Is it safe and legal in the UK to travel a horse in a trailer with no partitions inside?

Question

My horse would not get onto trailers until today when at a show, the officials recommended that the only way id get him home would be to travel home in the trailer by taking out all the partitions. He had to balance himself but this was an advantage as it stopped him kicking around because he had to concentrate on keeping himself balanced, it was a 30 minute journey on motorway too and he was a star. He travelled and unloaded calmly but just wanted to get some more views on it to help me in the future. Thanks :-)

Answer 1

yes it is legal in the uk and they will leave it up to u to decide if its safe for your horse or not. most the time mares travel with their foals with no partitions n the trailer so the foal can stay close to its mum. if your horse is fine with this then why not?! just drive abit more carefull as hes in the back trying to balance himself!! my horse wont load with the partitions in but once shes in we put them back in to keep her balanced. if it works for your horse and causes less stress then keep doing it. you can buy all sorts of diff trailers to suit your horse as they all like to travel differnetly!!

Answer 2

Yes, some horses do indeed travel a lot better without the partition. It is easier for them to balance because they can part their legs and turn a little sideways.

Answer 3

yes it's pretty safe... i dont know if it's legal in the UK but it is in the US

horses can slip and fall if you dont have any bedding in there though... so id get some shavings to put in if you dont have any

my horse doesn't like partitions in a slant load trailer... it's perfectly normal...

at our stable we lost a horse because in the trailer he colicked and went to lay down... there were partitions up in the trailer and he got stuck underneath them and he was stuck laying down for 3 hours...

meaning if youre only trailering one horse it's easier for the horse to keep his own balance if he is in a larger space... also if something happened he would be able to get back up...

Answer 4

Yes it is OK, however it is not legal if you carry two horses, then they must have a partition.

My TB was exactly the same, needed the extra space to balance himself.  If he has the partition he thrashes about so bad he ends up hurting himself, all through not being able to spread his legs wide enough for balance.

Answer 5

I don't know if it's legal in the UK, but it's certainly safe!

In the US, it's called a stock trailer, and many,many horses prefer them.  

I use a 4 horse stock trailer.  It has a gate you can shut across the middle, but I seldom do.  When I get to my destination, I untie my horse and leave him inside - it's like a traveling box stall for one (or two, if you use the gate).  Four horses travel very well in it, even when they don't know each other before hand.  They seem to feel a certain "herd" safety and stay calm and relaxed, though they may end up in different positions than when I put them in!  Head to toe sideways, for example, instead of side by side straight ahead.

I've taken my horses all over the country in it, and I think the fact they can move around keeps them happier, less fatigued, and saner.

Imagine if you had to stand in one place the whole trip, like a standee on a bus, couldn't move your feet more than a few inches, and had to use your chest on a rail to keep from being thrown forward.  Exhausting!  Stressful, too.

On the other hand, if you could move around a bit, slant your body sideways if you wanted, take a step sideways to adjust in the turns, and use your own quite considerable braking power in the stops, you'd be much happier and less fatigued.

If it's legal, it's certainly safe.  And very popular, here!

PS - read the appropriate law; all I could find was that stallions must be partitioned off from mares and foals and vulnerable geldings, whatever that means!  Doesn't specifically say you need partitions, but it's full of "reasonables" and "workables" and those don't mean a thing to me.

Answer 6

Yes - mares are often travelled without partitions when they have foals at foot.

Partitions are all well and good for travelling two horses together and are far safer for taking two horses, unless it's a mare and foal. For travelling your gelding, it's fine to take the partitions out if it makes him behave himself!

Answer 7

Hi, the legislation that applies in the UK is The Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order (this brings in EC Regulation 1/2005.  This basically says that you must not transport any animal in a way which is likely to cause injury or unnecessary suffering.  If your trailer is something like an ifor williams in size, and he is tied up, he should be fine with no partition.  The use of partitions is to support and prevent excessive movement.  Therefore the only time it would be a problem would be if he was loose and in the back of a big box where he might be thrown about.  

If you are travelling to shows, remember it is a legal requirement for his passport to accompany him.  

You can get more detailed guidance on the DEFRA website, look under animal health and welfare, animal welfare, transport, EU welfare in transport regulation, guidance on the rules, alternatively you can contact your local council (normally county council) and ask to speak to an Animal Health Officer (normally part of trading standards team or environmental health team) as this is the person who, along with DEFRA enforces this legislation.  

Hope this helps

PS I think you did the right thing.

Answer 8

yes safe and legal