Travelling a wild horse

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*Spider*

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Anyone ever done it before?
Would you sedate?
It's a long 4/5 hour journey to a better life.
This horse is currently stabled, untouched but now I've built him up to stroking his nose over the door. I'm off to uni now and need to travel him.
I'm worried that it's too soon as he's never been out his stable and he's going to freak the hell out.
I plan to travel him with my other pony who he loves but he's never travelled either. Will they struggle/panic? I've taken their sister who travelled amazingly and didn't make a peep but worried that little wild one will be frightened and injure my other.
 
I think I would spend as much time as possible trying to get further than stroking over a door, I would want a headcollar on and to be able to at least walk it around a stable or enclosed area before trying to travel, if anything went wrong on the journey you may have to be able to get hold of it. However nervous it is at some point you have to make the next step, I had one in my yard that arrived almost wild but had a headcollar on, the only way to get hold of it was to hook a wire coathanger, improvisation :), under the headcollar and pull her to me, it took several days but if left she would have taken months to gain any trust and have been shut in for even longer, once I could get hold of her the next steps were much quicker and easier for her.

I would travel loose, with plenty of straw and some hay on the floor, I dont like the idea of sedation, they will come out of it and could be worse but there are bound to be other suggestions.
 
Could you not give him something like Magic calmer just take the edge off..just add the powder to a feed several days before.

I was give a little New Forest mare that you could not get near. She was driven into the barn and then into my trailer, then the process was reversed at my yard.

As long as the journey is good they will soon come round at the new place.

I would also travel loose.

Wild ponies are transported so it should not be a problem.
 
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I'd sedate with sedaline, a friend of mine recently bought a yearling which hadn't had much handling at all. He was travelled back in a cattle trailer, loose but with head collar left on. Sedalin takes a good half hour to 45 minutes to kick in, but this youngster didn't make a peep on the 2 hour journey home. Which ever you decide to travel in make sure it is completely enclosed as if he panics, horses usually look for the first escape route - the opening at the back of the trailer. Again if you travel with it with a partition and breast bar it's likely the horse will end up with it's legs over it one way or another :)
 
Not keen on sedation for travelling. They need to be able to balance themselves which is difficult if they are woozy. I find they soon settle once journey gets under way and are busy adjusting to the motion. As others have advised, travel loose with plenty of bedding and some hay on the floor.
 
Hi, I have travelled wild New Forest ponies to their new home. Take all the partitions out and travel them loose. Lots of hay on the floor and shut the door above the ramp to avoid escapees!! Once on the move they settle down. I would advise against sedation as they need balance to travel.
 
I'm too for the no sedation as they need to balance. Travel them lose with all doors shut and take it very steady.

Good luck!
 
Just an update!
Just literally seen this thread. Had a big break though with the little lad. Got a headcollar on him, all by myself! Feeding him over the door, managed to loop it over his head whilst feeding stroking and then did up the nose.
I then got in the stable with him. He was VERY scared and panicked a lot but after half an hour I coaxed him over to me with food and stroked his head, then slowly held his head collar. He freaked and was spinning his bottom at me so I just moved with him until he stopped and calmed down. Was rubbing all along his back, neck etc. he then calmed down enough to let me walk him round the edge of his stable.
So pleased, as soon as I got the head collar on him I just stroked him and told him he was now safe <3
It's taken so long to get to this stage. He's so scared and fell over yesterday when I went to see him as just seeing me over the door scared him!
Can't wait to let him live it large, next step is getting his feet done as they're all upturned, no forgetting cutting matts out and de licing him!
 
Definitely do not sedate, we tried loading one for someone that had been sedated & it was a nightmare. I would do as the others said, take all the partitions out & travel that way, usually once you get moving they are so busy concentrating on balancing in the trailer they dont have time to think of anything else.
 
*Spider* said:
Just an update!
Just literally seen this thread. Had a big break though with the little lad. Got a headcollar on him, all by myself! Feeding him over the door, managed to loop it over his head whilst feeding stroking and then did up the nose.
Click to expand...

Well done!!

I'd reiterate what Ribbons has said. Herd the pony into the trailer, with everything out of it except some hay on the floor. Shut all the doors/ramps and away you go!!
 
I haven't read the replies but I bought a just weaned colt, totally unhandled and weaned the day before I bought him. He was herded onto the trailer with a rick steady companion and travelled for over an hour just fine. The biggest issue was getting him Off the trailer! But he coped just fine. Took me a week afterwards to get hold of him and start working with him, but the actual travelling but was just fine :)
 
Okay so now do I travel with or without partitions? Will they not spin around run etc. or shall I try with partitions first and if not, sod it, bung them on and go?
Thanks so much guys x
 
Yes....partition needs to come out. In fact EVERYTHING bar hay on the floor.
All doors shut to avoid escapees and away you go.
Once you start moving ponies will have to balance themselves, so kicking the walls out the trailer will be the last thing they are thinking of!
 
You can talk to one of the big welfare centres if you need to , they travel plenty of wild ones, just get them in and close up the doors, ventilate obviously. Make sure the jockey door is closed and locked first, face the trailer so sun is shining in to it.
If you make sure they are hungry [6-10 hours] then they will be more interested in hay on floor.
You can't use partitions until they are halter trained to tie up, and also they might be rather small.
 
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I used to stable next to a yard which bought and sold wild ponies. They always travelled them loose, just herded them in. You need some kind of gates to do it or they will just run off the trailer ramp.

Take the partitions out, they dont wreck the trailer, dont seem to bother at all.

However if you try to leave the partition in you could have a nasty accident. If they are not used to being tied up they can panic. They also panic if confined in one side. I have seen people try to do this and they have ended up with ponies upside down under the partitions and stuck over front bars, all sorts.

You can get away with partitions in a lorry, put the one used to travelling at the front behind a partition and let the other one loose at the back. Unfortunately it doesn't work in a trailer.

If you do it, dont forget to shut the top doors at the back, they can try to come over.

Personally I wouldn't do it, would be too frightened that it could put the one who is used to travelling off it. It will cost more but most transporters are experienced in travelling these ponies and actually do a good job.
 
As others have said, travel them loose with nothing at all inside the trailer apart from the ponies and straw on the floor. Close the trailer up, including the doors above the rear ramp. If you don't have doors above the ramp, you MUST block this off as unhandled ponies WILL try to escape if they are frightened. This has to be done before you load them up, either doors ready to close or boarded up above the ramp.
Whatever you do, DON'T open any door or ramp once they are inside. Shut the doors and go, they will find their balance when on the move, and don't open anything at all until you get to your destination and a secure area to unload them.
Stock trailers are good for transporting "wild" or unhandled ponies, as the gap at the top of the ramp is smaller than on a horse trailer. The gap is easier to board up. The gates on the back, inside the ramp, also give you something to close them in with while the ramp is put up..the SECOND they are inside.
Most of all, don't worry if you feel them moving around while you tow, they will only be finding their balance.
Good luck and enjoy. :)
 
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joeanne said:
Yes....partition needs to come out. In fact EVERYTHING bar hay on the floor.
All doors shut to avoid escapees and away you go.
Once you start moving ponies will have to balance themselves, so kicking the walls out the trailer will be the last thing they are thinking of!
Click to expand...

This
Also, you probably weren't going to, but whatever you do don't try to tie it up to travel if its unhanded. Everything out the box, lots of bedding/hay on the floor and as soon as he's on then get going. He'll be fine, cattle are travelled like this all the time, as are feral horses.
 
I wouldn't travel the wild one with your other pony - as you say, the likelihood of one or the other getting injured if the wild one panics is too high to risk in a moving vehicle.

I'd get a good solid trailer, remove the centre partition, put down a decent straw bed, and travel him loose. Herd him in, shut it all up tight so he can't jump out, then go quietly and calmly - no quick pulling away, gentle round corners, easy on braking. Give him a gentle ride and I'm sure he'll come off fine at the other end :)
 
I bought an ID colt foal years ago, unhandled, weaned the day I picked it up and already 14hh (finished at 18h).

Simply backed trailer to door (Rice 2 horse, everything removed, small window taped over) boards were put each side of the ramp to block the gaps and in he went, herded from behind.

Closed top doors and down the M6 he went. Small amount of rocking and rolling in the first 10 minutes then nothing.

Got home, backed trailer to door, line the sides of the ramp with straw bales and dropped the ramp. Foalie was eating hay, dry as a bone. He did not want to leave the box and we did give him as long as he wanted to do so with no shoving or herding.

The main thing to remember is frightened horses will look towards daylight to escape and they do not realise that a few inches of daylight is not enough to get through, so close your box up properly.
 
AdorableAlice said:
I bought an ID colt foal years ago, unhandled, weaned the day I picked it up and already 14hh (finished at 18h).

Simply backed trailer to door (Rice 2 horse, everything removed, small window taped over) boards were put each side of the ramp to block the gaps and in he went, herded from behind.

Closed top doors and down the M6 he went. Small amount of rocking and rolling in the first 10 minutes then nothing.

Got home, backed trailer to door, line the sides of the ramp with straw bales and dropped the ramp. Foalie was eating hay, dry as a bone. He did not want to leave the box and we did give him as long as he wanted to do so with no shoving or herding.

The main thing to remember is frightened horses will look towards daylight to escape and they do not realise that a few inches of daylight is not enough to get through, so close your box up properly.
Click to expand...

All very good advice there ^^ particularly the loading & unloading methods :)

Have done exactly the same when collecting unhandled ponies from all over UK including adult ones who last came close to a person when they were gelded as a late foal or even left entire to 'run on' & were strapping 3 or 4 yr olds.
Have travelled 2 or 3 loose together in large lorry as much safer that way.

I would not think of trying to put a headcollar on for travelling OP, even if you do get one on. As for travelling your handled one, I'd make sure it was either good to travel & load etc before loading it on 1st with full partition between it & the unhandled one, do 2 trips - or get a pro in to take the pair if they have to go together.

Good luck & let us know how things work out :)
 
Thanks for advice everyone. I'm going to go up and see him now.
Just worried that they'll get flung about travelling loose and not sure if my friend has the key for the jockey door. She has a Richardson which has a window at the front which she's taken out for ventilation.. Should I tape it up? Will they not get hot??0
 
paulineh said:
Could you not give him something like Magic calmer just take the edge off..just add the powder to a feed several days before.

I was give a little New Forest mare that you could not get near. She was driven into the barn and then into my trailer, then the process was reversed at my yard.

As long as the journey is good they will soon come round at the new place.

I would also travel loose.

Wild ponies are transported so it should not be a problem.
Click to expand...

I'd do this. Definately would travel the pony loose (ideally in a box than a trailer), I think a partition would be very dangerous with a wildie. I also wouldnt bother taking your other pony - too risky that it could get hurt and IMO dont think its necessary, would probably spook the pony out even more having to be in a strange moving vehicle as well as being squashed in there with a strange horse! I wouldnt worry too much about it getting hot, if you have 2 of them in there then that'll increase the hotness (another reason not to take yours). At the end of the day, you just need to get the pony to its destination safely.
 
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*Spider* said:
Thanks for advice everyone. I'm going to go up and see him now.
Just worried that they'll get flung about travelling loose and not sure if my friend has the key for the jockey door. She has a Richardson which has a window at the front which she's taken out for ventilation.. Should I tape it up? Will they not get hot??0
Click to expand...

Believe me, they are quite capable of standing up on their own as long as you have a calm thoughtful driver who backs off GENTLY at corners, when stopping and going round roundabouts. Remember at every roundabout, the horse has to brace itself for stopping, starting off with a left hand bend then straight into a right hand bend then straight into another left hand bend before straightening up again. The slower you can do those movements and the more you can straighten out the bends so much the better to give them a good ride so that they won't be worried about travelling ever again.

Brilliant advice from Alice as usual, do all of that by the book and you won't go far wrong.

BTW, if you do any motorway do remember to slow right down and give them time to get used to going around bends again; don't think because you've done 50 up the motorway you can still do 50 on other roads without frightening them if they get tossed about.

As to whether they'd get hot, so what, it's a good deal better than trying to get through a small space and the damage, not only to limbs but their brains too can do; they'll cool off when they get where they're going.
 
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