Trailering my horse?

Question

I'm going to be trailering my horse for the first time tomorrow. I've owned her for just a few weeks. I'm positive she'd been trailered before but I don't know how she'll be. She's an Arab/Hackney/QH and she is VERY flighty and spunky.I'm just afraid she might hurt herself. Should I wrap her legs? It's pretty hot and I don't know if that would just make her more uncomfortable. But then again I'm more concerned for her safety. I have polo wraps and I also have thin fleece shipping boots.

What would you do if this were your horse?
And by the way this is just a 30 minute trailer ride across town to a coggins test convention.

Thanks for the help!

Answer 1

I sorta went through the same thing, years ago- I bought my first horse, and when the day came that I had to put her on a trailer- it occurred to me that, gee, I had no idea how she'd take to being put on a trailer and taken somewhere! She was a flighty, spooky arab and I had never loaded a horse onto a trailer before!



Fortunately it worked out ok for us, she turned out to be fine with trailers.



The best advice I can give you is, if you're not used to leading horses onto trailers, have someone else, who is experienced with loading horses onto trailers, do it for you the first time- then if she turns out to be fine with it, you can do it yourself in the future with confidence.



The biggest thing is, you must be confident! Lead her onto the trailer like you have no doubt she will follow- don't hesitate, don't look back at her, just walk into the trailer. I like to have hay waiting in the trailer, and I also often give a cookie or other reward once on the trailer just to continually reinforce the idea that the trailer is a nice place to be.



As for boots- if she's going to be sharing the trailer with other horses, definitely put the shipping boots on her. If she's going to be in there alone, I would just put boots on the fronts, to prevent her from accidentally stepping on her own heels if the driver had to slam on brakes.



I don't like to use polo wraps in the trailer for several reasons- first, they tend to be more snug than shipping boots, especially if improperly applied, I don't like making my horses wear polo wraps unless for a specific purpose while being worked/ridden.



Second- if a polo wrap came unstuck and started coming off in a trailer, it could be disastrous. Think about all the horrible things that could result from the loose end of a polo wrap getting caught on something, or stuck under a hoof, if the horse tried to take a step to keep her balance and the polo wrap was caught, she could fall down in the trailer. You can imagine the consequences of that kind of accident, especially in a trailer with other horses.



Use the shipping boots.



If you'd like to practice loading/unloading before the big day, that might help. Make sure only to use a trailer that is hitched securely to a towing vehicle- loading a horse into a parked, unhitched trailer, even a big one, can tip the trailer back and cause a disaster. Use treats to reward the horse for entering the trailer, and let her get back off the trailer fairly quickly.



Good luck- I'm sure you'll be fine. The majority of horses handle trailering just fine.

Answer 2

You should wrap her legs with "No-bow" fleece wraps and racing/fleece polo wraps. aLWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS do it. Only use shipping boots IF they go high enough to cover the lower part of her hock just in case she turns out to be a kicker.



However, "standing wrap" style shipping wrap provides her with the correct support she needs to withstand a potentially bumpy drive. Realize that she's going to stand in ONE place without moving for some time, and then she's going to get off and stand in a stall. Standing wraps encourage circulation while also providing extra tendon support and a higher degree of protection from bumping into stuff than shipping boots. Once she arrives at her destination, it's often a good idea to do standing wraps on all four legs if she's going to stand in a stall for a bit; it decreases the chance that she'll have any swelling (which could potentially displace tendons and create general discomfort) from standing around.

Answer 3

Yes I would wrap her legs...What I do with older horses, is load em up, then I sit on the wheel well and bounce up and down, you can see how the horse will react. Then I would drive around the home front, a little bit. DO this a few times before you haul on the road. Works for me :-)

PS Have hay for him, it will help keep his mind off the ride.

~*~*~ Polos or shipping will work, make sure they are snug (not tight) so they dont slip. If you lots of protection, use polo wraps then shipping boots if they are large enough.

Answer 4

I personally dont wrap legs when I haul but it would probably be a good idea, Ive never had an issue with legs in trailers and if you dont know how to wrap legs, you can do more damage than good to them. You mentioned that she is a little on the spunky/flighty side, I would recommend that you borrow a trailer and work with her around it and in it. Lounge her by it so she can see it and then gradually work your way into asking her to get in the trailer then back her out. I always back mine out because its a lot safer than turning them around. Repeat this until shes comfortable. When you do this, make sure the trailer is in fact hooked up to the pickup. When shes comfortable getting in and out of the trailer, then I would say go ahead and take her to the vet. Make the trailering experience good for her and be calm and patient. I usually tie mine in the trailer because otherwise they can shift around and make the trailer move around behind the truck. That's not so good either but Ive also done loose in the trailer and mine doesn't care either way as long as he has hay! Hope this helps!

Answer 5

i would definitely wrap her legs for protection if you are worried about her hurting herself..



I would wrap with No Bows (quilted wraps) and then the polos to secure them in place over top. I find that they offer support which shipping boots do not and the horses can walk better and more naturally in them..



Good Luck! You may also want to try a head bumper to protect her head if you are worried about her being excited and flighty...

Answer 6

You could wrap her legs just to protect from bumping herself, if you use a hay bag hang it high enough and secure it tightly to prevent her from getting her leg into it. Some horses paw(mine did) and it was scary.



People have different ideas on whether to tie a horse in the trailer or just let them ride in it. I have done it both ways,( loose was in a stock trailer where I could close the divider)so it depends on how you feel.I have seen accidents where tied horses have broken their necks and accidents where loose horses have gotten out of the trailer in an accident and been injured by other vehicles.

Answer 7

Hi Rachel! I'm going to a coggins clinic tomorrow also! Are you in NC?

I would attempt to load your horse today to see how she is going to act. Do you have someone experienced to help? Sometimes, even with a horse that is an old pro at loading will act up if they sense your nervousness. Greed, sometimes, is the best or only way to get them in. I once had to tease a horse in by letting him lip the feed bucket without actually getting feed until he was all the way in. Sometimes loading another horse first will encourage a skittish horse to load easier.

Answer 8

wrap her legs with polos and then put shipping boots on. It gives the legs extra protection. practice 2day 2 make sure she will get in. If she doesnt practice with her for a little bit.



my horse is very similar n we have gotten her in bt we stilll need 2 work with her and that all it takes is work. if she doesnt get in 2morrow keep working with her



good luck!!! and iam sure you`ll do fine=~}

Answer 9

defiantly wrap her legs with shipping boots.

in this case, polo wraps won't give her as much protection as a good shipping boot will.

Answer 10

Yes if I were you I would wrap the legs and the tail. Even though it's only thirty minuets it will be better to take all the precautions you can to make her trip as safe as possible.

Answer 11

any protection is better than none.