Traveling a horse loose.

[Sandstone1]

Does anyone travel their horse loose?
My youngster has not travelled much and transporter advises travelling without the partion and loose. Any thoughts on this places as never done it before.
Would be a small lorry box.

 

[rara007]

Have done with youngstock Travelled well and stopped the pesky colt rearing over anything!

 

[Sandstone1]

Thanks for quick reply!
Any safety reasons not to do this? It's only a short journey.

 

[BlueSocks]

Hi, I travelled my youngster loose when I collected her. I'd never done it before either! It was the first time she had travelled and we had a 3 hoour journey home - I was soooooo nervous! I put plenty of bedding in and hay loose oon the floor. Some people wedge straw bales at the front of the trailer as a buffer in case of the horse falling but I didn't bother as I was worried about them dislodging. Anyway, everything was fine - initial 15 mins of booting the trailer to hell and back (bulging sides as seen in my wing mirror!!!), and then she settled. We could see her moving around, she didn't have any balance issues and was perfectly comfortable. She ate all her hay. And wasn't even sweated up when we unloaded her!! So don't worry, it will be fine. Goes without saying, make sure all the doors are fastened, and that there is nothing inside the trailer for them to attach themselves to. Also, doing stop unless there is something very serious going on - they get more disturbed by stopping and starting.

 

[serenityjane]

My mare has travelling stability issues and has fallen three times when travelling, and suffered injuries scrabbling to get back up! Travel her loose with or without the partition on the passenger side of the trailer and she has no issues, but tied or on the drivers side, then she loses her balance! Have travelled her loose with or without the partition and another horse and she does not move at all! Also travel our colt loose with his mother, without a partition.

 

[Spot_the_Risk]

Travelled many youngsters loose in a trailer before, obviously with no partitions, bars etc, and they've always travelled well. Once Tinner is back to loading practise I think this will be the way forward with him, hopefully not forever though...

 

[Sandstone1]

Thanks, I'm a bit of a nervous nelly when it comes to transporting.

 

[AdorableAlice]

Standard practice with youngstock. I would however, give consideration to the type of transport being used. So many of these small boxes that are so common now seem to be converted transit type vans rather than coachbuilt horse boxes. I was at a show on Saturday and there were boxes that seemed to be just an outer skin and a bit of plywood.

If I saw a wall bulging when a horse kicked it or leant on it I wouldn't be using it for livestock.

 

[LittleTero]

I've a friend whose a dealer and anything young or tricky always goes in and travels without a partition and loose. We even often travel the hunters two together in the trailer just tied to each side and found they travel a lot better. You'd think doing this they might stand on each other, or kick or numerous other things but (fingers crossed) it has now become the norm on hunting mornings with all sorts of different horses and we find that so far we have had much much more happy travellers. I think they feel freeer perhaps and more relaxed. It's also helpful if one has to stay in alone after the other is removed, even if they kick off they can't get stuck over any bars, which ironically happened to someone I know when she left her horse on it's own in a partitioned trailer at a show. Amusingly (the horse was totally unharmed by this otherwise I wouldn't find any of it amusing!) this person had previous to this incident told me and dealer that we should NEVER travel horses without partitions because it was dangerous and if that was the safest way partitions wouldn't have been invented..... Hmm. For the young ones especially when they are loose they can move around until they find the spot where they feel the most balanced and then they stay there. Much better for them I think to be able to do that than be stuck in a regulation partition that they might find unbalancing. I think very sound advice from the transporters and deffo go with it

 

[Abby-Lou]

Traveled a foal in trailer back from Ireland loose no problem

 

[Sandstone1]

Thank you, it's a 3 1/2 ton box.

 

[Illusion100]

Yes, I've travelled youngsters loose in a lorry and trailer. Never had an issue and I personally think it's the safest way for them. The only one I've tied was a very calm and sensible 2 yr old but the partition was taken out of the trailer beforehand and she travelled without a problem.

 

[BlueSocks]

If I saw a wall bulging when a horse kicked it or leant on it I wouldn't be using it for livestock.

I agree that some boxes are tatty but having flexion in a material does not equal weakness. In fact materials that don't cope with flexion are often the weakest. My trailer is an Ifor Williams 510 so perfectly safe for travelling horses.

 

[Highlands]

Know a lot of transporters who do and they are the experts!