Pony coming over breast bar in trailer; ideas please?!

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Llanali

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Hello, I'm wondering if any of you might be able to share some ideas please?

We have a 12hh pony, who is great in all ways except travelling alone in a trailer it would seem.

I purchased him in August, and travelled him home alone in my trailer and he was fine. He has been in previous home for 8 years, I knew the home and have no concerns there.

He then had two outings in August to
Local venues with my mare; just sightseeing for him (he is my daughters pony, too big currently as she's only a toy, so did some novelty in hand). Both fine.

In September, we attempted to move him for winter grazing ten mins away. Loaded him in fine, were using a friends trailer- IW 505, same as mine but much newer- and he went nuts and skedaddled out backward under the bum bar! We re loaded him, again easy as pie, and this time ramps up and down the drive... Where by suddenly he was facing the rear of the trailer on the wrong side of the partition! I was following behind. Extracted him safely. He was fine, a bit stressed and bargy but not terrified. We loaded him with my mare and he traveled quietly to the winter grazing....

Today my mare is in the vets; he needed to come up to the summer yard for the farrier tomorrow. We tried to load him- again into friends IW as ours is being serviced- and he came over the breast bar before the front ramp could be done up. He got stuck for 3/4 mins before we untied him and he jumped from a stand still over the bar and out the front. My husband got a kick to the arm and I got a whack to the Head- I had a hat on.

He is not visibly injured but is very sore, so he is now corralled in the yard area- usually out 24/7 and I will assess him again tomorrow. Didn't want to stable a) in case he tried to come out the stable! And b) because I thought he may stiffen. I have given him access to the stable and a deep bed. He will go in, but gets agitated if shut in.

I am now frightened to load him again. I think he will likely be fine with my mare, as before, but I'm really nervy about it. Which won't help! I don't want him hurt and I don't want him hurting my mare if he plays silly nuggets. He loads fine every time, he is clearly nervy of being alone- yet travelled fine to us alone!- and now I'm concerned he knows how to escape.

So, there's a few things

1) each time he has been a wally he has been alone- maybe he feels he will move homes again?!!!

2) each time he's been a wally it's been in the other trailer.... But he hasn't tried alone in mine since arrival journey so I can't rule that in or out.

3) what can I do to help him? He ultimately needs to travel alone but no rush for that; I have never encountered this before- any ideas on helping?

4) when travelling him with my mare, until we can crack the alone bit, any ideas on keeping him secure... He doesn't kick out, just backs up, rears up and then he's on.... How would the bars best be set up? I have got them on the lowest setting and the shortest, but he's only small...

That's the other issue. I don't quite know how he managed to face the other way that time. I'm scared he will try and come out the top of the back ramp and I don't know if he went under the breast bar that time!

Bloody ponies. Bring me back my sport horse. And some codeine; my head is clanging.

Thank you all in advance, from a sore and rattled Llanali. It has really frightened me. It was horrific :(
 
My cob used to jump up but not quite to that extreme. When i had ponies in my IW 505 we moved the top metal catches for the breast and rump bars down, so they are lower, maybe in this case more the back than the front. With mine we travelled her without bars and partition for a while, protecting the front window with the haynet. This helped get over the anxiety of travelling alone, then we slowly introduced the bars and partitions back. Make sure you use a leather head collar in case he goes down as this will break.

Mine used to be ok to load and travel it was stopping at our destination if there was stuff going on that caused hers. Im sorry i cannot be of more help.
 
The most obvious thought is was he kept alone in his last home? or has he just become very attached to your mare as she is his only company and they are together 24/7, many geldings do get clingy and being taken away from her is likely to cause the stress, being alone in a trailer will be double the worry for him.

Also was he worked properly in the last home, guessing he may have been sold as outgrown but been active until then, now he is doing nothing to occupy his mind or body apart from eating and being with his new best friend he has nothing else to focus on, this does not help with the actual traveling but may explain why he is now getting worse, he may improve once he is going out more regularly and you need to work on his separation anxiety before dealing with the traveling, I would probably cross tie, shut the back doors and not go out alone until he is more confident and used to going away from her generally, some work may help, if riding is not an option then some groundwork to get him more focused on you and doing something to interest him.
 
I feel your fear, a year ago today (so there will a thread on here somewhere!) my 15hh went over the bar with another horse already in the trailer and my husband in the front of it, with the front ramp up... I rode home, no one was injured but I have no idea if we'll ever overcome the problem. In your situation I would take out all partitions and bars, get him in, shut all doors and travel him loose.
 
I have little ponies and one does similar things

He is tied lower and fairly short so it's impossible for him to back up or rear up. He also has one of the rubber chain stall guards fixed behind him, too low for the average horse but ideal for him

He always wears a leather head collar when travelling
 
Thank you all for taking the time to reply;; apologies it was an essay!

Sorry to hear some of you have also had issues. We dealt with it well, no one is seriously injured but I'm now sat at home very wobbly several hours later. I had visions of a broken back for the pony and a dead husband. The classic, fine in a crisis but awful
After! I've got to go and collect my mare tomorrow and I feel hysterical about towing her, though I know she is foot perfect and I'm a capable towing driver.

Some good thoughts; I think cross tying with the partition in might be best. I do worry about travelling him loose, which would be my port of call for a yearling or foal, because I worry about him just spinning round and round. He was very determined :/

Be positive.... I think there's quite a lot of merit to your thoughts... Yes, he is now doing very little compared to his previous home where he was in active "work", and being the summer holidays has swarms of extended family kids around him.

He's actually not with my mare right now, he's with five sheep and there are horses over the fence next door, but he isn't attached to them :/ he also wasn't actually with anyone else at the summer yard either: he was in starvation as he's a fatso!!

He seems to have gotten fairly
Unruly since being on winter grazing, fortunately his default is stubborn and a bit nervy not nasty. I am hoping when we move- this is temporary as our house sale fell through- and he has more contact with humans and other horses he might settle. He seems a bit claustrophobic suddenly, I know he used to be stabled sometimes for weight control at his last home and was fine, where as now he's a bit bargy about it and that's why I'm concerned, after tonight, he may come over the door.

Perhaps this issue is more about his comparitive "isolation" than the trailer, it's just manifesting itself that way? I know it's not ideal having him alone with sheep but needs must on a temporary basis. Maybe when he is home and quiet with company he might be calmer in himself? He seemed OK, but now you have mentioned it, perhaps he has been unsettled since going to the farm for winter :/
 
WelshD said:
I have little ponies and one does similar things

He is tied lower and fairly short so it's impossible for him to back up or rear up. He also has one of the rubber chain stall guards fixed behind him, too low for the average horse but ideal for him

He always wears a leather head collar when travelling
Click to expand...

Thank you; I'm being dense, how does the stall chain help? Thinking about it, he had a rubber chain not a bar in my trailer .... The tying lower; have you added another tie up point? We could certainly do That.

Finally, I have read suggestion of looping the lead rope under the Chest bar, from one side of headcollar to
Another; which I can see would work but I'm concerned he would
Fight the resistance of it!!

He does always wear leather headcollar. I don't usually use travel bandages or boots, but I may start on him!
 
You could try sticking an acrylic mirror up in the trailer. They are cheap enough and come in all sizes on eBay and easily fixed with no nails. I added 2 in my lorry just to help calm my horses. Also you could add some drops of lavender oil and camomile oil onto a rag and hang that in the trailer, aromatherapy is very powerful and should help to calm him. A net of haylage may also help if the pony doesn't normally get fed haylage.
 
I would be concerned if he is tied up then he may hurt himself breaking free of the constraints. I travel my forest stock loose without partition and breastbar for short journeys. Your pony may prefer facing backwards and that's why he's unsettled.

I hope you find a solution.
 
Take the partition out and travel him loose if he is by himself, and you have rear doors, he will sort himself out. Probably back himself against the front at an angle, that is how most horses choose to arrange themselves given the choice.
 
Not read all replies. My cob did this when he was younger and stupid. Very frightening experience.

In order for them to get over they have to be able to get back to get up and over (if you know what I mean). Alter your tie rings so that the pony cannot step back. I fixed another tie ring to the front of the trailer (so near the little window) and tied him there as well as the original tie up ring which was near and above the breast bar. Good luck.
 
We had a bit of a mad mare a while ago when it came to loading so we took to tying up front breastbar and having front ramp
Down first time so just letting pony run brought and out the other side a few times then put front ramp up. We got her in so that she was stood too far forward then closed the back ramp. Then it was just a case of strength v strength to get the pony back in position and tying up very short. Did once just tie up the breast bar and had her travelling with the partition but no breastbar. Seems to work ok on my current mare as well
 
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