travel problems

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blueunicorn

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13 June 2009
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Can anyone help me please? I had a terrifying experience last wednesday. I took my horse to dressage as I've done 100s of times before and his rug slipped back and up at the front causing him to panic in the lorry. I stopped and removed the rug but he was still panicking so much he was trying to lie down and couldn’t stand up.the only way I describe it is he thinks he can't stand up once he's secured in. The partition is badly scratched and kicked. My husband had to undo the partition and use it to push him back on his feet but even when he was steady as soon as I started the lorry he panicked again I took him off the box and hacked him home. He now wont stand in his partition, he shakes and appears not to be able to stand up. He’s fine once partition opens and goes into box fine. He is a competition horse so this is a real problem and I’m so scared he’ll go down and hurt himself. It’s a 7.5 ton sturdy herringbone lorry, he’s been 100s of miles in it over a 4 year period he's so good usually you wouldn't know he was there. He travels alone as always. He is terrified not naughty . Any ideas?
 
Check the lorry first, could be that he's telling you something rather than having got a fright with the rug. Floor? Tyre pressures?
 
The only thing you can do is to keep taking him on the lorry - possibly feed him? - and then off again. Keep your breathing deep and slow, try using Bach Rescue Remedy in the water bucket.

Once they have a fright all you can do is to your best to reassure them that everything is OK.

Can't add any more sorry.
 
Have you tried travelling him without the partition as this will give him more room and may give him the confidence to be able to spread his legs to stand and it will also mean if he did go down he would have room to get up again. I would check tyre pressures and the floor and take him for some very slow rides until he gets his confidence back.
 
Thank you all for the advice. I'm feeling more positive now but in the end if he won't travel then we'll stay at home and ride out. He's got a home with me for life and he owes me nothing.
 
I had a very similar experience to you tail end of last year.If you look throu my posts,you will see some helpful(sadly,some not so helpful) advice.
We don't know why our mare fell over,but we were travelling her in the partition next to the living.Soneone ob that thread suggested we move her away from the living as for some reason,sometimes the full wall caused horses to fall. We reconfigured the partitions to do this,but she refused to travel facing to the left,which is how ky herringbone is. So,we now travel her facing to the right,which is the wrong way and she now faces slightly bacwards,but she will at least travel now.
Its worth a go,to try either or both of the above. Good luck
 
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