Help.. Horse kicking in trailer

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GB123

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Aug 16, 2016
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So I am currently in the process of selling my horse/taking him to his new home. He loads onto anything absolutely fine, however once loaded he will begin to panic.

After a while he will start to settle just in the trailer without the back up, but as soon as anything goes up behind him, he goes into panic mode and kicks out and gets into a hot mess. We have tried just ignoring him and going, which he does then focus on standing then and only will have the odd moment at traffic lights or stationary.

I am unsure how to go about getting him to his new home, I am considering a Sedalin gel from the vets to just take the edge off. I'm just basically looking at the safest way to travel him as once he panics it's hard to settle him down and he has cut himself up before. However I know adrenaline can over ride pretty much anything. I know there are options such as kick chains/hobbles but am not willing to take this route, especially as he is going very soon. Is he making a fool out of me or is he genuinely scared? He has travelled alone fine before but has just got into this awful habit. I also don't have access to my own transport so this has become a problem as I can't make it a regular habit. If I had access to my own trailer i would obviously not be in this situation as I would have had time to practice.

Sorry about the long post, I thought more detail would be better. Any thoughts, questions or ideas on how to stop this kicking would be great. Also any advice on the Sedalin side. Thank you all in advance!
 
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Is he traveling in a trailer or lorry when he does it? Can he see the things behind? Perhaps travelling at a cooler time of day and closing the back doors so he cant see things approaching?
 
Jessey said:
Is he traveling in a trailer or lorry when he does it? Can he see the things behind? Perhaps travelling at a cooler time of day and closing the back doors so he cant see things approaching?
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Thank you for the response. He does it now in both trailer and lorry. He is diagonal on the lorry and forwards facing in the trailer. He happily stands but as soon as the back goes up he just freaks out. We presumed it was when something touched him from behind, such as the wall but it's almost as if it's an automatic response- however he does begin to look panicked in his eyes when the kicking starts. We have tried loading him at 6am as the yard is quiet and it's cool but he still does it. I'm just a bit stuck with what to do other than sedate him but I am aware it may not work if he has his adrenaline going..
 
Thank you for the response. I have tried this yes, he is a lot happier however doesn't have great balance so tends to stumble over and panic then from stumbling. Very odd behaviour as it was never an issue before..
 
Do you use travel boots? I find them quite clunky and cumbersome. Bandages and knee boots are less intrusive if you feel the need to protect againat stumbling. What about putting down a deep straw bed when travelling loose. Worth trying various options :)
 
domane said:
Do you use travel boots? I find them quite clunky and cumbersome. Bandages and knee boots are less intrusive if you feel the need to protect againat stumbling. What about putting down a deep straw bed when travelling loose. Worth trying various options :)
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I will try the deep bed idea, that may help and offer protection too. I tend to travel in the boots I'd be riding in, ie brushing boots or xc boots. I'll give bandages a try though as I guess anything is worth a go. Thank you!
 
I misunderstood I thought you meant he panicked at traffic approaching behind at lights etc. If he's panicking at being closed in then maybe borrow a good traveller to go with him, that might help him settle. Also some horses prefer the partition wider or narrower so they can lean or spread their legs more and be sure whoever is driving pulls away and slows down very gradually and slows right down for bends and roundabouts, doing any of those too quickly can put them off balance and create a panic, with a bad traveller you have to do it all extremely gradually /slowly (to the point of slight embarrassment ;))
 
Jessey said:
I misunderstood I thought you meant he panicked at traffic approaching behind at lights etc. If he's panicking at being closed in then maybe borrow a good traveller to go with him, that might help him settle. Also some horses prefer the partition wider or narrower so they can lean or spread their legs more and be sure whoever is driving pulls away and slows down very gradually and slows right down for bends and roundabouts, doing any of those too quickly can put them off balance and create a panic, with a bad traveller you have to do it all extremely gradually /slowly (to the point of slight embarrassment ;))
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Sorry that was probably me but no worries. I have asked for another horse to be put in but everyone at the yard is now too scared to put there horse in with him. I will most definitely drive very carefully with him. I will probably look like a complete banana but hey, if it works.
 
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I would get the people buying to collect.

Or get the vet to sedate slightly. Teaching a horse to load isn't something you can do quickly just before you sell them.
 
newforest said:
I would get the people buying to collect.

Or get the vet to sedate slightly. Teaching a horse to load isn't something you can do quickly just before you sell them.
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Thank you for the reply. This is what I want to do, however am insure how he may take to sedation. Do you have any experiences with it travelling?
 
This is an interesting one because you say he loads fine and only panics when the ramp door goes up. If he were truly scared I would expect him to refuse to step on in the first place.
 
Yes, my lad freaked out at the vet, got himself stuck over the partition.
He'd just had major surgery so they gave him the injection. It lasted for that hour journey.
 
domane said:
This is an interesting one because you say he loads fine and only panics when the ramp door goes up. If he were truly scared I would expect him to refuse to step on in the first place.
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Yes me too. That's what's making me think he's just being a tw*t! However am always cautious when travelling in trailers. Wasn't sure if it was him just feeling claustrophobic?
 
newforest said:
Yes, my lad freaked out at the vet, got himself stuck over the partition.
He'd just had major surgery so they gave him the injection. It lasted for that hour journey.
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That's good to hear, thank you! Hope pony is now okay:) I'm feeling sedation would just take the edge off and make the journey more relaxing. It is annoying I can't work on it due to my short time.
 
I think there is a sedation that goes under the gums, friend used that, no change.
I havent tried that, so can't help.

Hope goes well for you.
 
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