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  Discussion on Rearing in trailer
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Member:
Liza

Posted on Saturday, Sep 7, 2002 - 8:00 pm:

Looking for suggestions for overcoming this problem.

New horse purchased January, to the best of my knowledge had been trailed 4 times. Once on long haul from FL to NC with no problems we are aware of.

When we bought him, he loaded with little hesitation and no problems in a two-horse trailer with the partition removed.

I trailered him in a slant load with another horse for about 40 minutes to my instructors a couple of months ago. He loaded fine, trailed fine. Coming home he loaded fine. About a 1/2 mile from home, he reared in the trailer, got his foot hung in a hay net (shame on me for knowing better and not removing it)and flipped when we unhooked him.

Talked with vet and a man who hauls for one of the vet clinics in the area. They both suggested trailering him alone so he does not feel so confined. Vet gave me a dose of xylazine to use if we felt it was necessary.

Today, we went a total of 1 mile to a fun show. The horse loaded with no hesitation, unloaded with ease. Getting ready to come home, again he loaded with no hesitation. We had just closed the doors on the truck to drive off, when all h... broke loose in the trailer. Little guy had reared, broken the boards on the feed bin area and had both legs DrOpped down into the tack area. Got him out with help from great people-no severe injuries thank goodness. A friend went back to our barn, brought back our tranqulizer from the vet. Administered drug, waited 30 minutes. We loaded him this time into her slant load with another horse (same trailer he reared in the first incident). Again, he got on with no hesitation. You would think he would be saying "no way am I getting on one of these things", but he walked right on! We tied him up high and tight. Her windows were down for tying and in the process of doing this he tried to jump through the window! Made it home with no other incidents and he unloaded with no problem at all.

What would be the best way to overcome this problem? Short tying periods in the trailer with rewards for being quiet? Hate to have to drug this guy every time we go somewhere. As this has happened in two different styles of trailers and alone and with another horse, is he just terrified of enclosed spaces and being tied? Suggestions welcome.

Member:
Hwood

Posted on Saturday, Sep 7, 2002 - 11:28 pm:

Hi, Elizabeth,
I don't know if this is a good idea or not . . . have never dealt with this problem . . . what about blindfolding him after he is in the trailer?
Holly
Member:
Swainl

Posted on Wednesday, Sep 11, 2002 - 10:34 am:

I saw a Monty Roberts demonstration a few years ago, and he put a visor-like contraption on a horse that reared. Apparently, horses don't like to rear if they can't what's above them. So perhaps you can devise something that you can attach to the halter.

Laura
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Friday, Sep 13, 2002 - 8:33 am:

Hello Elizabeth,
I posted an answer last week but it looks like I lost it in the shuffle.

Actually these problems will, in time, extinquish as he has a negative experience with each one. The question is will he live through the learning experience. Any time spent in the trailer quietly and having good experiences is definately a plus and until he learns to be a better traveler I would contemplate which trailer does it look like he will have the least chance of hurting himself in. Are there any problems just standing tied?
DrO
Member:
Liza

Posted on Friday, Sep 13, 2002 - 9:34 am:

Hi Dr. O,

Thanks for the encouragement that the problems will go away. He does stand fine tied at a post, cross ties and pretty good ground tied.

Since this does not happen on the trip going, just coming back (so far)it really is a mystery.
Since obviously something is causing this, we are trying to eliminate possiblilites. I'm begining to be suspicious that he may be fearful of things he sees behind him. Have been thinking about trying half-blinders. Also, what do you think of using a tie down to prevent rearing or would that be be more dangerous in a trailer?
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Saturday, Sep 14, 2002 - 9:08 am:

That's hard to predict Liz. How stout the tie down is, how hard he might fight it, how many obstacles are in the way the horse can get hurt on. I actually recommended that he be tied low enough to keep him from rearing over in the first post. But on thinking about it, decided it was not a good general recommedation not know the answer to the above questions. If done stoutly and in a trailer free of obstacles and with the understanding the horse might hurt himself it may be the best way to go.
DrO
Member:
Jeanne

Posted on Saturday, Sep 14, 2002 - 9:21 pm:

Have you tried trailering him without tying him?
I have a two horse slant and if I get a horse that is a real problem, I open it up into a box and load the horse without tying at all. I have never had a wreck doing this and after a few times I can tie them without a problem.
Hope this helps.
Jeanne
Member:
Jeanne

Posted on Saturday, Sep 14, 2002 - 9:26 pm:

Just an after thought. I have always found that the closer you tie an animal the harder they fight. Maybe this is why after trailering them without tying, they do better. Also, I have found the heavy elastic trailer ties much better then the solid ones. It gives a horse the chance to try.
Jeanne
Member:
Liza

Posted on Monday, Oct 7, 2002 - 7:34 pm:

Hi everyone,
Update on trailering. Hired an open stock trailer this past weekend with the driver from the vet clinic. Chickened out about not giving a sedative, so gave him 1 1/2 cc Ace thirty minutes before. Did not tie him but closed him up in the front section of the trailer. He did just fine! Coming home, decided to just take the chance without drugs(thank goodness for major/medical)and once again he was fine! Granted, this was only a 15 minute trip each way, but we can slowly add time. The driver thinks he is just terrified of being tied in confined places.

We are going to continue with ground work and spending longer periods of time in confined areas, but at least we can go places now. Will be trying this again the first week of Nov., so will keep my fingers crossed.
Member:
Chrism

Posted on Tuesday, Oct 8, 2002 - 1:56 pm:

Maybe he was stung by an insect during the original incident and it was an abnormal occurrance.

A single instance is the sort of thing I would attribute to something fearful or a sting.

If it happens every once in a while, I would say he needs hauling "mileage." I.e. it needs to be come a routine/every day event.

In either case, schedule lots of short hauls with and without steady eddie horse buddies and he'll develop confidence. Be sure he has something to munch on while on the trailer. Be sure to drive carefully - one of the best educations I had was riding in an empty trailer while someone else DrOve "quietly" - it ain't all that quiet, LOL.

If he doesn't have a problem in a series of practice rides, I'd really start to believe it was an insect.



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