[RC] Need Help With Horse That Kicks In the Trailer - Susan Shook
Does anyone know if it would be safe to use breeding hobbles on a horse in
a slant load trailer?
I searched the archives and did not find anything
helpful...... I have an 8yo horse that has always loaded well but
once inside the trailer he becomes anxious. Not always, but often enough,
he kicks in the trailer -- hard enough and high enough to bend the bars
protecting the window and once shattered the glass.
I've tried numerous strategies in order to get him to quit. He
stands quietly in the trailer for the most part and can make it
on most short trips (less than an hour) without kicking. I think he
hears something that scares him and this triggers the kicking. I've
desensitized every way I know how, including taking him to truck stops and just
hanging out. Having a buddy does not change how he acts in the
trailer.
The only way I can guarantee he won't kick is to let him hang his head out
the window which I don't like him to do for extended trips out on the
highway. I'm afraid that by not letting him hang his head out
the window, he will eventually kick and get a leg hung up in the
window.......
Also would like to hear any ideas on how to correct this
problem. He can be quite the angel in the trailer as long as it is
*not* moving. I think the behavior
is fear based - on his very first trip in a stock trailer at the age
of 4mo he managed to bash his head so hard that he had to have
stitches upon arriving at his new home. So, I think that started it, but I
really don't know how to end it. And to add a bit more to his background,
he is more than willing to buck hard under saddle if he is pushed too hard
mentally.
