Travelling a yearling, advice please.

Meowy Catkin

Meowy Catkin

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So...

I need to move a yearling on a short journey on wednesday. He'll be moved in an IW trailer. Most of the trip is flat, but the last little bit is hilly.

When I bought my filly, she was trailered from Hampshire loose, with no partition. When I moved the horses to Wales in a lorry, the mares were in stalls and the filly had two stalls with no partition and was loose in that.

I think that I should travel him loose, without the partition, but I'm having a little panic. He's not travelled before and is only just learning to tie.
 
Maesfen said:
Travel him loose but with the breast bar in and the back doors shut. He can learn his own balance better this way and won't be tempted to jump out if he does turn to face behind.
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I'd travel loose without the breast bar -- no oportunity for him to get caught on anything, all doors shut and a good bed of shavings in case he slips up. I traveled my yearling 80 miles like this on his first journey, He was fine.
 
Carlosmum said:
I'd travel loose without the breast bar -- no oportunity for him to get caught on anything, all doors shut and a good bed of shavings in case he slips up. I traveled my yearling 80 miles like this on his first journey, He was fine.
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^^^^^^ this:) we trailered a 5 mth foal on a 5 hour journey like this and he was fine, in fact he spent half the journey licking the front window:rolleyes:
 
I may be wrong but don't you have to have breast bar in place by law?...sure I heard something like that but it might not be right.
 
Carlosmum said:
I'd travel loose without the breast bar -- no oportunity for him to get caught on anything, all doors shut and a good bed of shavings in case he slips up. I traveled my yearling 80 miles like this on his first journey, He was fine.
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PLEASE, don't ever do this as it is so dangerous for everyone concerned. Just say you had to do an emergency stop, the yearling could fly to the front and through it with no trouble at all. Also just suppose he knocked against the jockey door which opened and he fell or was dragged out. To travel without a breast bar is the height of stupidity and asking for trouble which is totally preventable.

Kenzo said:
I may be wrong but don't you have to have breast bar in place by law?...sure I heard something like that but it might not be right.
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I've heard that too although I don't know if it's correct or not but it makes sense to minimise any risk of injury and travelling without a breast bar only increases those risks.
 
Maesfen - as you explained that is probably why but I wasn't a 100% sure on the facts but yes I totally agree as you say its there for safety.
 
I agree with traveling loose without bar
There is no right or wrong way to travel youngsters
And whether you brake sharply or leave the bar in
There hurt there selfs one way or another by doing either
As long as you take it slow you shouldn't have to brake sharply
And with the bar in the youngster is more and likely get over the top
 
Maesfen said:
PLEASE, don't ever do this as it is so dangerous for everyone concerned. Just say you had to do an emergency stop, the yearling could fly to the front and through it with no trouble at all. Also just suppose he knocked against the jockey door which opened and he fell or was dragged out. To travel without a breast bar is the height of stupidity and asking for trouble which is totally preventable.



I've heard that too although I don't know if it's correct or not but it makes sense to minimise any risk of injury and travelling without a breast bar only increases those risks.
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breast bar height even at the low setting would be still too high for a 5 mth welsh B, he could easily have got under it and done himself more damage getting in a panic, I don't know what the law says but i followed the advice of his breeder as she's been dealing with youngstock far longer than i have:)
 
our yearlings recently went on their first trip in a horse box- 2.5hr journey each way.

we travelled them as if fully grown horses- tied up, breast bar, partition and breeching bar. both were fine and travelled without incident. went straight back in at the end of a long day at a show and travelled home again fine.

;)

x
 
I,m with W&W can you not travel it with one that is used to traveling. I did my yearling with her mother on her first practice travel both tied up with partition in and then did next practice yearling on own tied up and partition in plus haynet. She had had a lot of handling though.
As you have said it is only a short way so what ever you do should be fine.
 
I've travelled a lot of youngsters in my IW510, with partitions, with full width breast & breech bars and with nothing at all. I've found that sometimes, whatever setting you have the breastbar on, it's in the way.

By far, I feel they are safest of all with nothing in the trailer. Close the back doors, take your time and go wide round corners. If you give him a smooth journey, he'll travel well in the future
 
We'll have to move our two babies back to their winter grazing in a few weeks. When we picked up the yearling to bring him here, he'd not had much handling so we hired a little 3.5 tonner and travelled him with a very wide partition and me in the back holding the rope. Likewise my now 2yo travelled loose in a 7.5 tonner when we went to pick him up as a weanling.

For the trip to the winter grazing, hopefully they will be OK with the trailer like grown up horses - we've been doing a bit of work loading and unloading so that they're confident with it.

I think if you absolutely have to travel them now and you haven't had time to give them the handling, then loose is best for them at least (even if not entirely legal in a trailer). However, if you can put a bit of time in with the handling and tying up and loading and unloading, there's no reason why they can't travel conventionally. They do learn very quickly and it would be safer and more legal all round if you can teach them to travel normally.
 
I am travelling my yearling to a show this weekend just as I would travel any other horse but then he is nearly 15hands I don't like the thought of him rattling around in there he'll get enough rope to
 
Carlosmum said:
I'd travel loose without the breast bar -- no oportunity for him to get caught on anything, all doors shut and a good bed of shavings in case he slips up. I traveled my yearling 80 miles like this on his first journey, He was fine.
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this is gd advice! as for the BB - your decision. you could always travel with him if you do decide to put the BB in. i know people will say you cant etc.. but its your decision - you are travelling the horse no one else! xx
 
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We just brought back in convoy the following

one mare and foal, no partitions, no breast bar, bed off straw, mare cross tied, ifor 511

next trailer, one 5 month filly foal as above but loose!

third trailer ifor, partitions, 3 year old 16.2 wb x

a 200 mile trip home, everthing locked up, and the only one who had trouble was the 3 year old who broke the partition. not badly, but needs replacing, apparently she can't cope with corners even really slow!

It was a long journey and we all stopped at every services on the motorway to give them and us a break.

never again we said! but only because it was so tiring literally on the road to there and back took 12 hours (not all driving!) but all arrived safe and sound and settled in really quickly!
 
my mare came over from Wales to Norfolk on her own 300 miles in an IW trailer first time in a trailer too and first time off the stud and was fine. no sweating winnying no nothing from her the whole way.
 
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