New horse leaning in stationary trailer … Please help!

[AdriaGordon]

Please help! I bought a 6 year old 15.2 mare a month ago and everything has been going great until we tried a very short journey in a Ifor 505 box last weekend. She went on the drivers side and within minutes of starting the engine and driving she was wrecking about and her back end appeared to be constantly dipping (my friend drove behind us). We drove slowly and she was in the box for a total of about ten minutes. When we got her off she had pulled a back shoe off, cut both back legs really badly and was sweating like I’d never seen a horse sweat!
We left it a week and on Saturday tried again with the partition out and a full length breast bar. This time we didn’t go anywhere. Just loaded her on (she walked on fine) and cross tied her with a hay net for her to eat. We had all the doors and ramps open and the trailer was parked on the flat. We also checked the tyre pressure and it’s what it should be. Within minutes of standing she started to lean to the left and almost fell as there was no partition. She began to tremble and stress. The leaning and stumbling happened every few minutes. We had taken a Shetland pony down and had it standing on the front ramp to try and relax her a little but this didn’t really seem to help. We tried the same thing the next day and she seemed worse this time. I’m terrified she’s going to completely fall. The box isn’t even moving. We only have the horse a month and I was told she stressed a bit in a box but her previous owners never had any problems travelling her. Their box is a 510 but she was travelled with the partition in. I don’t have a lorry and bought this horse so my daughters could go to shows and the beach etc. I also just bought the box. I cannot explain the stress and worry this is putting on me. I’m so worried that I now have a horse that won’t travel and I’ve no come back with the people I bought her from. Why is she leaning and almost falling over when the trailer is completely still? What can I do to help her? I don’t want to keep putting her onto the box without going anywhere incase this causes a loading issue as well but I’m terrified she’s going to fall in the box and really hurt herself if i drive even a few metres. The leg cuts the first trip we’re bad enough. Please let me know if you’ve ever experienced this and any advice you might offer. I’m worrying myself sick about it all.

Thank you for reading this far!

 

[Birker2020]

Please help! I bought a 6 year old 15.2 mare a month ago and everything has been going great until we tried a very short journey in a Ifor 505 box last weekend. She went on the drivers side and within minutes of starting the engine and driving she was wrecking about and her back end appeared to be constantly dipping (my friend drove behind us). We drove slowly and she was in the box for a total of about ten minutes. When we got her off she had pulled a back shoe off, cut both back legs really badly and was sweating like I’d never seen a horse sweat!
We left it a week and on Saturday tried again with the partition out and a full length breast bar. This time we didn’t go anywhere. Just loaded her on (she walked on fine) and cross tied her with a hay net for her to eat. We had all the doors and ramps open and the trailer was parked on the flat. We also checked the tyre pressure and it’s what it should be. Within minutes of standing she started to lean to the left and almost fell as there was no partition. She began to tremble and stress. The leaning and stumbling happened every few minutes. We had taken a Shetland pony down and had it standing on the front ramp to try and relax her a little but this didn’t really seem to help. We tried the same thing the next day and she seemed worse this time. I’m terrified she’s going to completely fall. The box isn’t even moving. We only have the horse a month and I was told she stressed a bit in a box but her previous owners never had any problems travelling her. Their box is a 510 but she was travelled with the partition in. I don’t have a lorry and bought this horse so my daughters could go to shows and the beach etc. I also just bought the box. I cannot explain the stress and worry this is putting on me. I’m so worried that I now have a horse that won’t travel and I’ve no come back with the people I bought her from. Why is she leaning and almost falling over when the trailer is completely still? What can I do to help her? I don’t want to keep putting her onto the box without going anywhere incase this causes a loading issue as well but I’m terrified she’s going to fall in the box and really hurt herself if i drive even a few metres. The leg cuts the first trip we’re bad enough. Please let me know if you’ve ever experienced this and any advice you might offer. I’m worrying myself sick about it all.

Thank you for reading this far!

I can tell you what I think this is. I think your horse might be slipping - is there rubber matting on the floor?

We had issues when I had my lovely WB Biggles.

The horse and trailer was new to us so Mum and Dad used to drive behind me to and from shows just to make sure we were ok. They noticed that during transit Biggles bum kept disappearing behind the tailgate and they couldn't understand why.

So Dad and I went to a local industrial estate one quiet Sunday morning and Dad stood the other side of the partition to see what Biggles was doing, I was towing around this deserted trading estate really slowly. Dad who was in the back with Biggles said his legs were all over the place so we swapped and Dad drove whilst I watched stood in the trailer the other side of the partition. Dad came to a T junction and turned left (literally crawling along) and Biggles went down in the trailer and sat like a dog. Not panicking luckily but just sat there like a dog would sit with it's back legs by its fronts.

Dad came in through the jockey door and pulled him to his feet by his headcollar. He was a sensible old 'been there done that' soul so wasn't in the least bit fazed! He just had a surprised look on his face.

Luckily there was no damage but it shook me up. Dad engineered the breast bar to bring it forward, we installed rubber matting and altered the configuration of the partition and the horse stood like a rock after that.

We think that prior to installing the rubber matting the wooden floor was gathering a film of condensation which was forming a thin layer of ice.

its a very dangerous practice- travelling with a horse in a trailer. Obviously we did'nt know Biggs was going to go down in a heap that day, he hadn't before but he could have panicked and seriously hurt or killed me. These days we'd stick a phone to the side and film what was going on, much safer.

 

[irishdraft]

It sounds a strange one, usually if they're scrabbling taking the partition out sorts the problem. I think I would phone previous owners & see if you can find out more about how they travelled her and how much. Other than that you need to try to build her confidence by loading every day and a small feed then off & keep building on it & see how you go it can be a case of trying different approaches & possibly vehicles.Unfortunately it can be difficult to get to the bottom of it, I also bought & stressed over a not good traveller but she is getting better slowly but I have been working on it for 14 months.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

When one of mine started leaning his back end in my lorry and not standing up properly I believe it was due to a suspensory injury and although when it first started he was sound, but literally a few weeks after he went lame and that's when the vet found the injury.

 

[AdriaGordon]

I can tell you what I think this is. I think your horse might be slipping - is there rubber matting on the floor?

We had issues when I had my lovely WB Biggles.

The horse and trailer was new to us so Mum and Dad used to drive behind me to and from shows just to make sure we were ok. They noticed that during transit Biggles bum kept disappearing behind the tailgate and they couldn't understand why.

So Dad and I went to a local industrial estate one quiet Sunday morning and Dad stood the other side of the partition to see what Biggles was doing, I was towing around this deserted trading estate really slowly. Dad who was in the back with Biggles said his legs were all over the place so we swapped and Dad drove whilst I watched stood in the trailer the other side of the partition. Dad came to a T junction and turned left (literally crawling along) and Biggles went down in the trailer and sat like a dog. Not panicking luckily but just sat there like a dog would sit with it's back legs by its fronts.

Dad came in through the jockey door and pulled him to his feet by his headcollar. He was a sensible old 'been there done that' soul so wasn't in the least bit fazed! He just had a surprised look on his face.

Luckily there was no damage but it shook me up. Dad engineered the breast bar to bring it forward, we installed rubber matting and altered the configuration of the partition and the horse stood like a rock after that.

We think that prior to installing the rubber matting the wooden floor was gathering a film of condensation which was forming a thin layer of ice.

its a very dangerous practice- travelling with a horse in a trailer. Obviously we did'nt know Biggs was going to go down in a heap that day, he hadn't before but he could have panicked and seriously hurt or killed me. These days we'd stick a phone to the side and film what was going on, much safer.

The floor is rubber matting but wasn’t wet and she is completely still when the leaning starts. It’s as if she realises she’s standing in a trailer and all of a sudden looses her balance. When there’s no partition she leans so much she stumbles and almost goes down. I could understand this happening when the box is moving but not when it’s still. It’s so strange.

 

[AdriaGordon]

It sounds a strange one, usually if they're scrabbling taking the partition out sorts the problem. I think I would phone previous owners & see if you can find out more about how they travelled her and how much. Other than that you need to try to build her confidence by loading every day and a small feed then off & keep building on it & see how you go it can be a case of trying different approaches & possibly vehicles.Unfortunately it can be difficult to get to the bottom of it, I also bought & stressed over a not good traveller but she is getting better slowly but I have been working on it for 14 months.

I did contact the previous owners. They are baffled by it too. They told me she prefers to travel in a lorry but used their box to take her to lots of places and never experienced any of this behaviour from her. They told me she sweats a bit and paws but nothing else. They also brought her the half hour journey to me on a box and she came off it fine. No sweat, not even any poo in the box. I asked had they given her a calmer to get her to me and they said no. I would never have bought the horse if I had known that she didn’t travel. I specifically asked this when I viewed the horse as I already have a mare that won’t load at all. The reason I wanted a second horse was so that my children could go places. Now I’ve two that can’t leave the yard. This is probably why I’m so stressed by it all.

 

[Andie02]

It's possible that she doesn't like travelling forwards, but prefers to travel diagonally (sideways) across a lorry.

 

[BallyJ]

Can you hire other trailers to see if she prefers a different configuration?
Like travelling backwards?
Have you taken the partition out and given her the whole space?
Is she in full travel boots or bandaged? Or nothing?
How short is she tied? Is she able to use her neck to help her balance?

Definitley lots of things to try before saying you have a horse that can't travel!

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

Did you boot or bandage her? Many don't like not being able to feel exactly where their legs are.

 

[ester]

So she’s always had an issue travelling and it’s possible that combine with the recent home move she’s already a bit stressed and that’s tipped her over the edge.
Did they often have company when travelling?
Some are definitely worse without a partition. But given the extreme reactions at this point I’d get a pro out to assess rather than risk any further injuries

 

[sbloom]

When one of mine started leaning his back end in my lorry and not standing up properly I believe it was due to a suspensory injury and although when it first started he was sound, but literally a few weeks after he went lame and that's when the vet found the injury.

Yep, first call would be vet/bodyworker for sure if it started suddenly. I'd be using my own judgement to REALLY look at posture/movement, and if not sure using resources like equitopiacenter.com to realise what a truly healthy equine body looks like (there are so many that are NOT truly healthy out there we've lost sight of what can actually lead to lameness).

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Yep, first call would be vet/bodyworker for sure if it started suddenly. I'd be using my own judgement to REALLY look at posture/movement, and if not sure using resources like equitopiacenter.com to realise what a truly healthy equine body looks like (there are so many that are NOT truly healthy out there we've lost sight of what can actually lead to lameness).

I remember the first time he did it was on the way to a show, he leaned so bad that the lorry wasn't straight so I turned round and went home, he had travelled fine for over 2 years in that lorry without any problem and he had done quite a job on the ligament it had a great hole in it.

 

[Widgeon]

I am absolutely not an expert but the fact that she panics *before* you're even moving suggests to me that she's anticipating something unpleasant. I would probably try a process of elimination - try travelling her down the road and back with shavings down, hire / borrow a lorry and try her in that (sideways or backwards), and if she's still not right, maybe get a vet out for a look at her hocks / hind legs? Those are my thoughts, for what little they're worth.

 

[sbloom]

I am absolutely not an expert but the fact that she panics *before* you're even moving suggests to me that she's anticipating something unpleasant. I would probably try a process of elimination - try travelling her down the road and back with shavings down, hire / borrow a lorry and try her in that (sideways or backwards), and if she's still not right, maybe get a vet out for a look at her hocks / hind legs? Those are my thoughts, for what little they're worth.

If something had gone wrong on the last trip it's worth a try, but the change is likely to be in the horse, not in what happened or what's going on with the transport, though never say never. The timing says horse/vet check to me.

 

[Widgeon]

The timing says horse/vet check to me.

Yes good point, I had missed the fact that she used to travel fine in the same setup - having re-read the original post I agree with you. I'd still start with hocks!

 

[misst]

This is a bit random but have you checked the floor. I don't mean mats or no mats I mean the actual floor of the trailer. I have known horses be aware that the floor is unsafe/spongey and it panics them.

 

[AdriaGordon]

Did you boot or bandage her? Many don't like not being able to feel exactly where their legs are.

First time when we drove she had travel boots on. One had slid round (the leg that the shoe was pulled off on). Second time I just wrapped her legs with polo wraps to provide a little protection in case she started to stress. I’ve ordered the quilted bandages after advice from others who say not to use travel boots.

 

[AdriaGordon]

This is a bit random but have you checked the floor. I don't mean mats or no mats I mean the actual floor of the trailer. I have known horses be aware that the floor is unsafe/spongey and it panics them.

Yeah, checked the floor when we bought the trailer. It’s an aluminium floor and in excellent condition.

 

[AdriaGordon]

I am absolutely not an expert but the fact that she panics *before* you're even moving suggests to me that she's anticipating something unpleasant. I would probably try a process of elimination - try travelling her down the road and back with shavings down, hire / borrow a lorry and try her in that (sideways or backwards), and if she's still not right, maybe get a vet out for a look at her hocks / hind legs? Those are my thoughts, for what little they're worth.

Thank you. I’ve arranged to try her in a lorry at the weekend. Praying it goes ok. Was told she’s 100% in a lorry but understandably anxious now about that too.

 

[Andie02]

Thank you. I’ve arranged to try her in a lorry at the weekend. Praying it goes ok. Was told she’s 100% in a lorry but understandably anxious now about that too.

I would try travelling with an extra wide space/take a partition(s) out, for starters, so that she can find her own balance in how she wants to stand. Speaking from past experience with a pony that completely lost the plot when changing the configuration of the partitions, she then had to travel in diagonal partitioning instead of straight across the width of the lorry. Just that small amount of change in the same lorry, and she became a nightmare to travel unless in a large space. This was a pony that prior to changing the partitions, on good straight roads, like motorways, I could travel in the horse area with her and plait her up on the way to shows. I am talking about 30 + yrs ago, so not as much traffic on the roads then. I wouldn't want to do that these days.

 

[P.forpony]

First up don't panic!

There could be countless reasons she was unhappy but plenty of them are really quite benign, and it might just be a case of some trial and error.

Mine for example was not a happy camper travelling when I first got him amd would wobble and kick out behind badly.

It all boiled down to 2 things.
One, he HATES back boots, will accept the compromise of some thin sports medicine boots.
Two, he doesn't trust the rubber matting, only takes a slight bit of damp or a poo and it's really not as non slip as it's seems. I put down a good thick layer of straw so he's got plenty underneath him.

2 small tweaks claearly made a huge difference to him, and he now travels really nicely

 

[bubsqueaks]

As others have suggested are you 100% the trailer is all in order & had recent service etc.
I would never travel any pony without a camera - easy to wire one into trailer light - that way you are instantly alerted to any issues.
We had horrendous experience many years ago where we loaded our pony on left side as travelling with bigger pony who was on right - turns out she couldnt balance on the left side was scrambling around - awful, pulled a shoe, puncture wound, tetanus - nightmare.
So now we are extremely ultra safety conscious!
I would make sure you know how to undo the breast bars from the outside & carry the allen key in your tow vehicle - so many people put the bars the wrong way round - the chain end should be on the outside.
We are currently practicing loading youngsters & are really taking our time breaking it all down - I have also just bought some yummy haylage as a treat when he travels as want to make the whole experience as stressfree as possible!
We never use travel boots or tail bandages either - only overreach boots but our ponies are barefoot.
We also had a pony attempt to jump the breast bar in a lorry - horrendous experience - fortunately she didnt get over as had cross tied her - purchased equi travel safe harness but unfortunately they dont work in trailers otherwise would definitely have one! With her we did use a calmer to settle her too in the few weeks after.
I do feel for you as once youve experienced anything like this it becomes so stressful travelling them, so its understandable the pony will be feeling the same stress/nerves from their experience.

 

[Annagain]

I'd try her on the left. My old man is terrible on the right, perfect on the left. He doesn't like having too much space either as he likes to lean slightly on something solid. He does have some long standing foot issues so that might be part of the reason why but travelling on the left solves it.

 

[AandK]

If the trailer floor is fine, I would still get the rest of it thoroughly checked. Suspension, tyres etc. If possible, take it somewhere you can drive it round with a person in the back to check for any possible issues/noises. I would also get a vet to check horse over for any signs of discomfort. If previously fine to travel, then it is either an issue with the trailer or the horse.

 

[MagicMelon]

Ive had 2 horses do this. First was a pony who had travelled literally every weekend for years then suddenly started doing it - turned out we'd taken trailer to a trailer garage to have a good look over. Theyd gone and over-inflated the tyres... so I guess it was bumpier than usual and freaked the pony out. Even after fixing the issue, he would instantly start leaning and falling over as soon as I put him in (without even moving). Another horse started same thing for no reason we could find (no change to trailer etc.). Both were fixed straight away by simply removing the back half of the partition so they could spread out their back legs more. Both travelled happily again from then on. Ive heard of a few horses doing this and again sorted straight away by giving them more room. Dont worry if you want to travel 2 horses, I did so many times even with the back half section not there. They never trod on each other or seemed phased and the dodgy horse still travelled perfectly.

 

[Hormonal Filly]

If you bought her as 100% in a lorry, has she ever travelled in a trailer before? Bearing in mind she is only young. Travelling in a trailer is a lot different to a lorry.

All of my youngsters I've had to 'train' in the trailer, feeding them in there, then shutting them in, then pulling forward a few foot to eventually a 5 minute journey to the end of the road and back, increase, then out and unloading for some grass so it is a good experience, if that goes well, box out for a hack the week after. Only going to the next 'stage' if they're relaxed and happy. Maybe putting her in and driving 5 minutes was to much to start?

My Welshy was the most difficult, terrified of his own shadow in all aspects of life so, but it did pay off and he travelled well in the end.

 

[Squeak]

First time when we drove she had travel boots on. One had slid round (the leg that the shoe was pulled off on). Second time I just wrapped her legs with polo wraps to provide a little protection in case she started to stress. I’ve ordered the quilted bandages after advice from others who say not to use travel boots.

Did she travel with boots on with her previous owners? This could have been your problem and hopefully if she goes back to what she's used to she might be ok but she might have lost her confidence.

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