Re: need help

["Linda S. Flemmer" <bluwolf@earthlink.net>]

The Vervaet's wrote:
>  My husband wants
> to "screw" the mats to the floor to stop this from happening.  Has anyone
> done this?  Did it help?  What are the drawbacks...if any?

I'd make sure that the screws were away from where a horseshoe could
catch on it.  I'm assuming you have the older wood floored trailer as
opposed to aluminum I-beam flooring.  I wouldn't screw into the aluminum
because of oxidation.

The draw back would be getting the mats up to clean underneath on a
regular basis.  If you don't & you have a wood floor, it WILL rot.  If
you keep on unscrewing the mats every 4-6 trips or 4 months (which ever
comes first), you will start to wear out the holes where the screws go.

I think some horses paw in trailers out of boredom more than anxiety... 
One woman I know offered her horse a 2 liter soda bottle in his manger
area, tied to the horse's trailer tie ring.  It kept him amused & no
more pawing.  Another guy I know put loose hobbles on the horse - can't
say as that is necessarily the best idea, though.  I think that the
horse needs full use of his legs to balance over rough roads.

As to not eating, the change of scenery may be distracting him, or the
change in a ritual.  Our old mare would do this, too.  If we gave her
the ration WE thought that she needed, she walked away from it.  We
started giving her <slightly> less than she wanted to eat.  She started
cleaning up since food was in "short supply".  We'd feed her small,
frequent feedings on trips and she did pretty well.  Competition from
another horse tended to whet her appetite a bit.

Linda Flemmer
Blue Wolf Ranch
Bruceton Mills, WV