Unsteady when travelling - boots suggestions please

[JULESMGARNER]

I haven't travelled my horse yet but according to his previous owner he is very unsteady in the trailer and she used to fully bandage him and then put travel boots on top. This seems a bit excessive to me but she says if she didn't do this then he would somehow stand on his own feet and by the time he got to the show often had pulled half his back shoe off !

I was considering buying some Sportabac travel boots made from thick neoprene as they were recommended to me as being incredibly protective but not at all bulky like normal travel boots. I thought I could use these and perhaps slightly too big overreach boots all round that went down to the floor to protect his shoes as I don't really want to have to bandage and boot up every time I go out, even for just a hack a few miles away. Plus there's the problem of getting an excited horse to stand still

Any ideas welcomed and has anybody here used the Sportabac boots ?

 

[Bosworth]

If he is unsteady DONT travel boot him. Many horses fine beeing put in travel boots too uncomfortable. they restrict the natural movement of the legs. And they stand on them - lose their balance and stand on themselves. You are far better putting on good quality brushing boots all round and overreach boots - If he pulls off his back shoes then put on overreach boots on those too.

In the racing industry horse are travelled with no boots whatsoever and very rarely have problems. And their horses can be worth millions.

 

[vhf]

Be careful using over-sized over-reach boots, as they can tread on them with another foot, find they can't move the first foot, and panic. (Spoken from experience).
Ditto travel boots if they start to slip down - with a nervy traveller, I often bandage over soft travel boots so that they act like superstrong gamgee and I know that no matter what, they won't slip and add to the problems.

It would help to find out why they don't travel so well... for example, was it only in a forward facing partitioned trailer (many don't like that)...

 

[Maesfen]

Ditto Bosworth completely!

People can wrap horses up in too much cotton wool sometimes thinking their doing their best but they're just making the horse uncomfortable which leads to fidgeting and so it goes on........................

 

[Keltic]

my mare was terrible travelling tilli stopped using boots now she is really good and travels very well i just use a tail guard. i dont use a patition just a breast bar and she is much happier.

 

[disco]

Just going through the same myself & I've found the cure!

Previous trailer was a single mare&foal ifor williams trailer and my mare travelled perfectly fine.

Just bought a double in place of my single and omg, she's falling over, stumbling etc and really cant get her balance. We get to the show & she's absolutley lathered.

Someone suggested that we take the partition out....so we did and she's back to how she used to travel in the single!

Initially, rather than take it out I pinned the sections back & left the pole in thinking that she'd have something to steady herself, WRONG! she was slightly better like this but still stumbled on unsteady ground or going round corners. Problem totally solved once the whole partition was removed!

 

[Keltic]

This is Katie's travelling stance bless her she is so much better now

 

[Theresa_F]

I have personally found with my horses that the more you wrap their legs the worst they travelled and loaded.

With the hairies I just put on simple stable wraps - more to keep the hair clean for shows as they are not daft loading and travelling. If it is a hot day, on the way home I often leave them off as they have a lot of natural protection from the feather.

With my WB mare she was happiest in Professional Choice sports medicine boots and overreach boots. At first she could be a baggage to load so I also used knee and hock boots until she loaded nicely. She hated anything more on her legs.

With my two TBs who were good to load and travel, most of the time I just used brushing boots. Again, put on thick leg wraps and they were unhappy.

Why not try something like I used on my WB - she never had any damage and was far happier travelled this way.

 

[Lindsay1]

I've had this problem a couple of times. The first time my then horse almost could not stand up as soon as the trailer started to move and we called in a physio who said his pelvis was out of line - a serious physio session, four weeks just straight line hacking (walk and trot only) and he never moved again in a trailer.

Second horse was a left hand leaner - and I was frantic until I found out. I tried travelling with the partition up - and she fell over in 20 yards. I tried travelling her without any partitions - just the back and breast bars - and she was fine. It was then I saw she was leaning to the left - so we put the partitions back in and loaded her on the left-hand side - she never moved again. (I did check with Ifor Williams and although you are supposed to always load the one horse behind the driver if travelling solo - they said their trailers could take the horse travelling on the left side).

However, out of habit, I now never used boots. If travelling to an event I either bandage or travel with her brushing and over reach boots on. On the way back, it is always bandages and, after competing, clay, wet paper and bandages.

Best thing to do is be prepared to fiddle around a bit with your horse and try all the variations available in your trailer. Don't do a big trip. You will know as soon as you start moving if there is a likely problem. Stop before it becomes a problem, take her out - move partitions etc and try again. My guess is you will find a combination that suits. some difficult travellers do it because they are genuinely worried they are alone and I have heard a couple of stories of putting up an internal mirror so they can see themselves in it - and all travelling problems have stopped. Good luck.

 

[JULESMGARNER]

Many thanks for all your suggestions, very helpful. Until I can figure out exactly why he's so unstable in the trailer, I think I'm going to have to use some kind of protection but not bulky travel boots. I was thinking either these http://www.premierequineinternational.com/acatalog/horse-boots.html
and of course I'd be able to use them for schooling too or maybe the Sportabac ones http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:Izv...lient=firefox-a as they are very protective but not at all bulky or uncomfortable. They have 20% off at the moment which ends TODAY so have to decide quickly

!

Although to be honest I'm not sure the travel boots are the problem as he doesn't seem to mind having them on at all. I keep hearing how horses travel so much better with the middle partition taken out so they can spread their legs and get their balance. Unfortunately I don't have my own trailer yet (saving up) so have to cadge a ride with other people so there's always going to be another horse in the trailer. This gets round the travelling alone issue but means I can't try without a partition. I suppose I could ask if I could borrow the trailer for half an hour, get OH to drive round the block and follow behind in my car and watch what he does, with and without partition though as I said, even if he does travel perfectly without a partition, that's not an option at the moment anyway.

Yes, it seems alot of horses do prefer to travel backwards, can you do this in any trailer or does it have to be specially adapted? eg, where do you tie up etc? Would you have to travel both horses backwards ?

The other thing I've just thought, if it turns out he travels perfectly on his own with middle partition taken out, would I be better buying a single trailer or are they unstable ? Ho hum, questions, questions .....

 

[disco]

Pooh-Bear,

I would quite happily go back to my single IW trailer!
I never had any problems with travelling & if things hadn't of got any better then I would of gone and bought another.

Also, I prefer going alone to shows because I can go home when I want to! - Huge Bonus!!

Hey, Plus you can tow a Single with a saloon car!