Angel + Horsebox + 2hr trip = HELP, advice please!

Lucy_Angel

New Member
Feb 27, 2008
1,704
0
0
38
Sunny Bedfordshire
Apologies in advance this is long..... :D

My mare Angel has been a nightmare to load ever since i got her. Last Feb she did a demo with Kelly Marks and Monty Roberts at Keysoe, it took me 2.5hours & 2 other people to load her onto the trailer and 10 mins for Kelly Marks to load her onto there EnOrMoUs horsebox infront of 1200 people (rather embaressing :rolleyes:) Baring in mind that during that afternoon Angel would not even walk past the horsebox without a struggle, I'd also like to point out that Kelly Marks did not handle Angel at all before the demo. Kelly Marks then loaded her onto r trailer which took no time at all. We left Keysoe at 1 in the morning, when we got back to the yard (20 min journey) we found she had fallen in the trailer :eek: she had cut all her legs up and had got herself in a right panic. Not pointing any fingers or any blame but the trailer was a few months old and it was clear that the chest bar had not been clipped in properly by the person who loaded her. (i know i should have checked and i am still full of guilt) Luckily she wasn't badly hurt but i felt I had gone 2 steps forward and 100 steps back! :mad:

Anyway... (sorry this is so long) I have been loading Angel onto a horsebox at the yard (a renault side loading rear facing box) she walks on after 15 mins - i am not sure if she knows it moves ;)as i havn't started the engine yet with her in it.

Any how Angel has been accepted onto this 2 day loading course by Kelly Marks at the end of the month in Oxford, it is about a 2 hr journey and i am dreading it. Any advice as to how to keep her calm she won't eat hay while she is travelling and i am really not looking forward to it as afterall she is my baby! I am dreading that she may even remember her last experience of travelling!

Welldone if u got to the end, ANY help or advice would be great.

Lucy :)
 
Could you not find a livery yard about 1/2 way that will put her up for the night so she only has to go an hour at a time? If not you could try and fix a tasty lick (sticky messy one :p) so she can amuse herself with that...OR trying a calming supplement that will make her less responsive but not dope her up to the eye balls so she cant even climb up the ramp :p
 
Maybe give her a travel buddy? Another horse who can be relied on to stand like a rock might show her how it's done, so to speak. Make sure they're well introduced before putting them in together though.
If you can't find one suitable, you still have two months to take her on shorter trips so she can practice her balancing and get more confident.
Good luck and keep being positive:)
 
I've been having trailer trouble as well. Its very traumatic. See my 'trailer nightmare' thread. Lots of good advice from people that may be useful to you. She may have thrown herself to the floor on the journey in a panic rather than fallen. This happened recently with my young gelding. He lost his balance and went to pieces, emerged with a cut on his foot. We've got him loading back on the trailer OK but when the car starts up he's in a right state and he tries to get down on the floor. Then today we loaded him on the other side of the trailer and he was fine. I would do lots of practice before attempting another journey..taking her on and off, little treats on there etc. Try with and without partitions, any which way. Is she young? Did she have a bad experience in a trailer before you got her? Good luck - its really hard isn't it
 
newrider.com