To tie in trailer or to not tie in trailer...?

Question

What do you do and what decides what you do? Age of horse, trailer model, slant vs straight, single horse or multiple?

I'm on call and bored, waiting for patients, so be prepared for questions to flood lol.

I will add, that I usually haul 3-4 mules in the trailer. The first 2-3 get tied, the last one doesn't. But all my guys are well traveled, don't cause any trouble in the trailer etc.

I don't tie the last one because the trailer is so packed that I usually can't get in to untie him and he self loads. So that way he can back himself out when I am ready.

Do you guys have escape doors on your trailers and are they wide enough for your horse to fit through if you needed them to?

I do and it would be a squeeze, but the mule that would have to go through, its trustworthy and would handle it fine. I know they are more for people emergencies, but if you had a horse go down in the back, could you unload a front horse through your emergency door?

Answer 1

I tie most all of the time with a good trailer tie that has a panic snap, and I do not under any circumstances use a bungee tie. They are dangerous. If a horse or mule panics and you have to release it, when you release the snap, they snap back and can injure you or your animal.

On the couple of occasions that I have hauled a horse or a mule untied, they were very young or had not been handled at all. In those cases, we used the stock trailer and closed the gate so that the horse or mule could only move in that 8 foot section rather than having 24 feet to roam in. We went very slowly and stopped to check on them a couple of times during our trip.

I was packing up to go riding a month or so ago and between the circus that it seems is always around my mother's house (where my horses currently are) and the migraine that I had, I somehow forgot to tie my mare in the trailer. She is a very curious horse that I would NEVER leave untied because she tries to turn around to see what's going on behind her, and she can be quite nasty sometimes when she decides to pick on the other horses. Thank God, she was fine. She was in my 3H slant, so there was nowhere for her to put her feet and she couldn't move around much with the dividers closed. The thing that scares me about not having her tied in the slant load is what if she had somehow slid down and had gotten caught up under the dividers? Anyway, again THANK GOD she was fine and kind of like "hey mom, did you forget something????"

And yes, I know this was a stupid mistake so please don't blast me for making it. I normally check EVERYTHING twice before I move the trailer with or without my animals in it and very often three times when they are in it. Believe me, I felt bad enough on my own.

Answer 2

Hi Mulereiner
I usually do tie every horse on the trailer, no matter what horse or trailer model. I just think it's safer, have seen weird things happening....
To your part of the question with that emergency - door...
Good point there, it didn't get that weird yet for me, but it definitly could happen that this door could be useful. and i don't remember having seen a trailer with escape door for larger horses in the front, just big enough for people, and I have seen a trailer with a normal gate in the back and big sliding door at the right side. I think it is worth to be thought about.

Answer 3

mare's age is 31/2 she has been trailered in both a 4 horse gooseneck, and also a 2 horse straight livestock trailer.
She is always tied with a trailer tie with a panic snaps.
I am the same way bored stiff at home,snow storm-lol
* edit* sorry didn't read all the way-lol 2 horse no she could not fit through emergency exit.4 horse she can fit through.

Answer 4

I have a gooseneck now. But in the past ive had straight load, and a slant load.

With a straight load i dont really bother with tying. Because usually i only had a two horse straight load when i was in highschool.

With a slant load i do tie, because ive had horses believe it or not go under their shaft to the next horse and have had a few trailer accidents. Also if i have a marish mare i do tie because my horses will bother whatever horse thy can if they have a chance.

With my gooseneck its a slant load and i do tie. Although if a horse has problems with ties i use a specified trailer cord.

Answer 5

I had a 2 horse trailer, and I didn't always tie my seasoned horses....they were both self-loading, and laid back. I always tied young stock, since hauling a two year old to his first show, and a semi passed us doing about 100, and he tried to get into the manger. Helluva job getting him down out of there on the Foothill freeway.

One time my reining/western riding horse, a real trooper, got out of his stall. Couldn't find him anywhere. I went around to where I had the trailer parked, and where I had pulled the mats to inspect and hose out, and there he was, standing in the trailer, looking like "let's get this show on the road, you don't want to be late". This was the same horse that I once turned out into the arena while I stripped his stall, and when I went to get him, he was going through the western riding course on his own.

Answer 6

I have a small, old stock trailer...only fits 3 smaller horses loose or 2 big ones...tied. But my 2 grown horses are quiet but I tie anyways...Lincoln...I don't tie...I put him in the front of the trailer and close the partition. And the escape door...Georgia(Arabian/QH) could fit through it, but Hamilton (QH) couldn't, he's 16 hands.
I have confined space issues so hubby loads and unloads for me. Although, I have been able to walk into the trailer with Lincoln without bursting into tears..lol

PH...you would be better off just using a slip knot, those bungies suck in my personal experience. My sister tried them too and didn't like them.

Answer 7

I tie with the quick release snaps. Usually hauled in a 4-horse, and they are pretty good with unloading, snap my fingers and say back up. No problems so far!
If I haul a young one, though, I usually leave them loose if they haven't been trailered much but close the divider gate.

Bring on the questions, MR, it is cold and icy here so not too much to do either. Need some entertainment!

Answer 8

As you should all know by now I'm in the UK and I must admit I that before coming on Y/A I had never heard of trailering a horse without tying it. It's not something I do ( the trailer belongs to my friend's mum and is rather scary and probably antique ) but I know other people who do it regularly including one who has an enormous 8 horse lorry and everybody ties.

Answer 9

Yes I tie mine but just so they can't pick on each other over the divider (2 horse straight load) I have a small emergency door and A VERY large quarter horse jumped thru it. The owner openened it to back him out and he decided he'd come out that door. The horse nor the trailer were injured but I still do not know how he fit thru....from then on out his nickname was Houdini!!

Answer 10

2 horse slant horse age 7 i never tie there is not enough room for him to turn around i want to be able to get him out quickly if emergency arises i might add, i do keep halter on lance, tied very loosely around his neck so i have something to hold when he is backing. Normally he is very patient when backing I would imagine in a emergency he would be a handful