Panic in Ifor Williams 505 trailer

T

TAWilson

New User
Joined
11 January 2012
Messages
4
www.farmerjames.co.uk
We've been travelling our 15.2 Welsh Section D and 16.1 TBxConnemara geldings together in our trusty Ifor Williams 505 trailer since last June with no trouble at all - Welshy on the left, bigger boy on the right. The TBxConny joined us back in June and has been becoming the more dominant since his arrival, and I suspect he is a bit intimidating towards the Welshy in the trailer (as he is generally). However last weekend the Welshy had a major panic as we left our event, almost going down in the trailer. Very frightening for all concerned. So we unloaded, calmed him down and then reloaded - Welshy on the right and TBxConny on the left - they travelled absolutely fine the 40 minutes home. However the TBxConny doesn't willingly load on the left - it's like they both want to travel on the right. We've checked the trailer and there's no obvious signs that anything is wrong mechanically. I'm a steady driver and they've not had a rough journey. Anyone experienced anything similar?
 
Could welshy have slipped? Do you use a head partition, do they both have hay? Our two highlands would squabble over hay as the left hand pony wanted the right hands hay. We got a head partion so no one could then bite each other etc...

I also use sprinkle of bedding on floor as mats can cause slipping
 
Sounds like horse has slipped. Always use bedding - no such thing as non-slip rubber if wet. Try travelling it alone in an open trailer (no partition). If that's ok, it's likely to have been caused by slipping as they can spread legs for more stability in open trailer and feel safer.
Some horses do prefer rhs. Maybe as it's not so affected by road camber?
 
I read an article not so long ago about horse's brains and them being more wired to process more calmly things seen from their left and react more instinctively to things seen from their right, which is why we traditionally handle horses, mount etc from their left. And why you have to repeat everything on both sides as the two halves of the brain don't "talk" to each other as ours do. That would tend to suggest that the horse on the right side of the trailer (left eye inward) processes things more calmly than the horse on the left (Right eye inward). I think the article was H&H but as I also subscribe to a couple of other horse magazines it could be another. You might be able to google it.

On that basis additional groundwork from the right might help? We also have a bite guard partition (We have a 505 too) to stop our more dominant one hassling the other in the trailer. They can't get around to nip one another or to take each others hay! I have to say I disagree with previous posters about bedding though. I have always been taught horses are more likely to slip with bedding down than not. I suspect that comes down to preference and personal experience.
 
" I have to say I disagree with previous posters about bedding though. I have always been taught horses are more likely to slip with bedding down than not. I suspect that comes down to preference and personal experience."[/QUOTE]

Try it! Travel in trailer/box with wet floor with and without bedding. Then decide.
 
The thing is - its personal preference and experience. You have yours, I have mine. I've seen too many horses slip on bedding over the years and never had one slip on matting. I also worry about wet bedding collecting in corners and damaging the floor. In 30+ years I have never had to travel a dripping wet horse - perhaps I'm lucky that we make sure everything is as dry as possible; I've not had to move a soaking horse in an emergency. Urine is rinsed off and the floor mopped with an old towel over a stiff brush before we travel if something has pee'd. Legs are dried before padding - I don't like padding wet legs as we have issues with mud fever. We always use some form of sheet or rug; and waterproof overs if we've been at a show in the rain. Horses are always cooled off. We hunt, event, SJ, do pony club, sponsored rides, beach rides the lot. I've never loaded a dripping wet animal or had a horse or pony slip on a wet floor.

But that's just me. Murphy's law says it'll happen tomorrow and I'll chance my view. Always keep open to new ideas and opinions!
 
i'm the opposite, ive seen way more horses slip on non bedded floors. I've even slid myself when cleaning out the box. i also know more horses who don't feel comfortable weeing on unbedded floors. Shay is right about the bedding though. ifor williams guy recommended not using shavings as they can get damp and get under edges of floor and rot it. he recommened only using straw as a trailer bedding.
 
Same as Shay - IW 505, travelling horses hunting weekly through numerous winters and have never used bedding on rubber mats and never had a problem.
 
Tyre pressure- must be equal and high (can't remember figures!).
My mare went down after slipping and having a panic in a IW505. She was travelling on the left. We travelled her home, alone, without the partition, untied and facing the rear (all very wrong, but failing a helicopter it was the only way to get her home) she was injured and on three legs but travelled home fine.
We then sold the Ifor Williams and bought an Equitrek rear facing trailer. She travels fine in this after some very worrying trial runs-starting off very short and getting gradually longer,, with the partition and another horse, on the left hand side but do not tie her up as in my mares case she panics when tied, slips and then falls. Trailers are dry and no bedding used.
 
Thank you everyone - there's some really helpful ideas in this thread which we'll try and see how we get on. it was a hideously rainy day, we'd dried them as best we could but they were probably very wet still, we had no bedding down in the trailer and on reflection the panic was at the bottom of a muddy hill on a slightly adverse camber so maybe he did slip and frighten himself. Really appreciate the advice.
 
Mine can't travel on the left. The last time he did, he kept falling down around bends and then fell. We were driving behind him so could see him going down. We opened the back of the trailer to find him sitting on the floor. Luckily he wasn't hurt. I think it was partly because the woman whose trailer it was had tied him tight so he couldn't put his head down to balance himself but also because he was used to leaning on the sides and course the partition was on the 'wrong' side to him.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top