I have just a few rules I follow for travel.
#1: Avoid shipping boots if at all possible. The heat buildup and possibility of problems is just not worth it compared to the neglible protection they give. Connor is a fabulous shipper, so I can get away with this easier than some.
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| This is how Connor made the 5 hour trip to Chicago last weekend: rear-facing, padded stud panels, in a stall-and-a-half width stall. No need for boots here. |
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| Tiny pony in a big stall. He loves batting his hay bag around like a stall toy and shaking it. |
#3: Checklist in the binder. One check for it being in the container it's in, one check when I have visibly verified that the item is in the trailer.
I am inordinately lucky that Connor gets to ride in style like this. If I was buying the rig, it would be what I could afford right now. (Read: barely road worthy!)
I agree with skipping the shipping boots - I've seen horses with more cuts/lacerations with those stupid things ON than OFF!
ReplyDeleteTotally. You just have to know your horse and do what's best for him. In college, the smartest and most educated equestrian I've ever known told me she never ships in anything but bell boots, because quittor is the worst possible thing that could happen in a trailer, and heat on tendons should be avoided at all costs. I've never forgotten that.
DeleteWhat happened to the shipping boots you ended up buying? I remember you buying some then buying more because the first set didn't fit.
ReplyDeleteI still have them, but I only use them when I absolutely have to (i.e., when he's next to someone and not in the stud panels). Last week's trip was 4.5 hours long in the heat of the day, and with his positioning in the trailer being what it was, I left them at home.
DeleteWhen I finally get the trailer I want I will be leaving the shipping boots off. Right now I am either trailering with my trainer where Loki is in slant with no wall between him and the horse next to him or in my sister's trailer that is fine once he is in but an issue loading/unloading. There is always a compromise to be made when it comes to protecting these creatures, it seems.
ReplyDeleteThat is pretty much exactly what I do too. In that situation, I'd use boots. It is a compromise. I rate each trailering situation on the probability of getting stepped on, and boot accordingly. My trainer raises her eyebrows when I ship without boots, but that's okay. I know my horse.
DeleteI opt for shipping boots, but my horse is an idiot and needs to be protected from himself :-)
ReplyDeleteSuch good tips!! My girl will be travelling a full 6 hours next year and I'm storing away all the advice I can... :)
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