A survey of trailering problems in horses

A history form was sent to owners of 103 horses with trailer problems to determine what types of problems with trailering the horses exhibited, as well as the techniques the owners had used to mitigate the problem. Horses had problems with loading (53.4%) and traveling (51.5%). Of the horses who exhibited problems during travel, most had problems when the vehicle first began to move (53%) or when it went around a curve (47%). Less than half the horses (28.2%) had been cured by the methods the owners used. Breed differences in type of problems, in incidence of multiple problems, and in improvement were compared. There were no statistical differences in breed representation, either overall, or for any one particular problem or combination of problems. Quarter Horses, Thoroughbreds, and Arabians were the most commonly presented breeds and the most common breeds at the time of the survey. No breed was more likely to be cured/improved or not. Orientation in the trailer and association of the trailer with aversive experiences may be important components of the etiology of trailering problems.