Pawing in the trailer... help!

[_jetset_]

Grace paws quite a lot in the trailer and yesterday she managed to rip all of the rubber up and travel on the metal (there was a joint in the rubber and she has managed to pull it up).

They are going to fit a single piece hopefully this week, but i need to think about why she is pawing when travelling. There is nothing wrong with her back, this has all been checked out, and she does travel well apart from this.

Someone has suggested putting some bedding in to take some of the impact of her pawing away... any other ideas, open to anything!

 

[kerrylou123]

does she doing when your actually on the move? My mare paws inside the lorry, but only when the lorry is still, not when its in motion

 

[Bossanova]

Give her lots of hay/haylage
A bit controversial but you can do a little bit of gentle sudden braking when she starts pawing. It actually proves quite effective as they realise the have to stand up to keep their balance.....

 

[Tia]

I'm sure it is controversial Boss.....but I have to say I do this too if I have a dreadful traveller....that and pulling away slightly quicker than normal; both do work.

 

[_jetset_]

She has loads of haylage and eats it... occasionally she sweats up but not all the time. In fact when we had this problem she had hardly sweated up at all even though she had rubber matting around her back legs and was stood on metal slipping about!

I have tried braking etc. and she just seems to keep banging! Grace obviously has amazing balance because she can paw and move around at the same time!

Could a lot of it be because she is excited?

 

[dixie]

How about hobbling her?

I've not done htis myself but someone I know does it to a horse in a lorry.

I've thought about it myself for my horse as he does it on the last mile to home which is all up hill & very steep, but I can't quite bring myself to. Sooo, perhaps you could give it a try and letting us know how it goes !!!

Sorry, not other ideas though.

 

[_jetset_]

Not sure about that... she is a young horse and I would hate to frighten her at this stage! She has only been travelling for around 7 months (well, 5 months really)

 

[Tia]

Ooh no! I really don't think that would be a very safe thing to do at all

.

 

[Tempi]

I think bedding on the floor combined with a bit of sharper breaking/moving off when she starts doing it is what you should try at the moment......

 

[_jetset_]

Thanks P_G... also just been on the phone to Equi-Trek and had a very interesting conversation!

 

[Tempi]

i hope they are getting their backsides in gear!!

 

[_jetset_]

 

[dozzie]

My mare did this in a new trailer!!! Mummy was not happy!! Get a heavy mat and put it across the join then she cant wreck the trailer! One of my old boys did this every time we stopped. I think it was just impatience!!!