# Do you put bedding in your trailer or horse lorry?



## happihorse (18 April 2011)

Any why or why not?


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## jenni999 (18 April 2011)

No, I travel horses on the rubber floor.  I take all the poo out after every trip and rinse out if necessary.  If your floor is not 100%, leaving wet on it can seep through and weaken it over time (unless you've got a metal floor).


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## Vetwrap (18 April 2011)

A friend has leant me her trailer a couple of times and she always travels her horses with a thich shavings bed in.  I have to say that my boys seem to travel much better with bedding in.  They certainly don't move around very much and seem more sure footed.

The trailer has an aluminium floor.

When I had my wooden floored lorry, I used to put a small amount of shavings in, then took everything out.  I felt the shavings did absorb some of the wet and made it easier to clean.  I was very mindful about checking the floor and taking up mats for proper inspection, thorough drying and a creosote.


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## Sanolly (18 April 2011)

I have an old Bahill trailer with a wooden floor so I always travel with a good straw bed A) to soak up wet/poo and B) to give them more of a purchase so they keep their footing


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## ThePony (18 April 2011)

Yep, alu and rubber matted floor with shavings on. Both are precious mares and won't wee otherwise - one will hold on so much it makes her lame so everything must be just so to encorage the diva to have a wee!


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## Derfette (18 April 2011)

I travel my boy in a 505 which has an aluminium floor with rubber matting and no bedding. I find that having bedding on a rubber floor makes it alot more slippery. Would definately use bedding in a trailer that had a wooden floor though.


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## applecart14 (18 April 2011)

happihorse said:



			Any why or why not?
		
Click to expand...

No I travel my horse on rubber matting.  It would drive me mad having clumps of straw or shavings stuck in my horses feet and bits of straw blowing around everywhere every time I unloaded him.  I don't think its necessary, the rubber provides a good enough grip.  He has wee'd once in 6 years in the trailer and its no biggy to take the matting out and get rid of the wee.

When I come to load up from a venue I sweep any poo he has done to the front of the trailer so I can muck it out easier when I get home and also to prevent him slipping on it with his hind legs.


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## MissTyc (18 April 2011)

I have EVA mats and a small hemp bed around the back legs - my horses always seem to poo a lot when we travel and the poo on the mats gets very slippy. The hemp soaks out all the moisture and I can just lift out the dry dumplings when I get home


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## Tnavas (18 April 2011)

Most definately YES!

I find horses travel much better with straw inthe truck or trailer. The best to use is clean already used straw as it packs more. My truck stays cleaner - straw goes over the droppings and my horses arrive clean. When you have horses with four white socks this is an important consideration.

Wet rubber matting is really slippery and dirty. Unless completely sealed it is a death trap for rotting floors.


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## Britestar (18 April 2011)

Yes, currently using safemix, but will changing to cardboard. My boys like to pee in trailer so bedding soaks it up.


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## PucciNPoni (19 April 2011)

I do - to try to encourage my boy to wee while we're out. He won't wee on the grass if we're at a show - so I want to have the bed down in case he needs to go.  But so far he only manages to widdle out a tiny bit in it - I think he likes either more privacy or more room.


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