talking tactics Talking Tactics
Most people develop their own system when travelling horses and I am sure you will have your own, but for anyone who hasn’t travelled a horse before, or perhaps would like some useful tips, I hope the following helps. Caroline Mosley discusses...
Practical guide to travelling horses
Safety First of all NEVER - and yes I mean NEVER - travel either in the horse area of a horsebox or in a trailer with your horse. This is downright dangerous, but is still something I see frequently. It makes my spine shiver when I see it and even if the person in the back is wearing a hat it is not safe practice. Even if you are travelling a sick horse, do not be tempted to travel in the back with them as you are just risking your own injury. While I am on the subject of things not to do, please do not be tempted in warm weather to leave the front top trailer door open for travelling your best friend. The top front door of a trailer is not to increase the ventilation to the horse when moving, it is there to leave open when stationary or when unloading via the front ramp. It is frightening the amount of times I see the top door open and, even worse, the horse’s head over the top of the ramp while the driver is towing along a busy main road. You are risking your horse, yourself and other road users by doing this.
Before you travel, you should always carry out safety checks on your vehicle. There is an excellent guide online here at this QR code: Or alternatively use this link -
www.bhs.org.uk/~/media/ bhs/files/pdf-documents/vosa-
horsebox-guide.ashx
Rugging up The ventilation in a trailer when moving is plenty adequate enough if the back doors above the rear ramp are open. In fact, I am surprised at how cold it can get for the horse and so I will often travel with more rugs on when towing a trailer than when I travel in a horsebox. I would rather they were warm and I could remove layers, than to arrive and they were cold. Imagine having to run a marathon after travelling to it in a t-shirt with the car windows open.
If I am towing a young horse, I may close the top door behind the horse, but never both doors, as the space become a dark box. I find horses are more likely to be scared of this than of a lorry behind us on the road. In a horsebox (lorry), the windows in front and behind the horse must be open to increase airflow through the horse area. Consider where the horse will be travelling in the lorry. It is better for them to be positioned over the wheels and in front of the windows than at the back. Usually the last horse space in a lorry has less ventilation due to the lack of window. Some horses prefer this while others hate it. If you travel more than one horse, you may want to switch them around to decide on the best order for travel. When travelling long distances (more than three hours) a pause in the journey with the ramp down allows for a change of air. In the trailer I will travel with a light rug such as a Thermatex in the summer and in the
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