Spin off: trailering young horses

[Lord_Helpus]

I just bought a 3 (coming 4) gelding which lives 900 miles away. Shipping plans fell through so 2 of us are going up to get him.

1. He is 3, but has not been started
2. He comes into the barn to eat, but I have no idea how well he ties. The seller says that he is very well handled and behaves beautifully. The lady who vetted him does not seem to agree with her.
   We have 2 options:

a. A standard 2 horse trailer (x-high and x-wide). The divider can be left in place, or swung sideways, and it might be possible to remove it. But I am leery of letting a 16.1h horse try to turn around in a trailer while going down the highway.

b. A standard stock trailer. He could be loose in it (I am assuming), but I wonder if the views, noise and smells coming in from the outside may freak him out. And is it ‘better’ to have him walk around while on a 14 hour ride?

Thanks for your help. PS: He was going to have a 1.5 stall in the professional shipper’s van. But he would also have had 3 other buddies in with him.

Thanks.

[Cumano]

I would much prefer the stock trailer option if the stock trailer is sufficiently large, and if their is nothing in it that can injure the horse. If it is its first long trailer ride, they feel much more comfortable in a wide open trailer. Also, when they shipp loose in a stock trailer, after they relax, they will often lay down for the biggest part of the trip.

[JB]

For the standard trailer, you need to tie. They are not designed to safely allow a horse to ride backwards. If he wanted to stand slanted, with the divider moved over, that would be fine, but he needs to stay facing the front.

Most horses get too busy with balance once the trailer is moving, and he’s really unlikely to move around much, let along do laps Your biggest issues would be when you stop for breaks - he’s got more room to get worked up, if he’s going to get worked up.

Many horses have had a first time hauling experience in a regular straight or slant load trailer, tied. Tie short enough he can’t get his head under the breast bar, but long enough he’ll hit the butt bare before hitting the end of the rope.

As for the difference in stories of his behavior - he might well be a perfect gentleman with everything that is familiar, but uncomfortable with how new people handle him, or if he’s handled “roughly” or otherwise not to his understanding.

[ElementFarm]

I think both have pros/cons, but I guess I would go with the stock if I had it.

and most importantly, CONGRATULATIONS on your new family member! Can’t wait to meet him

[Lord_Helpus]

Thanks, EF. I am thrilled to have found him. Many of you will, no doubt, have seen my inquiries online.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gQelWA9ovTA

It was a hard decision between him and his BFF, Tempted

I cannot wait to get him here. My planned ride with a shipper fell apart on Sat when I found out that he was picking up and dropping off so many horses that a 14 hour trip would now take SIXTY HOURS between loading and unloading.

No way. Not for a baby on his first trip, and really, not for any horse unless it is x-country and the driver stops for overnights.

And the quotes I got today, from Chicago to Lex, Ky were for over $5.00/mile! Huh?!?!?!

[jherold]

When I went to pick up my new weanling, I brought along my 15yr old solid citizen gelding as company for the ride home. That’s a long ride to be by himself for his first time away from home.

[Justice]

That’s a big trip, but he will be fine. My weanling was young and just shipped to CA in a padded cell with a nice layover and was still cool as a cucumber when she arrived. If you can’t tie him, the safest thing to do imo is bring him in the two horse on one side so that his head can be loose. He will probably eat the whole way home, but have the vet fix you a couple of emergency IM cocktails just in case a tire blows, etc. most importantly… congratulations!!!

[SCM1959]

Do you have a camera in the trailer and a monitor in the truck?

Another thread discussing moving a young horse advised against tying.

Do you know if this horse loads into a trailer?

Usually a horse who is not used to loading will do better in a stock trailer. Some friends of mine who travel all over the country teaching large animal emergency rescue say that a two-horse straight load is the hardest trailer to teach and a stock trailer is the easiest.

Good luck and stay safe!

SCM1959

[Dutchmare433]

I’d vote for the stock trailer.

Generally, with the kiddos, my experience has been to ship them loose in a box stall until late in the 2 y/o year. (Depends a bit on their size though, and the size of your trailer, you certainly don’t want them getting under the chest or butt bar.)

My 3 y/o ships great in my straight load, but he’s also been loading/trailering since he was a foal.

[MysticOakRanch]

I would NOT tie him. If you can get the stock trailer, do it, and let him ride loose. I’ve hauled a lot of babies, and sold a lot, and my advice with youngsters who are not experienced at trailering - haul them loose! They may scramble around in the first few minutes, but once on the road, they find a comfortable place and settle in. OTOH, if they are tied and scared, they will pull back - and that is just not the experience you want a youngster to have.

If he has had a lot of trailering, then haul him in a standard slant load, load him, close the slant, and go for it. But it sounds like he has not had a lot of trailering experience. And if it is a straight load, I wouldn’t haul an inexperienced horse for that long - they are tougher on the horse’s balance. Most horses left loose will not haul in a “straight in” position, they will either balance sideways (slant style) or backwards.

If he has minimal trailering experience, being “locked in” with a divider for that long could cause him to panic. Better that he is loose. He may or may not eat - a nervous horse usually won’t eat.

[CrotchetyDQ]

Stock trailer for sure. A trip that long, I would want a box for my horse anyway, and it is healthier for there to be a nice airflow. Bed extra deep with shavings (less slick than peed on straw), and stick a fly mask on in case of flying shavings to protect their eyes. Just remember to put a pile of hay for him at the back door so he has something to much on when he decides to ride backwards, and do NOT use hay nets.

[JoannaHCR]

We’ve only had access to a slant a few times, and I have to say, i prefer a stock trailer for long trips, even for my adults that have hauled a lot (maybe I’ll think otherwise if I can ever get an extra tall, extra wide!). We do shut the center gate if the trailer is big enough, bed with shavings, put a fly mask on, leave them loose, we have used hay nets, but I’ll only use the bag ones in the future.

If taking a friend is an option, and you have a center gate where you could give them both their own space, I’d do it. I’m sure you already were planning to, but make sure you take a container to get some of his water from home for the trip.

Also, we hauled one of mine from MO to VA over 2 days, we did stop about 3 hours in and walked her at a rest area a little, she was very stiff–had no issues the rest of the trip, I think it was just b/c she hadn’t every hauled that far and wasn’t settled. So I guess, I’d see if you can line up some farms or horse facilities that are in your path, just in case he does need a break so you have a safe place to stop and let him stretch.

[fordtraktor]

Congrats on the new guy! He’s really lovely.

I would definitely do stock, picking between those options. Or whichever one is a gooseneck, with a horse that is loose (assuming you’d remove everything in the SL and it is set up to do so. Mine is lined up front with stronger door attachments so I can haul loose in it, and have done with babies). But I don’t like to haul loose in a bumper pull of any kind, it feels too unstable to me.

My last youngster hauled private in a 4 horse stock with the partitions locked back so she had plenty of space. I agree I would rather haul alone than have days and days on a trailer with company.

[password]

On the standard stock trailer, do you mean standard livestock height or a warmblood trailer with slats? Standard “stock” could be really low for what I’m assuming is a big warmblood who might not be as tolerant of standing with his head down like a smaller ranch horse.

[tabula_rashah]

Another vote for definitely stock trailer and loose.

[RTF]

Definitely the stock trailer, as long as you have adequate height in it for the horse. I have hauled numerous youngsters that have never been shipped. Loose is the best by far. If you can offer to pay for trailer loading sessions before you get there, that’s great. If not, at least the horse has been stalled. Stalling definitely helps with the confinement factor. Good luck, and congrats’