Weanling Questions...

[Bessi]

My lovely ginormous weanling will be coming home in the next few weeks and I have a few questions...

Ive never travelled a foal before, I have a 3.5 ton horse box and was planning on putting a nice think lot of bedding down in it when i travel him home (about 2 hours drive) as obviously don't want to tie him up. Would you recommend taking out the partition so he has the full width of the box or leaving it in to give him something to lean against and balance? He is a tall lad, all legs and I would think would be about 13.2ish by the time he comes home..

I want to buy him a leather foal headcollar to make handling easier, like the look of the HY ones like this https://www.amazon.co.uk/Leather-Collar-choose-medium-colours/dp/B00EIGPCMI but can't find any guidance on what sizes small/medium/large correspond to.. any experience? His mum is TB, dad is quarter horse, expected to make about 16.2hh.

A picture of the young man in question today

 

[be positive]

I would take the partition out he does not need anything to lean against and will be unable to turn around to stand the way he wants to, plenty of bedding and he should be fine.

My main concern would be is your box a rear facing one with a partition at the back that is not fully to the top, if so I would not travel a foal in it loose or otherwise until it has the partition to stop him potentially jumping into the tack area, having helped rescue a horse that got over, knowing that it happens rather a lot and often has a tragic ending it would not be a risk I would take with a youngster, if you box has a solid partition then it should be fine, otherwise please look for an alternative.

 

[Bessi]

It has a full height partition with a full height solid lockable door into the tack area so he wouldn't be able to see anywhere to go so I think it will be OK from that point of view...

 

[Dry Rot]

Just be aware that going around corners applies a centrifugal force to the foal that won't be countered by a partition so the foal will be propelled sideways! But I'm sure you knew that. You can go as fast as you like in a straight line but forces will again be applied when accelerating or braking, so try to do it even more gently than usual.