3.5T lorry and hay issues - what solutions are there?

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Emily99

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I've recently purchased a 3.5T Nissan conversion.

It was converted 6m ago but only in a basic way so plenty of scope to individualise as I want it. I always travel my boy with a haynet but the horse area opens into the grooms area at the back, with the saddle racks on the back doors as per usual.

How do I prevent the hay/dust getting all over my tack etc? I've got hay bags but was wondering what other options are available? The windows are set quite far back so not looking at a full partition as the horse area will be left pitch black.
 
Totally sympathise, hired a 3.5 box recently and everything got completely covered with hay! I would suspect covers on everything is the easiest option.
 
I've got a large lockable box built in with saddle and bridle racks in to keep them clean. The other side has a smaller box with space for grooming kit and boots. Spare rugs and first aid kit are above the drivers cab.
 
I don't know the layout of your box but I have seen a curtain or sail that fits hammock-like over the equipment and under the haynet and so catches the hay as it falls. Perhaps you could make one using strong material and the extending poles that are used for shower curtains. It could then be dismantled quite easily.
 
It's such a design flaw :( some do have the grooms area behind the cab - Id always choose this design. Plus there's less chance of the horses ending up in the cab in a crash.
 
I tried a haybag and found it just spun round so the poor horse couldn't reach the hay. It might be better secured so it couldn't spin but I didn't fancy it again. Even though he only got a few mouthfuls he still dropped plenty so it wasn't much better than a haynet anyway. My solution (more forced on me than by design) is to have a very basic box with nothing complex in the grooms area, and keep all my tack and stuff to the other side from the horse. One side gets covered in hay, the other side stays clean. It wouldn't work if travelling two ponies, but I don't do that.

The boxes with a separate grooms area (whether front or rear) always seem to have much less space for the horse, especially for his head.
 
Is it possible to travel without hay? unless its a long journey I don't think its really necessary
 
I have the same issue in my 3.5t, grooms area is covered in hay!
I just use saddle covers, and it doesn't get over my bridle as it's too far back for her to get hay over it.
Everything else is stored in a plastic storage box to keep everything clean.
 
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You can soak/wet your hay before travel, or use haylage instead (buy the small-bale type if you're not using it otherwise). For longer journeys, it's not a bad idea anyway to keep the horse hydrated, and reduce dust in the box.
Of course, it doesn't completely stop haylage/hay dropping on stuff, and with a soaked net you may then have to deal with water drips. I don't find the hay spillage to be much of a problem. My saddle has a cover, everything else is in lockers/boxes, and I have a hand broom in the box to quickly brush off the hay from all the horizontal surfaces before opening the lockers (really just wooden boxes over the wheel arches with lids that double as a seat).
I don't keep my horse in the box once we've arrived, so it's not like he's continuing to rain hay on everything while I'm trying to tack up and prep.
 
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