A Few Things About Trailering

In this video, Dr. Lacher and Justin Long discuss a variety of things to consider about trailering your horses. This video was originally created for the Official Patrons of our podcast, Straight from the Horse Doctor's Mouth. To become a patron and get these videos as soon as they release, visit / straightfromthehorsedo... .

[@katego370]

Question: would you also not tie a horse in a small European trailer? In Europe, our trailers don't have a lot of room in front of the chest bar, there's usually a big bump where you hang your hay in front of the chest bar. It's where the little tack room is on the outside. My worry would be if I didn't tie my horse, he'd be more likely to get his legs over the chest bar, and getting in front of the chest bar to fix the situation seems like a total death wish. If they're tied and you don't tie them really high, they can't jump high enough to do those theatrics. I don't own a horse right now but that would be why I'd tie them. I wouldn't if the trailer was longer like the ones you have but in those standard small ones we have in Europe, it seems wise to tie them when they're in such a confined space. Educated horse owners here usually tie the rope to a loop of hay string so that in an accident, the hay string breaks or is very easy to cut.

[@SpringhillEquineVet]

We still recommend that horses do not get tied in the trailer. If they get themselves in a jam, it's significantly more difficult to get them out of the jam if their head is tied or confined. And if the trailer turns over on its side, the only way to release the horse is to cut a hole in the trailer which takes a lot of time. And really, unless you tie the horse so tightly that they can't move their head (which takes away their ability to balance), tying them doesn't prevent them from doing bad things. It does very little good, and carries a high risk.

[@micheleracicot3714]

Thank you for this video! I just bought a 2 horse gooseneck slant trailer which I could make into a box stall if taking the divider out. I would like to think that this would offer a more comfortable ride for my horse but I am also wondering if it's just safer to keep him in the front with the divider closed in. I would really appreciate your thoughts on this :)

[@SpringhillEquineVet]

We haul nearly everything untied in a box stall these days. You have to be mindful of that when stopping or turning, but overall it's the most comfortable for the horse.

[@michelekanefsky7511]

This was great! Learned a few things I didn’t know! Thank you!