How far would you travel in a trailer?

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Bert&Maud

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Just looking at options for taking my horse from Wiltshire to the BRC SJ championships in Lincoln next month. We're trying to borrow a lorry, but also looking at the possibility of taking him in my trailer. It's about 220 miles so looks like about 4 1/2 hours travelling each way. He travels beautifully in the trailer (IW 510 - plenty of space as he's a compact 16 hands) but normally only about 1 - 1 1/2 hours each way to competitions. Do you think this might be a bit far?
 
I take my 16.2hh cob mare in a 510 to Devon from Essex - around 230 miles. She travels beautifully, we stop a couple of times at services to offer water and it takes a total of around 5 1/2 hours usually. I stay for a fortnight and then travel back.
 
We've done the far west of Cornwall to the far east of Kent moving horses in the trailer before now. Definitely allow for plenty of stops to offer water etc, but personally, unless you find somewhere very safe, I wouldn't take the horse off the trailer. If you have problems loading them back up, you will be absolutely scuppered!

Has he travelled in a lorry before? Just thinking that if he is used to a trailer, but not to a lorry, then he might be better off in the trailer, as that's what he is used to
 
I travelled mine and a friends pony for 3 1/2 hours by accident, we were going to costwold farm park for a fun ride travelling from cardiff, they do one every month

Anyway, we came off the m5 too soon, from what I can gather, went the scenic route through cheltenham, it was like, oh and on your right is the museum, on your left is the town hall ha ha, poor horses, we got there in the end, mine had a slight nose bleed but was fine.

We did the fun ride, but went home another way which was quicker, we haven't ventured up that way again just in case
 
He arrived in a lorry when I bought him, and then we borrowed one for the BRC champs at Aston le Walls last year, so he's very good in either a trailer or lorry. We'd go up on the Friday, compete on Saturday and come home Sunday.
 
Mine reguarly travels 3 + hours each way to shows. Often there and back in a day, and standing on the trailer for most of the day too (with the partition removed) My mare is fine with this. I have a ifor williams 506 and my mare is a 14.3 arab.
 
I have done 3 hours in a trailer , competed (dressage) and come back on the same day. Horse was fine. I was knackered!:D

I think it depends on the fitness of the horse, how well they travel and the route you take. If you do A roads and motorway it is easier IMO.

I did a 4 1/2 hour journey with an unfit pony who was not used to travelling and she was really tired at the end of the journey. But fine the next day.

I would go for it as you are going the day before and coming back the day after and your horse is fit.:)
 
On Sunday I was stuck on the M5/M42 behind a Horse Box not a trailer and only moved 3 miles in 1 1/2 hours so if you get stuck and in a trailer for that long added onto your journey it would be quite stressfull on the horse and it was a hot day. The box I was behind was a known eventer with a very nice box which at least enabled one of the people to go and check on the horses. In a trailer you don't have that option. But good luck if you decide to go in a trailer that far. Like some have said they travel alot further than that.
 
my big lad travels much better in a trailer than a lorry as he has more room and is less enclosed, so I would prefer to travel him long distances in a trailer.

Cannot see the difference to a lorry vs a trailer in long distances except that in a lorry as long as you have access to the back then they are easier to check.

Will be travelling 3 hours this saturday with 2, then competing (eventiing) then 3 hours back again.
 
I bought a horse in Wales and had a journey back to Lincs. The horse travelled very well indeed. We stopped after 1.5 - 2 hours for about 1/2 hour and then stopped for about 1.5 hours, and so on, gave plenty of water etc. It took us hours to get home, but the horse was fine and had the next couple of days chilling in the field.
We often travel long distances to events, I think as long as you stick to main roads and have breaks and the horse has a good rest before competing it's fine.
Good luck at the championships.
 
I've done Kent to Exmoor a few times, which is generally 7hrs including a couple of half hour stops.

Once got ponies out, as took my Shetland with us on holiday when he was just a babe... again down the the West Country... that time we stopped in a lane and let them both out for half an hours' graze and leg stretch, but generally we just stop for water breaks for the ponies and leg stretches/loo/food for us.
 
I know of one lady who used to live near London, who used to regularly travel by trailer to her trainer in Switzerland. I'm not sure how many stops she did on the way though. In the end she just moved over there...
 
I've travelled my horse on a trailer for just over 3h for a competition. One stop to see if she wanted water (she didn't - had wet hay). Rode her after arriving (not competition though) and she was as sprightly as ever. SJed for 3 days and then the same journey back. No problems at all, but she does travel extremely well. Doing the same thing in a few days with another horse.
 
Lots of horses travel hours by trailer in North America. Certainly journeys of 3hrs for a one day competition are not unusual and at that length, people don't usually stop for a break. I've taken horses straight through for 12-13 hours with one significant break and a few stops for water, filling hay bags etc. and lots of people do longer trips split over 2 or 3 days.

It does depend, of course, on your trailer and the type of driving you'll be doing. Lots of turning, rough roads, stopping and starting etc. is much harder on a horse than direct travel on good motorways.
 
TarrSteps said:
Lots of horses travel hours by trailer in North America. Certainly journeys of 3hrs for a one day competition are not unusual and at that length, people don't usually stop for a break. I've taken horses straight through for 12-13 hours with one significant break and a few stops for water, filling hay bags etc. and lots of people do longer trips split over 2 or 3 days.

It does depend, of course, on your trailer and the type of driving you'll be doing. Lots of turning, rough roads, stopping and starting etc. is much harder on a horse than direct travel on good motorways.
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Yep - I used to event on ponies in Sweden (back in the 1820's when I was young...) and there wasn't much choice of shows - 3-5h one way was the norm! The UK is tiny in comparison to North America/Canada and the Scandinavian countries, and horses travel big distances all the time.
 
TarrSteps said:
Lots of horses travel hours by trailer in North America. Certainly journeys of 3hrs for a one day competition are not unusual and at that length, people don't usually stop for a break. I've taken horses straight through for 12-13 hours with one significant break and a few stops for water, filling hay bags etc. and lots of people do longer trips split over 2 or 3 days.

It does depend, of course, on your trailer and the type of driving you'll be doing. Lots of turning, rough roads, stopping and starting etc. is much harder on a horse than direct travel on good motorways.
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I think DEFRA's new laws does not allow this in this country anyway.
 
little_flea said:
Yep - I used to event on ponies in Sweden (back in the 1820's when I was young...) and there wasn't much choice of shows - 3-5h one way was the norm! The UK is tiny in comparison to North America/Canada and the Scandinavian countries, and horses travel big distances all the time.
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This I agree with, I just travelled my pony 10 hours South, people here just have to. Old horseboxes cost treble the price than in the UK due to 27%VAT and huge import charges on top. Most have trailers and have to travel far for shows and specialist equine hospitals. We stop regularly to top up hay and water, take them off for a stretch of legs then back on we go. Was alien to me moving here but now it is kind of the norm. None of my horses have appeared to have suffered in anyway for it and all load perfectly for the next trip :)
 
I'm going to go against the grain and say personally I wouldn't travel more than 3 hours max in a trailer. I would def want to hire a horsebox for that length. It's one reason why living in the New Forest I haven't bothered with any individula RC qualifiers this year as I only have a trailer. I do know plenty of people who would travel this distance in a trailer so it's just my opinion. I think also part of my issue is that I have to do all the driving myself so any more than 3 hours in 1 day would be too much for me too!
 
I have travelled horses over 4 hours in a trailer with no probs at all - don't know why people are so against trailers - some of the rag tag rotten lorries I see at shows shouldn't even have horses in them!! much prefer my modern, safe, serviced trailer!!
 
I agree with you Moses06. See some stunning lorries, but others I wouldn't travel a rocking horse in let alone a real horse...

Ours have travelled for up to about 3 hours in the trailer with a stop en route for water and to give them a break from moving. Never had a problem. We are normally on major A roads or motorways though which I do think makes a huge difference.
 
Have just got back from the Pony Club Championships and got a lift in a trailer there and back - was 5hrs there (due to traffic) and 4 hrs back. It was in an Equitrek trailer and the horses travel facing backwards which is meant to be the nicest way for horse to travel. I must say our pony travelled extremely well, seemed totally relaxed and unstressed and I had no more concerns about her than if she had travelled in our lorry. They had a water break but we didn't unload during the journey at all.
 
Shouldn't be a problem - if you set off nice and early they will have nearly a full day to rest and relax and get over it if they do happen to be tierd!
 
Endurance riders seem to travel the length and breadth of England and Wales with a trailer with no problems at all - they prefer a trailer as they can use the towing vehicle as a crew car during the event. It is an easier journey on good roads and motorways. Do not unload at motorway service station, just stop and offer water and to check.
 
A lady's new horse at my yard, travelled all the way over from the south of ireland in a trailer, he got off the trailer on the ferry right enough but travelling from ireland, when i done it with my boy took a full day, so i would say your horse should be fine
 
Excellent post this. I have my first trailer (previously only had lorries), and I've been worrying about travelling my horse for too long in it.

After I bought it I stood in the back for a 10 minute test ride. (I know you are not suppose to, but I didn't have a horse in, and we just went round the block in the village). The lack of suspension and the sharp bumps that occured after every deviation in the road surface really hurt my back (even though my OH was driving slowly), and after 10 mins I'd had enough and was glad to get out. Since that I'd just assumed I was only really wise to do short journeys.

My horse has never suffered any ill effects, and from reading every single post here, it seems horses backs and joints don't seem to be affected then?
 
Misinterpreted said:
Excellent post this. I have my first trailer (previously only had lorries), and I've been worrying about travelling my horse for too long in it.

After I bought it I stood in the back for a 10 minute test ride. (I know you are not suppose to, but I didn't have a horse in, and we just went round the block in the village). The lack of suspension and the sharp bumps that occured after every deviation in the road surface really hurt my back (even though my OH was driving slowly), and after 10 mins I'd had enough and was glad to get out. Since that I'd just assumed I was only really wise to do short journeys.

My horse has never suffered any ill effects, and from reading every single post here, it seems horses backs and joints don't seem to be affected then?
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I think you have to take into account the fact that we have two legs whilst horses have four, so they are probably more stable whilst in transit than we are. Also that doing a trip around the village you are more likely to encounter rough road surfaces and have to do more turning than if you are doing a long journey mainly on smooth, straight motorways.

It is difficult to assess what effect it may have on legs and joints, but the two horses we travelled by trailer on a five hour journey were able to come out of their stables and both perform very good dressage tests the following morning, resulting in both being placed in their arenas. If travelling by trailer was so detrimental to them, you would expect to see some deterioration in their performances, particularly as the horses concerned are both in their teenage years. (However, I must stress that the trailer concerned was a good quality one where the horses travel facing backwards, which is thought to make balancing easier for them - whether they would have been as happy in another type of trailer I don't know).
 
Travelling horses causes similar amount of stress/workload on joints and back to walking briskly under saddle. Modern air suspension/air conditioned lorries are definately far better than this, but having travelled myself (briefly) in the back of my ifor williams trailer I will stick with my 3 hour max limit! I'm sure some of the bigger style reverse travelling trailers may well offer better conditions for travelling as well but I don't have the budget for one of these and have never tried one.
The road conditions also do come into it a lot and an hour on dodgy roads causes a lot more stress than motorways, then again not all main road have the best surfaces these days either!
 
Undoubtedly the horses will get a better journey in a lorry, but whether the difference will make a difference to their performance is a moot point. It would be interesting if someone came up with any experience, but there are so many variables in how a horse's performance can be altered it would have to be very marked to say "it was the trailer journey."

You can certainly travel faster in a lorry and it is easier for the rider/driver to have everything at hand, and more comfortable. When you think that years ago all that was available were cattle trucks, trailers and railway for long distance.
 
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