travelling problems! :S

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sarah.xx

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i currently own a 16.3hh, 5yr old mare. we own a 511 ifor williams trailer and she has always travelled in it perfectly but recently we have noticed she has been losing her balance whilst moving, especially around corners. as the box has a very large front window i am able to see her and she often falls with her back end and then scrambles about to get back up. once going in a straight line she is fine, she never appears to be stressed and she boxes perfectly every time.
it is very unnerving to see and hear your horse struggling like this and i now dread taking her anywhere in case she hurts herself.
we have tried removing the back partition to allow her to spread her legs which helps a bit but she still struggles.
removing both partitions is not really an option as she needs to travel to competitions with my other horse.
is there anything that may help? i know that horses often find travelling backwards easier but would that be possible in a usually forward facing box?

any help would be much appreciated! :)
sarah x
 
yes we have, our previous trailer (exactly the same make and model) was actually stolen last week so we have a brand new one but she has had the same problems in both boxes and the tyre pressures on our 4x4 have been checked aswell, thanks :)
 
The only thing I found that helped my big man was taking everything out and letting him find his own way then driving very slowly and carefully.

In a trailer he likes to wedge himself in as much as he can near the front and then spread his legs as far apart as he can. Looks really uncomfortable but he is happiest like that. In a lorry we just let he have as much as possible. He usually stands over the axles where its easier for him to balance.

Perhaps your mare prefers one side to the other? So she may find it easier to stay on the same side each time?

Have you changed the vehicle that is towing? Some can tow "lower" than others. Tyre pressures have already been mentioned but also has she had any knocks or experiances that may be frightening her (it could be a fear problem), or are there any leaks/ draughts that she is trying to get away from?
 
i havnt tried travelling her on the other side yet so i will see if that helps :) she always travels on the right and seems to throw herself into the partition which then causes her to fall so maybe that will help.
she hasnt had any bad experiences in the box but she did have a bad back which i thought might have been causing the problem, but now that she has recovered shes still very wobbly so now im not so sure? i travelled her last week and she was fine but yesterday she was worse than ever.
the vehicle is still the same and i cant think of any drafts/leaks as the box is brand new and the windows are always closed when moving
 
Has she ever travelled ok in a trailer?
Im only asking as someone I know had the old IW with a wooden floor, horse travelled great, she upgraded to a new one with the ali floor and her horse scrabbled all over, ripping up the mats, and dismantled the partitions.
They covered the ali floor with marine ply and her horse travelled great again.
The first thing I would try though is removing the centre partition and replacing with a full length breast and breech bar. Lots of horses who struggle have been cured by doing this.
Good luck
 
its quite a common problem with Ifor williams as they have metal floors. Our local dealer confirmed that was why Mick was going down in the trailer.

I had ours for 5 weeks, sold it and bought an equitrek and not looked back.
 
We had this problem too and eventually changed our trailer for a Richardson rear facing one. Excellent investment, she travels like a dream rear facing now.
You can't just change the way they travel due to the way the axis is set up, I asked the Richardson trailer man.
 
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