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 Veteran
Posts: 214
| I am hoping I don't have the only two picky/crazy horses. I have two horses that can ride just fine in the front stall and two that constantly try to climb the wall. We got a new trailer a few months ago and just used it for the first time last weekend. I always put my mare in the second slot to avoid the panic and trailer rattling from her kicking or climbing the wall. Well, my fault, but I didn't even think twice about the stud divider being a wall and she was kicking and tried to climb that one as well. This is all just with back end, no pawing with the front feet. She did knock the hair off just above her cornet band, enough to leave smudges of blood up and down the stud divider. We don't drive like maniacs and try to be very careful to take corners very smoothly and stop smoothly as well. All our horses do haul very well and don't move around at all other than when I put the two weirdos against the wall..
Is there anything I can do for my two that seem to panic when against a wall (it is not constant, just off and on throughout the haul) or do I just deal with it and always put them a few holes back? |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
   
| I did have one horse that was claustrophobic and I let him stick his head out the window which made him happy and he rode great. Some horses have to get their feet spread out and if they are up against the wall or the stud divider they can't get them spread out enough so in trying, they skin their legs up. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 684
Location: Oklahoma | I have a mare that will not ride with stud dividers. The one trailer we had that was all stud dividers, i always had to put her in the back slant. Also, with straight load trailers, she would flip out. She drove me nuts. Just like yours does, she would kicke the crap out of the side wall/stud divider with her back feet. Finally I got in the trailer with her one day trying to figure out what her malfunction was. She wants to spread her feet way apart in the trailer. If she doesn't have the room to, I guess she feels she cant stand up, and starts flailing around. From that point on, I always made sure to acomidate her, and just for safety's sake tossed a set of rear shipping boots (that way it kept her cornet band protected too) on her. She'd haul in the middle slant fine, but I always worry about her getting stepped on by another horse if she was really spreading her legs out. It was just easier to always toss her in the last slant, which is usualy roomier, so I knew she had plenty of room.
Maybe jump in the trailer with her and have someone take ya for a short spin around the block. Watch what she is doing with her legs in one slant as opposed to the other. It may be a balance issue. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 149
Location: Mississippi | My stallion didn't like the front slant or going in a stock trailer first. He road with anyone in a stock as long as he wasn't first in. And always road in the last slant in my trailer |
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 Am I really the Weirdo?
Posts: 11181
Location: Kansas | My front stall is smaller than my other two, and none of my horses WANT to ride up front, but I have convinced Joker and Clifford that they WILL ride up there and Chance is a trooper who'll ride wherever I put him. He prefers the middle stall, and he pretty much gets what he wants LOL. Streak doesn't ride up front because its smaller and I don't think he'll fit! Joker is one who spreads his legs out but that stall must be just big enough for him to stand comfortably - he never comes out scraped up or anything and in my old 2-horse trailer he would destroy himself, the other horse with him, and the trailer all in 10 minutes. In the slant load, he rides up front because he doesn't like to back out of the trailer, and from the front stall he can turn around and walk out forwards. Matt always looks at me funny when I let Joker do that, but he's 22 and gets to do whatever he wants LOL. |
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  Witty Enough
Posts: 2954
Location: CTX | My oldie has an issue with the wheelwell being on the inside. Before we had a 7' wide trailer and I could put her in every slot. Now we have an 8' wide, and I have to put her in the last slot...
If I don't she will tear up her hind legs...
Tried wrapping her legs with polo's and quilts, and shipping boots... no matter what I put on her, it would end up on the floor, shredded..... |
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| Our stallion used to have the same problem in the front stall. We finally figured out that he liked to stand with his legs spread further apart to brace himself, and in the front stall with the stud divider, he couldn't do that. The only time is was really an issue was if we had to stop quick, and then he would really be scrambling to get his balance. He didn't need to be in the front with the stud divider, he could ride anywhere in the trailer just fine with the mares or geldings, so we just moved him and put someone else up there. We had a few others that had the same problem, but most were just fine. |
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 Ones with the Hotties
Posts: 1451
Location: Centerburg, OH | why would you want to make them ride where they arent happy? I dont gnt it. All horses are quarky. They always tell us what they want |
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Veteran
Posts: 214
| Thank you for all the replies and ideas! I would just like to know what makes these two suddenly climb the wall?? The spreading the back legs for balance does make sense though! I will have to have my husband take my mare and I for a ride so I can see if that is what she is doing.
And Tulip, its not that I want to make them ride where they are not comfortable but I am one of those what if people. I would like to know what is causing this so in the instance that they HAVE to ride up against a wall I know I can get them there in one piece without their legs all banged up, this would probably be a very rare occurrence if it happened at all, but still would like to have a better handle on the whys to their reaction. I have no problem with continuing to haul them a slot or two back so they aren't against the wall or stud divider on a regular basis :) |
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 Expert
Posts: 1367
Location: mi | Yep had one that would actually scramble until he went down if he was in a slot that had a solid wall to his right. He couldn't go in the first slot or next to stud wall. Took us a few trips and riding in the trailer with him to figure out what the heck was going on. Once we figured that out we just threw him in the back slot and he hauled like a dream. |
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 Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | Run into the same problem.But I came to a solution since I didn't like how it was set up from the start. I loaded my widest horse and measured back about 4 in from the latch.I used him to make sure I could do it to each slot and still have room for 4 horses. Then I had new slots welded on.Doing this allowed me to haul 5 across the country with out tearing up any legs. T he front slot was the smallest hole. |
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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | We bought a 2015 3 horse bumper pull. Brand new. Beautiful trailer. Not a scratch on it. FIRST time we hauled in it, put hubbys gelding up front, the other two monkeys in the other two slots. Going to an arena about 5 miles from my house. First turn out of the driveway, I look back and the trailer's rocking and crashing. Pull over, check horses, everyone's fine. Happened three more times before getting there. Pulled horses out and hubbys geldings front leg was swollen and bloody. Happened again on the way home. Got out to check and he was trying to get up, legs were under the divider. He was fine, just scraped up for the most part, but wrecked the inside of the trailer. It was all dented and scratched. It was too narrow for him. I wasn't going to risk it again and sold it.
It can be dangerous. Be cautious. |
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Veteran
Posts: 214
| Well I'm glad that I'm not the only one with goofy horses when it comes to trailer walls! I will continue to just be mindful where I load the two knuckleheads and call it good :) |
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