Trailer question? Travelling back top doors open/closed??????

[snopuma]

As title really, I am going to travel my little horse on Wednesday, she loads fine, she is an ex-racer so I guess she is used to a lorry rather than a trailer, when I brought her home It was cooler and we were going on the motorway so I kept the top doors on the back closed for the journey, so she arrived a bit sweaty and het up, but then she didn't know me and the motorway was busy and the journey took about 1 1/2 hours, now 2 years later I am in a quandary I have always travelled my WB in the trailer with the top doors open (on the back only) he has always watched what is following him, but never got crazy if its a lorry or a motorbike etc... and he's only ever done small 1/2 hour journeys and always arrived non sweaty and only a little excited at being at a show.

So on Wednesday I am travelling for 20-25 mins on nothing more than country lanes and a bit of A-road and its going to be hot, so do I travel with or without top doors shut/open? What do you find has worked best for you? Do you think horses are more scared to see an opening and things following us or do you think I am worrying to much and she may be more used to travelling in a trailer than I know/think?

Costa Rican coffee and a Danish for those that get this far!

Would love to hear you thoughts!

 

[lannerch]

Always travel with them open, IMO with the doors closed ventilation is not adequate. Never travel with the front door open though, don't want my horse to loose an eye.
Only ever had one horse who minded , so we took him for short journeys to get him used to it, and now hd to is fine .

 

[JillA]

I always travel with them open, except on motorways when I close just the one immediately behind my horse. Never had a problem but then my horse is a very relaxed traveller (as opposed to loader lol but we are on top of that now) and they are all different. Maybe do half and half until you find out how happy she is generally in the trailer?

 

[Shay]

Ditto - always with the rear top doors open. There simply isn't enough airflow otherwise. I've not known a horse to be concerned about the usual types of traffic -although some startle a little with emergency sirens etc.

 

[Mia&Vin]

Interesting about the airflow, iv travelled a couple of times with the top door closed and didnt find it too hot in the back. It would depend on the horse for me, normally I like them open but closed them with a very green baby. Whats the horse like about traffic? I wouldnt expect a horse thats scared of lorrys while hacking to be able to cope with seeing big traffic coming up behind him

 

[Clodagh]

Always shut with th current horses, one is young and the other is a bad traveller. With my hunters it was always open.
Now I think better to sweat than to jump out the back! Last week I had to take bad traveller to the vet, a 40 min journey with anyone else but and hour with him. He hardly sweated at all on the way there - it was hot, he had a wet neck, that was it. On the way home he was sedated and sweated loads, it ran off him, but no harm done he had a good hose off and was fine.

 

[Dry Rot]

Just a thought. I made a gadget so I could leave the top doors ajar, but gave it to the new owner when I sold my old trailer.

This is simply a piece of flat bar about 300mm long x 50mm x 6mm bent at a slight angle in the middle. I drilled a hole in each end to take the male part of the type of catch used on the top doors. I used that to hold the doors open slightly so there was good ventilation. Worked a treat and especially handy when transporting youngsters who might have been tempted to jump out if the doors had been left wide open!

Anyone who can do metal work could make one in half an hour.

BTW, don't forget to open the roof vent rather than the front top door to make a through draft.

 

[mynutmeg]

I had my mare and foal at a show inJune - because of the foal I had to keep the top doors closed all round and while they were ok going in the morning the mare was dripping with sweat by the time we got home at lunch time - if at all possible travel with the back doors open.

 

[Alfiemoo]

Have always travel with them open for more airflow but I have only ever had good travellers.

 

[Maesfen]

Always shut! Apart from the fact I usually only travel mares with foals who travel loose beside them or unbroken youngsters so leaving doors open is a big invitation to jump out (been known before many times but not personally by me thank God!) there is always the freak accident that can happen if they are open. We travelled a mare alone once on a hot day so left them open; she is good at hacking and excellent in traffic but she took exception to an artic coming close up behind before it could overtake, gave her the fright of her life and she came down in the trailer. You would have said she'd be a perfect candidate for open doors before that.

Also someone was coming up the M6 with her two hunters in a big Rice pulled by a Discovery with her doors open. A lorry went to go past her with a dangling rope which happened to snag itself around the doors with the effect that it was pulling her sideways! Lucky for her that lorry had a restrictor on it so she was able to keep up with it and a lorry behind saw what had happened, managed to get beside the rope lorry to make contact then pull in front of it to slow it down to a stop where it could be sorted out. She was extremely lucky and I think it was only her long experience plus the driver following who was sharp enough to react that got her out of it. If you are doing motorway travel (although it could have happened anywhere, at least shut the offside top door to avoid that chance of it happening to you as it also gives a bit more 'protection' to the horse tooif it can't immediately see if some lorries come up close and personal to the trailer before overtaking.

 

[Tnavas]

All the trailers I've ever used have not had top back doors so not an option to consider.

Never had any problem with this except when travelling on very dusty roads such as the gravel roads we have here in NZ - the horses arrived absolutely covered in dust - seems to be sucked inside the trailer.

 

[kerrieberry2]

I would only shut them if it was really horrible rain, otherwise I would keep them open, if its going to be really hot on Wednesday I'd have them open and just go really slowly

 

[canteron]

Back doors open except on motorways .....

On motorways I shut the back door towards the inside of the road, the reason being that lorries like to come up close and then overtake at high speeds. Having the back door negates some of the 'whoosh' of air as they accelerate to overtake, which must be horrible for the horses.

 

[wyrdsister]

Thanks for the horror story, Maesfen!!!! What a lucky escape for both drivers.

OP, I always travel with my top doors open. I have an old trailer with pretty much zero alternative ventilation, so I couldn't leave mine closed. The horses would cook! To be honest, even when I'm towing newer models, I leave them open though. I think the airflow is better that way and I've got at least one horse who would be way too claustrophobic to have everything closed.

 

[Capriole]

I always close them. I'm usually travelling foals/youngstock and it's not safe to leave them open.

 

[Adopter]

I am no use at putting in links but just a short while ago there was a thread on here about a pony who had always travelled well getting out through open top doors on trailor on motorway. It was as very tragic experience for the owners and a distressing way to lose a pony.
At the time there was a lot of good advice about travelling and strong advice to keep your doors closed or to fit a bar similar to that on cattle trailers so the horse or pony has no way of jumping out.

Hopefully some one will be able to post the link.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Interesting thread and quite apt for me today!
We always travel with doors closed due to the fact I've had it drummed into me by my boss. Its certainly never caused any problems for us and I do it now out of habit.
However today we had a lift off someone else and she acted like I was a weirdo for wanting to shut back doors and I backed down feeling a bit stupid and we travelled with them open.

 

[lannerch]

I think you cannot cotton wool your horses against every eventuality , especially the more unusual that theoretically can happen but the likelihood if which, very unlikely.
From my observation the majority off horses are travelled with the back doors open , I have never come across one that has fallen out . I understand it is theoretically possible but the percentage chance not very likely , so I do not still feel the necessity to cook my horse in this weather, and limiting the air flow and ventilation in more normal weather by shutting the back doors when my horse travels fine with them open.

 

[*hic*]

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...Horse-accident-on-M1-near-Sheffield-yesterday

This was the thread commented on earlier.

I agree that a determined horse will always get out, but top bars make a visible deterrent whilst not restricting the air flow.

 

[snopuma]

Well we did it! It was so humid I left the top doors open and she travelled so well, a bit shouty but at least I knew she was still on board! and when we got to Felbridge Showground (just for a training session) she behaved brilliantly, can't have been to bad a ride there as she walked straight back on and then was great on the way home, she seemed surprised to be home and shouted to everyone as I opened the ramp, I only forgot two things one a camera! and I must chop up some carrots to encourage her to drink at a show, she is normally very thirsty at home but wouldn't touch the water away! never mind, she was so good and I am so proud of her! Thank you all for your advise!

 

[lannerch]

Well done, sounds like you had a top day