Partition or no partition?

Which is the most correct outfit for dressage?

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Louby

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I finally pick up my trailer this week and I am a no partition convert after my old mare travelled better without one. The seller seemed suprised that I wanted a full breast bar and said its such a big trailer that I wouldnt need one and should keep the partition in. My boy travels great in a wagon but is nervous in a trailer and Im going to have to practice before we go anywhere so the partion was coming out for that anyway. What do you all think?
Im off to work now so I'll have to catch up tomorrow, thanks for any replies.
 
Ive got a 3.5ton box that my boy travels partitionless in. I thought the same, but tried him without and he is happy as a sandboy. Stands how he wants, and stays there eating!!
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Mainly, no partition as one of our neds goes a lot better without it. With one she would attempt to turn aroud, loose her balance as she couldn't spread her legs and panic. so without a partition but with three lead ropes, she cannot turn around but has enough room to spread her legs a bit more and balance which equals a happier neddy!!
 
We have no partition in our Ifor Williams. We removed when my sisters horse would get the partition down and sit on the back bar. It was more dangerous having the partition in for her. She would come out of the trailer dripping in sweat and the trailer would sway!!
Once we removed the partition she travelled so much better, she was able to spread her legs out more and would stand in the middle of the trailer.
My mare also travels better without the partition, she stands diagonally and really spreads her legs out.
We do cross tie them as well.
 
I use a partition in mine. My horse actually started to refuse to load when I had a trailer without one. Occasionally he travels in my friends lorry who's spaces are huge, and he doesn't like it at all and finds it really difficult to balance. I think he just feels a lot more secure with it and easier to wedge himself.
 
I've got the Ifor Williams 510 and at the mo it has a partition, but I'm taking the partitions out and buying a breast bar so that I can convert it into a mare and foal box.
 
Do whatever suits your horse. I have always generally found that most horses travel better wituhout a partition as they can splay their legs. I used to have a horse that would just go down with the partition in but was fine without.
 
We have an Ifor Williams 510 and travel Murph without a partition. When the partition was in he leant on it so much he rubbed his hip raw on a 30 minute journey. Without the partition, and cross tied, he stands at an angle and spread his hind legs really wide. Loads and travels very happily. It is a pain though because sometimes we would like to take pony along as well and can't!
 
That sort of answers the question I was going to ask which is that you are all talking about double trailers but do you just travel one horse with no partition or are you travelling two horses with no partition?
 
With 1 horse I travel with no partition, when I have 2 horses in I use the front partition only, as my mare needs to spread her legs and she just cannot travel with a partition in place.
 
I've just sold my trailer but in the 4 years I had it I never used the partition. But then I only ever travelled him. I would never travel two horses without a partition though.

Does anyone know if it is even legal to travel two horses in a trailer without a partition?
 
Thanks all - I thought it seemed a little dangerous and had visions of horses arriving at their destinations with knitted legs!
 
In my experience they travel VERY well with no partition - I know plenty of people who trailer 2 with no partition and never have had problems, its the partitions that cause probs more often than not.
 
It is a common misconception that a horse needs to lean on a partition for balance a horse can balance easier without a partition because it can spread it's legs to distribute it's weight more easily, they would only need to lean on a partition if they did not have room to spread their legs out. If you imagine trying to stand on a moving train with your legs in their normal position you would find that you would sway around and have to lean on the walls, if you spread your legs outwards you would not need to lean on walls nearly so much.
 
I always travel my mare in the 505 with no partition. She stands diagonally and spreads her legs, and travels really happily in it. I never hear her move. I have a full width breast bar and cross tie.

One other bonus of having no partitions is it is SO much easier getting a horse ready once you get to a competition. You can move right round them and get them completely tacked up inside the trailer, it's great, especially when the weather's bad!
 
I think it must depend on the horse - my horse much prefers to travel with a partition in a small space. I had to sell my lorry and go back to an ifor because he didn't like all the extra space in the lorry!
 
i think i read somewhere that it is illegal to travel a shod horse in a trailer without a partition, but not an unshod horse. am looking for article now, but has anyone else heard this?
 
Thanks everyone, Ive ordered the front full width breast bar and manufacturer gave me the option of a rear one or full length breeching strap just incase he tries to come out backwards whilst I try to do the ramp up.
I never cross tied before in the trailer and want to give my boy the option of standing diagonally so how much length of rope do you give or do you use 2 trailer ties?
 
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