Putting additional windows into a trailer

[Birker2020]

My horse stopped loading into his trailer overnight about two years ago after seven and a half years of practically runing up the ramp.

It is a total nightmare loading him now, and can take anything from a minute to twenty and he has to be starved for a period (i.e. not fed breakfast or a net and then loaded early morning to go to a show) so that he will load with food.

I have checked the floor about five times, the tyres have been blown up and reduced in air in case me blowing them up made all the difference. He has had the walls which had been painted prior to him starting to stop loading wiped down with fly spray to mask any paint smells, he has had shavings added to teh rubber matted floor in case he was slipping, he has had the doors at teh back shut rather than left open, he has had more room given to him inside, none of these things have made a difference. Pain has been ruled out as the horse is the same whether give bute or not.

So I asked Dad what the feasibility would be of installing a couple of windows in the my trailer. This is what my trailer looks like (this is not my trailer just an image of a random one for sale) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rice-Rich...005&rk=5&rkt=5&sd=181210971337&#ht_237wt_1164

He says he will put some windows above the front ramp and the same the other side. It will take up most of the area that is available on the panel (see photo). I am hoping that this will give my horse a little more light and make the trailer feel airy. He is making the windows with perspex that he has, and he is buying a proper rubber seal, he has a full welding kti and knows what he is doing.

do you think this might make a difference.

 

[twiggy2]

have you tried different trailers?

after 2yrs it may be a learned behaviour.

personally i would worry that putting windows in that he can see out of might make him worse as he will be able to see traffic coming towards him but feel trapped as he will be unable to move away-what about a sun roof type affair but i suppose you would have the same problem and lanes and tracks with overhanging trees.

 

[Birker2020]

I could try a different trailer but he is not consistent, and when this is the case its very hard to see if it would make any difference.

 

[Beatrice5]

I have just posted the same question about windows

I am about to do the same thing in an identical trailer how spooky......

Personally I do think windows make the trailer more inviting but it is very hard to say if it will help him load. Is he hard to load when coming home too or is it anxiety only when going out ? Does he travel when once inside the trailer or does he stomp about and kick ? Is he happier on one side than the other ? Does he load better with no patition and a single breast bar ?

If you have other types of trailer available from friends to try loading him into you may find a pattern to the ones he likes and the ones he objects to ? Is he sensitive to the trailer sides touching him ? Does he dislike the sound of his feet clonking up the ramp ? Is the coconut mat slippery and he prefers rubber matting on the ramp? Is he better with a wooden floor or alloy covered in rubber?

Is the trailer noisy and rattly when going along ? Hope this helps and you find a way of helping him through this. Keep us posted of what you discover. My mare is noise averse and touch averse so when we start trailer training it will have to be done very gently gently. Her daughter is so laid back I cannot forsee her taking offence to anything they are all so different.

 

[9tails]

Do you drop the front ramp when loading? Might be worth opening the jockey door too but of course ensure your breast bar is up. I wouldn't worry about putting extra windows in as once he's in he's in.

 

[SuperH]

My trailer has two small windows by their heads on the sides. They do look out of them and they both travel better in this trailer than the Ifor I borrowed from my in laws before I collected my trailer from storage. No idea if that is related to the windows or if it is just a better ride. I wouldn't make them too big as in the summer the sun coming through the glass could make him unhappy, dazzled and hot. Going to say something stupid, do you travel him nice and slowly, avoiding sharp breaking and acceleration?