Introducing babies to trailering

[amastrike]

Thanks to a wonderful friend who is lending me her truck and trailer while she’s on vacation, I’m able to start working with my 3 month old on trailering. Trailer is a 2 horse bumper pull. I removed the divider and thus far have only led Mom onto the trailer and had filly follow her on and led filly on briefly. Baby had no qualms about getting in the trailer and couldn’t care less about standing in there, although we didn’t stay in long because I didn’t have a helper and Mom isn’t a great tie-er.

I suppose the next step is loading them and putting up the ramp. Should I leave them both loose (with the divider out)? Tie Mom and leave baby loose?

At what point do you feel comfortable driving the trailer? Do you start by just going straight a couple hundred feet, stopping, and checking on them?

What is the safest way to teach a baby to be a good traveler? I’m sure the ideal situation would be to load frequently so it becomes totally boring, but I won’t have the trailer long enough for that! Mom is good about trailering and baby is a feisty, independent little beast.

[Foxtrot_s]

Racehorse babies go along with their mamas in the trailer when she is taken for her re-breeding on the first or second heat. They (in my experience) are taken loose with Mum in a trailer with the dividers taken out. They just load and go!

[Fairview_Horse_Cente]

I tie mom, and leave baby loose. I have never had to get baby comfortable with the trailer. We have often loaded the first time the morning we leave for Devon, and then drive 4-5 hours. Never a problem.

[Summerwood]

I usually leave the mom loose with the baby. I just took my 3 week old filly with her mom to the repro clinic and back…one hour each way. Loaded her up and went on my way. It didn’t faze her one bit. She jumped off the trailer like she did it her whole life. My mares are very good about getting on the trailer (even my small children can load them easily) so that really helps to see mom confidently entering the trailer. I think making the experience as pleasant as possible is a good idea.

[Beentheredonethat]

Agree with others–tie mom and let baby lose unless there may be an issue with her getting over something, then tie long. Babies don’t know to be a problem unless you teach them. As with others, I’ve never had a problem with them going with mom, and when I took baby away, loaded mom and baby, unloaded baby, and baby was fine alone.

You should be good driving the trailer first time if you have the opportunity.

[Kmsuds]

So if mom is not fond of hauling, tie or just leave loose? we did this years ago with a 2 horse no prob, but have a slant load 3h now so unsure,

[Sunnydays]

I always leave both mom and baby loose (don’t want baby leaping - then getting hung up on the tie rope).
I never do a practice run. 1st time mare and foal get on that trailer, ramp is up, and we head off (usually for repro clinic - a two hour trip, with good traffic).
They are usually quiet almost as soon as we get rolling.

[Polydor]

[QUOTE=Kmsuds;5733590]
So if mom is not fond of hauling, tie or just leave loose? we did this years ago with a 2 horse no prob, but have a slant load 3h now so unsure, :([/QUOTE]

We have a 3 horse slant ( they ride backwards). We just take out one divider and move a divider back so there is lots of room for mom and baby. In theory we can fit two pairs in the trailer at a time. We leave baby loose and mom is tied. Baby decides how he wants to stand.

Like others when they get on the trailer, we just go. They get lots of practice on loading in their lifetime here even before they are yearlings. Mainly just from moving to different pastures.

P.

[Callaway]

[QUOTE=Sunnydays;5733664]
I always leave both mom and baby loose (don’t want baby leaping - then getting hung up on the tie rope).
I never do a practice run. 1st time mare and foal get on that trailer, ramp is up, and we head off (usually for repro clinic - a two hour trip, with good traffic).
They are usually quiet almost as soon as we get rolling.[/QUOTE]

Same here. My mares are really good with loading and trailering, and their babies just follow them on.

[Kyzteke]

As others have said, usually babies ride loose and if they have followed mom in, you are good to go.

However I would definitely tie mom if you just have a 2 horse BP. If she tried to turn around you are going to have a big mess and someone is going to get hurt.

Also, personally I would not haul a mom & youngster too far in a 2 horse. Babies will lay down if they get tired and you don’t want mom to accidentally step on them.

A 2 horse may not give them enough room. And, as others have said, take out any divider so baby doesn’t get stuck underneath.

[vtdobes]

I have a 2 horse GN and remove the divider and fold flat the tack compartment. Then both mare & foal are loose in the back (I have Morgans so they don’t take up as much room as a larger breed broodmare!).

I usually load mom & baby a couple times before their first trailer ride. Of course I only have one foal at a time so can take the extra time to do this. I’ve never had a problem with their first ride.

[siegi_b]

I have a 20 ft stock trailer with a center divider that goes all the way to the bottom. I trailer two mare and foal combinations loose with no trouble, and since all of my mares are easy loaders, the babies usually are, too. BTW, I don’t have a ramp but the step-up is the lowest I could find…

And no, I don’t practice - I just load and go.

[can_t_re]

I haul with the mare/foal loose and with hay on the ground. No hay nets. I load and go, no practicing. If you are hauling in a two horse with side doors, be sure they are locked.

[Kmsuds]

[QUOTE=Polydor;5733672]
We have a 3 horse slant ( they ride backwards). We just take out one divider and move a divider back so there is lots of room for mom and baby. In theory we can fit two pairs in the trailer at a time. We leave baby loose and mom is tied. Baby decides how he wants to stand.

Like others when they get on the trailer, we just go. They get lots of practice on loading in their lifetime here even before they are yearlings. Mainly just from moving to different pastures.

P.[/QUOTE]

Thanks! I’m glad someone started this thread cause I was dreading this, but feel better now

[Desert_Eventer]

[QUOTE=Foxtrot’s;5733410]
Racehorse babies go along with their mamas in the trailer when she is taken for her re-breeding on the first or second heat. They (in my experience) are taken loose with Mum in a trailer with the dividers taken out. They just load and go![/QUOTE]

Ditto to this. All of our broodmares foal out at the breeding farm, and come home the first week, and then go back the first heat after the foal heat. We take the dividors out, and haul with some mares tied, some loose, depending on which mare we’re hauling. All of our babies are broke to lead before they come home, so less than a week old. When/if I breed Lucy, she will foal out at home, but will still be trailered with the baby even if it’s just around the block, at a week or 2 old. There is not much worse than trying to load an unfamiliar to the trailer huge 2 year old LOL

[Hiddenacresmi]

No practice runs, we just load and go. Our mares foal out at a different farm and foal and mom are trailered back to our farm when the foal is 24- 48 hours old. Of course we are only 10 minutes away so not a big deal.

We have a 2 horse slant that converts to box stall. We always tie up mom at the front of the trailer with the hay bag. The foals often lie down and sleep at the back of the trailer. plenty of room.

We also trailer 1-1/2 hours each way for breeding, 15 day and 30 day checks. Never a problem loading or unloading and I will say this experience helps alot when weaned. Never had problems with a weanling loading to travel to their new homes. They just follow us and walk on the new trailer and of course they are then left loose.

[JB]

What if the center divider of your 2h gn trailer doesn’t come out? I’m not sure mine does - never had the desire to check. I’ll have to check. It’s a Trailet Westwind if anyone happens to know before I check in the morning.

[Kyzteke]

@JB;5736650

What if the center divider of your 2h gn trailer doesn’t come out? I’m not sure mine does - never had the desire to check. I’ll have to check. It’s a Trailet Westwind if anyone happens to know before I check in the morning.

\

I’m betting it does – I’ve never seen a divider that doesn’t.

Just speaking for myself, I’d be hesitant to haul a young foal very far with the divider in place because, as I said, foals seem very comfortable lying down in trailers. And if that happens and the foal gets under the divider you’ll have a mess when it tries to stand up.

A commerical shipper once told me he had never seen a healthy horse older than yearling lie down in a trailer, but I really don’t know if that’s true. I’d like to hear from others on this.

Speaking for myself, I think I can say that is true as well…even if the horse is shipping loose, I’ve never seen “older” horses lie down.

But the babies seem very comfortable doing this.
,

[camohn]

our babies usually seem to end up about 8 weeks old at inspection time…so we have hauled a number of them at that age. If the babies are hauling alone (like sold weanlings) then I ease them into it with just going around the block a few times first then they get off at home before taking a real trip. For babies at side…they just follow momma onto the trailer and go. We have a stock trailer…I haul both mom and baby loose. We have no dividers.

[ticofuzzy]

I have a 3 horse slant with one of the partitions taken out and the other one tied flat against the wall for trailering mares/foals (I only ever use it as a 2 horse slant, so it generally only ever have one partition in it). I tie the mare and let foal loose. I tie the mare because I worry about her turning around during travel and squishing foal against wall if they are in the wrong spot. All my mares load well and the foals just follow them right on with no fuss. They don’t know it could be any other way. I trailer back and forth to repro vet regularly (45 min each way) and have never had a problem with this way.
My trailer is big enough that I can trailer 2 sets of horses (2 mares/foals or 1 mare/foal & 1 single horse) if need be. If I do this, I use the partition that is solid all the way down to the floor. I don’t want to take a chance of a foal getting under the partition and in with the other horse.