Poor traveller? How to improve?

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MM&PP

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My 4yo has probably travelled in a lorry/trailer around 10 times in his life. Local transport company has a 3.5t Renault Master (rear facing) which we have hired recently after realising he is too big for our box.

When we hired the lorry, it's so much newer and quieter than our box I really noticed him stepping his feet around. Had a quick peek through the plastic window and couldn't see a lot, but my mare just tenses her muscles and leans and stands pretty much stock still. My gelding can't seem to grasp this and is constantly moving and shuffling his feet to gain balance.

Is this something which will improve in time? He's not great at loading which I think is caused by how he doesn't travel well...

He's been in a trailer and was ok but still sweaty... Should I try the partition closer to him? They are adjustable in the lorry... Could it be the rear facing thing?

Sorry for long post... :o
 
zippo said:
More space not less,let him find his feet.
Click to expand...

This ^^
My mare seemed to take a while to get the idea - the 3.5t we picked her up in she really seemed to struggle to find her feet and keep steady.
We now have the largest wessex trailer and give her the most space we can with the bars and she settles now and has grasped the idea of how to balance herself, and she has the space to do this.
 
Ditto zippo.

Spent years with a bad loader/travelling horse. Bought a camera for the trailer, realised the horse was having balance problems and scrabbling (v frightening to watch). Took the center partition out and now the horse loads/travels as good as gold and eats all her hay.

It is annoying as can't travel her with another horse in a trailer ...... but great as I can take her anywhere now!!
 
My old mare used to sit down while in the lorry , we opened up the partions which helped alot and didnt really travel her with anyone if we could help it.
She now travels great and with others in the lorry , we just used to give her some more space :)
 
Let us know how it gets on.

I am quite evangelical about giving horses more room. My poor horse suffered for years and was such a bad loader/traveller - but giving her heaps of room was like magic - problem solved.

In all those years, I had 'professionals*' help me and was never shy about asking for advice, but all these 'brilliant' people never told me that one great secret - more room!! In this instance, thank goodness for advice from HHO.

* well they were happy to charge money!!
 
Can I ask - when you say more room, how much do you mean? We have a poor traveller and have a 7.5 lorry. Should we take out both of the partitions (it takes 3 horses) or just one? Sorry to be a bit thick!
 
My first pony, a 13.1hh New Forest type was a terrible traveller in a trailer. She would load perfectly but COULD NOT travel with a partition in. She would sort of swing side to side and was clearly not happy. We tried several things to overcome this but in the end the only way we could safely travel her in a trailer was to take out the partition. We tried with a front bar in but she would rear and put her legs over it so she had to be double tied and travelled on her own with nothing in the trailer. It wasn't ideal but it seemed to be the best way for her to balance and look after herself. Put her in a lorry and she would travel in 1 normal sized spot quite calmly!

It was a great excuse for me to talk my Dad in to buying a lorry as he was sick of doing two trips to shows to collect the other pony!!!
 
definatley more room .take the partition out.
our mare stand across and needs to splay her hind legs and travels beautifully .
panics and scrabbles with it in.
 
itsmyparty said:
Can I ask - when you say more room, how much do you mean? We have a poor traveller and have a 7.5 lorry. Should we take out both of the partitions (it takes 3 horses) or just one? Sorry to be a bit thick!
Click to expand...

I left both partitions in, so still travelling the weight over the back axle which was what the horsebox builder said would give the best ride. But I moved both partions outwards to give more room, sort of one and a half horse width. Probably about 4 1/2 ft wide.
 
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