# How far would you travel horses in a trailer



## Joyous70 (11 May 2011)

Just wondering, how far you would consider too far to travel your horse in a trailer for?


----------



## jdonald (11 May 2011)

I think it very much depends on the horse. My mare travels better in a trailer than lorry.  We are based in Bucks just outside aylesbury and have in one day trailered to Ardingley Show Ground, Hartpury both a good 2 hours and she has come off fresh as a daisy.


----------



## tinap (11 May 2011)

We've done Doncaster to Hickstead in a trailer, took 5 hours there, 7 back. Stopped a few times to check him & offer water, but luckily he travels fab xx


----------



## ecrozier (11 May 2011)

I'm sure she will answer this post but britestar and her RC do insanely long trip every year to Lincoln from Scotland!


----------



## Joyous70 (11 May 2011)

Thank you im sat here dismissing shows/ODE's that may take more than an hour and a half to travel too, suddenly the world is my oyster 

Ive done Eland lodge but that was a lift in a lorry, and he seemed to travel fine, for some reason i had it in my head that travelling in trailers was possibly harder work for them


----------



## tinap (11 May 2011)

The longest I've travelled to jump on the same day is about 2 hours & ours goes fine! Only travel that far if its an important show though!!  Good luck wherever you end up!! Xx


----------



## Santa_Claus (11 May 2011)

Fleur also travels better in a trailer than a lorry! Last year did 3 hours to West Wilts BE90RF competed (including double clear!) and 3 hours home the same day. And she still came off the trailer and trotted up the slope to her stable fresh as a dasiy


----------



## Joyous70 (11 May 2011)

Thanks  i suddenly feel a whole lot better now 

He seems to travel fine in his trailer (once he's got his trailer legs) to local shows, about 1/2 hours drive, and he did an hour and half in the lorry to Eland Lodge the other week.  So i spose the best way is to try it and see how it goes


----------



## MegaBeast (11 May 2011)

I do 2½ hrs each way to event quite happily (I do the driving too) with a trailer.  Virtually never travel less than an hour each way.  Horse travels very well (although won't eat when on the move).


----------



## Festive_Felicitations (11 May 2011)

You can't go anywhere in Australia unless you travel for more than 1 hr. 3hrs is fairly standard!  However it is mainly highway driving not twisty country lanes.

And 90% of people have trailers not lorries as they don't seem to import the nifty little 1 horse jobs you guys have.


----------



## MagicMelon (11 May 2011)

I think it depends what your horse is used to.  If its used to a trailer then I dont see any issue in travelling as far as you would in a lorry.  A lorry is smoother but might upset a trailer horse.  

I've travelled down to England with a trailer - was 10 hours (with a break after 5 hours to take him out to stretch his legs and graze for half an hour).  Horse was perfectly happy.  Would tend to do that length of time in a lorry by choice but I regularly trailer up to about 3.5 hours without even thinking about it.


----------



## louisesb (11 May 2011)

I asked this very same question about a month ago on here. My homebred youngster had only done local shows (1/2 an hour away) and one trip of approximately an hour and a half and I needed to travel her for four hours to my friend's yard. Posted on here and loads of people said they did long journeys. Suffice to say I went, took four hours, stopped once to check she was ok at about 3 hours in, and she came bounding off the trailer as if she'd done 1/2 hour!! She is a good traveller anyway, but I was amazed she took it all completely in her stride. Yes definitely get out to shows that are 2-3 hours away, I certainly will when I get me new neddy!!


----------



## Sportznight (11 May 2011)

Also depends what you are travelling for, what you are travelling and the size of trailer compared to the occupants.  When I moved from Cornwall to East Anglia I towed overnight, first trip with one horse took 8hrs.  Second trip with 2 horses, again overnight, 11hrs, but that was due to needing more than 2 stops for caffiene and toilet breaks and for some reason a lot more traffic.


----------



## Britestar (11 May 2011)

As ecroizer said - if we go to BRC Champs it takes 12hrs in a trailer! I have also travelled the MK for their 3DE, it take 13hrs.

Horses couldn't care less (thank goodness)


----------



## TarrSteps (11 May 2011)

Almost no one has a "truck" (lorry) in North America except some of the big barns and commercial outfits, so horses regularly do long hauls in the trailer.  (Although, to be fair, people who do a lot of travelling almost always have gooseneck/fifth wheel trailers, not tag-a-longs.)  So there's no reason a horse can't do a few hours then compete.

I will say, though, the amount it tells on the horse depends a lot on the driving conditions and the ride of your trailer.  Motorway and straight driving on good roads at a decent speed is much easier on horses than lots of turning, up and down and changes of speed.  Also, if you're going to be doing a lot of longer trips it pays to have the best shocks, floor, etc you can and to make sure your hitch is stable and sits level. Also, make sure the horse has enough room to spread his feet comfortably so he doesn't start to lean on the partition and scramble when he gets tired.

It's a good idea to take some water from home, too, although a lot of horses don't drink in transit, and if you're using a net dampen the hay and rig it up a bit lower or to the side, so he's not inhaling through it the whole time.  Also, be careful with his temperature control - trailers can get surprisingly warm, even on a day the requires a blanket and many shipping boots can make horses sweat and itch over a long period of time.  Not major issues but worth considering.


----------



## PorkChop (11 May 2011)

Up to three hours each way there and back in a day - to compete x


----------



## BEVol (11 May 2011)

Last autumn at Weston Park we had some competitors over from Ireland in a trailer.


----------



## JustMe22 (13 May 2011)

We don't get little lorries here, but I would LOVE it if we did! Only lorries are those big sorta 8-16 horse jobs.
So, people frequently trailer horses on long trips. Our old pony went on an 8 hour trip between two cities, and people often take them to Cape town or the eastern cape, and with a trailer I'd imagine that's probably a good day or so at least, but with breaks obviously.

For shows - most of my shows are just over an hour away, and we do not travel far  1-6 hours, quite normal. Longer wouldn't be considered odd either.


----------



## bvlgari (13 May 2011)

I really think it depends on the horse - my horse has been in a trailer once and a 3.5t box once - both very short journeys - trailer first and she was very difficult to load and I travelled in the back with her and she didn't like it at all.  With the box she walked straight in and travelled great (had the camera on her) - so personally I wouldn't take her anywhere again in a trailer - but I know people travel over to europe in theirs. 

(I know probably a useless comment )


----------

