Do you ever stop being nervous when travelling your horse?

Gingerwitch

Gingerwitch

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I love my lorry - no horses in - I have the windows down, the radio blearing, I drive it better than the car .

Horses on - I feel sick, I crawl round the roundabouts - I loathe approaching traffic lights or ped crossings I hate pulling onto or off the motorways. I do 20 round the country lanes, 30 in a 30, 40 in a 50 and - motorways - depending which one and at what time I do go upto 60.

But why oh why do I always feel on edge - does it ever go away - ive been driving it for well over a year now - if i have more than a week between driving it - I get really really nervous.

All my horses travel in it brilliantly - its just me - oh and If i could i would tuck my bum in when a huge artic is overtaking me- I just hate the way you feel sucked in.... I could not even think about being in a trailer or one of those little 3.5 tonners.

So is it me, does it get better or are you the same ?
 
I used to get really nervous taking the horses out in the lorry. I'm fine about it now, although I hate going out in the dark. If I don't use it for a few weeks I'm nervous about it but soon chill out when we get going.
I don't see anything wrong with going slowly, I do about those speeds in my 4.5t lorry. I find it helps to remember to breathe and don't stress out that you are holding people up...they should have allowed more time for their journey!
 
I hate travelling horses - totally stressful. I worry about other road users, breaking down and having to wait for a rescue, getting stuck in traffic and my horse getting impatient.

i havent had to transport regularly for a while as I have a youngster but I am already anxious about when it is time to get to shows again and what kind of transport I should get (lorry or trailer).

I worry about trailer accidents and also dont want to go to shows too far away from home (max 1 hour).

I feel your pain.
 
idx said:
I hate travelling horses - totally stressful. I worry about other road users, breaking down and having to wait for a rescue, getting stuck in traffic and my horse getting impatient.

i havent had to transport regularly for a while as I have a youngster but I am already anxious about when it is time to get to shows again and what kind of transport I should get (lorry or trailer).

I worry about trailer accidents and also dont want to go to shows too far away from home (max 1 hour).

I feel your pain.
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Totally with you on this one, I don't ever tow my friend (bless her) tows our horses and I find it so stressfull. I always think something awful is going to happen..... I know it won't but you are just towing precious cargo!
 
No worries have camera so see what they are doing, only concern was when fetching new horse o in high winds.
 
I've only had my lorry a few months, and at first I used to feel sick taking it out without horses. Now I am much more confident, although I do like to have someone with me for moral support in case of breaking down, etc.

Funnily enough I haven't really worried too much about having the horses on board - which is strange as I am a real worryguts about most things. I just go steady and try to look ahead as much as possible.

I haven't yet driven it in the dark yet - that is a real worry. I have no idea how you check in your nearside mirror to see how close you are to the kerb/roadside on a dark country lane in the dark! How do you all do that? I am terrified of taking it out at night. :(
 
Gingerwitch, your horses just may travel brilliantly in it because you're driving slowly and steadily. I've only transported once and it was harrowing.
 
I used to be a nervous wreck, but my mare is such a good traveller that I'm actually much better now - it does get easier in time. I had to take my mare to hospital 3 hours away quite a few times last year and this year, so i had to just bite the bullet and go. I'm not nervous about travelling the horse, I'm more nervous about it breaking down! My last one broke down so many times that every time I hear any sort of noise, I start panicking that it's going to happen again...
 
I've towed for years and years, very regularly but still I worry about it needlessly :o

I tow very slowly and I always pull over to let the traffic behind me pass - I can't bear the thought of holding up the traffic! Always makes me laugh though when other cars toot their horn as a thank you - as if that's not going to make the horses jump!

I avoid all the potholes, the catseyes, the drains and curse the cars/vans parked on the side of lanes that make me squeeze past :o

Actually we had a good laugh about it last weekend when I was with OH towing a load of sheep and he was driving "normally"! He couldn't understand why we tow so damned slowly for horses when surely sheep/bullocks are just the same - obviously he has no idea!! :rolleyes:
 
I hated towing my trailer with it swaying when a lorry passed us by and the horse arriving soaking wet from the rain being blown straight in , yet with the lorry, I am chilled and dry and so is my horse.
I don't usually go over 45mph and I don't normally travel much more over than one hours
distance away.
My boy is very relaxed when travelling and I hope that continues.
 
I have had my little 3.5 ton box since June, and have been out numerous times in it by myself. My boy is not the best traveller so I am very aware of how fast I'm going and take everything really slowly and gently and if that means straddling two lanes to get round a roundabout or sharp turn with little trouble then I shall do it! I get nervous when its windy or like on the motorway when a massive lorry overtakes me on the motorway. I'm constantly thinking how every little movement will affect my boy's journey but I feel you should be like this otherwise drivers become slack and end up swinging their lorries round bends! I want to make every journey as smooth and relaxing as possible:)

I get more annoyed when driving the box now I have got the hang of it, with drivers that sit right up your tail, overtake you suddenly when there's a car oncoming, not giving enough space when I have stopped on a hill and allowing a small rollback, leaving it right to the last minute to pull out in front of me knowing full well I can't slam on the brakes!
 
Wish I had the chance to be worried - struggle to get my horse on my lorry in the first place. THAT'S the bit that stresses me out.
 
Loving this thread! We're all the same and you've made me feel normal :D

I worry about... The lorry breaking down, the horse choking itself (or meeting some other horrific fate only evident when the ramp goes down), going too fast, going too slow, going round corners, being overtaken and anything else I can think of which might crop up on my journey :(
 
I am working on an equine teleportation device......

But yes, it scares the life out of me. I have to pretend it doesn't so that the horses don't pick up on it, but moving a live load is stressful and I think it just goes to show that you're human and that you care. I tend to get really worked up about it in the days coming up to transporting.

On the plus side, I rarely get worried about competing because all my worry has been about the journey. If I can get there and back safely I'm all right.
 
I've never really thought about it except when taking a new horse somewhere (when you dont know how it'll travel). I used to own a horse who was hell to take out - it took months just to get him to stand with all 4 feet the correct side of the breast bar! That was scary as eventually he travelled ok but very occassionally he would get fed up and jump over the breat bar getting stuck. Once he managed to open the jockey door (how I have no idea) and tried to get out while we were doing 50mph, the petrol station we stopped at were surprised to see us open the front ramp and a horse falls out having got twisted round with his entire body in the very front of the trailer (and this was a BIG Welsh cob!). With him, I did worry a bit but not enough that I didnt go out. With my current horse and others who travel well - I'm not nervous other than I'm wary of having to break hard due to other road users or deer etc.
 
Oh I'm a nightmare and I'm not the driver lol I badger my poor OH to death "too fast! too sharp" is she ok - can you see her?? lol
My OH usually tells me yes, he can see her feet in the air lol or something else cheeky, but I agree its stressful!
I bitch and moan at almost all other road users at the time, worry that different noises will scare her - lorries overtaking etc...:rolleyes:
 
I think I will always feel nervous when I travel with horses, there is a lot to think about. When you look at what you are asking the horse to do is it a huge request particularly with a trailer...it must be horrid for them when a lorry overtakes etc I think it would scare me and I have an idea what is going on!!

Any problems like breakdowns are so much more complicated if livestock is involved.

If they are not good travellers then there is always the worry that having arrived at your destination they will not then re load.

On a positive note I think that a bit of anxiety keeps us all making sure we drive with care and consideration for other road users and more importantly for the horses. Good prep should mean that most problems could be overcome.
 
Another thing I hate is when you have to squeeze over on a narrow road and branches hit the side of the lorry - that noise must make the horses jump, but there is very little you can do about it - other than hit the oncoming car instead!!
 
Last year I got a second hand ifor 505 and i think paddy has been in it once , and that was with the OH driving :rolleyes:

I'm quite happy to take it to B & Q and fill it up with wood etc but when it comes to taking Paddy out I just can't bring myself to do it. I had a lovely girl who would come to take him to shows , jumping , lessons etc , with her own trailer , he would practically load himself and always seems to travel ok ( well he made it from Ireland to Cornwall , so I guess he's a pro:D ) so I must get a grip as my friend wants us to take the two boys out and about this winter , and with 2 on i'll be twice as bad. I'll be using a landrover defender to tow so it's a bit like a tank!:(
 
I don't worry about travelling the horses in my lorry at all, I worry about whether the lorry will start in the first place!
 
Am pretty calm about it all,
Yes certainly, a big truck coming towards me on a narrow road will have me going eeeek squeeek gulp :eek:
But then you just carry on until the next incident :rolleyes:

If i was hooked up to one of those heart monitor things i think the average journey would look hilarious with long calm bit and big spikes:o
I've also got a back-seat driver for a horse :rolleyes:
He travels wonderfully but is a big critic too. If i take a corner even a slight bit too fast he'll let me know by giving the wall a little 'hey missus, drive a little better' kick. We end up having a conversation of 'little kick', 'allright all right sorry' followed by him having a snooze, followed by me shouting at him out the window to wake up as we're coming to a roudabout. Honestly i look like a nutter when diving the box:o
 
i have a trailer and i am always scared stiff when i have to travel my horse, i don't settle until he is back in his field yet he's never given me reason to be concerned. i never tow him though, i leave that to my OH simply because he is a HGV driver so knows more about weights etc. if we pass (or they pass us) a tractor/lorry/loud car/motorbike i find myself apologising to my horse even though he can't hear me as i know he hates them things!
i will happily tow my ponies and i don't get as nervous with them, yes i get a bit nervous at the start and when i open the jockey door at destination i hope they are ok but i don't spend the journey worrying.
 
EstherYoung said:
On the plus side, I rarely get worried about competing because all my worry has been about the journey. If I can get there and back safely I'm all right.
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Totally agree - people have said to me to take my youngster along for the experience without the stress of competing! Its not the competing that scares me its the getting there - running round in a circle is easy peasy!
 
I don't feel mega nervous but I think it is good to have a few nerves as this means you properly check out your lorry/ trailer before going and plan your journey well and drive carefully giving the horse a good ride - it's when people get blase about it when things are more likely to go wrong.
 
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