Travelling mare and foal

siddywest

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Travelling a mare and her foal in a trailer with very good rubber matting, would you put bedding on top of the mats or not? If yes, which bedding? Shavings or straw?
 

brackenhappy

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i would put a good deep layer of straw down as the foal may want to lie down whilst being travelled.....wouldnt recomend shavings for a young foal as they can inhale the dust.
 

Maesfen

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Depends how far you are going also how young foal is, whether mare is normally good traveller or not.
For up to 50 miles, I wouldn't put anything down as you're not likely to stop en route. If you're stopping, I'd use what you normally use at home as then it won't be wasted.
We've found that foals only get down if you stop for more than a few minutes and it is imperative that you make sure they are up on their feet before you move off otherwise the mare could lose her balance, say at a roundabout, and possibly tread on the foal.
Also, make sure you cross tie the mare so she can't turn, possibly fill in under the breastbar so foal can't get through and the foal will probably turn so it can get at the milkbar.

Good luck, I always hate travelling them for the first time but they always seem to cope very well, just me being paranoid!
 

_jetset_

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I travelled mine with a bag of shavings down because he was only 5 weeks old at the time... My mare is not a good traveller, however with him she did not move a muscle, didn't sweat up (she always looks as though I have thrown a bucket of water over her whenever we get anywhere) and was really relaxed.
 

Maesfen

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Usually some straw bales on their ends so they're taller, tied together and tied to the breastbar so they can't topple over. We keep meaning to make a heavy ply sheet to fix across, maybe by drilling holes and tying to the BBar, but if you had to stop and quckly get to them that could be a problem. As it is usually only the first time you take them to stud when they are small enough to go under the bar, they have usually grown enough while they're away that you don't need to do it again (would be different though if they were only pony foals) so TBH, we just use the bales.
 

henryhorn

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We always used bales in a trailer too. I do however put straw bedding down because the foal then has more padding if it should ever fall. Travelling mare and foal in a box I used to tie the mare and leave the foal loose.
At one time we travelled both loose, the mares alwaysstuck their backsides in the drivers side orner and travelled facing backwards, but I feared the foal could get squashed so started to tie up..
Just creep round roundabouts, and a large sign on the back mare and foal in transit makes other drivers patient, they expect you to be crawling along!
 
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