Travelling a 6 month old

[sectiondcrazy]

I am posting this for a friend who is wondering the best way to travel her 6month old filly. She has been weaned over a month now.
Should we travel her loose or tie her up
Suggestions/advice needed please

[Deleted]

If she has been tied up, I would tie her up. Is it legal to travel loose?

[nightwish]

if she ties up all ready, dont see why not tie up, but if not, leave her loose maybe with a net for something to munch on

[shwmaeCP]

I agree with the above if she is fine tied up then tie her up it's safer that way

[Hollydale fells]

i would travel her loose in a trailer with no partition in,but make sure you have a good shavings bed,,foals get travelled loose when on there mothers!!

[sjc]

We tied ours at that age and he travelled fine

[sectiondcrazy]

Thats what I thought. Thanks for your advice everybody We'll do lots of practice going in and out of the wagon and standing tied up before we actually go anywhere

[poop]

I never travel a foal tied, especially if it is a long distance and they are not used to travelling. They can panic and rear and they do get very tired and sometimes lie down, it is hard to learn to balance, even more so when tied up. Particularly the case with small pony foals who cannot drop their heads as the tie rings are high up. As long as they cant go under a partition and have a deep straw bed I let them choose their own position to be comfortable. Once the vehicle is stopped I tie them back up so they are not getting into mischief and remember to stand quietly. Depends if you are travelling with other horses though.

[thecremellosociety]

I travelled mine tied at 8 months but he travelled at 6 months loose then taught to tie and small journeys of travelling tied and was fine. Need to do the home work to travel tied, dont do it if they not used to it x

[sectiondcrazy]

The foal belongs to my friend who is only 12 and not very experienced so really a lot more ground work is needed. She is planning on moving yards about 15 mins up the road so we were just wondering what to do for the best :S I am going to take her in my wagon.
I have only ever travelled my 2 grown uo section D's
xx

[activerider]

I would travel the youngster with a companion she knows ?

[mpc]

Ditto Wensleystud and Taraco, loose with plenty of straw and space

[poop]

What on earth is a 12 yr old child doing owning a foal?! Even worse that she is inexperienced. I hope you can help her but it sounds like a recipe for disaster.
I hope this thread doesnt turn into another nasty one now!

[girly]

Another vote here for travelling the foal loose in a lorry or trailer without any partions to get under or over and a good non slip bed.

[activerider]

I agree with the loose approach too - BUT you have to make this a good experience or you will spoil the loading/travelling big time !!!

[sectiondcrazy]

I know not the best combination!!! To cut a long story short she bought the mare just over 12 months ago and it turned out to have a dodgy passport and went lame 2 weeks later!! After several treatment for sarcoids and the vet insisting it was grosely overweight we made her have a blood test done as we thought it looked like it was in foal.....lo and behold IT WAS!!!!!! The kid doesnt actually want to keep the foal as it is too big but her mum will only sell it to me but I cant afford to keep her at the moment as I've got 2 of my own to pay for
xx

[corrie]

I've always traveled foals loose and that has been on journeys from Scotland to Devon.
I allow about the width of two normal spaces, put a good thick bed of straw down and make sure there is nothing for them to get caught on.
Don't leave a head collar on and make sure if you have a gap at the front of your partitions that is blocked off so the foal can't try and get under & get stuck.
I've found that they usually travel back wards, bum to the cab to start with.
Good luck

[leeann]

I bought 3 foals from Wales last year, and travelled them back to Scotland.

I just had them loose, I put plenty of shavings down and some hay on the floor. They were not a spot of bother :-) Good luck

[sarahp]

In this case and similar, or traveling with the dam, loose with no obstructions as has been said. But with my own home breds, if weaned and going to foal shows hence civilised and used to being tied up and properly taught to load, I do take them for their first trip tied and partitioned, always with a friend though. Frequently two foals and a nanny so that one is not left in the lorry on its own either.

[choo]

We always travelled our boy loose as no sooner that the lorry be on the move he be flat out snoring in the back of the lorry. When we got to the show then I would put his halter on and if we had to wait for a class I would tie him in the back of the lorry as the back ramp would be down, so he wouldnt excape and run around the show lol. He loved travelling in the lorry, however when I put him in the trailor I used to tie him.

[julie01]

Travel loose in a trailer without partitions, with shavings down and some hay.

[marybadawi]

Jan 26, 2011 20:59:35 GMT sjc said:

We tied ours at that age and he travelled fine

how far did you travel