Over the breast bar

Britestar

Britestar

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How do you pluck up the courage to put a horse back in a trailer when they have done this?

Mine went over with both front legs and was stuck for some time, whilst I was driving along. It was done out of sheer temper on his part.

Trailer suffered much damage, and is only just back after 6 weeks being repaired. Horse suffered bruising and a few cuts and was fine to ride again after 3 weeks.

How do I ever get brave enough to put him back in? The one horse he really trusted, and I would have loaded in with him has sadly died of colic in the intervening weeks.

Any ideas?
 
Oh dear, that must have been really terrifying for you. Glad he is OK though.

I would take it step by step.

1. have you driven the trailer with no horse in it? I would do that a few times just to get back used to it and take the association away.

2. I would also load the horse, leave him on the trailer for a while not going anywhere, maybe give him a bit of a feed, then unload him again - a good few times. The first time I might be inclined to have some help, and me being me I would get a professional in, but a trusted friend would do.

3. Depending on how 1 and 2 go, would be time to go out for a drive with the horse in the trailer. I would have the same friend / professional with you. Do you have cctv in the trailer showing you what the horse is doing? I would definitely get that put in if not, and have one person in the vehicle watching that while the other one drives.

4. I don't really understand the technical details but have you got the kind of breast bar you can deal with quickly in such a situation if it does happen again? I think a big part of the way to establish confidence in these situations is to know exactly what you will do if the worst happens.

I expect someone else will have more useful advice but I wish you every success ! :)
 
I would work on his temper. Possibly in a completely different box, preferably without headroom for him to be able to perform acrobatics.

Also does he stand quietly tied up on the yard etc.

Recreate any scenario you can, without risking a bad outcome until he learns to behave.

This is why I love having a cattle trailer. There is literally nothing they can do to hurt it or themselves so anyone who is badly behaved does time in there til they learn manners. Only good horses get to go in the horse trailer.
 
I too would work on his attitude. Also i had one who would go over the bar when loading or before unloading, she just didn't like to stand still, travelling she was fine. We put the bar in the other way up so hopefully the pin would break but also worked on her standing longer and going out more, now we dont have to do it.

I would also definitely recommend knowing how to drop the bars quickly and safely, ours is ifor williams but we were told sometimes it is hard to undo on the outside with a horses weight on so hence putting the bar in the other way up. Alternatively can you take it all out and just cross tie.
 
Blummin horses!!
In my experience (& I've had a good few hair-raising ones over the last 40 years), once they learn to do that, they do it as a 'party piece' & never get out of it unfortunately. I would seriously re think the trailer thing (although I appreciate not everyone wants/can afford to run a wagon).
Great idea about putting the bar in upside down Templebar - would be interested to know if it works (although have no desire to wish the scenario on anyone!!)
 
I should think even if the bar upside down didn't release with the weight of the horse, a few smacks with a hammer would get it off. The right way up you're fighting the weight of the horse unless it detaches outside like my new ifor does (apparently you use the wheel brace to unscrew it. Hope to never need to find out how well it works!).
 
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Mine did this on the way home when I bought him - and kicked the jockey door off its hinges into the road for good measure. Fortunately, the old Rice trailers bars drop down when you pull the pin.
When I travelled him again (after lots of work on his trust), I did so with a second rope tied to the breast bar. That way if he tries to go up, his head'll be pulled down way before he gets his legs over the bar. He's now got used to there being hay in the trailer, and thinks of nothing else, so I don't have to bother.
 
I had similar issue with mine but it was in an Equi Trek and fortunately I had a tack locker in front so she went up and on to it with her front feet but it stopped her legs hooking over the bar. Like you I was so terrified after it. My friend travelled her home that day with another horse as that seemed to keep her calm. ThereAfter I spent 6 months trying to get her back in it and her behaviour was appalling she's a big 16.3 and stood on her back legs vertical and I used every trick under the sun to get over it but nothing worked. I eventually sold it and got an Ifor 511 which she preferred and went no in bother and travelled fine but still went nuts if I tried to leave her. Brand new trailer got wrecked and one day she literally fell over under the partition - legs either side of the pole flat out. Believe it or not, I think she gave herself such a fright that she was much much better after that! But what I did was took all partitions out and bought 3 long thick soft Eva rubber mats - 2 for the walls and - 1 for the back ramp and literally turned the box In to a padded cell lol. It gave me such piece of mind that she at least would injury herself if anything happened and I walked away and left her and she was kicking and screaming for a about 2 minutes but stopped and hasn't done it since. Like others have said - the new Ifors have a very quick release system so if you have one of them - practice releasing it so you know what to do. I was also told at the time that some people looped the lead rope round the bar so horse could move head from side to side and down but couldn't go up. I never had to try it as my mats helped me get over it and leaving her to 'suck it up' helped her get over it. The only thing I will say is to this day I cannot get that horse in an Equi Trek! I don't know why as I picked her up from Preston in it (I'm in Scotland) and all was fine, loaded her for the first time 2 weeks after arriving in Scotland and again she loaded fine - travelled to a venue 20 minutes away and all find, got there, put ramp down and went to walk away and all hell broke loose and she went up and over on to tack locker and thrashed about banging her head on the roof etc - it was horrible. From that point forward The Equi Trek has become something that she just will not go near! Weird. Best of luck and try some Kalms for yourself ����
 
The danger of not using a breast bar is that if you have to break hard for any reason you risk the horse being shunted forward quite violently and thus risk damage to his neck, even breakage!. Maybe as suggested a lower level tie ring to prevent him raising his head too far might work?
 
Charlie007 said:
That is a good idea, putting breast bar upside down.

Is it really safe to travel without a breast bar???
Click to expand...

I would train him without it but I wouldn't personally travel a horse in a horse trailer without one - the external walls of a trailer aren't strong enough to withstand a horse coming at them at speed in the event of heavy braking IMO. Cattle trailer much stronger so less risk but I had a breast bar made for mine.
 
Been in this situation, somewhere these is an old thread on it, will be July 2013. It was a year before we actually travelled him again, and then we did a few short trips, and I hacked home plenty of times when he wouldn't load away from home. In November he went over the bar again whilst his travelling companion was stood calmly in there. We have been very, very lucky... He has not been hurt, and neither have we. My husband was stood in the front of the trailer the last time it happened.

We have loaded him once since then, with all partitions open, front open, no problems but two days later he went down with toxic laminitis so we're back to square one again!

No real idea on how to solve it, but a well reputed trainer has said to me to tie him to the front bar so he doesn't go up... Seems very drastic and TBH I have visions of a broken neck...
 
Thanks all.

He's a complex creature - some say speschul! He can be a dope on a rope some of the time, but travelling has always been a bit strained shall we say.

The extensive repairs now mean I have a quick release breast bar as per newer Equitreks and Ifors. There is no chance of changing my transport, not least because I love my trailer!

I have no qualms towing it (I've done about 50k miles with it!) and happily went off with two other horses for a schooling session today.

He climbed onto the tack pack and then over to the left and over the bar. The central partition never moved.

Later this week, we will try loading him and see his reaction. He is a bit dumb TBH, and may just wander in - lets hope so. I think the biggest problem will be my reaction not his.
 
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