I’m shipping in for lessons at a barn that has street parking and I can’t really tack up at the trailer.
According to the trainer there, a lot of people ship in already tacked up and just unload and go.
I know this is fairly common for foxhunters, but any tips to keep my horse and saddle safe while traveling?
Throw a light sheet over them to protect the saddle. Just make sure everything is rolled up properly and no straps loose anywhere. I would trailer in a halter and put the bridle on before you unload. Double check the trailer width is sufficient.
Agree with jealoushe. At least put a saddle cover on. No bridle. Bridle in the arena if you have to.
I know Western folks do this all the time in stock trucks but I would never feel safe doing this in my straight load
It is not my preference to do this. Yes people do it. It’s incredibly unsafe. I’ve seen horses somehow catch something — stirrup, girth , martingale on the cotter pins of the butt bar as they are exiting and panic.
Is there not an area you can tack up? The ring? The barn itself?
If you absolute must a cooler or sleek blanket is best - more so to prevent anything from snagging during unloading.
I have done it. Hate it. Haven’t had any issues, I just don’t like it.
I had one horse who had to come off at a show and be mounted immediately and trot on the bit to the warm up. Any tacking up or grooming outside the trailer amped him up, but following a trot to the warm up he could start his loose rein walk and was perfectly normal the rest of the day.
Anyway, that one always shipped alone and I worked out a way to tack him up in the trailer. IIRC, that long ago, the divider didn’t swing so I had some thing (lead rope? String?) attached to the girth buckle so I could grab it under the divider and pull it up. That was also in the days before short girths though. Might be more difficult if your saddle uses a short girth.
In a newer trailer, with a horse I trusted, I would swing the divider over, tack up and then unload with a halter over the bridle just in case of any idiocy on exiting to the road - I’d want a little more rope length than just the reins. I’ve done this when I didn’t want to tack up in the rain and it works great 
However, 2 horses would mean traveling with saddles on and either a sheet over or a heavy saddle cover.
When I was a working student we would tack up the horses (saddle & bridles) and ship in the old style 6 horse vans to the local show/hunt. Never had a problem.
The few times I ship tacked I put an either a cover on my saddle or sheet on the horse.
One time I trailered in the rain to a venue where an unrecognized dressage show was inside the covered arena. Did not want to tack up outside in the rain or carry the saddle and a lot of stuff to/from the arena. Planned carefully.
At home before leaving, groomed horse thoroughly before loading - no tack. Arrived at venue and left horse on trailer. Removed swing divider, placed out of the way. Horse could swing his body out so I could access both sides. He was fairly tame and copacetic with most of this.
I was able to do a quick brush-off and tack up inside the trailer. A bit awkwardly, I had to have a word with the horse about it. But he agreed to be his best self for 10 minutes, in exchange for peppermints.
Had to plan my own clothing adjustments as well. But the inside of a horse trailer is so handy.
Threw a rain protection cooler on the saddle to traverse to the covered arena. Was able to stake out a teeny spot on the barn aisle as needed. Brought a little bag of a brush and rags and things to ensure neatness. Worked a charm.
For a short trailer ride its no big deal. Chuck a saddle cover on and away you go. I’ve never had issues.
I’d just pop on a saddle cover and make the trailer as open as possible if you have flexibility with dividers. If they have room to move around and balance themselves, they’re much less likely to whack your tack on the side of the trailer or get caught on something. When I was in Ireland, the hunters were shipped single tied, fully tacked up, in big open trailers.
Generally I agree with @beowulf beowulf and enjoy reading what she posts --but disagree today that hauling saddled is incredibly unsafe. With care and caution hauling saddled is as safe as any other type of hauling in “horse clothes” --coolers, leg wraps, shipping boots, blankets, fly masks, halters, etc. I have seen all of those catch or come loose or flap on horses being hauled.
I haul to every fox hunt saddled. I run up my stirrups and cover the saddle and stirrups with a padded saddle cover. My trailer does not have any pins or grommets that “stick out” that can catch on anything (seems like anything like that could catch on horse skin too). I saddle at home, and unload at the club, then lead my horse to the club barn. For me that makes much more sense than the activities of the other members who unload the horse, put him in a stall, bring saddle stands, brush boxes, saddles, bridles etc into the barn making multiple trips only to discover some important item has been left at home or in the trailer that is parked now at some distance.
Personally, over many years and miles of hauling, I have had shipping boots slide under hooves, leg wraps come undone, blankets slide off, halters catch on whatever, and tie ropes go every which way. I have yet to have an issue with a saddle. (Of course horses being horses, perhaps a matter of time)
I am comfortable hauling saddled. To me it makes sense.
Same. This is what it comes down to, really. Do it with reasonable precautions if you’re comfortable. For me reasonable precautions include only doing it if the horse is a good traveler and putting a cover on the saddle. Fox hunters and the eventers in my circle ship tacked all the time. Some even ship studded, which I do think is a bit nuts!
I usually bridle before unloading for convenience or safety, and so far I’ve had only one incident. I had one of those “training bridles” with snaps on the cheekpieces so you can change bits easily. When I lowered the butt bar the horse shifted his weight back but wouldn’t unload. I realized his bridle was clipped to the hay net! Bless his heart.
One more vote for it’s fine. We always ship tacked if it is a relatively short trip and we’re getting on shortly after arriving. Even/especially hot horses. It is so much easier and safer to tack at home. Put your bridle on in the trailer (after you arrive) and you’ll never be one of those people chasing a bare headed horse. The only caveat is if your horse isn’t a reliable loader yet, I wouldn’t ship with tack.
I think it’s worth comparing the safety of having your tack on in the trailer versus trying to tack up a hyper horse in an unfamiliar yard, which we’ve all witnessed/been through.
We have people do it all the time around here (western); however, when I’ve been presented similar circumstances, I’ve always tacked the horse on the trailer prior to unloading. My trailers have all been stock or slant load which I given me the room to do so relatively easily.
I have done it my stock trailer, which is essentially two box stalls, but would never do it in a straight or slant load trailer. I have an LQ trailer that is an 8’ wide slant load, and I won’t haul tacked up in that either.
There are just too many things to go wrong in a straight or slant load with so many places to get hung up.
I have to admit that trailering with tack already on would save a lot of little procedures that are necessary to tack up after arriving.
I’m not sure I’m comfortable subjecting my beloved saddle to the two-horse with divider. But with a more open trailer, I could see doing this.
My trailer is pretty wide and my horse is pretty narrow! But while I’m not sure I can risk my beloved dressage saddle, I’m going for jump lessons and I’m far more comfortable trying this with my crappy little jump saddle 
I’ve never hauled tacked, but now I’m considering it. It seems like it would be safer to just pull the stirrups right off rather than running them up. Even with the leathers tied around the irons and a saddle cover on, they still make a protrusion that could catch on something. I think that is what I will do if I decide to try this.
I have traveled, saddle only, tacked up for over 30 years of foxhunting and eventing. We even travel tacked to lessons. They have either a saddle cover or sheet over the top.
I remember seeing a 5* eventer come out to foxhunt untacked. He never made it to the hunt field.
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