Hobbles

[Clodagh]

Friend has just bought a youngster who stands up in the lorry. She found out on their first local trip out. She contacted the seller who said just to travel her in hobbles.
I was horrified but apparently it’s quite common. Really!? And how can it be safe?

 

[nikicb]

Friend has just bought a youngster who stands up in the lorry. She found out on their first local trip out. She contacted the seller who said just to travel her in hobbles.
I was horrified but apparently it’s quite common. Really!? And how can it be safe?

No experience of using them myself, but I remember that Fig (from Diamonds in the Rough) was travelled in them.

Major travelling problems

I have a major problem travelling my KWPN showjumper. I typically travel in a 3.5tonne rear facing lorry, either self drive or with a driver. He loads fine and has no fear of travelling (or anything else for that matter), however he is a stroppy git in the box kicking and pawing. Yesterday he...

forums.horseandhound.co.uk

ETA the DitR sisters are still around under new user IDs. so I am sure they can elaborate further.

 

[SilverLinings]

I suppose it would depend on how much 'give' the hobbles had to allow the horse to adjust their balance. It is not something I've ever seen done, but I can see that it might be safer than a horse who insists on going up in the box. I would want a camera on the horse though so I could check it was coping during the first few trips.

I'm surprised a horse that has gone up in the box hasn't realised there is a roof and not repeated it TBH, is the horse panicking when it travels? If so then I would want to address that issue before resorting to hobbles.

 

[Clodagh]

No experience of using them myself, but I remember that Fig (from Diamonds in the Rough) was travelled in them.

Major travelling problems

I have a major problem travelling my KWPN showjumper. I typically travel in a 3.5tonne rear facing lorry, either self drive or with a driver. He loads fine and has no fear of travelling (or anything else for that matter), however he is a stroppy git in the box kicking and pawing. Yesterday he...

forums.horseandhound.co.uk

ETA the DitR sisters are still around under new user IDs. so I am sure they can elaborate further.

Thank you, so apparently it’s quite normal. It seems awful to me but I stand corrected

 

[Clodagh]

I'm surprised a horse that has gone up in the box hasn't realised there is a roof and not repeated it TBH, is the horse panicking when it travels? If so then I would want to address that issue before resorting to hobbles.

That’s my thought, she’s young and travelling alone for the first time. Rather than accommodate her fear it seems to be just stop her expressing it.

 

[SilverLinings]

That’s my thought, she’s young and travelling alone for the first time. Rather than accommodate her fear it seems to be just stop her expressing it.

I agree with you, in that sort of situation I would have thought working on the cause would be better in the long run. If I was panicking and someone restrained me I think I'd just panic even more, and definitely go back to the rearing if the hobbles stopped being used in the future! I can see the value if having to move a rearer in an emergency, or for a horse who is doing it though sheer exuberance/excitement, but not for a horse who is already worried about travelling when an attempt to address the anxiety hasn't been made first.

 

[nikicb]

Thank you, so apparently it’s quite normal. It seems awful to me but I stand corrected

Having been in a lorry park when a horse stood up on the tack locker and battered the hell out of the lorry, I guess if they are that dangerous, and it stops them doing it, it's probably safer all round for them to wear them. I'm thankful that I have never had a horse do anthing other than fidget becaouse they are keen to get going.

 

[Clodagh]

Having been in a lorry park when a horse stood up on the tack locker and battered the hell out of the lorry, I guess if they are that dangerous, and it stops them doing it, it's probably safer all round for them to wear them. I'm thankful that I have never had a horse do anthing other than fidget becaouse they are keen to get going.

That’s exactly what she did, climbed on the tack locker.

 

[nikicb]

That’s exactly what she did, climbed on the tack locker.

I am sure more experienced people will come along, but if she's young, and they can break the habit, they might only need to do it a few times.

 

[sbloom]

Linking to this about hobble training, it's not something I think should be used as a one-off, or where a horse could lose balance, surely? And a horse that rears is in fight or flight, training the horse out of that seems a prerequisite for hobbling?!

Keystone Equine

I am going to talk about something that is out of fashion, with which many of you will argue and secretly—or, not so secretly—disagree. I’m going to talk about the practice of training our horses to...

www.facebook.com

 

[The Xmas Furry]

I've travelled a couple in service hobbles, to save the box from being smashed up by kicking.

Yes, I've used hobbles on the box but only when parked up, never travelled an animal in them.
A pair of front hobbles correctly fitted still won't stop an agile horse standing up, but usually prevents unwanted accidents. A groom was with anything in hobbles the whole time.

Both types were in my kit box, all this happend in the last 2 decades of the last century when horses were my life and job.

 

[Goldenstar]

I hobbled my tack box climber he had caused thousands of pounds worth of damage to the lorry when I put them on him he went oh those things , enough said .

 

[Spotherisk]

It was one of the many suggestions I had for Tinner, who went over the bar in trailers. The others I had were tie him to the front bar (no didn’t try that), sedate him (made no difference and he would not load). I tried the slowly slowly approach which occasionally worked but ultimately he did not travel.

OP I have seen a kind of harness for horses, I think it’s American, it goes over the wither and in the centre of the chest (where rug buckles would be) there was a ring, and the horse was clipped here to a ring in the floor. Tbh it made a lot of sense to me, if I was feeling wobbly on my feet tieing my head would not help me feel safe.

edited for linkhttps://www.equitravelsafe.co.uk/

 

[Clodagh]

I have forwarded that link STR.
And I am reassured by others that hobbling isn’t as bad as I assumed.

 

[teapot]

I have forwarded that link STR.
And I am reassured by others that hobbling isn’t as bad as I assumed.

Have their place, like most kit in the horse world

 

[Irish-Only]

OP I have seen a kind of harness for horses, I think it’s American, it goes over the wither and in the centre of the chest (where rug buckles would be) there was a ring, and the horse was clipped here to a ring in the floor. Tbh it made a lot of sense to me, if I was feeling wobbly on my feet tieing my head would not help me feel safe.

edited for linkhttps://www.equitravelsafe.co.uk/

I bought one of these for a horse who would absolutely trash a box on the way home from hunting or any other exciting event. It really is the best piece of kit and after a couple of trips wearing it he was a different horse, even to the point where if I forgot to attach the clip on the harness to the anchor bar it didn't matter, almost like a thunder vest once it was on he was totally calm.

 

[Widgeon]

OP I have seen a kind of harness for horses, I think it’s American, it goes over the wither and in the centre of the chest (where rug buckles would be) there was a ring, and the horse was clipped here to a ring in the floor. Tbh it made a lot of sense to me, if I was feeling wobbly on my feet tieing my head would not help me feel safe.

edited for linkhttps://www.equitravelsafe.co.uk/

It's definitely not American! It was designed by the YO of a yard I used to be on just down the road from here.

 

[dorsetladette]

It was one of the many suggestions I had for Tinner, who went over the bar in trailers. The others I had were tie him to the front bar (no didn’t try that), sedate him (made no difference and he would not load). I tried the slowly slowly approach which occasionally worked but ultimately he did not travel.

OP I have seen a kind of harness for horses, I think it’s American, it goes over the wither and in the centre of the chest (where rug buckles would be) there was a ring, and the horse was clipped here to a ring in the floor. Tbh it made a lot of sense to me, if I was feeling wobbly on my feet tieing my head would not help me feel safe.

edited for linkhttps://www.equitravelsafe.co.uk/

I use a travel safe on my tack locker climber. Game changer!