Travelling Issues!

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mollymurphy

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Hi there, we have a mare who will load quite happily into our trailer, but the second it moves, she goes mad! She travels on the drivers' side. When it moves, she leans all her weight to the left, onto the partition, but puts all 4 legs up against the wall on the right, and scrambles around like she can't get her balance. She was slightly better with the top part of the front ramp open when we took her round the block, but we're worried about how safe this is.

She's not too bad once we get onto a straight road, but bends and roundabouts are horrendous!

Travelling with no partition isn't an option, as we have three horses, so she would rarely go anywhere alone. She's no different with or without company.

Any ideas?! She's such a brilliant horse in every other way, but we're scared to take her anywhere incase she hurts herself.
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I sympathise with you, we had the same problem with our mare and unfortunately it ended with her falling over in the trailer. We subsequently bought a lorry and she travels perfectly. However some people have found removing the partition has solved the problem.

Sorry just read the post properly - can't remove the partition. Is a lorry an option then?
 
We were debating trying her on the passenger side, but what if she tried to lean the other way and put her legs up against the partition - she'd kick whoever was next to her. Could try it on her own though. Her previous owner said she used to be fine, until a boy racer started driving them round! The problems started then.
Would love a box, but we dont go out enough to warrant one.
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Dont have to pay tax, mot, servicing, fuel costs on a trailer - well, not as much anyway!
 
Well perhaps you could try her on the passenger side initially on her own and see how you get on. If she seems happier then great.
 
Yeah, think it will be worth a try. But what if she's the same?

But if it works, i've always been told to travel the heaviest horse on the drivers' side - how much does this affect things? She's about the same weight as one of our others, so that wouldn't be a prob, but the 3rd is only 12.2h.
 
I think the first aim is to break her fear of travelling..once she has worked out that she doesn't need to brace herself in the way she has been doing, you might be able to move her back to the offside again
 
My friend has a TB mare who was a really bad like yours. A few times I travelled behind her and she went missing from view she went over so far!!!
We moved her to the passenger side and she will now travel anywhere with out a problem! She is like a different horse!
 
My youngster did exactly the same. We tried everything and the only thing that worked was to fix the rubber at the bottom of the partition to a piece of wood so that it didn't flap. Since then he was as good as gold - we put CCTV in the back and he wanted to place his feet right up to the edge to get his balance, but wouldn't as he was scared of the flapping rubber the movement created!!!
 
Do you always travel with other horses? My boy kicks the hell out of a trailer when travelled with another horse. On his own you wouldn't even know he was in there!
 
My old girl who is sadly no longer with us was just the same. I ended up having to take the partition out and travel her alone but I see this is not an option for you so sorry, dont know what to suggest.
We did once have the same trouble in a wagon though which was front facing. She was happy as larry once we made her area bigger.
She was also happy in a wagon facing sideways but again this is not an option for you.
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Dont think I've been much help but all I can suggest is either make her area bigger so she an spread her legs out or some how travel her on an angle.
 
my boy does the same and once i took the partition out he is now fine. I am now looking for a lorry so i can take them both together sometimes.
 
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