What protection do you use when traveling your horses?

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peerielee

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Question in title really.

What do you travel your horses in? Vinnie is 3 and I normally use full length travel boots and a tail guard. But i noticed when i travelled him a short distance without any protection he travelled alot better. I also puta fleece on him if im travelling in the winter. :)
 
A waffle and fleece if its cold and no rugs if its warm. Travel boots normally but he prefers bandages but I'm not going to risk putting them on when he is pratting round and getting trampled but if he has chilled out enough then I put them on for the way back and he always has a tail bandage on. :)
 
Tail bandage and guard plus fleece if it's cold (and he's clipped) and a poll guard if he'll let me put it one.

He won't walk or stand up in travel boots so I don't use them though I have used bandages for long journeys.
 
I just took my rising 3 year old on a 3 hour journey with no boots or protection on at all. I'd bought a poll guard but he has such big ears it didn't fit! I didn't see what a tail guard would actually do so I didn't put that on.

I travelled him with a waffle rug on the way to our destination and he got really sweaty so he came back naked, and he was absolutely fine both ways!

Someone advised me that race horses etc are often transported without any boots etc. I also heard that some accidents that happen in trailers may have been caused because the horses had huge hot boots on!

If a horse isn't used to boots or traveling then all that at once might be a bit much.
 
I prefer bandages to boots as they fit more snuggly to the leg and protect the most sensitive areas from knocks and bangs. and tail bandage and If cold, a fleece but TBH he gets pretty hot traveling most of the time so wouldnt often bother with a rug of any sort.
 
Depends on the horse/length of journey/destination. Have used boots and bandages in the past and have also travelled horses with nothing at all. :)
 
On the fronts, over reach boots and bandages and gamgee.
on the backs, beefed up hock boots and bandages and gamgee
tail guard & quarter guard
thermatex/fleece/waffle/cotton rug depending on conditions
leather head collar and poll guard

This is the list regardless of journey time
 
Mine all wear a full set of travel boots, tail bandages, rug/cooler if needed and leather head collars.

Charlie also wears a poll guard and I am going to get him a quarter guard as he manages to rub his bum by sitting on the back bar when travelling.
 
Sandy travels in a tail bandage and if XC'ing sports boots all round as she is funny about being booted up, if not then travel boots.
Olly is in a tail bandage and travel boots.

Both travel in a fleece in winter and naked in summer.
 
For me it depends on the horse, the distance, the reason and the season.

One mare gets very worried when travelling, and sweats up a lot, so I always put a rug on her - sometimes two. If I'm going hunting, she'll wear a fleece rug, there and back. If we're doing competitive long distance (usually a long way from home) she'll wear a fleece rug and a thin stable rug on top. On the way back, when she's sweaty, she'll have two fleeces, or a fleece and a waffle, under the stable rug. This is a mare than tends to get cold easily, and sweats a LOT.

My cob usually wears a wool rug to travel in during the winter (she's fully clipped, as is the other mare). It keeps her warm but lets the sweat out too. I'm currently looking for a reasonably priced wool rug for the previously mentioned mare too. During the summer, she'll usually go nude, or with a fleece/waffle on the way home if she's sweaty.

My youngster is unclipped, so she goes nude.

I usually put a tail guard on - my guard of choice is the Professional's Choice one. I got it from the Robinsons website - http://www.robinsons-uk.com/product...arentGroupCode=0303&groupCode=03306#sku.53016 It keeps the tail protected, and stops them rubbing their plaits out for hunting too. I only leave it off if I'm just going for a hack or a lesson - hunting or any journey more than half an hour I put it on.

I only put travel boots on if they'll be in there for more than an hour. I don't particularly like travel boots, but it is peace of mind if they're going to be on there for a while. My big mare (the worried, sweaty one!) travels in her brushing boots if she's not in her travel boots, for protection, and because she's a terrible shufflebottom, and I can hardly get them on her if I try and do it at our destination.
 
My TB is too old for parties now but when he was younger he had over reach boots all round, then gamgee and bandages all round. Tail bandage and guard, fleece/cooler. He was a restless traveller and used to fling legs about resulting in boots hanging off no matter how well velcroed on they were.

The natives travel very well in a headcollar.
 
Bandages would be my choice, nothing too bulky of that can slip yet gives some protection should they come of the side of the ramp and scrape a chin etc

Poll guard, I've seen and heard of too many horses hit their heads odd times, just not worth the risk for the sake of slipping a guard on.

Tail guard, again easy to bob on, does a grand job, tail bag if your showing :D

That's it, less the better really but I think those three are most important.
 
Oh yes, I always travel tied to a piece of baling twine, and I try my best to travel in a leather headcollar. If they get into a panic and something has to give, I'd rather it be the headcollar (repairable) than their head (not so much).
 
Mine only has a fleece on - she takes great offence to anything on her back legs especially so she is very happy to travel with nothing on - works fine for us!
The amount of horses Ive transported with mine that have every imaginable bit of travel gear on and they come off with bits hanging off and undone and its a nightmare so I like the bare minimum if poss!
 
My lad completed a journey of 535kms the day before yesterday and wore just a headcollar and tail bandage. He has travel boots but he's kicked them off on previous journies. He's unclipped so travelled rugless. Came off the lorry just a little damp from sweat, but apart from that, he was fine. :)
 
The giant travel boots cause so many problems. I prefer not to have anything on my horses' legs nowadays but if I'm working with someone else's horses I use the Sport Medicine Boots as recommended by Premier Equine.com - they are really good value to at about £23.

Racehorses generally travel 'naked' and long distance travel companies generally forbid any bandages etc. although there's still the odd horror story of horse's turning up abroad or from abroad and their tail drops off a few weeks later from an overtight bandage.

Well put on bandages are a good idea to keep white legs clean for shows though!
 
Nothing unless it is very chilly when he will have a thin rug. Horses seem so uncomfortable in stiff travel boots, and seem to try their hardest to remove them, so I think they travel happier without. Obviously some horses who have delicate leggies do need protection.
 
Travel boots all round, tail bandage or guard (he sits on his tail) and a rug :)
The travel boots are for protection, as he travels very well but god forbid the trailer was hit by another vehicle then they need all the protection they can get.
They also help keep his legs clean!

If he was travelling in a transporter then he would wear a rug only :)
 
Ron travels in either a fleece or a cotton sheet (weather dependant) for hunting, and if I'm going to an event then he'll have a tail guard on (it doesn't fit over his hunting tail!) and stable bandages to keep his legs clean! He's really not fussed any which way, he just wants to go places.

Tom always travels in full length travel boots, tail guard and fleece - but he's a fairy and is incapable of looking after himself!
 
Mine wear nothing on their legs as i find they travel worse with boots/bandages etc on and ifs its a long journey then poss a tail bandage but usually nothing at all
 
Tail bag, tail bandage. Brushing boots on the front legs, brushing boots on the back legs. Over-reach boots on all feet.

Ours have the tendency to pull off travel boots, so they then end up under wee and poo, which is lovely. Waste of time and money to buy and use them for us.

Bruce doesn't sweat when he travels, so at the moment, would wear a cotton liner, a fleece and probably a wool show rug on top; he is fully clipped and feels the cold.

Star sweats horrifically, so at the moment wears cotton liner or just a thermatex to travel. PS puts show rug on him when we arrive to keep him warm as again he's fully clipped.

Leather headcollars for both.
 
Since mine panicked in trailer last year wearing long travel boots,shredded them n gashed hind leg (looked worse than it was, fortunately) I read up (good tips on hho) and decided to travel without boots. Haven't looked back! He's much happier n solid as a rock on trailer now. Use poll guard, tail guard (not bandage) n leather head collar. Waffle rug if cold weather
 
Soft-flexible type travel boots - I'm not so worried about the actual journey, but am concerned about getting on/off the ramp as far as leg damage is concerned, and I don't like the big thick stiff travel boots that seem to be quite popular, because they just don't seem flexible enough for the horse to be comfortable in IMO.

Tail Bandage - always

Tail Guard - bit if extra protection as he likes leaning on the back bar, and bag to keep his tail clean

Rug - usually just a thin summer sheet, maybe something thicker if its cold, again mainly due to concern about him catching his sides going in/out of the trailer - not that there's anything to catch his sides on, maybe I'm just paranoid!!

No Poll Guard - no point, he's 11.2, he'd have to do a bloody big rear to bump his head on the trailer roof!

You see lots of people arriving at shows and taking boots off before unloading. Now although I admit I had to do this with mine when he was a youngster because I travel to shows alone and at the time trying to take boots or bandages off when he was too excited to be tied up was more of a risk to my head than him hurting his legs on the ramp, if your horse is calm enough I don't understand why people don't take boots off after unloading, maybe someone can enlighten me?

Headcollar - obviously

That's about it I think.
 
Leather headcollar always , sometimes a teddy fleece ,a net cooler, both or no rug at all depending on weather.

A tail bandage if no rug on . Always carry bandages, gamgee and a tail guard with me just in case.

My horse travels on his own in a mare and foal box and is a really steady traveller, so I think he is better without any form of legwear.

When I bought my last horse a 14 yo ex hunter I asked what he wore travelling and was told a tail bandage and headcollar. They had tried him in boots and he couldn't really walk and nearly fell down in the box so he never wore them again.

Sometimes "less is more"
 
Always leather headcollars.
Meg has tail bandage on the way, not always on the way back.
Meg often wears bandages with big gamgee wraps, or if she is being particually prat like and I don't want to get kicked then she will have just brushing boots.
Meg may wear a light sheet/wicking rug, depending on the weather. I ALWAYS take this off before I unload her - as she can be a prat about that too and would hate to get rug caught/frighten mare as she leaps out of the trailer!!
Ponies travel starkers, although I may put a tail bandage on Penny - just to keep it clean, depending on how posh a party we may go to!
 
Well, as my boys are transported in Morocco, where horse boxes are usually some rudimentary lorry which has been modified; I've had my share of horrible scratches and injuries. I now make them wear full length travel boots, travel sheet, tail guard and strong headcollar. I've just bought my daughter's TH a poll guard after he sustained a really bad injury last year after being hit on the head by one of the transport guys(!) I now also make my own groom travel with them to and fro to make sure there is no man-handling.
 
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