Stressy traveller - getting desperate

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Rebels

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Hi, I haven't been on here for years so hope it still works the same!
I have an 11yr warmblood eventer who events at novice so travels a fair bit. He has always loaded well and travelled quietly. He is normally a stressy horse who weaves when excited eg feeding, plaiting and tacking up but we do manage it. In the summer he was taken to the osteopath with 2 more of my boys. Whilst there he had a crab fly and went mad. We thought it had gone, loaded up to go home and he went completely mad, bucking, rearing on the box. I managed to get it off him but he shook the whole way home. Since then he weaves whilst travelling, making the lorry sway. So far we have tried - haynet/ no haynet, company/ no company, rug/ no rug, windows open/ closed, music, changing partions so he faces more forwards/ backwards, being nearest living or ramp, basically everything we can think of! We had hoped he would settle but he has calmed to a point and won't get better. His worst was fast weaving for 3hrs to South of England, I arrived in tears. He loads brill, always calm to walk off, when you open the back you wouldn't know there was a prob. It doesnt affect his performance, he always works well. I'm just not sure what else to try, its more distressing for me than him I think.
Sorry its so long, thanks for any help!
 
Mine has always weaved, not due to anything I know about and his brother is similarly stressy and I've never seen him (so it's not me!). Mine is much improved if I cover the windows so that he can only see out of the one directly in front of him. He appears to weave to get different views of the outside from each eye. Have you ever treated him for ulcers? Mine only weaves about 1/10 as much when he is on Omeprazole.
 
He does weave less when given limestone flour, I have him on a high fibre diet so he is always eating. His jaws never stop in my effort to settle his stomach though i did get him from a yard where forage was in short supply ( 2 sections of haylage a day for a 17.2 horse). I will try blocking the windows, thanks.
 
Mine has a practically perfect diet and life, if I say it myself. He lives in a small group in a barn with ad lib forage at night and out in ten acres during the day. But he is an intensely stressy horse (bright chestnut KWPN) and omeprazole makes a big difference to him. You can test yours by using Tesco ranitidine for a couple of days. One packet a day, six tablets morning and evening. If they have stomach acid issues, they will usually show, in my experience, a change in behaviour within 24 hours. If you get a result with this then you can give him a maintenance dose of omeprazole for life.
 
I had a very stressy traveller once and we would get essence of star of bethleham and let him in hale it and it totally chilled him out. Might be worth a try?
 
How about putting a mirror in with him????
Maybe a completly stupid idea,and i have never had an experiences with them..............dont even use them for myself!!:D
 
Thanks, will look into the omeprazole as calming his stomach will have a beneficial effect on him even if it doesnt help the travelling. Did think about mirrors but he didnt improve with company, would they help instead of? Not really sure how they work! Is Star of Bethlehem easily available? Is it a health food shop type thing?
 
Hmm, maybe not a mirror then! My hunter cut straight into his fetlock joint (needing a joint flush) by kicking his plastic water bucket. I'm not giving them anymore ammo! I'll go and look for the Star of Bethlehem, thanks.
 
What did he have done at the oesteo? I've heard of a couple of horses who magically travelled perfectly after the physio did work on them (stiffness made it hard for them to balance) so mayeb something wasn't quite right after the oesteo (they can make thinkgs worse a well as better)?

Have you tried him without a parition or a much wider partitions?

Or you can try what I had to do as a last resort (either that or she tipped the trailer over!) was travel with them and teach them to stand nicely.
 
Thanks for all the help, we started him on NAF magic a few days ago to help his general stress levels not expecting it to help the travelling but he travelled beautifully today with company to a dressage lesson so chuffed :). Still going to try the anti acids and Star of Bethlehem tho. Kallibear - he goes monthly due to being 17.2, immature and clumsy! I find that he's very sensitive across his back and lets you know it the slightest thing is wrong so by going regularly we have to do very little to him at a time. I did wonder if he does get wobbly legs after so we give him longer after a session before going home now. He travels sideways in a lorry, we have tried everything from very very wide to tight! Hopefully the calmer will help. Thanks for all the help, much appreciated.
 
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