WHY? Travel horses in trailer with front door open?

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haslemerehorses

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I have become completely irrational about people who travel their horses with the front door of their trailer open!!

I cannot for the life of me think of any really good reason why they do this, can somebody please help me before I can control myself no longer and stop the offenders and make them sit in the back of their trailer with their face in a freezing cold gale with small objects hammering into their faces at 30 mph or more!!!

Sorry rant over, but can someone please tell me why or do these people really need to be told how bloody uncomfortable and even dangerous it is for their horse!!
 
My elderly mare would lose her balance without the front door open.

We only travelled very locally though, veteran showing and such.

Never would have gone above 30mph and she used to wear a full face fly mask just in case.

Jo x

ETS, by losing her balance I mean she used to fall in the trailer.
 
I know one pony that was the only way she could travel, if the door was shut she'd fall down (even crawling along). Goodness knows why, the only way she could keep her balance was with the top door open and her nose poking out. She was as happy as anything that way. Her owner had to buy a new IW trailer to accommodate her strange travelling habits.

I think most other people forget to shut them to be honest.
 
My coloured horse ALWAYS travels locally with the front door open, he is MUCH more settled this way and able to get his balance.
I beg you to sit in a moving vehicle not being able to see where the hell you are going and see how relaxed you are.
I have just reason to travel my horse the way I do, you obviously have never had a horse with travel problems that mine has, of scrabbling when he cannot have his head out of the door, otherwise you WOULD see good reason to open the top door, there is no need to be so narrow minded.
 
Having the front door open does seem to help some horses travel. I think it is something to do with being able to see where they are going. I am pretty sure that it is actually ilegal to travel a horse in a trailer with the front door open. My friend has a horse like this and she got extra windows fitted to the front of her trailer and her horse now travels fine.
 
I am sure that these people have good reasons for doing so as the 3 that have already posted.
I would dare you to stop me and my trailer and throw your opinion in my face, you would get alot thrown back believe me.
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I understand your concern but without the facts you are making a very sweeping statement.
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I am certain that it is against the law in this country to travel a horse in a open top lorry or trailer, not only is it the fly's but the low tree branches that can fly through an open top and damage and frighten your horse.
If your horse likes to see where it is going , cut a large panel out the front of the trailer top door or front of the trailer and replace it with a clear perspex .
 
Sorry did not think I was being narrow minded, I was asking for someone to explain WHY as I could not think of any good reason! Extra windows make perfect sense to me and a much safer option.

I also thought it might be illegal and you should really check your insurance very carefully as you may not be covered in the event of any problem!

Have you tried sitting in your trailer with things hitting you or a freezing cold gale? God knows what the wind chill factor would be in this sort of weather!!
 
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I have become completely irrational about people who travel their horses with the front door of their trailer open!!

I cannot for the life of me think of any really good reason why they do this, can somebody please help me before I can control myself no longer and stop the offenders and make them sit in the back of their trailer with their face in a freezing cold gale with small objects hammering into their faces at 30 mph or more!!!

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Srtikes me that you have already made your mind up about what you think, without hearing the other side of the story.
My horse is not cold in his trailer when he travels, quite the opposite, unless of course you travel your horses without rugs, in which case they will be cold regardless.
My horse CANNOT stand up in the trailer without that door open, he panics if he cannot stand up and scrabbles about very badly.
Sorry should have mentioned before I have a thick mesh covering the opening, so anything short of a breeze block flying towards him wouldn't have a chance, and no this sin't illegal, I have checked with DEFRA.
The actual circulation on air in the trailer seems to be pretty imortant to him in order to calm him down as we did have a window in there, and he wasn't much better to travel TBH.
You have your top door shut because you obviously have horses who travel well. For those of us who do not have that, we have to compromise.
 
i very much doubt that it is illegal. I travel my girl by trailer with a reputable transport operator, so i very much doubt he would be willing to risk his licence and business if there was any likelihood of it being illegal. My mare also travels better with the door open, same as others have said for some horses it suits very well, so you cant say its categorically wrong for all horses when you dont know the reasons behind it.
 
Because your horse is exposed to oncoming traffic - highly dangerous and is a topic that comes up again and again - I know people have their reasons for doing this but any trailer maufacturer will tell you that these doors are not designed to remain open during transit.
Imagine your horses putting his head out of the door at the same time as you pass a large vehicle at close proximity on a tight/blind bend...
Even if horse is tied tight enough to prevent this happening (and ropes can loosen/break/come undone) his head is still exposed to anything oncoming that may come through the opening by accident and is also taking the 30/40/50 mph wind in the face which your vet will advise is also undesirable. Highly dangerous.
 
We travelled Addie is a hired Ifor trailer and she threw herself about so much and ripped her rug on arrival at a show. On the way back OH suggested leaving top door open. I wasn't keen as thought the traffic might scare her but she travelled like a lamb the whole way home and was as cool as a cucumber.
 
I travel my mare with the top door open. We never go further than 4 miles to our local show. I never drive faster than 30mph (couldn't if I wanted to as it's all windy lane) and we only travel between April/October to shows.

She is 11 yrs old and travelled last year for the first time in her life. With the top door closed she comes out white and covered in sweaty foam (she's dark bay) even after a round trip of just 3 miles. she also tries to dig the floor up as we're going along, neighs constantly and scrambles about in the trailer, often falling against the sides.

My trailer is an Ifor so the ramp is on the right hand side - not too much chance of passing tree branches poking her in the eye. She sometimes sticks her nose over the ramp, but normally just eats hay whilst watching the world go by.

Having the top door open keeps my horse from stressing out and obviously makes the journey more pleasant for her. If that's what it takes, then legal or not, that's what I will do.
 
My cob falls over in the trailer without having the top door open to balance himself so he always has to travel on the right whether it's him on his own or in company, the first time I put him on the left (where there's no door) he was slipping and sliding all over the place. It's much safer to leave the top door open for him.
 
Umm, I don't see how oncoming traffic could strike my horse. The quarter door is on the nearside as it's a French trailer!

Obviously the mare was loaded on the offside, so nowhere near the open door anyway.

As I said before the max speed we would do with her was 30mph, just to go to local, summer shows. We also put a full face fly mask on her.

This was the only way she could travel. She would fall every time we turned a corner, unless the light was open.

Jo x
 
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i very much doubt that it is illegal. I travel my girl by trailer with a reputable transport operator, so i very much doubt he would be willing to risk his licence and business if there was any likelihood of it being illegal.

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I take your point and that of others who are doing this for various reasons but beg to differ on the legal aspect. The vast majority of bobbies wouldn't turn a hair or know any better than your transport operator, but having the top front door open, no breast bar/breeching bar or God forbid even loose in a trailer(saw it once, horse facing backwards!) is 'using a vehicle in a dangerous condition' IMHO and worthy of 3 points and a £60 fine.

As one poster said, she uses a sort of mesh grid to prevent debris entering the trailer, this is sensible and a bit more secure but the majority of horses that struggle to balance do so because of the drivers' lousy clutch control and braking. Sorry but there it is, there's no such word as 'accident' in my book.
 
Well, it wasn't my lousy clutch control. My vehicle is an automatic.

The pony fell with the door shut, she didn't with it open.

And yes she had the front ramp shut and the breeching/breast bars in place.
 
I have heard of serious injuries occurring as a result of travelling horses in such a way. Would never do it myself. I would look into fitting extra windows or grilles if need be, but leaving the door open is just a 'no way' for me...
 
I would never do it. I think its dangerous and can't be nice for the hores......imagine the windchill at the moment!!. But I have a friend who I saw doing this and when I tactfully asked her about it she said it was the only way he would travel without scrabbling about and falling over. I knew she had this problem with him and she was comtemplating buying a lorry to help. She doesn't go very far with him
 
Believe me custards mum, when you've got one on board who you know is a faller, you tend not to drive like a nutter funnily enough. Mine was an auto too. Oh, and also I found when I had my friend in the trailer with the pony as we were trying to work out what the problem was, you tend not to drive fast anyway. Have you ever gone for a ride in the trailer? It's quite scary actually, even at 20 mph. It is illegal to travel a human in the trailer.

I can't speak for the irresponsible people who travel with the top door open for no good reason though.
 
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Ditto about the clutch control. Mine is also an auto and I have only ever travelled my horses slowly and with utter care so think that statement is a little unfair.

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Autos aren't necessarily as smooth as you think because have little or no choice over which gear is selected. Many folk drive autos thinking it will just 'do the thinking' for them and it won't. Some years ago a friend gave us a lift (with an auto) with a mare I had and she had dreadful trouble standing up, partly I think because she liked to brace her feet against the central partition and she couldn't do this with a skirted one that didn't go to the floor. However, once we got a full depth partion and I drove myself (manually) in my own trailer, the problem solved itself......

So, I think it's trial and error but leaving the front door open isn't something I'd recommend.

Rather like the windscreen gives strength to the overall structure of a car, the top door fastened within it's frame gives strength to a trailer and who knows how it would crumple if you sustained a heavy impact, say from a lorry driver on his 'phone?

You wouldn't travel in a car with a child on your lap, that would be stupid and dangerous because it's not designed to be used that way so why push the boundaries with your horse?
 
My vehicle is one of the best towing vehicles on the road today and there is no"Lousy clutch control or braking" going on when I tow my horses as I am sure the majority of the people on this forum would also say when they tow theirs.
I think a child loose on a person's lap is a different point entirely to a top door being left open on a horse trailer.
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We leave the top door open in our mare and foal trailer on the 2 mile journey to our other field ( door is on pavement side) and our horse travels really well. If we are travelling further afield/ on faster roads we close the door but have noticed she isn't as chilled out. Think she just likes to see more whilst tucking into her haynet.
 
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Ditto about the clutch control. Mine is also an auto and I have only ever travelled my horses slowly and with utter care so think that statement is a little unfair.

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Autos aren't necessarily as smooth as you think because have little or no choice over which gear is selected. Many folk drive autos thinking it will just 'do the thinking' for them and it won't.

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All autos have a manual over-ride which means that you have just as much option over gear selection as if you were driving a manual. Mine has optional first and second gears, and also a switch on the gear knob which prevents it from changing up, so once I'm in any gear, it won't change to the next one once the switch is pressed. This means I can keep it in third or second when going up or down hills, around bends etc.

Kitsune - yes, we are talking about the small door at the top of the front unloading ramp.
 
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