Psychotic horse when travelling on his own... suggestions?

Law

Law

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Hi
I wonder if anyone can suggest a way to deal with this?
My horse is a very good traveller in company but on his own he is a complete nightmare. I really don't find it acceptable that he won't travel well on his own and I want to try and habitualize him now that I have passed my test and can take him places myself.
He will load but unless I drive off immediately he starts to tantrum and bounce in the box. As soon as we are off he screams his head off the whole way to where ever we are going and if i don't get him off the box as soon as we get there he starts bouncing and rearing again. If i get in the box with him whilst we are stationary he's ok but once I get out to start the vehicle he's off on one again.
I wondered if I should have all the top doors shut (front and back) or open so he can see what is going on? And whether by taking him out for 5-10 miles once or twice a week and feeding him on the box should he improve?

How would you deal with this or do you think it is unreasonable of me to expect to be able to get round this problem? I just don't want to be stuck not going somewhere because there is no-one else to share the box with us. I'd rather persevere with it!
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thanks for reading
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Just a thought but have you thought about a mirror (like the stable mirrors)? He might not think he is on his own then?

Sorry not overly helpful.
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That's not a bad idea! Thanks
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I forgot to say as well, I could try and give him some calming paste for travelling. I've not tried that yet. He's only gone out twice on his own so far about 10 miles there and back. As soon as he turns off the main road and knows he's heading home he shuts up and chills out.
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Is he in a trailer on box?
Mirrors are quite good, however we found that having the window put in the top door of the fromt ramp allowed him to look out and see enough to keep him occupied.
It was an ifor trailer
 
Tired removing the partition?

Hb

Sigh I mean "Tried" sorry cant spell and now I cant even use the right wrods
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He's in a Ifor Williams 510. I kept the top doors open yesterday and he did have a look out the top when he wasn't screaming. They are normally shut when he's in with someone else but we were in such a rush to get going yesterday I forgot
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lol
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Not i've not tried that. I think he's fine with the space he's got, he just gets like this when he's on his own. He's the same in a stable on his own.
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I wouldnt travel with it open as id worry something might fly in and injure him.
As i said we solved this with a little window that ifor do for the top door.
 
Have you tried leading him on and off about 50 times LOL until he's confident, then progress to standing him in trailer for a treat before attemping to close front and then rear ramps again each time being certain he's really confident enough to take the next step? When you get to actually 'tow' him I'd probably start off with a very short and sweet journey and return to his yard before moving on to maybe unloading him up the road and hacking him back etc etc.
 
He'll load and eat food on it fine with a little angst but that is just him through and through. He is a very anxious horse
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He's fine when he gets somewhere and can do something though.
 
Can someone stand with him whilst travelling. When I first got my mare I needed to do that and she is so much better now. Started me standing with her, then living living door open so she could see me seating on chair, then I left living door open and sat in front, she is now great and eats her hay
 
do you think it's the anticipation of 'the show/event etc' that winds him up ?
Maybe a few round the block boring trips which end up back at the yard might help? I'm just throwing(probably useless) ideas around here
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I don't think it is an excitement thing. It's much more of an 'i'm on my own and i'm not happy, I don't like it, who will save me from this certain death, am I going home afterwords, where are my friends'.
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I'm hoping that the trips around the block are going to be the thing that sorts his head out. I just don't want to make him stressed EVERY time he goes in the box on his own for no reason. As long as he get better at it then that is what i am proposing to do
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It is against the law for a person to travel in any towed vehicle.
My horse is similar in that he jumps and bucks all through the journey, when you stop at the other end he is a quiet as a mouse, we have no idea what causes it but I have just bought a mirror off ebay to see if that helps. I need to sort it out because he has started to wreck his feet with the bucking!
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He also loads fine and stands in the trailer all day, so I dont think it is stress related as he would be tense about loading and being in the trailer
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It's a trailer and not a lorry or that might have been an idea (being in the living). I've done that before and he's happier when he can hear me talking to him.
 
Definitely try the mirror. It really does work! Also how about a radio (battery operated and secured well) so that he has something to listen to
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To start with I would just go for short journeys - 10 mins, turn round and come back.
 
Read this thread with great interest as I have one mare who won't travel alone, and we need her to. She loads and travels fine with company, but when she went out (we have a box) for just ten minutes, she was absolutely drenched. We forgot that she won't be stabled alone either, because we don't generally stable.
Think I might invest in a mirror.
 
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