Poor traveller

Bradsmum

Bradsmum

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I have recently bought a 3.5t horsebox and we have been practicing loading (and unloading). All has been going well so last week and over the weekend we ventured out for short trips round the block and straight back home. He has travelled well as in no kicking about or panicking but he sweats profusely and even after only 15-20 mins travelling, it is dripping from him. He comes off calmly so it is not as though he is desperate to get off. Obviously it is still early days and I plan to continue a few more of these short trips, maybe taking his small companion with us next time. Yesterday I tried travelling him in a thermatex cooler and though that wicked away the sweat, it couldn't cope with the amount and it was dripping onto the floor as I opened up the ramp. Any ideas on how to help him cope with travelling would be appreciated.
 
regular short trips, 5-10 min, out of the yard, down the road and back, every day or 2/3 times a week. Come home to the same place so the journey is as boring as possible.
Good luck.:)
 
Does he have a hay net? I think that help as a diversion.

Can you arrange for the destination to be somewhere he wants to be, e.g. fresh grass for 20 minutes and then walk home (so he doesn't associate re-loading with taking him away from the grass)? Or maybe a bucket of hard feed or at least a good grooming at the end of each trip?

I don't know if the second helps as the jury is still out but it certainly worked for gundog pups. I'd put half a dozen pups in the back of my pickup where they'd slobber and whine! But after a few trips out to work on live game, they were clamouring to get loaded and loved it! I need several people to try the "end on a good note" with different horses and see if it helps. In theory, it should do, but theory isn't doing!
 
Thanks for the advice. I will continue keeping the trips short, possibly shorter than they already are and gradually increase them if -sorry - WHEN he settles better. I am already really pleased at how easily he loads and unloads which was a surprise.
 
I'm going to go against the grain and say long trips on the motorway are better than short trips. Is the box well ventilated and is he wearing boots/rug etc, if so, take them off.
 
FfionWinnie said:
I'm going to go against the grain and say long trips on the motorway are better than short trips. Is the box well ventilated and is he wearing boots/rug etc, if so, take them off.
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I'd agree that too. One of the most useful remarks I ever heard concerning training was, "Nothing can remain frightened forever", meaning that fear itself will diminish unless there is something to fuel it.

So, on a long journey, without incident, animals will get used to travelling as there is not much else they can do! But I think you have to make sure there is not some underlying reason for the fear, like arthritis or a loose floor board or just bad driving.
 
My boy used to sweat profusely whenever I travelled him any where, whether a 5 min trip or longer. He used to get off the lorry absolutely dripping, and I used to have to sweat scraper him off (even though he travelled naked!!). It turns out that underneath the section of the lorry that he was in, there was a spare tyre vibrating the floor! I took the tyre off, and travelled him in a separate section, I also gave him some naf tempralax a few times, and this virtually stopped the stress and the sweating.
 
Dry Rot said:
I'd agree that too. One of the most useful remarks I ever heard concerning training was, "Nothing can remain frightened forever", meaning that fear itself will diminish unless there is something to fuel it.

So, on a long journey, without incident, animals will get used to travelling as there is not much else they can do! But I think you have to make sure there is not some underlying reason for the fear, like arthritis or a loose floor board or just bad driving.
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Yes, but incidents can happen that are out of your control particularly if you are driving. I had my young horse on a short trip coming home and it was awful, we had pawing, kicking he even threw his head up and bashed the lorry roof in, my mate had to go and stand with him to try and keep him calm till we got home and that was a twenty minute journey, I dread to think what might have happened if it had been a longer journey.

Op - with mine I'm just spending loads of time in the box, so grooming, feeding, tacking up, untacking after a ride- everything I can to get him more used to being in there on his own. I'll move back on to short journeys when he'll happily stand in there on his own, it's just not worth the risk of injury otherwise
 
You say he comes off looking fine and doesn't rush? And he loads fine?

Does he do any loose poos?

If poos are normal consistency and not too frequent, there's a possibility he's just a hot horse. Mine overheats (he can't sweat which makes it worse) and it took us ages to realise he was just boiling in the trailer. Now we travel him naked, all windows cracked open to get as much air going through as safely possible and only travel if possible in the early morning or late evening when it's cool - and it's all going much better for us.
 
Bradsmum said:
I have recently bought a 3.5t horsebox and we have been practicing loading (and unloading). All has been going well so last week and over the weekend we ventured out for short trips round the block and straight back home. He has travelled well as in no kicking about or panicking but he sweats profusely and even after only 15-20 mins travelling, it is dripping from him. He comes off calmly so it is not as though he is desperate to get off. Obviously it is still early days and I plan to continue a few more of these short trips, maybe taking his small companion with us next time. Yesterday I tried travelling him in a thermatex cooler and though that wicked away the sweat, it couldn't cope with the amount and it was dripping onto the floor as I opened up the ramp. Any ideas on how to help him cope with travelling would be appreciated.
Click to expand...

Could be a long shot but has he been physically checked recently? Reason I ask is that I had a horse that would sweat profusely when in transit and did appear quite stressed about travelling- again would unload calmly. I later discovered he had an inflamed sacorilliac joint which meant he found it uncomfortable to balance, also the same thing for shoeing! Just couldn't cope with balancing back end on one leg..........
 
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