Transporting a youngster home in a trailer who has never travelled

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SpruceRI

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I've bought a 2yr old filly whom I'm collecting at the weekend. She's never travelled anywhere nor done anything apart from been stabled a bit, wormed and farrier.

Stud suggests I travel her loose in the trailer with everything shut and the partition out.

So:

1) I have a breast bar that fits across the width of the trailer - should I put this in?

2) If she's loose, is it likely that she'll try to get under the breast bar/ bang her head on it?

3) if so, should I wedge/tie some bales of straw under it to keep her in place?

4) Or should I just cross tie her and hope for the best

5) Haynet or not?

6) I've got an Ifor Williams trailer so can shut the top door, and rear flaps, but then there's no ventilation. Surely that's not good?

7) should I put straw down or no bedding?

8) Journey will be about 2hrs

Thanks very much
 
I was always told to travel them lose with the top doors shut. hay on floor. That's the way tem travel them up from the forest, and always sems the safest way.
 
definitely shut all the doors, you should have a ventilation thingy on the roof which will suffice. I would put a decent amount of straw in.
If the stud say travel loose then I would not use a breast bar. I think if its a bigger horse I would have a bar in and cross tie provided the horse has a fairly level head on it.
 
Travel loose with nothing in and plenty of starw, don't use a haynet in case it rears and gets caught up, put hay on floor and shut all doors
 
I would travel loose.

Put a bed in,

Always use a breastbar, very dangerous without as a sudden stop could send horse crashing into groom's door and it bursting open, also the front of the trailer is not as 'enforced' as the sides and ramps.

Always shut all doors but have ventilation on roof open as far as it will go although it will get like a sauna in there (my one big gripe about them, why haven't they sorted something else out by now, we all can't travel with back doors open!)

On a journey that long, I would offer water but very much doubt if it will be touched.

Horse will probably turn to have bum facing the front so I would put some hay on the floor at the back as well as at the front (haynet if you must).

Depending how big it is (over 14 hands or not) I would tie some bales to the front breastbar tp stop it coming under the bar but also leave enough room that you can get through to horse if necessary.

I also wouldn't dream of travelling anything in anything other than a leather headcollar for safety and for one that age and relatively untouched, nor any bandages/boots of any description.

When you arrive at destination it might be an idea to shut all gateways just in case too; as you will have gathered, I'm a bit of a safety freak, both for you and the horse!

Good luck, it's not usually as daunting as it sounds!
 
With ours that haven't travelled before they get put in the trailer/box, completely loose, no haynets, nothing on the floor just the rubber matting (as with anything on the floor it makes it slippery). Close everything up and never tie them up. They have all travelled exceptionally well and they find their own balance for travelling. You shouldn't have any problems.
 
I've got to move my youngster who has not been travelled before in a few weeks time and I thought I might move him with my mare (his mother) but I am concerned that he will freak out so, I have to say, I think this loose methid seems a lot better...I was rather concerned that my mare might get injured and that he might hurt himself with being in such an enclosed space...he's also not great at being tied up and I certainly don't want to frighten him...he's three....what a clever idea...I wouldn't have though of that
 
Thanks for your comments

Reason I query the shutting all the doors bit is that I cannot open the sunroof/ventilation flap as it has been heat sealed due to it always leaking. It has got small air vents in the back doors so I hope that allows air to circulate a bit

I don't want new ned to have free range without the breast bar being up, as someone said, the front of the trailer where the jockey door is, isn't has robust as the rest of it.

So, a breast bar with 2-3 bales of straw wedged underneath it might be the order of the day, with hay chucked on the floor for it to nibble on, but no bedding?

Wish me luck!
 
travel loose, pack the area in front of a single breast bar with bales of straw, plenty of banked bedding with hay sprinkled around. dont travel on bare rubber flooring, it will be VERY slippery from urine and runny poo's from a probably stressed baby, just waiting for an accident to happen.

secure both the rear doors shut...

and good luck!!!
 
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