Stress-free hauling

[beowulf]

I’ve been (over)thinking lately about one of my geldings. He’s always been a wonderful hauler. Self-loads, stands quietly, great alone or with another horse - he’s really the dream traveler especially when you are like me and do everything solo. We go once a week to a town ring to meet friends, and he’s a seasoned event and hunter-pace horse. He always comes off ready to work and is all business throughout the whole thing, no pawing or kicking.

But I can tell trailering stresses him out. There’s a few clues, including him playing keep away from me if he sees me set up the trailer. This is very uncharacteristic of this horse, who is the written definition of the word “polite”.

I thought it was connected to herd bound behavior, but it’s persisted a few seasons over two different trailers. SO & I are mechanically inclined and check it regularly for issues, but its also maintained every spring by our trailer mechanic. I’ve had my SO drive it and I’ve stood in the back of the trailer and well, it feels like a moving box would feel.

It could be my driving, but I drive like a granny with the horses to the point that boarders and friends always comment and ask me to drive their horses. This is also my only guy that acts like this.

When he was younger I did make it a point to grain him in the trailer and then unload.

I seem to recall there’s some pastes or tubes on the market for bad haulers. Any trailer-type ear-bonnets that are noise-cancelling that could help? Pastes? Any specific matts I could put down to make the ride less disconcerting?

Last year I did dose him with Nexium the day before, day of, and day after each trip but I did not see an improvement. Our trailer rides are usually under 15m.

The trailer is a Kingston 2 horse straight load. A few years ago I remember someone talking about specific hitches for quieting rides down, IIRC Shocker? Anyone have any other ideas or tips?

[IPEsq]

Oh this reminds me I should pick up some Calming / Focus Cookies for this summer. I’ve got a baby who is overall good with the trailer but not very keen on riding by himself (he will paw his bell boots right off) but may have to deal with that as we go in more grownup outings until my other horse is back to full activity.

I think before I would spend a lot on trailer modifications, start with a camera? And maybe something like Soft Ride boots? Or a higher value trailer snack like some alfalfa? If you don’t see anything on the camera and if some extra cushion helps then maybe the airbag hitch or different mats would be in order.

Otherwise maybe it’s just getting a little harder for him to haul than it used to? Could you make the trailer into a box and see if he does better if he can turn around backwards?

[ProfAmEq]

I was also thinking about hoof boots—I like the easy care cloud boots if you have them, they’ve got a little foam wedge inside that seems like it helps even out any uncomfortable loading on the foot. I imagine hauling can just make something hurt that doesn’t always hurt.

[sascha]

One small but important thing to check about your grandma driving - always watch in your mirror for your trailer to be absolutely straight after you’ve crawled around a corner before accelerating. If you’re not used to watching for that, it may take much longer than you think it does!

In regards to keep away - it may be just, “Although I like going away to meet my other buddies, I’d prefer to stay with these buddies today, thanks.”

Always a treat after loading.

I always dose with Sucralfate before a trip of any length.

[beowulf]

Thank you guys. You’ve given me some things to start with. You know, I didn’t think about him being older. He is 15 and he has worked for a living his whole life.

I do make sure the trailer is totally straight before accelerating - it does piss off a lot of people. I’m glad you mentioned that because that’s one of the few trailering peeves of mine I try to impress on new haulers.

I treat for both loading and unloading. He self-loads, and I give him a spearmint gummy - these are the special trailer treats. I could look for more incentivizing treats. I’ll also try an alfalfa flake next outing.

Have you heard good things about those calming cookies? I’m assuming they are safe to ride with.

I’ll give the boots a try with the Old Macs I have lying around. I have been considering a camera, there’s so many options and I’m one of those people that the more options I have the longer it takes me to commit to something. Any favorites/suggestions?

This guy surprises me about his pattern recognition. If you want a laugh at my expense, we were nearly late for a Peter Gray clinic a few years ago. I knew better than to hook up the trailer while he was watching, but I made the mistake of trying to catch him with his shipping halter – that son of a gun knew and took right off.

I have hauled him loose and he does prefer facing backwards. I can’t always do this since I usually pick up a friend on the way, but I can start committing to it more often. I was considering upgrading trailers to one of the rear-facing ones, but that was before I got sticker shock at how much trailer costs have gone up.

[Pezanos]

Ryan Rudy @ Whitehorse sells Gen Y if you want to talk shocker hitches with him.

Sometimes it’s the noise that bothers them. You can try ear plugs or a soundproof bonnet. Also sometimes horses with hind end issues have some discomfort riding and bracing in trailers just due to the weight transfer when riding forward facing. They often sit on the butt bar or arrive really braced. It’s temporary discomfort but could be enough for the horse to form a negative association with the trailer. For those horses riding backward can be a little more comfortable as perhaps you have seen.

[fivestrideline]

Maybe some robaxin for trailer trips for a while, if he can’t ship backwards? If they’re getting older/creaky, shipping can really do a number on them. One of the ways we knew my old jumper needed Adequan was if he got sticky about the trailer.

Soft pads in some hoof boots might help too.

[StormyDay]

What do you do when you get to your destination? Is it a ‘fun’ activity for your horse?

One of mine practically self loads and gets extremely ANGRY when the trailer leaves without him, because he loves to go to horse shows. Another one of mine loads well but isn’t as excited about it because he had to go to a bunch of vet appointments by trailer so he associates trailers as possibly trail ride, possible show, or possible people who poke him with needles.

Yet another one of mine has only been loaded when he was going somewhere new, so he despises the trailer. Trailer means the whole world is going to change. He’s a rescue and eventually I’ll work with him to get over that, but we have other issues to get through first.

[FjordBCRF]

I’m going through something similar with a younger, less experienced hauler. He is more reluctant to get back on after going somewhere, especially two days in a row. Just got a new, 2024 trailer as well. And we’re hauling solo.

I just got this trailer camera. Just got it, we connected it yesterday and just need to secure it in the trailer now. Hopefully this will help get a sense for how he is during a ride and his standing preference.

EWAY WiFi Wireless Magnetic Hitch Camera Backup Rear View 4.3 inch LCD Monitor Display for Gooseneck Horse Trailer Boat Travel Trailer/Fifth Wheels/RV/Camper Car Battery Powered Portable Kit https://a.co/d/5yMWaya

[cnd8]

I’m appreciating the replies in this thread. My big 16.1 hand, 1400 lb gelding is great loading, unloading, stands still, etc. BUT he is so nervous, every single inch (I’m not exaggerating) of his body breaks out into excessive dripping sweat. The whole floor will be soaked after a 20 min haul. I feel so bad!

He does not fit in one slant of any trailer, so my 3 horse has one divider removed so he can use two spaces. I’m worried he feels unstable because of this, but we literally cannot close the divider if we try to shove him into one slant. So, I’m not sure what to do differently to make him more comfortable.

[FjordBCRF]

I had SO haul ME around in the trailer yesterday in a gravel parking lot to get an idea for what it’s like and to see if there was anything going on that I wouldn’t be otherwise aware of. I am planning to more tightly secure the divider or take of off completely and I also noticed I could hear the bridles thumping on the shared tack room wall.

Not a real warm and fuzzy place to be

IMG_2582

[beowulf]

Oh yeah. There’s some unavoidable realities to face about trailer hauling and its intrinsic discomfort to a horse. It’s loud and noisy, it’s disorienting, it’s dark. I think the worst element from a horse’s perspective is that the ground is moving under their feet while they have zero control.

I stick all the teens who ask me to show them how to drive in a trailer in the back of the trailer first. They have to stand on their own legs and try not to use the divider or the walls for balance. I didn’t come up with this myself – my father taught me how to drive livestock and this was my first lesson.

[beowulf]

@StormyDay

What do you do when you get to your destination? Is it a ‘fun’ activity for your horse?

He unloads and instantly decompresses - so I think it’s more the extraction event versus the extraction itself. He unloads politely, we walk around the trailer twice, and then I tie him. He’s a good traveller, so he usually gets a loose line and can eat grass or hay, whichever he prefers, while I get situated, check in, or tack up. When he was younger, I did make it a point to take him several places just to graze him and then go home.

At its very most basic point, I do think this horse doesn’t view riding as necessarily fun - but he’s honest and a good worker. It were up to him I think he’d prefer staying at home on the couch all day.

[candyappy]

Maybe now that he is older it causes some muscle pain when he has to brace himself in the trailer?

He knows it will be uncomfortable and will anticipate that which would make trailering stressful and then gets a hard ride once you get there I can see him being less than thrilled to go when he sees you hitching up the trailer.

[Jarpur]

I’ve always thought it amazing that horses are willing to get into a trailer, especially more than once – it’s kinda like if a person was put in a vertical metal coffin, loaded onto a flatbed trailer, and taken on a noisy, windy road trip to who knows where to do who knows what. Would any of us do this twice?

A good friend lives about 30 minutes away, and when my horses need a non-working, non-vet appointment trailer ride, I haul over to her house, where she feeds them carrots and they get to just chill in the trailer for a little bit. She texted me the other day to ask when the boys are coming to visit – I’m trying to get them over there next week.

[2DogsFarm]

I had the same thought.
You’d have to give me an Xtra Speshul treat to repeat that experience!

OTOH, horses put up with a whole lot of things we ask of them that are unnatural to their daily existence

My current 3 are all good haulers.
But the one who goes most often - my Driving mini - started balking last year when I lead him from pasture to trailer.
I offer treats & if he persists, popping him on his butt with the leadrope is all it takes.
He loads in my stepup (for him JUMP UP), travels fine, never arrives sweaty, even after my longhaul 3hr annual early Fall trip.
I’m attributing it to him turning 8 (he’ll be 9 in May) & trying his “teenage” 'tude w/me.

[quietann]

@Pezanos

Also sometimes horses with hind end issues have some discomfort riding and bracing in trailers just due to the weight transfer when riding forward facing. They often sit on the butt bar or arrive really braced. It’s temporary discomfort but could be enough for the horse to form a negative association with the trailer.

I honestly think this is what happened with my mare, who was a mostly compliant solo trailering horse for years. The last few years she became very nervous about unloading, and I think it was because of piling up arthritic changes etc. in her hind end. Eventually she wouldn’t load, at least not easily. Or she would load but the moment you touched the butt bar she came flying out.

Her last trailer trip was in July 2022 when I retired her, and she’s on the vets “no transport”/DNR list because it was so awful. There might be circumstances, like tooth extractions if they could not be done at the barn, where I’d turn her over to a professional hauler… but I am assuming she will end her days where she lives now. She will be 25 in 6 days but doesn’t act it!

[IPEsq]

The calming cookies are totally fine to ride on. They are nothing special really but I figure they must have some soothing effect of some kind because my horses also don’t typically like them all that much as a treat but tend to eat them readily when trailering. I dunno…maybe just owner placebo effect but I would probably my give treats anyway…

It is nuts what trailers cost now. I would love to trade my 2+1 in for one with Quiet Ride and the ability to turn the straight stalls around backwards. Mostly to make my giant baby easier to load when I’m by myself and also because the older one would prefer to ride backwards (he already loads in the +1 but we turn around and back into the stall—not enough room for the big guy to do this easily.

But since doing that would cost me something closer to 3x what I paid for my trailer…ouch. I will probably teach the baby to self load long before I will get to a point where I could spend that money.

[Texarkana]

@FjordBCRF

I had SO haul ME around in the trailer yesterday in a gravel parking lot to get an idea for what it’s like and to see if there was anything going on that I wouldn’t be otherwise aware of. I am planning to more tightly secure the divider or take of off completely and I also noticed I could hear the bridles thumping on the shared tack room wall.

Not a real warm and fuzzy place to be

IMG_2582

This is so telling. Riding in the back of trailers sucks period.

I think we were discussing this on your thread, but that’s why my divider comes out. It’s one more stressor.

Interesting about the bridles. Some trailer makers brag about carpeting or matting the wall under the bridle hooks. I never fully appreciated why.

My horses are all good loaders, but they make it very clear they are loading out of good manners and not because they actually want to.

[FjordBCRF]

It’s much quieter in a paved road, but the barn we hauled to last weekend had close to a half mile dirt driveway in and out. I can’t imagine that helped anything. My barn also has gravel but the drive is much much shorter.