travelling.. would you in a ...

[jhoward]

would you travel a pony in a livestock trailer (metal type)??? no breast bar but cross tied.

pony is a 5 year old travelled a handful of times in a trailer and is perfect to load and travel on own and in company.

 

[mattilda]

Mmmm not sure. Would hate for a youngster to have a bad ride and then be put off travelling. I have an 18 year old who is a horrific traveller and is a pita to load. Can you have a short drive round and see how he/she gets on before you go any distance?

 

[Bikerchickone]

Yep! My currently rising 5 year old often travels this way. She can spread herself out and get her balance more easily, can't get trapped/fall under a partition and comes out calm and happy.

She went to her backing yard in a cattle trailer and despite me being concerned was fine. Loaded happily as usual and have had no problems afterwards loading in cattle trailer or normal one, and she's not the easiest going chestnut mare in the world either

 

[Capriole]

no I wouldnt, not without a breastbar

 

[jhoward]

Mmmm not sure. Would hate for a youngster to have a bad ride and then be put off travelling. I have an 18 year old who is a horrific traveller and is a pita to load. Can you have a short drive round and see how he/she gets on before you go any distance?

nope pony is off on trial.. im REALLY not keen tbh if she was being directly sold i wouldnt care, but at the moment i do.. she is a real gem to lead .. last loaded on a road, without even needing to move the partition.

 

[Potato!]

Personally I think she will be fine. But it's not my pony. I think I would be happier if no breast bar as if she was to slip she won't go down under the bar.

 

[Capriole]

I didnt think it was legal to travel without a breastbar (could be wrong as ive never wanted to try it, for safety reasons alone)

If you arent keen, JH, can other arrangements be made?

 

[jhoward]

and ive just been informed that they are towing a LRGE livestock trailer with a small 1.9 van

 

[Capriole]

oh no, tell them no lol

 

[Marydoll]

and ive just been informed that they are towing a LRGE livestock trailer with a small 1.9 van

OMFG, JH It wouldnt be my pony going away on loan in that , and id also be a bit worried how safety conscious they'd be with said pony when they had it, one bad ride in a trailer can give no end of problems.

 

[jhoward]

shes not going on loan she is going on a short trial prior to sale.

i said yes but burness is just trying to see if she can borrow another trailer and tow with her 4 x 4.

i sold my trailer last saturday ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

 

[Paris1]

I thought travelling horses without a breast bar was illegal!!

 

[Bikerchickone]

shes not going on loan she is going on a short trial prior to sale.

i said yes but burness is just trying to see if she can borrow another trailer and tow with her 4 x 4.

i sold my trailer last saturday ARGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

I don't think the cattle trailer is a problem, but I wouldn't be happy with the towing vehicle. When we did it the towing vehicle was a defender and the person doing it knew what they were doing.

 

[jhoward]

panick over they have borrowed a 4x4

 

[Sayra]

I think it is illegal to travel without a breastbar but that in a horse trailer where the front of the trailer is "pointy" in a livestock trailer the front is square. I know people who travel horses in livestock trailers and I would be happy to take mine in a livestock trailer.

However, if someone was taking my pony on loan that I had not travelled in livestock trailer then I wouldn't let them do it as I wouldn't know how my pony would react.

 

[*hic*]

I have travelled my Section A quite happily in a livestock trailer, but I travel her cross ways in it with the cattle gate across so she has an area similar to a herring bone horsebox.

 

[Beausmate]

The reservation I would have is the floor. Chequer plate stuff usually found in livestock transport can be hugely slippy! Decent layer of shavings or something might help though.

Oh, how big is the pony and how high is the trailer? 14.2 in a sheep trailer probably wouldn't fit

 

[lauraandjack]

Plenty of people do this.

Some of the larger IW stock trailers are actually adaptable for horses and have a breast bar and horse partition you can put in.

Otherwise just travel them herringbone as if they were in a lorry.

Metal floor can be an issue but plenty of bedding/rubber matting or carpet is a satisfactory solution.

Bet a livestock trailer is a damn sight safer than many poorly maintained horse trailers and lorries out there...............

 

[maisie06]

YUP! Straw it up well and many horses travel very well this way.

 

[Caol Ila]

Everyone and their mother in the US uses stock trailers, and everyone who has one insists their horses travel better in it than they do in a straight loading trailer.

 

[Ollie's Mum]

I know people do travel them in livestock trailers but personally I would only travel a horse in something specifically designed for a horse.

 

[Laafet]

We used to with my old boy, he was a difficult loader but was fine in this type of trailer. However when we were looking for transport and having a nosey at our options, the chappy at IW said that they could not condone travelling a horse in one and would not be keen to sell us one knowing that we going to use it exclusively for horse transport. Can't remember why as it was some time ago.

 

[Potato!]

yes but this is a one off journey as she cannot get hold of a horse trailer.

 

[Ollie's Mum]

Doesn't really matter whether it's a one off or not does it? A livestock trailer isn't designed to take a horse and it can just as easily fall and be badly injured on just the one time out! Horse trailers can be fairly easily hired - why take the risk?

 

[Maesfen]

I thought travelling horses without a breast bar was illegal!!

Not in a livestock trailer, big difference.

 

[Potato!]

Well my OH's IW Livestock trailer has partitions and breast bars for horses so tell me whats the difference between that and an old rice trailer with the flat front. Also ive know of horses that have been travelled with a breast bar and no partition and have slipped and gone down and broken there necks/backs on the breast bar when they have gone down either under it or on it.

So yes i would rather travel my horse in a livestock trailer than some of the older horse trailers as they are IMO safer.

 

[Potato!]

Doesn't really matter whether it's a one off or not does it? A livestock trailer isn't designed to take a horse and it can just as easily fall and be badly injured on just the one time out! Horse trailers can be fairly easily hired - why take the risk?

http://www.iwt.co.uk/products/livestock/ta510?tab=details i see in the details of this trailer it says two 16.2hh horses.

 

[Bikerchickone]

Doesn't really matter whether it's a one off or not does it? A livestock trailer isn't designed to take a horse and it can just as easily fall and be badly injured on just the one time out! Horse trailers can be fairly easily hired - why take the risk?

Sorry but I disagree with this. The livestock trailer my mare (16hh) travelled in was described as able to carry two horses of up to 16.2hh, as above. My mare seems to travel much more happily in the livestock trailer than she does in a lorry, for example. She's a very temperamental chestnut WBxID and soon lets me know if she's unhappy. Every time she's been in a livestock trailer she's arrived calm, happy and leaves the trailer the same way. Not bad for a highly strung 3 year old as she was on her first trip. I wouldn't hesitate to use one again.

 

[Enfys]

would you travel a pony in a livestock trailer (metal type)??? no breast bar but cross tied.

pony is a 5 year old travelled a handful of times in a trailer and is perfect to load and travel on own and in company.

Yes.

If you tie him facing backwards he can brace himself against the front.
If he was loose he would most likely face backward and stand at an angle anyway, it is beyond me why horses have to travel facing forwards when any study will show that the majority prefer to stand facing backwards.

Most of the time we use a stock trailer, horses are either loose or just tied to one side, never bother cross tying.

 

[Enfys]

Everyone and their mother in the US uses stock trailers, and everyone who has one insists their horses travel better in it than they do in a straight loading trailer.

This, and yes, they do