Partition or no partition when travelling one horse?

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karenjj

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As title really.. was just wondering when you travel one horse in a trailer is it better to travel then with a partition and have them on the right hand side or just to take the partition out or move it to the side? Thanks
 
Id say it depends on the horse. If they travel fine with a partition then leave it in, some like more room so move the partition over or remove completely and use full length breast bar. Some scrabble all over and even fall with the partition so then Id try without it in.
 
Depends on the trailer size and the horse and whether they need the room to balance or not. I would never put the partition to one side though because it cant be secured well enough.
 
I travel my lad (16.1) without, but he won't load if the partition is in there.

I travel my son's 12.2 with the partition as I don't want her to 'learn' to prefer travelling without it. Also she's much smaller obviously so I think she's more secure with it in.

This is a bit of a pain as we can never go anywhere together!
 
I'm hoping to get a trailer soon, but currently take him out with friends. He prefers travelling on the left hand side of the trailer (with partition). However, we have also travelled him without the partition. I suspect he gets a bit of suppport from the parition - but, what I'm interested to know is if it's ok to travel him on his own on the left?
 
depends on the horse...
but i travel my mare without partitions - old owners said don't try with and as she trots on perfectly happily and stands like a dream then i don't want to try changing something that isn't broken ;)
also - she's a looooong chunky monkey 16hh ish and has to go diagonally anyway in my 505 so i'm pretty sure she'd be squished if i put partitions in!
also - no partitions means you can tack up etc out of the rain ;)
 
This may sound a daft thing to mention and I hope I'm preaching to the choir... but if you travel without a partition you must have full length bars. I only say becuase someone of my aquaintance travelled her horse without the partition and thought she only needed bars to support the partition not the horse. They had a lucky escape when the rear ramp buckled as he fell against it. Had it opened he would have fallen out.

Other than that... I travel my lad either way if we're alone. Depends on if I've taken the partition out for some reason or if I've put it back in becuase we're giving someone else a lift.

Why is it you only see the spelling mistakes after you've pressed post?
 
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Personally I prefer without the partition. Makes life much easier at shows especially in wet weather. Means you can tack up etc. under cover.
 
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As others have said above, it does very much depend on the horse. All of mine, however (as I only ever take one at a time anywhere) travel without the partition (partition completely removed), cross tied. Fortunately my trailer has a single breast bar (don't try it with a 2-part breast bar).

Welshboy, it's not recommended to travel a single horse on the left for safety reasons. This is because of the camber of the road, and makes your trailer more susceptible to tipping/being blown over to the left side. Also, with 2 horses on board, then for the same reason the heaviest horse should be on the right hand side of the trailer.

I've noticed with all of mine that even travelling without partition, they have always naturally positioned themselves so that the greatest part of their body weight is on the right hand side of the trailer too (so I credit my horses with having superior engineering knowledge for knowing more than I do about the effect of road camber and various other forces on a trailer!)
 
With my young horse, I travel him in my Ifor 510 without Partitions and with single breast bars. He is not happy being confined with the partitions and being 17.1hh and rising 4 we don't feel him at all when we take him out. Excellent also as it gives me room to put boots on/ bridle etc in the trailer safely. Much happier and much happier to load if looks nice and roomy for him. Puts paid to travelling him with anything else in the future but then we would have to chop in for a lorry. I feel much more secure knowing he is ok and has lots of room to balance when I am travelling him.
 
I've just got my first trailer, so I'm still experimenting, but My horse seems to prefer without, and I emailed equi-trek to check it was safe to remove the partition, and they said it was.
 
Before my trailer was stolen a number of years ago, i always travelled my girl without the partition (and with the full length breast bar - front and behind). Then at uni i did my dissertation on 'the orientation of horses when loaded and travelling in a trailer' - without being very boring, it was found that in general horses travel in trailers better facing backwards (the can 'spread' thier front legs more then their back legs, therefore having their front legs at the back of the trailer which has the largest 'angle of movement' means they can better stabalise themselves, and then second they were happiest being able to stand on an angle - only possible when there is no partition (it allows them to lean into any corners/turning better). However i completely accept some horses may be happier if the partition is in.
 
Just got a trailer for my Charlie, and he travels very happily without the partition. Have not tried him with the partition yet, dont feel the need too. Also makes the trailer weight lighter.
 
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