Travelling help!

[flurryjuno]

Sorry if this is long!

This is an ongoing problem with my mare and its driving me crazy! She hadn't been in a box for about 4 years when I got her in April last year and since then she's been out loads. It started off I traveled her with travel boots and she would bang around really badly and panic at corners. Decided to take them off as they would slip down with all her stomping and just make her upset standing on them. That helped mildly although she still does it on corners. In the summer I was taking her places every 2-3 days and whilst she did travel better, she started rubbing her tail. Tried bandages but gave up after a few months as she would press her bum against the ramp and end up with them on the floor/lying on her legs every time. Yesterday I bought a woof wear tail guard, today used it. Ended up with her rubbed raw under each side of her tail and a big cut on her bum where the ends of the velcro/stitching rubbed whilst in the box, so naturally taking it back but do I get another tail guard?! I am at wits end with her I honestly don't know anymore, cross tying helps moderately but she generally travels with other horses so its not an option the majority of the time, give her a haynet and she takes big tugs out of it and unbalances herself, she does the same on each side of the box and while she loads after two or three tries 9/10 times (sometimes once if shes in a good mood) she clearly becomes very distressed in the box, as in she always comes off sweating. I don't want her to be upset but I don't know what else to try, anyone got any ideas??

 

[Snozzo]

Hi, my horse had an accident in a trailer and after that started leaning on his tail and losing his balance and also coming out dripping in sweat (which was completely understandable). Getting him balancing again was a combination of giving him plenty of room to spread his legs out (I bought a lorry with the widest partitions I could find), trying different lorries to see if he was happier forward facing, herringbone or backwards (he was better forwards) and perseverance - taking him on lots of short journeys with a quiet companion. . With regard to the sitting on tail, I had the same problem with him rubbing the top of his tail raw and tried all manner of tail guards, pads etc and they all ended up on the floor within seconds. What I finally found worked was a gel tail bandage made by Acavello. which you can get for around£22 on ebay. Its really sticky and doesnt move at all. It was horrible to see him so upset but it was worth it in the end. He will still sit on his bum occasionally but at least he doesnt rub it raw and now eats happily and comes out of the lorry dry. Good luck with finding a solution

 

[flirtygerty]

Personally, I would take her back to basics, feed her in the box, let her stand with a haynet, when she is relaxed, bring her off, when she is happy lift the ramp and start the engine, so she realises that the box doesn't always mean a trip, little steps last a lifetime