Transporting with no tail bandage

[autumn7]

My mare gets herself in a tizz when she knows she's going on an outing and putting a tail bandage on before loading proves difficult with pinned ears, clenched tail and much swinging round of bottom. The last three times I've travelled her without any tail protection which has saved us both a lot of aggro at the preparation stage.
She's a heavyweight cob so sports a super-solid derriere, and has a lovely full tail which hasn't appeared to be flattened or tousled in any way on arrival after travelling (Ifor Williams trailer) so I guess she doesn't particularly lean heavily on the breach bar to support herself. I travel her around once a week and journey times are usually up to an hour each way. She's 8 years old and loads and travels calmly.
Does anyone else travel their horses without any tail protection all the time? I hear about travelling with no or minimal leg protection but very little about tails!

 

[eahotson]

Yes I do.Welsh cob.Never seems to come to any harm.

 

[celia]

Our welsh mare has never worn a tail bandage when travelling. She doesn't wear boots/bandages either - she travels well and is very sensible so don't see the need. We'll probably put one on her when she starts doing some dressage next year though just to keep it neat!

 

[hudsonw]

Used to have the same problem so I gave up with a bandage but managed to used a padded one with velco...by the time he thinks about spinning round it's on!!!

 

[moiragedge]

Just be careful due to the legislation re transporting horses they should have tail protection the only thing they need legally this can be either tail guard/bandage or an appropriatly padded lorry.

 

[LauraWheeler]

Herbie travells with no leg protection and only wears a tail bandage on the way to the show to make his tail look smart and protect it if he poos in the lorry. Coming home I don't bother putting it back on. He doesn't sit on the back of the lorry so doesn't rub his tail.

 

[horsecrazy25]

I always travel mine in tail bandages and leg protection but if your mare happy without tail bandage then i wouldn't worry. You could always practice putting tail bandage on at home and just lead round field so she learns every time she has a tail bandage on doesn't mean she is off to a show. x

 

[Crazydancer]

I stopped using any bandages/boots etc when at a yard run by a transport company. The people who ran it always transported their own without, as he said over the years he had seen far more accidents and injuries due to them, and very few to horses that travelled 'naked'. I even heard a horror story of a horse that seriously injured it's tail when travelled a long way in a very tight bandage which cut off the blood supply! (Not sure if this was his true story or one of those 'urban myths'!)
If I needed to protect a plaited tail I used a padded guard with velcro as previous posted mentioned, much easier!

 

[TGM]

I've also heard that it is illegal to travel a horse without tail protection. Must say I always travelled our pony without with no problems though!

I actually don't like traditional tail bandages at all, as they can damage the tail, so if I have a horse which needs tail protection I prefer to use a tail guard. New horse needs one because he sits on his tail, and doesn't particularly like it being put on, but I find that if someone lifts a front foot it is easy to get him to stay still enough to have it on!

 

[LucyPriory]

I used to have a sort of padded 'toeless sock' with strings attached. The whole lot just slipped over the tail and then the strings were tied to either a roller or a loop on the matching rug.

Ancient technology but it worked

 

[Baileyhoss]

Is she the same with a tail guard?

One thing that might be an option - I tend to move the breech bar forward a notch or two and flip his tail over the bar. Then, he can lean his bum on the bar without scuffing his tail (and also lift his tail easily to have a poop without it getting all down his tail).

There is plenty room between the ramp and the bar for his tail. Bailey is short enough lengthwise to get away with this, so it depends if your lady needs the full length of the trailer.

 

[Three]

We always travel naked (well not us but the horses! )

The only time I've used a tail bandage on Dom is if I've chalked his legs wet and I don't want to end up with a grey end to his tail.

He's never worn boots to travel in (or at any other time).

Hadn't heard it was illegal to travel without a bandage though? Where can we check that out?

 

[autumn7]

Just be careful due to the legislation re transporting horses they should have tail protection the only thing they need legally this can be either tail guard/bandage or an appropriatly padded lorry.

This is interesting. I've never heard of this, in fact I have heard that some national/international transporters will not tail bandage horses due to cutting off blood supply if on too tight for hours on end and that if owners wish for them to be bandaged then owners must do their own to absolve transporters from responsibility if the horse was damaged. Is this so? Anyone know? I don't know whether this just applies to bandaging though and tail guards don't fall in to the same argument.

Why is it illegal to transport without tail protection yet OK for legs then? Tell me more!

 

[autumn7]

Baileyhoss - I've never tried a guard but did wonder if it'd be less hassle, just don't want to splash out unnecessarily I suppose as if she's going to be OK without, then it's fine by me. I just wondered if I was missing something though and if I'd be the only one doing it since I've been paying particular notice at her last three events to find a naked tailed traveller to no avail!

 

[Natch]

Just be careful due to the legislation re transporting horses they should have tail protection the only thing they need legally this can be either tail guard/bandage or an appropriatly padded lorry.

Really? I only question because I did a BHS level assessment last year on travelling, and this never came up.

To the OP, I would travel without, if there are no problems. Plently of horses do the same. Or if you are really bothered, try a velcro tail guard - much easier to put on.

To the person who wondered if tail damage due to a too-tight tail bandage was true or an urban myth, - it absolutely can happen. A horse I rode lost half his tail because of it being bandaged up out of the way of a hock injury: the bandage was too tight and left on for too long. Moral of that particular story is if your horse has a hock/back leg injury and you need to keep his tail out of the way - cut it off, that way it will grow back!

 

[TGM]

This is interesting. I've never heard of this, in fact I have heard that some national/international transporters will not tail bandage horses due to cutting off blood supply if on too tight for hours on end and that if owners wish for them to be bandaged then owners must do their own to absolve transporters from responsibility if the horse was damaged. Is this so? Anyone know? I don't know whether this just applies to bandaging though and tail guards don't fall in to the same argument.

Why is it illegal to transport without tail protection yet OK for legs then? Tell me more!

It seems to be what they are teaching people who go for their 'Certificate of Competence' or whatever it is called! I've only heard it via people who have done the course, though, so can't give more details.

 

[foraday]

There is no LEGAL requirement for a horse to wear tail or leg protection-DEFRA/EU rules! All a horse must wear for travelling is a headcollar.

It is down to owners preference or sometimes the way horses dictate!

Ideally if there is NO PADDING on the lorry/trailer where the horse sits its bottom and the horse gets sore then obviously think about a DE BOIS tail pad (velcro pad) if nothing else but if no problems then carry on!

 

[MagicMelon]

I personally wouldn't just because occassionally my horse might 'sit' on the ramp a bit. I dont think tail bandages alone do anything except keep it tidy so I use a tail guard always - its only 4 straps so can be done up far quicker than a faffy tail bandage.

 

[ossy]

I have never heard of the tail bandage being a legal requirement so am also intrigued. I used to work in the local council and our trading standards department had guidelines set out in accordance with The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 for transporting horses by road and they said that protective boots/bandages can be useful but not compulsery.

I always use a bandage/guard in a lorry when they are standing in the herringbone position but in a trailer I don't tend to use them so I'm sure your horse will be fine without one.

 

[Quadro]

I don't travel my SJers in them, i find they scratch etc and i ended up going through millions of them, so i just gave up! I have never ever had any injuries.

 

[kezimac]

Just be careful due to the legislation re transporting horses they should have tail protection the only thing they need legally this can be either tail guard/bandage or an appropriatly padded lorry.

Really I never knew that - mone has no tail bandage on as does the same as OP however, my breech bar is on the furthest setting forward and I put her tail over the bar so she even if she sits on bar she isnt sittting on tail. and tail is in the gap between breech bar and ramp.

 

[MerrySherryRider]

Mine travel naked and have found that horse transporters I've spoken to, tend to favour naked too.
In practice it seems more prevailent to use boots, tail bandages, fleeces etc amongst showing people.

 

[ISHmad]

I never travel mine without a tail bandage or one of the velcro on guards.

 

[Honey08]

I think if your horse travels perfectly quietly. and doesn't lean on its tail in the box, then its perfectly acceptable to travel without a tail bandage. We always travel our ponies in our 510 without as there are feet of space behind them!

I'd be very wary of tucking a naked tail over the bar - I've seen nasty rubs like this in the past. The underneath of the tail is the most vulnerable part, with no hair for protection, so can rub easily.. Best to let it hang naturally really..

 

[Caz89]

My boy travels looking like he is wrapped up in cotton wool! lol but he is one of those that's accident prone. Like someone else said try using a velco guard they are so quick and easily but they do tend to slip

 

[chickeninabun]

Mine are always naked for travelling. Even my pony who travelled for 14 hours in a trailer from Germany, she came in just a stable rug to keep the November chill off.
I booted up a loan horse I had, to go to a lesson. On the way home the instructor helped me put her boots back on and got home and the ones he did were all sore and rubbed. Best naked.

 

[autumn7]

Having read the wealth of responses (thanks everyone) I think continuing without is the way forward and see how it goes. If there's a problem then I'll have to invest in a speedily applied velcro protector which has got to be less faffing than bandaging, and resort to collaring a (reluctant) hubby to distract madam at the front end.

 

[Kokopelli]

I can't get a tail bandage on my boy he's to excited to get out somewhere but I got him a tailguard which is very quick to put on so I can get it on even with him flapping about. Have you tried a tail guard?

 

[muddy boots]

I've travelled mine without in a trailer and he has never rubbed but in a lorry he needs one as without he gets a messy rubbed tail.

Velcro wrap type protector is definately easier and not too expensive.