Trailer training

S

soloequestrian

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 January 2009
Messages
3,149
Visit site
Trailer training is going well with the youngster but we've only done fairly short journeys on quiet country roads. I plan to take her on to the dual carriageway soon (we don't have motorways this far north!) and wondered if it would be best to shut at least one of the back top doors to start with - I can see it being quite unnerving having lorries come up behind and past....
Any thoughts?
 
It can help if you close the door directly behind them so they cannot see lorries bearing down on them, some are not bothered but others can spend most of their time tensing up and trying to look behind, this is where having a camera can be so useful so the horse and its reactions can be monitored easily.
 
be positive said:
It can help if you close the door directly behind them so they cannot see lorries bearing down on them, some are not bothered but others can spend most of their time tensing up and trying to look behind, this is where having a camera can be so useful so the horse and its reactions can be monitored easily.
Click to expand...


Ditto this. Our Shagya stallion has travelled to UK and back several times, all over this department for SJ and endurance but panicked when a big lorry stopped behind us at a junction. We always close the doors, except on quiet roads around the farm.
 
My trailer has a solid flap rather than doors. I only close it with foals on board travelling loose. It gets too stuffy otherwise.
 
If you can get her used to having both top doors shut, then so much the better. I always do (if the horse will allow it) on the motorway or lengthy journeys on dual carriageways. Being tailgated for miles by a big lorry with an upset horse in the trailer is not fun for anyone.

Also defo second the suggestion of cctc, I wouldn't be without it.
 
Personally, when I had an ifor I never shut the doors and they never bothered about anything. Was stationary yesterday with a horse in the trailer when a huge tractor and trailer roared past very fast and close to the box and I just thought how good it was for the horse to see/hear that in a fairly safe environment!

I find with training horses the more you pander to them possibly being scared of things the more scared of things they will be. So I go out of my way to find situations they are scared of so I can habituate them to them, which makes my life a lot easier.
 
Normally I'd agree with you FW, but I don't think that trapping a nervous horse in a trailer and then insisting that it gets on with having a lorry revving 10' behind it is likely to educate it.

The drama diva mare is claustrophobic, and forcing her to endure such a scenario would be completely inappropriate for her. If shutting the top doors (which took careful introduction in her case) meant that's she was more settled travelling, then I'll go with that.
 
TP I wasn't suggesting that your experience is a suitable way to habituate anything to anything, my reply wasn't aimed at your comment it was my general feeling on the subject. :)

Although I can't think I've ever had a lorry tail gate me ever and I do tens of thousands of miles a year towing a trailer. Lorries can only sit at a max of 56, so I would either right slow down so they can pass you easily or sit at 60 so they can't tail gate you. I would think it very unlucky to have a lorry driver persistently on your tail very often!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top