Travelling ready tacked up?

iv only ever travelled with a saddle on never travel with bridle. i just put a thin sheet over my saddle to protect it. I think its easier if travelling in a lorry to do it tacked up than a trailer, but i have done both never an issue. Just have girth tight enough so saddle doesnt move but not as tight as when riding.
Most people who hunt especially off a hunting yard will travel tacked up to save time. my horse is quite excitable so i plan to travel him tacked up to comps just to save having him dancing around while having saddle put on!!
 
I travel tacked up (saddle only)

I try to only do this when mare is on her own in trailer (single breast bar x-tied) if I had to do it with partition in, they'd wear a light sheet to stop anything catching.

Never a bridle cause it's just asking to catch on something and cause blind panic!
 
we always travelled our old racehorse tacked up, though mind only saddle not bridle as he had to have a pressure halter of to load. Girth done up but fairly loose. We did this to try and reduce stress and pressure when we arrived as he got very wound up and found it was really great saved much chasing around. However i wouldnt do it for long journeys.
 
yes - as we took them to a very exciting party and my then 4 year old did a lot of dancing about :D so it was much easier being tacked up and just jumpon :)
 
I have travelled saddled up but not with bridle. Not for any particular reason just so she can munch on her net easily whilst travelling. I put a rug on to stop leathers/stirrups catching on anything as she comes out rather hastily but in summer when rugless I take leathers/stirrups off purely for safety. I bridle up in the trailer before I bring her out.

Never had a problem and makes like a lot easier when you get to the other end.
 
Yes - ususally for fairly short distances, just saves the hassle of trying to get the saddle on while horsey is quite excited. I don't put the bridle on and I do have a rug on just to protect the saddle.
 
BoolavogueDC said:
That just made my stomach turn for you!!! :(
Click to expand...

So did mine when I saw it!! It also had a bent flap to go with the scrape (not scrap, as I put in my original reply!)... grr! Thankfully it was quite an old saddle and it was purely cosmetic but nevertheless I was still annoyed with myself for not putting either a saddle cover on or a rug over the top.
 
Have done occasionally, but not with bridles. In fact I don't leave mine with a bridle on ever in the wagon now, as once he got his fulmer bits caught on something, no idea what he did, but it was pretty bent :eek:
 
I do it regularly, though only for shortish distances - saves tacking up in the dark when I hire the indoor ;) Do remember to do the flippin' girth up though. I was looking in my rear view mirror and said "I could have sworn he was wearing a saddle when we left", pulled over and poor boy was standing there (patience of a saint) with it having slipped almost completely round. I am that thick...
 
I do it to warm the horse's back to the saddle. it also makes it quicker when getting there and easier if the horse is agitated on arrival. Always ensure the stirrups are rolled up and the girth snug so the saddle won't move but not too tight. If the partition is in then put a lightweight rug over the saddle - fleece of cotton sheet so that should they lean on the partition it won't rub.
 
Very common in the hunting world. I do travel tacked up, with rug or saddle cover, on shorter journeys to hunt meets, but not otherwise as I realise it's not ideal. We have two sensible horses who don't fidget. Have a halter over the bridle and close off any loose ends on the bridle and not have anything hanging off or dangling for them to get caught up on.
 
I do for hunting and used to for pony club, it used to be the norm. I normally just pop a rug on over the top of the saddle.

For general stuff now - I'll travel tacked up if I think there's a chance it's a horse who is going to fidget when we get there. If not, I'll travel untacked.
 
I posted a thread last night asking about alternatives saddle storage solutions for my new ifor williams trailer as I don't have a tack pack and don't really want to shell out the £100 (and the rest!) for one. Have found a solution now.

However this isn't something I actually thought about. I've got to admit, the thought of travelling my 2 boys with any tack on is making me on edge haha, it sounds strange but if I was to do it I'd much rather put their bridles on instead of their saddles...I know most people would do it the other way around! My boys are quite chunky (both fjords) so fill up the small space they have in the trailer quite well so I'm not sure saddles, even with rugs over the top, would be a great idea!
 
I always travel tacked up to go hunting- safer in my opinion than tacking up a very excited horse on your own! I don't at competitions as I've usually a groom to help. I don't travel with a net tho.
 
BoolavogueDC said:
Never a bridle cause it's just asking to catch on something and cause blind panic!
Click to expand...


It needn't be at all and we've never had a problem with travelling the hunters tacked up as long as you follow basic rules as we did.
Just put your bridle on but fasten the reins through the throatlash then a headcollar over the top. Put your reins over the withers but not behind the stirrups as if inside the throatlash, they would be too tight and it's safer to be inside the throatlash than not. Put a rug on over the saddle and fasten the front strap of rug over the reins as that causes them to not slip. Use a surcingle for over the rug and thread through the martingale strap on the girth. That stops the rug from slipping and also protects your saddle better than being unrugged.
If you don't use a breastplate/girth then do make sure your girth is tight enough that the saddle can't slip if it gets caught against a partition. This happened to a friend this weekend which ended up mare having to be stitched for bad over reach when she panicked as saddle had gone underneath her, she also bent the middle partition pole, no mean feat!
 
Maesfen - and make sure your horse is not wearing a fulmer, as the pointy bits can get into all sorts of mischief, esp if you have telescopic partitions and the holes that go with them (the only thing I can assume my horse did while being stood on the wagon, not even travelling!)
 
Stencilface said:
Maesfen - and make sure your horse is not wearing a fulmer, as the pointy bits can get into all sorts of mischief, esp if you have telescopic partitions and the holes that go with them (the only thing I can assume my horse did while being stood on the wagon, not even travelling!)
Click to expand...

Lol, perhaps a nose bag on too in that case! Must admit, can't think of any of ours which had fulmers although a few did have pelhams and back then telescopic partitions weren't even thought of! :) You can guarantee, if a horse can get into trouble - it will.:rolleyes:
 
chestnut cob said:
Yes, don't see a problem with it. Just make sure you put a cover over the saddle - I didn't once and saddle ended up with a big scrap down one side. Very annoyed with myself!
Click to expand...

Better the saddle than the horse!!! ;) I'd have been wanting to know what the saddle scraped on and why it happened too!!!

Personally I do travel short distances with saddle on (synthetic saddle..god love them so easy!) but never bridle, only cos he's a thug and if he could get it wrapped round something he would!!:rolleyes:
 
I practically always travel mine tacked up fully, whether it's the lorry or the trailer. We go hunting (fair distance away), PC (a bit nearer) and hacking (very near). The only problem I've had is a bent fulmer like Stencilface :) and I follow Maesfen's routine for tacking/rugging, although I use headcollars with the throat clip so instead of twiddling the reins through the throatlash which then has to be undone again, I twiddle them through the "throatlash" of the headcollar instead.
 
jsr said:
Better the saddle than the horse!!! ;) I'd have been wanting to know what the saddle scraped on and why it happened too!!!
Click to expand...

I have no idea how he managed to scrape it - he was in an IW 505 trailer and there was no damage at all to the trailer (or the horse, before or after that!). I still have the trailer several years later and there's nothing sharp or rough on either of the walls nor the partition. He never got himself into trailer before that day or after, and he didn't make any fuss or noise during the journey. So unless he suddenly decided he absolutely HAD to scratch himself somehow on the wall, I can't imagine what he did to scrape the saddle.
 
melxvengeance said:
My boys are quite chunky (both fjords) so fill up the small space they have in the trailer quite well so I'm not sure saddles, even with rugs over the top, would be a great idea!
Click to expand...

I can fit a 14,2 highland and a 15hh HW cob fully tacked up in a 506 - they're probably similar in width (conformation wise) to fjords. They're both in good shape though, so if yours are lardy you might have trouble! :D
 
Last edited:
I travelled my boy home last night with his saddle and boots still on and a rug over. Couldn't bear the thought of whipping off his saddle and washing him down with cold water so waited till I got home and washed him off with warm water :) It was only a 10 min trip though, prob wouldn't have done it if further away.
 
Maesfen said:
It needn't be at all and we've never had a problem with travelling the hunters tacked up as long as you follow basic rules as we did.
Just put your bridle on but fasten the reins through the throatlash then a headcollar over the top. Put your reins over the withers but not behind the stirrups as if inside the throatlash, they would be too tight and it's safer to be inside the throatlash than not. Put a rug on over the saddle and fasten the front strap of rug over the reins as that causes them to not slip. Use a surcingle for over the rug and thread through the martingale strap on the girth. That stops the rug from slipping and also protects your saddle better than being unrugged.
If you don't use a breastplate/girth then do make sure your girth is tight enough that the saddle can't slip if it gets caught against a partition. This happened to a friend this weekend which ended up mare having to be stitched for bad over reach when she panicked as saddle had gone underneath her, she also bent the middle partition pole, no mean feat!
Click to expand...

Good rules and makes sense that this works. If I ever need to bridle up beforehand, I will follow this advice :)
 
I used to always travel mine with bridle on when he was young as he's difficult to bridle & whilst the problem is manageable at home he was a nightmare to bridle when going out as he was so
excited. He's chilled out now when on outings so was able to stop having to do it. Sometimes have lessons with someone who's 10-15 mins up the road & do fully tack up to travel there. Still occaisionally travel horse with bridle on if I'm running late. Never had any probs with doing it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top