Travelling Tacked up?! Do you?

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EquestrianFairy

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I drove past a horsebox yesterday which had pulled over on the side of the Road (No idea what was going on) but they were unloading the horses fully tacked up with a headcollar over the bridle which i assume was used to tie the horse to the box inside.

Do others do this as i never have before nor seen it myself before.

??
 
I have on occasion put bridle on as mare can be VERY difficult once we arrive somewhere, but only on short journeys, bit of a risk and wouldn't do it everytime but can make life much easier
 
If its a short journey (say 10 - 15 mins) i will travel tacked up - normally we go furthur so tack up when we get there.
 
If going for a lesson then travel with saddle on (its only about 15mins away), never ever travel with bridle on as my boy is very nosey and would probably hang himself on the way! If going further then he is untacked as always think they have their tack on long enough when working without travellling an hour wearing it.
 
I always tack up before loading, it is the normal thing to do for hunting, as horses are too excited the other end to tack up! Done this for years, never had a problem and think it's safer if a problem ocurred (more control).
 
If horse travels well but is an idiot to tack up once there then I've been known to travel tacked up.
 
Generally no, not worth the risk imho and it only takes a min to tack up. But if I know horse will be hard to tack up when there and it is only a short distance then will in that situation. Always with headcollar over bridle for tying up (with reins twisted up) and a light rug over saddle with run up stirrups to reduce the chances of anything catching.
 
was going to last week for short journey then decided not to as he may have thought he was going hunting !! not conducive to quiet dressage test !! my last yard people did for short distances but I was always worried about horses getting caught up on something.
 
I used to travel my old boy fully tacked up to go hunting or XC, as I didnt have a hope in hell of getting tack on him once I was there!!
 
I've done it twice when rushing and both times I've arrived with a broken bridle.I don't do it now although it can be a pain trying to tack up a dancing horse when she can't wait to get out hunting :)
 
Always tacked up the hunters before they went on the lorry, they are too excited once they get there and at 18hh we don't want to try and put a bridle on when they are piaffing about!! It is the norm at most hunting yards.

I used to tack my mare up when I went to cross country as she got too excited.
 
i have never done it maybe if i went hunting by not with my nutter :P i think if i did he would ruin all his tack as he loves to screatch his head on all the bars etc but i do sometimes put on his bridle in the trailer whilst unloadsing cos he gets soooo excited!
 
As others have said, I always travel tacked up for hunting. Twist the reins up and hook one side under the stirrup then headcollar over the bridle and a fleece over the top to protect the tack. I have occasionally travelled home tacked up when the weather has been atrocious and it’s a short journey, but as a matter of course I untack.
 
Yes, every time with my boy. He's cold backed and can be a right ar5e to tack up and get on in strange places. The stirrups are run up with a cover put on the saddle and the reins are twisted round with the throat lash threaded through. He wears a head collar over his bridle to tie up. We've never had any problems in the last 7 years doing this.
It's not worth stressing him out once we get to shows, he's excited enough as it is :)
 
Always unless going a particularly long way (over an hour or so). All horses on our yard usually go tacked up for Hunting or any competitions etc. Saves messing on when get somewhere but then no one on our yard uses travel boots. The have tail bandages, headcollar over bridle and a cotton sheet over saddle etc.
 
I always travel with the head collar over the bridle. Sometimes I travel with the saddle on too, depends where I'm going. On the way home though she's un-tacked.
 
I'm sorry but I hate horses travelling tacked up, I will not travel a horse tacked up as could get caught on something, get overhot, damage the saddle- (although I appreciate the usefulness of travelling tacked up if a horse is going hunting)
 
K27 said:
I'm sorry but I hate horses travelling tacked up, I will not travel a horse tacked up as could get caught on something, get overhot, damage the saddle- (although I appreciate the usefulness of travelling tacked up if a horse is going hunting)
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I'm much of the same opinion. the only time I have ever travelled a horse with a saddle on he came down in the box! I can see the value of travelling with a bridle under a headcollar with difficult or excited horses though, Ijust think its too big a risk if you can avoid it.
 
I never have - not even for hunting. I have enough control of my horses... Anyway I liken it to me driving around in my body protector - not nice!

There are a lot of hunting practices that have been done for years, that are not really good horsemanship. Leaving a just washed off horse on the box while you go to the pub, for example, or roughing them off too quickly at the end of the season. I was at York horse sales this spring, and I've never seen so many lwould-have-been-lovely, lame, old and skinny hunters. A true hunter is not always the most valued horse, and mine are. And I'm quite old-school in a lot of ways, but not in cases like these..
 
I do if its only a short journey, although my horse hasn't been travelling well lately (we can't find a reason for it as my mums horse travelling with him is always fine) so I have been leaving his saddle off as I find with a lot of movement the saddle has the tendancy to slip back and then you have to take it off and readjust it anyway! Much easier for hunting to tack up before you go, they are excited when they get there and wont stand still!
 
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