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 Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
  
Location: In The Snow, AZ | We bought a brand new trailer two or so months ago. We haven't hauled in it much. Last weekend, we hauled our three horses to a local gymkhana (our daughters first race on her pony!!!!). The arena is literally about ten minutes from our house. I'm going down the road and the trailer starts bouncing and I hear crashing, metal on metal. Ease to the side of the road. Go check. Everyones standing. Hubbys gelding is wide eyed and breathing heavy. So we press on. It happened 2 more times going to the arena. I unloaded the horses. Hubbys gelding has a bloody, swollen front leg. Trailer is all scratched up where his rear legs were. It happened several more times at the end of the day, heading home.
The trailer, as I said, is brand new. It has rubber mats. This was the first time we even hauled horses in all three stalls. Hubbys gelding was in the first stall both trips. He is the only one with shoes. He has never, ever had any issue in the trailer. Neither other horse had any troubles.
I don't know if it's due to the newness of the trailer, or because he had shoes (not sure why that would matter). But we're hauling this weekend, and I am terrified of taking him along. Someone suggested putting shavings down??? If so, any particular type? Any other ideas???
I'm at a loss. |
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 Ms. Poutability
Posts: 2362
Location: In my own world | Check for WASPS nest!!
Only advice I have is if you can haul him by himself maybe in different stall before this weekend and see how he acts? If he has issues maybe try a hay bag or some calming paste? I would want to know how he hauls before I head out with all 3. good luck
we did have a mare that fell in the trailer and was hard to haul after that. She was claustrphobic and did best in the last stall |
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 Texas Tenderheart
Posts: 6715
  
Location: Red Raiderland | Check to make sure there is no short in the plug. Also, make sure there's no wasp,hornet or bees nest that could be getting to him. Put shavings down, too. The trailer could be making a certain noise or movement that scares the gelding. |
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Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | There's definitely no wasps nests around. I check for nests and hives constantly. What would a short in the plug cause? Shocking? Would that only affect the first horse? This gelding is definitely not one to spook at weird sounds or anything. He is a very "been there, done that" type. I wouldn't question him for a moment in that regard. That is also why I am so concerned. I am shocked that he is the one that is having the problems. He is a rock solid dude. |
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 Works Hard For The Money
Posts: 4469
Location: Memphis, TN | Make sure there are no ants. I have to check mine before I load because I've found ants twice now this summer. Pull the mats back and check under them too. Once you have ruled out shocking I would try putting him in each stall by his self and driving around the block so to say. See if he does it in a particular stall or if it happens regardless of where he is loaded. I say by his self because if he goes down in the middle while it's is loaded he could hurt both horses beside him kicking around. Also take a ride in the back yourself. See if there is any type of noise even a vibration that could sound like a wasp/fly. Are you tying him/not tying him any differently than you did in the old trailer? |
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 The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | when I first bought my trailer the mats were slippery!! I stepped my horse in and he left a big "streak" from his hoof sliding forward, so yes I would definately be throwing shavings down. I like a medium shaving, nothing too big because they don't absorb the urine and no sawdust, as its too fine and they can breath it in. |
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 I'm Cooler Offline
Posts: 6387
Location: Pacific Northwest | My dad's horse did this. We got him as a 4 year old and only had a stock trailer, then we eventually got a Logan 3-horse slant and then upgraded to an Exiss 4-horse when he was about 13. For whatever reason, he would flip out in the 4-horse. Like you, we had an arena that was only 10 minutes away, and there were several times we'd hear him flipping out and pull over and he had freaked and scrambled so bad that he tore the mats up. What we ended up doing with him was taking a divider out and giving him one big spot, plus we put shavings down.
Is there any way that your new trailer is set up different than the old one? |
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  Playing the Waiting Game
Posts: 2304
| My friend got a new trailer and her horse didn't like the front stall... This new trailer has mangers. I think the manger combined with the wheel well inside made him feel crowded... We put him in the back stall that doesn't have the wheel well and he is fine. My horse is not as long and does fine with the front stall. |
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Veteran
Posts: 238
| It definitely sounds as if he's getting shocked. If he has shoes on and the others don't, this could be why they aren't getting shocked or it could be something just in that stall area that is shocking him.
I'd run it down to a local trailer shop and have them check it over for something. It may be an exposed wire or something that is shocking through the support beams or anything.
Poor baby. :( |
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 Expert
Posts: 1718
Location: Southeast Louisiana | Don't forget wasps can live inside hollow tubing where you can't see the nest. They make a nest in one of our gates every year and we never know they're there until someone gets stung. They only come out and go after you when they're disturbed. |
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Serious Snap Trapper
Posts: 4275
Location: In The Snow, AZ | livexlovexrodeo - 2014-08-29 10:18 AM
My dad's horse did this. We got him as a 4 year old and only had a stock trailer, then we eventually got a Logan 3-horse slant and then upgraded to an Exiss 4-horse when he was about 13. For whatever reason, he would flip out in the 4-horse. Like you, we had an arena that was only 10 minutes away, and there were several times we'd hear him flipping out and pull over and he had freaked and scrambled so bad that he tore the mats up. What we ended up doing with him was taking a divider out and giving him one big spot, plus we put shavings down.
Is there any way that your new trailer is set up different than the old one?
This new trailer is set up the same exact way. We just downsized from a four horse to a three horse. In saying that, we have bought and sold several trailers, ranging from small stocks, large stocks, open bar, large goosenecks and all sizes of bumper pulls. It has never mattered on size or set ups. So I cannot imagine that playing a factor for THIS horse. As far as shoes being a receiver for an electrical shock, I pulled his shoes this week. So we will see if that makes a difference. I'm also going to try hauling him in each stall to see if that makes a difference for him. I have a bag of pine shavings that I will spread in ad well.I appreciate all the info and experiences! |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | I was wondering if maybe this was his first time to haul in a Slant so had to reread your thread, If I were you I would haul him in the last stall, I see that you had him in the front, I think hes having a hard time spreading his feet apart to balance himself, he cant spread that much in the front stall, so hes hiting the wall with his feet and its scareing him. I bet if hes in the last stall he will be alot happier. 
Edited by Southtxponygirl 2014-08-29 5:21 PM
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
| Some horses are funny in the front slant stall. Make suremthere is plenty of beding. Also,,if he ismkicking get a rubber thick rubber mat maybe put and innmer tube in it. If he is panicing from the solid wall on front, does the other particians go,to,the ground or solid some horses dont like that either. How wide is this trailer vs the other trailers that u have used. My gelding used to lay on the wall of my 7'6" wide trailer. Now my new trailer has xtra wide stalls and 8 foot wide, with narrow mangers my gelding does not even have a mark on him he really likes it. Those xtra couple inches wide it the biggest difference. I think it is 4 inches wider in the stall big difference when loading. |
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| ~BINGO~ - 2014-08-29 11:31 AM
We bought a brand new trailer two or so months ago. We haven't hauled in it much. Last weekend, we hauled our three horses to a local gymkhana (our daughters first race on her pony!!!!). The arena is literally about ten minutes from our house. I'm going down the road and the trailer starts bouncing and I hear crashing, metal on metal. Ease to the side of the road. Go check. Everyones standing. Hubbys gelding is wide eyed and breathing heavy. So we press on. It happened 2 more times going to the arena. I unloaded the horses. Hubbys gelding has a bloody, swollen front leg. Trailer is all scratched up where his rear legs were. It happened several more times at the end of the day, heading home.
The trailer, as I said, is brand new. It has rubber mats. This was the first time we even hauled horses in all three stalls. Hubbys gelding was in the first stall both trips. He is the only one with shoes. He has never, ever had any issue in the trailer. Neither other horse had any troubles.
I don't know if it's due to the newness of the trailer, or because he had shoes (not sure why that would matter). But we're hauling this weekend, and I am terrified of taking him along. Someone suggested putting shavings down??? If so, any particular type? Any other ideas???
I'm at a loss.
Our stallion used to do this in the front stall - none of our other horses ever did. I think with the solid wall, he couldn't spread his feet far enough apart to brace himself like he wanted and then he would start scrambling - usually only when we were braking though, never just down the road. Put him in the 2nd stall or further back without a solid divider to the floor and he did just fine.
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 Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | Do you have all three horses tied? |
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 Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
Location: Florida.. | put him in last stall there is more room and put shavings down.. he may be slipping since hes only one with shoes and having the issue. |
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Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | If you don't tie your horses when trailering, tie them next time you haul and see what happens. You would be surprised at the racket one horse can and will put up when the horse next to him is reaching under the divider biting his front leg...... |
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