Tri-Tronics^®, Inc.

P. O. Box 17660

Tucson, AZ  85731

support@tthorse.com

1-800-808-8423

ARTICLES & EDUCATION

Kicking in the Horse Trailer

Horses kick in the trailer for a variety of reasons. They may not like being in close proximity with other horses and may kick at them. They may be bored. They may have become trained that when they do kick in the trailer, the trailer stops and a person comes to check on them, thus rewarding the bad behavior. For whatever the reason, kicking in the horse trailer can be an especially dangerous and expensive problem. It not only can result in harm to the kicking individual but also any other horses being hauled with it. The kicking horse can damage his hind legs from impacting the trailer wall. In trailers that do not have wood or rubber lined walls, the horse can actually kick through the metal siding resulting in severe lacerations. Most trailer dividers do not go completely to the floor which leaves the legs of neighboring horses vulnerable to kick injuries with no way to escape. You must also take into consideration that even in cases where the horses are lucky enough to come through unharmed, damage to the horse trailer is expensive to repair. This bad habit is very easy to stop with the ViceBreaker^®. The signal from the transmitter will easily penetrate the vehicle and trailer to activate the collar on the horse. Usually only the lowest levels are required.

It is extremely important that you make sure your horse does not have a medical condition that makes him kick. Some horses will "scramble" in a trailer, especially when turning a corner and this should not be mistaken for kicking. To the driver they may sound the same. Scrambling is caused by an inner ear problem in the horse that interferes with his equilibrium or ability to properly balance himself. Usually these horses will not show any signs of a problem except when they are in an enclosed trailer. This is because when they are out in the open their eyes can see what is truly up and down and override the skewed signal coming from the inner ear. When a horse is enclosed in a trailer where he can't see out well enough to determine where the ground is, he must rely on his inner ear. Usually the ear will work fine until a corner is turned and then things go haywire and the horse will thrash violently as he tries to stand on the side of the trailer, thinking it is the floor. As their feet slip off the side wall back to the floor they will quickly and violently try to get their feet back on the wall. To them that "is" the floor and they feel like they are falling. Many of these horses only scramble when turned one direction and are fine if turned the other way. This problem unfortunately is not curable. These horses can still be hauled safely if they are hauled in open style trailers or trailers with large windows for good visibility.

This is not an uncommon problem so be sure to consult you veterinarian to rule out this or any other medical causes.