Travelling without a partition

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LouiseS1984

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Hi,
I have an Ifor 506 which i’ve just bought but on reflection our car might only really be suitable for towing one horse (due to kerb weight rather than plated towing capacity) There seems to be mixed opinion as to whether it’s safe to travel one without the partition or if actually this gives them too much space? I suspect he might prefer without the partition as travelled very well in a single trailer. We will of course try him with it in first but interested to hear people’s recent experiences.
Thank you.
 
My partners new horse can't travel with a partition - he needs the whole trailer to balance himself and travels a lot better this way.

You will find a lot of people share the same experience/opinion - you will need a full length breast bar though if you remove the partition.
 
as long as you have full length bars and I suggest cross tying your horse you should be fine. my boy wouldn't entertain traveling in a 511 with the partition in. he is 17.2 and we have recently been up to Aintree and back on the motorway. he travelled beautifully. I certainly wouldn't worry about not having the partition in
 
I had a Dales who we always travelled without a partition. He had full width breast and breach bars and used to choose to stand diagonally. He went from hating loading and being a bad and nervous traveller to being happy to load up and go anywhere.
 
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I can't really see how a horse can have "too much" space? Horses will nearly always travel either diagonally or rearwards if given the choice - it is far easier for them to brace against the movement laterally than front to back.

I am nearly always travelling a single horse and never use the partitions in our IW 510. If I have two horses we take the lorry.
 
Cortez said:
I can't really see how a horse can have "too much" space? Horses will nearly always travel either diagonally or rearwards if given the choice - it is far easier for them to brace against the movement laterally than front to back.

I am nearly always travelling a single horse and never use the partitions in our IW 510. If I have two horses we take the lorry.
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The amount of people who used to look horrified when I said we had solved our loading and travelling issues by removing the partition. I lost count of how many times people asked me, “But what he does he lean on to stay upright??”
 
scats said:
The amount of people who used to look horrified when I said we had solved our loading and travelling issues by removing the partition. I lost count of how many times people asked me, “But what he does he lean on to stay upright??”
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Yeah, I have several friends who insist that their horses can't travel without a partition to lean on (one says her mare will fall over), or who will move the partitions in my lorry closer to "give support". I moved a horse for a friend recently and we had a huge kerfuffle when I arrived with my trailer without partitions in (horse was a bad traveler): well, the horse has never traveled better! "Take the partitions out" is usually my first advice for people who have panicky horses in the box.
 
Also when you go to a show there's plenty of room to tack up inside the trailer. :)
Get a full width breast bar and cross tie. We used to have a couple of halter ropes tied permanently in the trailer at the correct length so the horse could move its head up and down to balance and eat hay, but wasn't able to turn around.
 
My oldest mare will only travel with no partition. She stands diagonally and is absolutely fine. I have also had people claim that their horse will fall over with no partition and think I’m mad to travel without one. You do need full length breast and breech bars though.
 
As per previous comments - I had a mare who used to thrash about in trailer with the partition in. Looked like she was cantering in the spot by the way she dug up the rubber mat. Got a nasty wound on her leg from the thrashing.
Tried double width breach bars and problem fixed.
Have kept the arrangement with my.current horse
 
Sorry to jump on the post OP, but I'd love to know whether anyone has had a horse who doesn't travel well without a partition? I'm thinking of taking mine out to give me room to tack up inside, but wary of spending 120 on bars and risk upsetting my good traveller... We have a very bumpy track to and from yard. Decisions, decisions!
 
I only ever travel one horse in a trailer and I never use partitions.
Full breast and breach bars and cross tie. The generally have a preferred corner to plonk their butt in.

Funnily, I’ve also never had a bad loader/traveller either
 
Another one who always travels one horse without the partition. As above, we leave two leadropes always tied up in the trailer so its no faff to cross tie. Just uncip lead rope and clip on two side ropes. All ours have travelled this way and loved it. So much easier on a miserble weather day. Always use full width breech and breast bars.
 
Double_choc_lab said:
Another one who always travels one horse without the partition. As above, we leave two leadropes always tied up in the trailer so its no faff to cross tie. Just uncip lead rope and clip on two side ropes. All ours have travelled this way and loved it. So much easier on a miserble weather day. Always use full width breech and breast bars.
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totally agree
 
If you don’t want to fork out money could always try removing back partition and keep front one in to see if travels any better. Works for some!

Mares and foals are travelled without a partition so there’s no reason a single horse won’t travel well provided is tied correctly!
 
For info here's a link to a HB506 full width bar - you can get them online via IWT etc - btw, I couldn't find the link on the IWT website hence this one on eBay but it's only for illustration: https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Ifor-Willi...idth-KX0815/701602175?iid=131991876477&chn=ps

Ps. I have a HB505 and removed the partition and my horse travels really well with just the full-width front/back bars. In fact as he's an OAP, he seems far less stiff in his hocks when he comes off the trailer now that the partition has been removed and he stands diagonally now, which obviously he couldn't do before.

Pps. Another big advantage is that it gives you much more room to get in to the trailer and tack up / remove travel boots/rugs etc before you take the ramp down.
 
when trailering my chap will NOT use partition, he hates them, and as long as bars front and back, most horses settle on a diagonal. Certainly not dangerous unless you are driving like a lunatic!!
 
This thread is really helpful as I've just had this dilemma when trying to decide whether to buy a single or double trailer. I'm only ever going to travel one due to towing capacity. Can people advise if it is necessary to cross tie in a mare/foal size trailer? I've just bought one, picking it up this weekend and want to make sure I don't get anything wrong! It's a cheval touring one and it's for my 16'3hh horse who is also long. I don't think he could turn round but am I better to cross tie in case? Main thing that put me off a double is that ability to tack up etc in limited space. Several venues near me ban tying up horses outside and I couldn't work out that I would have any space to manoeuvre with a partition in. It's good to know they generally travel better with more space. Some trailers were a bit of a snug fit and I can't afford a lorry!!
 
Both my geldings travel SO much better without the partition in on my 506.. I managed to buy 2 x full width breast bars for a bargain price of £30 locally to fit and haven't put the partition back in for years now. One of my geldings was going over the breast bar, going vertical etc. Took out the partition and he was better from that minute.

In answer to Fluffypiglet, I do pretty much 'cross tie' but very loosely and just so they can't turn their head completely back to look out but can move around. I have friends who cross tie really tight but they travel without a front breast bar (dangerous IMO) Ever since a friend of a friend had a horse that turned its neck around without it being cross tied to look back, she braked in traffic and the horse broke its neck its made me major paranoid about that injury.
 
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