Cross tied in a trailer

[Clannad48]

Now this has probably been done to death before but I would really like some advice.

We have purchased an Ifor Williams HB510 trailer in beautiful condition to travel our 17hh dutch warmblood mare.

She has plenty of room and we travel her on the right hand side. Now here is the dilemma.

She is fine when travelling in a straight line and if I go exceedingly slow around corners. However, if I go anything faster than 5mph around a corner or bend she seems to lose her balance and scrabbles with her feet, especially the front ones, but she does not fall. She has travelled in a trailer before with no problems

Someone has suggested to me that we take out the partition and travel her crosstied. Now I have never done this with a trailer and wondered if anyone out there could give me some advice, suggestions. Please don't suggest a lorry, lots of reasons why that is not possible.

Mince pies to all those who got this far.

 

[Tinsel Trouble]

I used to ride a horse who could not travel on the right hand side. He was fine on the left... I know it's not Pony Club, but could you try your horse on the left? Sometimes we have to bend the rules for safetys sake!

 

[Shazzababs]

Yes I quite often do this for long trips, and we used to have a pony that would freak out if travelled with the partition. They tend to stand diagonaly accross the box and spread the legs wide to get a good balence.

You need to have a breast bar that goes all the way accross the front of the trailer (and a breach bar too if you are feeling rich).

Then you simply tie the horse with 2 leadropes, one to each side of the trailer. They don't have to be desperately tight, its only to stop her from trying to turn around.

 

[Slightlyconfused]

My mare falls over if she travels with the partition in so we have to take it out and cross tie her with a full breast bar in.
She travels just fine like that, when we first tried it i drove behind my dad while he and my sister were pulling the trailer with the hand free on so i could tell them what she was doing. since we only went round the block (which included tight corners just to see if she could do it) she could be easily walked back to the yard. What she did was put herself exactly were the partition goes and just leaned as she needed to round the corners.

When she is traveled in a friends lorry she has to have two stalls to herself so she can balance how she wants to.

just make sure the lead ropes arent too tight but tight enough so she can't turn round.

xxxx

 

[Orangehorse]

I used to have a smallish trailer without a partition and my horse stood diagonally across it with her head in one corner and her bottom in the other. I think I only tied her with one rope, but cross tying would stop them turning round if they got loose.

 

[Captain Bridget]

My previous share horse was trailered without the partition and cross tied. He was a bit of a clutz and tended to lean on the partition if it was in, so his owner took it out and he travels perfectly happily like that.

 

[LittleBlackMule]

Generally, if a horse is scrabbling and losing its balance it is because it is leaning too much on the wall or partition. Give it more space and it will stop leaning.

For some just moving the partition across so it is on the diagonal is enough, others are better with no partition at all, but then cross tying is essential as otherwise the horse might try and turn round and get stuck. Just make sure the horse has enough movement to reach its haynet, but can't get its head right round to try and turn.

 

[Clannad48]

Thanks for all the wonderful responses - I will try to see if I can borrow full width bars to give it a try, especially as they are too expensive to buy and then find out don't work. It's a pity I didn't take some when I was offered them for free by a friend, but I had a lorry then and no need of them. In the lorry she always travelled herringbone or across, so the balance idea does make sense. She is quite a big girl and leaning on the partition or side is the sort of thing she would do.

Thanks again for the help and suggestions - off a scrounging I go..

 

[BigRed]

I used to travel my 16.3 TB in an IFW510. She preferred to have the partition out. I did not cross tie her, she was tied to the right hand side of the trailer, but she chose to travel, standing across the trailer. She was very happy to travel this way.

 

[canteron]

Definitely travel without a partition - it is normally just like magic.

In the interim, if you can't get hold of full length bars immediately, if your partitions hang around a central pole, try leaving in the front (so you still have a breech bar) but take out the back partition.

That means they can really spread their legs and are very stable.

Good luck.

 

[Roasted Chestnuts]

I travel my horses with no partition just a front bar and back bar and crosstied so they cannot turn round.

I havent had any issues AT ALL doing this AND Ive found it a nice place to tack up and groom at a competition with all the extra space

 

[Holly Hocks]

i have a 3.5t rear facing box. I have to travel my mare with the partition open at her front end and she is quiet as a mouse - she seems to position herself more over the centre and she is always cross tied. My old gelding used to kick off like mad until I opened the partition and then he was much better. I think they find their own balance better without the partition in.

 

[Tammytoo]

Our pony would only travel partitionless - but I didn't cross tie, just normal tie up on the right hand side and she would chose different angles to stand at according to how she was feeling! It's definitely much better for tacking up etc.

 

[hayinamanger]

I often travel them with the partition out, always do for mares and foals. I don't have a full length breast bar, so always cross tie, otherwise they get squashed right up in the front of the trailer from trying to look out of the back. If you have a full length breast bar you don't need to cross tie.

 

[albeg]

I often travel them with the partition out, always do for mares and foals. I don't have a full length breast bar, so always cross tie, otherwise they get squashed right up in the front of the trailer from trying to look out of the back. If you have a full length breast bar you don't need to cross tie.

I wouldn't agree with this, my lad would turn around if not cross tied, so he's cross tied, and has front and back full length bars. If you can afford to, get both (I got mine new for about €140 for both), as it'll stop her putting pressure on the rear ramp.

 

[only_me]

If you are travelling without the partition, you should either cross tie or tie directly infront of horse (ie. front of trailer) to prevent them turning round

we would travel a lot without the partition, as we find they travel better as can choose themselves how to stabilize, and more often than not they all choose to stand across the diagonal!

ETS - I think it is illegal to travel without a front breast bar (unless travelling mare and foal) in a trailer as there is nothing to stop the horse infront, but not 100% on that. Am not sure why you would want to travel without a front bar, is unsafe for the horse really and yourself!
The only time we haven't had a front bar up in the trailer was when we were trying to catch wild/abandoned ponies off the road and into the trailer, and none of them were tied as were unhandled!