Transporting a pony by cattle trailer

leanne1988

leanne1988

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Hi all,

I have entered a show & plan to take my pony by cattle trailer to the event. Its only 10/15minute drive, but has anyone else taken their horse/pony by cattle trailer before?If, so any advice?

Thanks.
 
I haven't but I saw awful footage on a welfare video of a horse with it's foot stuck in the ventilation slats of a cattle truck when it was being transported for slaughter. So if it's the type with those I'd make sure they're shut and well covered.
 
Cattle trailers are not designed for transporting horses and you could end up injuring your horse. (Most accidents occur close to home so even a short distance may be dangerous for your horse). You may also fall foul of current European Horse Transport Laws as they do not have partitions to contain the horse or tie up rings and your horse may not be able to grip on the ramp or the floor.
A Cattle Truck may also be considered as a commercially operated vehicle so the driver would have to have passed the commercial horse transport test to carry horses.
Also remember that you must noe carry your horses passport with you when transporting your horse in a lorry.
My advice would be to use a proper horse box.
 
I really would not. cattle trucks of any shape/size are not designed to carry horses and have ledges, edges etc that could cause serious injury.
People do however, and I expect a rash of answers now saying so.
laugh.gif
 
I see plenty of people transporting horses in cattle trailers up here but i cringe every time i see it after watching the video mentioned earlier.
 
My horse goes in a cattle box all of the time,infact he travels better in that than in my horse trailer.(he is super traveller though)
Alot of people use cattle boxes around where i live to transport horses hunting etc.
 
If many of you had seen the injuries I have seen then, believe me, you wouldn't do it again!
 
Plenty of straw on the floor so there is something to grip on and cross tied, and hopefully you should be OK.

Lots of horses/ponies transported in the livestock trailers round here on short journeys, they generally tend to survive...
There is also a consensus that they are safer in the livestock trailers than they are in horse trailers, but of course I can't remember why now...
 
Loads of people do it over here, I personally wouldn't as I have an accident prone horse.. but if I didn't have the trailer and I had a calm horse I probably would but I would cover up all the slats and put a lot of straw down..
 
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