Very nervous traveller

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Kareena

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I have been travelling my mare for the about 2 years and she used to travel fine in the trailer, then started to become quite nervous and sweaty. Last year she had an accident and went down in the trailer and cut her leg badly. She is now fully recovered and I have bought a new trailer and have been practising loading her and getting her used to the trailer, and she has been doing well. We took her on a 5 minute journey and it was awful. She flings herself to the left hand side and her legs nearly come away from her. It was so bad that I decided I had to stop and get her out before she fell. Next week I am going to try without the partition to see if that helps. She just doesnt seem to plant her feet and steady herself. She is also very stressed, sweaty and shaking afterwards.

Any ideas would be welcome. thanks
 
Try travelling on the left hand side see if that helps.

If you take the partition out remember you need full breech and breast bars in place.

Does she have anything to brace against to support herself?
 
She always travelled on the right hand side with the partition. Then she had her accident. We tried her on the left hand side at the weekend and she was awful, throwing herself and scrambling about. Tried her without a partition and she was still throwing herself against the left but not as bad. We do have a full breast bar in place when partition is out. So feel we may have to work on it without partition.
 
Once a horse has had an accident then I am sorry I would not be pushing the issue with the horse, I would sell the trailer and hire a box as and when I needed. I would rather cut down on going out than run the risk of her breaking a leg or trying to jump out the trailer.
 
How old is she? Is she getting a bit stiff and finding it difficult to stand up facing forwards?

Mine won't even go on a trailer now after falling over in one but she loves the lorry as she just prefers herringbone and good heavy partitions to lean on. It's an old lorry with an old Ivor William body as solid as a rock, so I soppose it's a good steady ride?
 
She is only 9. It's an Ifor Williams 505 I have bought so it's a good trailer. My other trailer was older and noisier. She loads perfectly with no hesitation but is so nervous once it starts to move. Do u think a calmer would help?
 
My mare was just the same as yours. She would load fine and as long as the trailer was not moving she was fine. She came out (Unloaded ) as if nothing had happened. Once at an event she competed well (Endurance).

There are a number of things it could be. Have you had her back checked , just in case she has fallen in the field.

If she is tight in his quarters she may feel unsteady.

I did a number of things that helped. From not wanting to travel in the April to travelling with another horse 180plus miles down to Exmoor in the May and travelling throughout the season without a problem. She finished the season with a trip of 200 miles plus through the welsh lanes to the Royal Welsh show ground.

My first thing was to check her back and then I spoke to Nupa feed regarding their Calmer. magnesium is needed for the function of muscle and nerves.
When travelling her I changed the side to the left side ,gave her a bit more space at the back. I needed her to travel with another horse so could not remove the partition. I started off by loading her and just starting the Land Rover engine, then unloading her. This was done for a few days then I moved to trailer very slowly forward , again doing this over a few days.
I had had her on the Calmer for a couple of weeks and was told to give her a syringe (The instant one) an hour before traveling her. this worked and I have not had a problem since.

I have also put some shavings down as some horse feel they are slipping on their own droppings.
 
Try her on the right side again, i have two mares that travel okay on the right side of a trailer but can't stand up on the left side.
 
Our old horse started flinging himself down in the trailer when arthritis set in. We stopped travelling him at that point.

Recently my horse Pip seemed a bit off behind, then had an accident in the trailer (again, flung himself down for no apparent reason) and the vet reckoned that he has arthritis in his hocks and this caused the loss of balance in the trailer. He's had his hocks medicated, I haven't travelled him since then but will let you know if it makes a difference. For this to happen more than once, in my own personal experience, would make me think it's a pain issue.
 
I had a similar problem with scrabbling and falling about. Took the partition out and put plenty of bedding in (I have full length breast and breech bars) and problem miraculously went away. I have a camera in the trailer so I could see what was going on and she just parked herself herringbone style and balanced.
 
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