Travelling a young inexperienced traveller a long distance...

5horses2dogsandacat

5horses2dogsandacat

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Im due to go pick up my new filly next weekend from wales, I live in cambridgeshire so its about 5 hrs there and 5 hrs back. Ive booked a 3.5 ton lorry with a nice low ramp thats big and airy.

I did the same journey in january to pick up my little boy, who was young and had never travelled and he was fine, this time the filly im picking up is rather nervous and a little bigger and I was just wondering other than haynets to occupy her if there is anything extra I can do and also perhaps some sort of calmer I can give her before or during travel that will just take the edge off her... :confused:

I've tried the NAF calmers before and found them to be pretty good, I gave one to my TB when he was worked up and starting to show v.v.early signs of colicing, which sorted him right out thankfully!!

xx
 
Have you not a little pony/horse that travels well to keep her company?
Or barrow one from a friend?

I had a little pony that was such a star to travel she travelled with many a horse, she was a very useful little thing, always borrowing her out too. To trusted friends only though mind.
 
I went to a conference at Myerscough a couple of years ago, and an expert did an analysis of a horses pulse rate on a 6 hour journey, and again on the same 6 hour journey back the following day.

I think the study was done on race horses, they also took the horses resting pulse in the stable too for comparative purposes, and what was really interesting was that the horses pulse significantly rose when loading and un loading, but once travelling it quickly settled down to the same level as in the stable for the rest of the journey.

I can't remember how many horses where studied, but the results seemed similar across the board.

If you do want to try calmers the Global Herbs supercalm seems to be quite a good one.
 
Give the horse as much room as you can, so it can change how it balances. If possible move the partitions so the horse has a double space, it can then decide if it wants to stand herringbone and what angle and it can really spread its feet if it gets tired and needs to do that to balance itself. I also believe some horses suffer a bit from Claustraphobia and that should help to make it a nicer experience.

I am sure you know (but it took me many years of a badly travelling horse to find out and suprised how many 'experts' don't know) the partitions are only there to separate the horses not for the horse to lean on ...... unlike humans horses Never willingly lean on anything!!! And the more space you can give the horse, the more confidence it will get in its ability to travel.

Good luck!
 
I will happily admit I've only ever travelled babies in trailers, but principles would be the same for me I think.

How old is the filly? If a real baby, I usually take partitions out, bars, everything, put a bale of straw down. I would not leave a haynet in, too risky for me, as I would then travel the baby loose. I have always then driven straight home, not opening the trailer at all until I arrive back at my yard.

When I had a camera in a posh towing car I borrowed, the filly laid down and that was that for 3 hours!
 
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