are easier to undue. Nothing more frustrating than trying to undo those bolts in a panic but being unable to get a grip on the screws. Been there, done that!

Another thing, on the IW breast bar, you'll notice one end has a hook and the other is straight where it goes into the bracket. The straight end should be on the outside so when the bracket is unscrewed, the bar can swing down. This is important.
 
Dry Rot said:
There's a couple of points about IW trailers that haven't been mentioned.

Replacing the screws that can be undone from the outside with eyed bolts is a good one, though if you tie a horse to the trailer at a show, it is another thing for the lead rope to get snagged on. Your choice. I have used barrel headed bolts which still need an Allen key but have a deeper recessed head so are easier to undue. Nothing more frustrating than trying to undo those bolts in a panic but being unable to get a grip on the screws. Been there, done that!

Another thing, on the IW breast bar, you'll notice one end has a hook and the other is straight where it goes into the bracket. The straight end should be on the outside so when the bracket is unscrewed, the bar can swing down. This is important.
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Thanks, we have a rice trailer, we managed to undo the partition side pin on his breast bar, but it couldn't swing down, was fairly easy to release him, but would prefer to release him from outside ... So when we fix trailer we will try to modify it.
 
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exmoorponyprincess1 said:
When we bring Exmoors straight off the moor and need to transport them we use 2 lead ropes to secure them in the trailer - one looped over the breast bar and then tied to one side and the other looped under the breast bar and tied to the other side...keeps them in the one place...so far!!! We have an ifor Williams.
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My Welsh went straight over the breast bar when we tried to bring him home. Kicked the jockey door clean off its hinges and into the road. Only the rope stopped him going out of the jockey door. As he's only 14hh, he was dangling over the beaufort breast bar with his feet off the ground. If he'd been a TB, no doubt he'd be dead, but as a welsh, he allowed me to drop the bar, and walked calmly away, unharmed.
We now travel him as you describe, with a second rope under the breast bar.
 
Thats sounds awful! Will definately try the rope trick, but at 16 hands and big old coloured, not sure it will work, but may stop him getting the momentum!
 
Cripes, I have just bought my first trailer and am teaching mine to load building up to trying a short journey once I have my new tyres.

Reading all these stories has now left me worrying about what could go wrong and how I would deal with it. Can any trailer be modified to have quick release breach bars ?

Are lorries much safer than trailers ? What is the correct thing to do if a horse tries to escape out the top door because obviously you cannot open the ramp with a horse dangling from it? Are horses who are used to be unloaded backwards ( ie reverse out of trailer) less likely to see a top door opening as an invite to pop out before you manage to get the front ramp down?

My trailer doesnt have rear top doors so therefore does that make it more dangerous to travel the horses in as I am guessing that if something big comes up behind you and the horse is scared it will try and escape ?
 
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