travaling heringbone

[mememe]

well i have had my lorry 4 about a year now and i travel my horse herringbone in it. the partitions have to be angeled slightly as he dosent fit sideways. i have angled them forwards as thats what i was told to do but at events i have noticed a lot of people angeling theres back.

which is the way you are supposed to do it? also he does seem to bang around a bit if you brake a little sharply could this be someting to do with how the partitions are set?

 

[Fiona]

We have ours angled slightly back rather than forward as I was always told that horses travel better facing backwards (think it means as you brake, they absorb the braking effect with their hindwuarters rather than front legs).
Our box is a 6.5 ton one, so prob slightly narrower than a 7.5 or an HGV, and not enough room for our v long 16.3 mare to stand totally sideways, have to angle partitions one way or another, so chose backwards for above reason.

Hope this helps.

Fiona

 

[Tia]

All my horses are travelled loose over here and they always always choose to stand facing backwards, so having your partitions allowing the horse to travel facing backwards is probably better.

 

[Starbucks]

Yes as Tia says, they naturally stand backwards when traveling so having them angled back is the best way.

 

[Maesfen]

Horses do seem to travel facing backwards much better, it also seems easier on their joints and muscles.
It will be a strange horse that doesn't bang about a bit if you brake sharply, as you'll be pushing them completely off balance. OK, in a perfect world, you're meant to come down your gears very gently so the horse hardly notices you have stopped or turned at all, you are not meant to hare along not reading the road ahead unless of course someone cuts you up or pulls out in front of you! By the same token, if you're coming off a motorway, very gently use your brakes to 'wake them up a bit' on the sliproad as many horses are prone to going to sleep almost as it's been a straight road; imagine their surprise to find they're suddenly doing bends and corners again! Put yourself in their place and think how you would feel if you fell off your perch without any warning!

 

[kerilli]

they should be angled backwards, so if you have to brake suddenly, the horse sits on his bum, rather than landing on his head! they travel much more happily that way around anyway.