Serious trailer issue

christian

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Went to a hunter trial yesterday, and about 30mins from home on the way back, Finnie kicked (as usual) on a roundabout. Just as we pulled off a car came passed yelling so we pulled up straight away to find that she'd kicked her way through the floor of the trailer. I was absolutely heart broken. She was balancing on the edge of this big hole she'd kicked. I got her out and phoned her owners to pick us up on their way back in their lorry, which they kindly did but i was mortified. Somehow Finnie was totally unharmed.

I was surprised she'd managed to kick through it, as its not new, but a very sturdy and solid rice trailer which we had checked before we left. She must have kicked damn hard.

On the way home in Anna's (finnies owner) lorry, Anna stood in the back with her to tell her off if she kicked, but she hardly moved. Its so frustrating!

When we got home, Anna said Finnie can't seem to brace herself when travelling, and tends to lean on each side when we come to corners, which makes it impossible for her to balance, and as a big 17hh gangly thing, she has a very high centre of gravity, which doesnt help.

Why hasnt she ever learnt to travel? She always goes straight in with no hesitation its once we get going thats a problem.

I'm not going to be able to take her anywhere now since Mum is already a nervous tower and she wont take her anywhere now she knows what she's capable of. I'm seriously considering letting the loan agreement run out in August rather then renewing it as we were planning on doing. Shes a fantastic horse with loads of ability but i can't see the good balancing out the bad, and we just can't afford a lorry (which she seems to prefer)

Anna suggested hobbling her, but i'm reluctant to try this because if she does lose her balance she wont be able to regain it.

Does anyone else have problems with horses that kick in the trailer? what solution have you tried?

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jrp204

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Was she kicking the floor out or had the floor started to give way and she was trying not to go through it, the floor in our trailer went through, it looked ok, but on reaching an event we found a hole, luckily over the axle which stopped the horse going through. She did travel particularly badly on the way which we put down to her avoiding the hole. Luckily she has been fine since and we put a new metal floor in the trailer.
 

newtonpark

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[ QUOTE ]

backwards? really? is that why she prefers the lorry? because its less... forwards?

[/ QUOTE ]

yep.....its to do with their centre of gravity...
 

Stoxx

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I would also suggest trying her in a rear facing trailer. Lots of horses prefer to travel either facing backwards or herringbone, like in a lorry.
It might be an ideal for you to hire one before thinking about purchasing, so that you can be sure she is happier.
 

yellowpony

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We had a similar problem with our 16.2 hh mare, she would always load, but kicked the sides of the trailer whilst in transit, would squash the partition onto her unlucky travelling partner (which made him very unwilling to load, understandably), and once when travelling on her own went down in the trailer with her head stuck over the breast bar, it was a hell of a job to get her out, and when I first saw her I thought we had killed her, it was all very traumatic for everyone involved.

However we solved the problem by taking out the partition and travelling her on her own with a breastbar that we had specially made, such as you would use for travelling a mare and foal. This obviously gave her enough room to stand diagonally and brace herself, and she travelled like a dream in this fashion. I recommend that you try this method before opting for the travelling backward option, because it would be cheaper, and could well solve the issue. Never even consider hobbling her - she is trying to find her balance and to limit her movement even further could be an utter disaster.

Hope this helps, because I know first hand how awful this sort of problem can be.
 

Mrs_Wishkabibble

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Have had same problems but my mare only falls to the left when turning right! (Have had her pelvis, back etc etc checked) She wouldnt travel in Ifor with the partition in so we took it out and put 2 full length breach bars in and she travels fine.
Needed to travel two so tried an Equitrek (rear facing) and on the first two occasions was fine with partition but she has started leaning/falling again now so we have widened her space and she travels loads better again.
I think some horses will just not travel in a smaller space and it doesnt make logical sense why they travel so much better without partition.
Would certainly recommend travelling without a partition, I am sure it would sort all of your problems.
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kizzywiz

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Definately agree with the poster above, single breast bar will certainly help you as you will find she will choose to travel standing diaganolly.
 

oofadoofa

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I have a similar problem with my old thoroughbred. He is fine in a lorry herringbone and fine in a trailer with no partition, but he doesn't like travelling in a trailer with the partition in. I have travelled him in a friend's rice trailer with a solid wood partition right down to the floor and he just keeps falling over. But he is OK in my ifor williams as the partition is only rubber at the bottom so he can just about manage to spread his back legs enough to be able to balance himself.
 

conniegirl

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I have one that will not travel in a trailer faceing forwards. however putting him in a lorry herrigbone and he is perfectly happy, could it be that before you got him he had never traveled in a trailer, he may not know how to balance himself
 

crazyponys

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my partners mare is exactly the same but we found out
shes a left hand leaner , so she has to travel on the left,
then shes fine. on the right cant balance at all !!!!!
 

Angua2

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I can only travel my gelding in my IW505 with a full length breast bar.

If the partition is in he scrabbles about and leans on the partition scrabbling up the wall ( and that is just when we are stationary!...... travelling he sits on his bum..... refuse to revist that one. he is fine though with the whole trailer as he puts himself sort of herringbone or stands in the middle (where the partition would be)

Horses are funny things sometimes
 

ladyt25

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I had a pony did this, he loaded every time bless him but we followed once behind to see exactly what was going on and it was terrifying as he was just falling every time the trailer went round a bend. We decided it was not worth the stress and we ended up buying a small (and very quirky) old 2 pony box. That was also front facing but he travelled brilliantly in that no problems so don't know what caused his falling as there was no more room in the little box than there had been in the trailer all we can put it down to was the swinging motion of a trailer. I would never have a trailer again, we have a 7.5 lorry now and they travel herringbone. My sister recently travlled with a friend and their trailer and had an accident on the M1 where the trailer flipped over and took the 4x4 towing it with it. Fortunately both horses in it were uninjured but it was another reason to put me off. I find them terrifying!
 

merlinsquest

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Full width breast bar and a new floor.......
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It must have been a bit iffy for her to have been able to kick through it.....

Merlin travels like a complete muppet in a partitioned trailer, but given the whole thing he is wonderful
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MagicMelon

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Thats why we get our trailer checked over every year at our local garage and also have a metal floor rather than wood.

With her balancing thing - give her more room. Sounds crazy but one of mine started doing this - leaning over more and more each time we travelled until eventually he'd literally hurl himself on the floor as soon as we closed the doors!! We took out the parition completely or moved the back section over - perfect from then on! It sounds weird to give them MORE room when they do it but it works!
 

scotsmare

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Funny though how many people crack up at the thought of taking the partition out of a trailer. Our last YO said that 'she would never do it because it was just too scary' can't think helping that the horse might have thanked her for it....
 
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