talking tactics
winter I layer up with woollen rugs as needed. I love using bandages for travelling as they are very supportive,but for timesaving I now use the stable wraps with shaped leg pads underneath as I find they fit better than travel boots. An ill-fitting pair of travel boots can drive the horse to start kicking and make their journey uncomfortable so it is important to check that your travel boots will not slip. I will always take a set of bandages as a spare set in case I need to use them for cold packs, or additional support for the journey home if needed (Should I admit that they are orange?!)
Trailer vs Horsebox I remember buying my first trailer. I wanted to be able to get out on my own and compete without having to rely on very kind people for lifts. Growing up I was very fortunate that we had horseboxes and stayed away frequently, but I knew I couldn’t afford that so opted for a car and trailer. I loved the independence my trailer provided and better still, I could afford it! I spent nights sleeping in it (even at three day shows, with a bungee cord to hold the door shut when I was inside!), and travelled to lots of places. Eventually I upgraded to a horsebox, although I am sure my husband would love me to go back to the less expensive trailer owning days!! With my trailer I found a small (140 litre) wheelie-bin worked well to carry lots of extra equipment such as grooming
kit, stud box, spare tack, rugs etc. safely in the front and it was neat enough that it didn’t get in the way of the horse. It left the room in the car for tack and riding gear. I travelled with my breeches on under jogging bottoms to save changing although I have been known to flash my pants in the car park in the past! That’s the only downside to trailering - the lack of living space!
Feeding Should you travel with a haynet or without? With a haynet reduces the risk of gastric ulcers, but it can increase the risk of inhalation of bits of hay. Soaking the hay can help reduce this and personally, I always travel with hay in a small holed net. The haynet doesn’t have to be massive, just enough for them to pick at on the journey. I would rather stop and refill it than give a humungous haynet, as I don’t like to hang a huge net in front of their head. Having the freedom to move the head and neck helps with balancing and a large haynet can really restrict this. Whilst some people hate tack lockers, I do have them in my lorry and hang the haynet so it sits fairly flat on them. In the trailer I used to sit the haynet on the top of the wheelie-bin. In long journeys it is important to allow the horse to drop their head for drainage so very long journeys would be better to have a break and allow for them to be unloaded if possible. The most I have travelled is five hours in one journey. I stopped twice on the journey and dropped the
ramp both times. Unfortunately it wasn’t possible to unload but an assessment of the horses showed that they were pretty happy and comfortable. Most of my journeys take no more than three hours and I find the horses are very comfortable with this. I do also travel them with water so they have access to this ad-lib. I use a hook on bucket and fill it half full (any more than this and the horses end up damp!). It has always been drunk on arrival too. Sometimes the horses are seen on the cctv to dunk their hay, and other times they drink from it as normal but it is always used so I am happy that I discovered this! In my lorry I hook the bucket onto the partition-fastening bar, I am not sure how to attach it a trailer, although if you can get an attachment I would recommend doing this.
Travelling alone I find it easier to take one horse out than multiple rides. I find that my horses cope very well on their own for the day and they soon settle into the routine that they leave home and go off for the day without company. I always load up before turning out their companion at home and try to avoid the horse from seeing the others go out before we set off. If I do find they ‘stress out’ when alone there are several tips you can try to see if they help, from using a mirror to travelling with a plastic horse (yes I did say a plastic horse – it worked a treat!) to getting a small pony to accompany them. The problem with travelling another companion is the
additional feeding/stabling that goes along with it. Whilst it is not difficult, it is much easier to try to find useful ways to enable you to travel them alone.
Driving
Consider the route you are taking to the show. I prefer to take a longer but easier route, rather than the winding difficult roads which might save 15 minutes. A horse’s fitness also includes being travel fit, and driving on winding roads can fatigue them. I have observed a CCTV and seen how much movement a horse has to do to balance while travelling. One of my horses uses the partitions properly, while the other hates to lean on anything, so he has to work harder to balance. I try to stick to major roads when I can and plan my routes. I tend to go with the theory that the travel time on my sat nav or an online map site is usually at least one-third shorter, so factor this and stopping time into my travel checklist so that I am not rushing.
Lastly Don’t forget to take your horse’s passport with you! If you are a member of a breakdown service they will not be able to transport your horses without it in the event of an unfortunate breakdown – and this is true even if you are only travelling to a hacking location 20 minutes down the road – I know because I have done that recently!
Happy travelling…
Caroline Mosley is pictured with Classy Touch, a gelding by Touchdown she took on in 2015, competing up to CCI*. She is perhaps better known to fellow eventers in the North as ‘Orange Fox Eventing’ – oh – and her favourite colour is orange! Find her on facebook as – you guessed – Orange Fox Eventing.
Image courtesy of Grossick Photography
www.theequinesite.co.uk
Equine Page 37
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