Re: Going down in the float

["Bonita B. Young" <corky@foothill.net>]

I had a horse that started scrambling in the trailer, this was 20 years ago.  I
removed the partial divider and vola no scrambling.  I could evan haul her with
another horse and there was no scrambling.   I have since bought a slant load
and she has never scrambled in this.  I am a careful driver and this is the only
horse that has ever scrambled in the trailer, I have given my suggestion to
several people and it has always worked.  Good luck and I hope it will work for
you.

Corky Young
Byrds Valley Ranch, on the Tevis Trail

Janet Baca wrote:

> Wendy, you finally answered my question, I have an older two horse TB size
> trailer and my mare hurt her right rear leg, she was loaded on the left
> side.  When I took her out, she was bleeding and I'd heard a commotion while
> I was pulling her home.  I never could figure out what she did it on since
> there is a wood divider with a metal casing about an inch in length to hold
> the wood together.  I now have to load her on the right side always and she
> scrambles when I do left turns, not right turns.  Two months ago a friend
> put her horse in on the left side and she came out with a bloody leg and I
> still could not figure out why they are injuring themselves but I thought it
> has to do with the metal casing because that's where the blood was on the
> trailer.  My next step was to have someone else ride in the back to see what
> exactly goes on but since I've been grounded with the "goofball" and his
> plastic nose I haven't had the opportunity.  So what do I do when I have to
> take two horses god forbid I could even get him in the trailer...That's the
> next step.  I am considering a new slant trailer though.  My gelding will
> walk right into one of those.  Would solve a lot of problems too.  Thanks
> for your help. jb
>
> <Date: Tue, 13 Oct 1998 11:29:53 MDT
> From: Wendy Milner <wendy@wendy.cnd.hp.com>
> To: ridecamp@endurance.net (ridecamp@endurance.net)
> Subject: RE:Going down in the float
> Message-Id: <199810131729.LAA23252@wendy.cnd.hp.com>
>
> Mick & Katie" <caughey@merredin.agn.net.au>
> >A friend of mine has
> >recently started having problems with her horse scrambling in the float.
> >He used to float fairly well, and suddenly last weekend he scrambled and
> >went down in the float.  She was lucky enough to be able to remove the
> >centre divider and he stood up and she walked him home.  A few days later
> >she tried putting him in with his paddock buddy and he scrambled really
> >badly and cut his leg etc.  This was only rolling along, in first gear.
> >The float is a 2 horse bumper pull.  There is no head divider and the
> >centre divider is only half filled in, does not reach the floor.
>
> Once a horse starts to scramble, there is no easy fix.
> You can prevent scrambling by changing the trailer configuration.
> But if you go back to the way you have been trailering this
> horse, it will go back to scrambling.
>
> Have your friend get into the trailer (non-horse side), and
> watch as the horse loads.  Watch what the horse does to prepare
> for the trailer moving.  What you will probably see: the horse
> will lean on the center divider and brace his legs on the outside
> wall. Then as the trailer moves, the horse will brace harder.
> The feet will slip off the wall, and the horse will scramble to
> get back up.
>
> If you remove the center divider, the horse will get into the trailer,
> position himself diagonally, and spread his legs to balance.
> If you put in a bar divider, the horse will lean on the bar, slip,
> and fall under the bar.
>
> This is actually a very common problem with how we try to squeeze
> our horses into tight boxes and expect them to ride along quietly.
>
> --
> Wendy