To tie or not in a trailer

[BSharpRanch]

After seeing a horrible accident on the news that happened on the freeway just east of us, I am now a very firm believer in tying my horses in the trailer. I always have tyed before, and will always continue.

In a freak accident, the trailer doors were ripped off their hinges. The horses inside the trailer were not tyed and escaped out of the trailer and into traffic. One horse died. A miracle no human was killed.

My dad (a long time horseman) told me to always tie in the trailer. The only time I didn't was when I was teaching a weanling QH how to load/unload. I put my Half-Arab gelding into the empty stall so as to make the filly more comfortable with the idea of getting in. I did not tie him in as we were not going anyplace. He ended up getting his head down and he become wedged and was having trouble breathing. Had we been headed down the road I most likely would of had a dead horse.

So tie or not, is a personal choice, but for the safety of my horses, they will remain tied.

 

[romewhip]

I always tie unless dealing with a non-halter broke horse. For the little guys where I might not be able to use a trailer tie I use a lead rope with a safety knot that releases when pulled. I don't tie their heads up but don't leave enough slack they can get a leg over. I also make sure halters fit properly, and given a choice I use leather halters for travel.

 

[wingnut]

I have a 19 foot stock trailer with a divider in the middle (creating two areas). I do not tie. I've seen it done both ways and I've heard both options justified in ways that make sense to me.

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I also have a stock trailer. (I transport my cart in the back section.) If I am transporting horses that do not know each other, then I tie. But routinely hauling my personal horses, they travel in the front, covered section untied. I do have a pet name tag on their halters with name and phone number. I, too, have heard of horses that have been thrown out into traffic and run away from the scene in fright. I think I'd rather they took the chance of being untied in a wreck (God forbid!), though.

 

[BSharpRanch]

The sad thing isn't our horses being killed by unsuspecting drivers, it is unsuspecting drivers being killed by our horses.

 

[amysue]

I always tie horses with quick release ties so they move around less and for safety reasons. I also haul horses in leather halters so if something catastrophic happens they wont be hanged. Some horses panic when tied. So if the trailer was a straight load with butt bars and the horse could not get his/her head under the chest bar, not tieing isnt so bad in that case.

 

[sfmini]

We do not tie and never will again. Many years ago good friends of ours arrived at a show, opened their trailer and found their 2 year old colt had tried to go over the divider and broke his neck and was hanging there, still alive. The problem with minis is you can't feel them when they move around in the trailer so unless I have a camera, I won't tie, and don't leave halters on.

 

[Danielleee]

It depends on the situation. If we're hauling stallions with other stallions and mares then we tie so no one sticks their noses through the dividers and fights with one another. We tie our big horses. If we're hauling only one mini we do not tie. If we're hauling minis that get along we don't tie.

 

[Marty]

Depends on the trailer. Depends on the horse or horses.Depends on the situation at hand. But one thing i find strange is the lack of leg wraps or leg and head protection used on miniatures. Old school here: I always wrapped and prefer a head bumper with the big horses.

 

[FurstPlaceMiniatures]

Depends on the trailer. Depends on the horse or horses.Depends on the situation at hand. But one thing i find strange is the lack of leg wraps or leg and head protection used on miniatures. Old school here: I always wrapped and prefer a head bumper with the big horses.

Agreed 100000%! My horse will never enter a trailer without all 4 legs wrapped, bell boots, and a head bumper!

 

[Marsha Cassada]

Mine wear their fly masks while trailering, since mine is an open trailer.

 

[Carolyn R]

Agreed, depends on the trailer and the situation. A sixteen foot box trailer with a full solid devider may have more benefits to trailer loose than attempting to trailer loose in a straight load two horse trailer. The other thing to mention is, while making sure your halters are break away, make sure the leather is suitable for a mini, meaning not as wide or thick.

 

[targetsmom]

I always tie unless it is mare and foal or a horse on the way to the hospital that can't stand up. We even tied Rusty on the way back from the hospital although the ropes had to be longer because he can't hold his head very high. We also use dividers that give them something to lean against, and a padded chain behind them.

 

[jess - bentley]

I do not even know how to answer this one because freak accidents can happen either way! I did used to tie my horses and did have them try to jump the chest bar. I think the best thing is to have the right trailer, but that means a lot of us have to go get new trailers lol! The best trailer is a custom built miniature horse trailer that is slant load so they can be tied and not jump any divider or chest bar. I like the new mini trailer from Gore trailers. It is super nice, slant load and made just the right size for the minis. I also think it is ok to use a stock trailer and not tie them up. Like I said freak accidents do happen and either way is know guarantee.

 

[BSharpRanch]

I even tie my minis in my large three horse slant load. I avoid any scuffles between horses by placing those that get along together. I always do welfare checks each time we stop when hauling the minis.

A question for those that haul multiple loose horses in their stock trailer...How do you keep the herd from all bolting out the door when you are ready to unload?

 

[HGFarm]

I have ALWAYS tied mine as I know of two others who had a fatal and a near fatal accident from not tying them. I tied mine before that but that just convinced me..............

 

[Marsha Cassada]

I even tie my minis in my large three horse slant load. I avoid any scuffles between horses by placing those that get along together. I always do welfare checks each time we stop when hauling the minis.

A question for those that haul multiple loose horses in their stock trailer...How do you keep the herd from all bolting out the door when you are ready to unload?

I've only hauled two miniature horses per section of the trailer, so I haven't had a problem with a herd bolting. I just ask them to stand back until I get their lead ropes attached, and if I need to, I tie one before leading the other out. Usually it is just my own two, and everyone is used to the routine.

If I were to haul big horses, I would tie. Or hauling big and little.

I did have a miniature try to climb out of the back section one time. (It is uncovered so I can haul my cart.) We were parked at the hoof trimmer's. He was tied, and almost got to the top before we got there and smacked the whip on the side of the trailer to make him back down. It happened so fast! We were all standing right there and before we knew it he was scaling the side of the trailer like a goat. I do not know if he could have/would have gone over and hanged himself by the halter. He was boarding with me, and was a brat. He was tied high; maybe that gave him more room to climb? No horse I've ever hauled tried that before, or since.

I did have one other bad trailering experience. I was transporting a friend's hrose and cart for a parade. He was a stallion and lived with a bay mare. We tied him next to my bay gelding in the trailer (I always tie horses that do not know each other) and before we had driven a mile her stallion was terrorizing my gelding, trying to mount him. It was a ride I've never forgotten, and I never offered to trailer that stallion again. His owner kept saying it was because my horse was brown, but I couldn't believe a stallion wouldn't know the difference between a brown mare and a brown gelding. I was pretty upset, needless to say, because my Dapper Dan was so paralyzed by fear we couldn't even move his body to get to the lead ropes.

OP, I admire your consideration of human beings who might be injured by a loose horse. It is good to have a heads up reminder of our responsibilities while transporting animals.

I always enjoy reading these discussions. Things I've never thought of, things I've never imagined could happen, pros and cons...

 

[Danielleee]

I even tie my minis in my large three horse slant load. I avoid any scuffles between horses by placing those that get along together. I always do welfare checks each time we stop when hauling the minis.

A question for those that haul multiple loose horses in their stock trailer...How do you keep the herd from all bolting out the door when you are ready to unload?

We have a gate that separates the front and the back of our stock trailer. So at most there would be only two horses back there that could bolt. But even with tied horses we open the back of the trailer only wide enough for us to squeeze in and untie them if theyre tied or put halters on if they aren't and open it the rest of the way and lead them out.

 

[Carolyn R]

I have a side entry door in the front compartment of my stock trailer, and I have a calf door in the rear gate of theback half of the trailer. I just open one of those doors enough to slip in, then after the horse is secured, I open the reguar gate. I usually haul it he front half, so I can enter the back, shut the door, open the devider,secure the horses, the open the rear gate. Its actually pretty secure.

 

[rabbitsfizz]

Always tie, never, ever travel loose. Un halter trained? Brilliant way to start training! Horse is so worried about keeping it's balance it does not notice the halter. Apart from the fact that it is illegal here to travel a shod horse untied (does not apply to ours, I know, and blimey, do we have to have laws for EVERYTHING???) I just would not do it form a safety aspect. I have had horses try to turn round in a single horse partition- THAT was fun! Imagine a half turned, stuck , horse on a fast road with nowhere to stop. No, always tie.