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[RC] trailers (which way to face horses) - Jonni JewellI cannot imagaine riding backwards as some force their horses to do, and sideways..............<<< I had a straight load for 20 years. Finally upgraded to a new trailer, which is a slant load. Have been very happy with it, and how the horses arrive. The horses that we had trailered for years in the straight load, seemed to arrive in better condition with our slant load. When I have hauled a horse loose, in two stalls (take out one divider) the horse would turn around and face backwards 99% of the time. So, I never forced them to ride backwards, that has been their choice. Also a documented fact when research has been done. Here is more info on that. This is a portion of an article from THE HORSE, written by Michael Ball, DVM: **Forward Or Backward? The answer for this age-old question of which way is best to face your horse while traveling is backward (away from the direction of travel), if possible. When I was involved in the transport of large groups of horses, we figured out (eventually) that there always were horses in the barn which would spend half the trip trying to kill themselves when facing forward, but when flipped around, were significantly calmer. There also is objective research that supports this phenomenon. There were two individuals in the history of horse transport that made this observation and followed through with study. In 1962, a horse trainer/engineer from California by the name of Wentworth Tellington noted that untethered/cross-tied horses being transported in trailers or vans (in box stalls) chose to turn to the rear, facing away from the direction of travel. Tellington then made observations in more than 500 horses, noting in transit demeanor, heart rate, fecal consistency, and condition on arrival, and concluded some interesting findings. The horses hauled in this untethered, rear-facing position "had normal fecal consistency, relatively little nervous sweating, heartbeats only slightly above normal" and "no difficulty maintaining their balance." In contrast, "horses facing travel direction in the usual way demonstrated the customary signs of travel stress, such as liquid feces, considerable sweating, and heartbeats well above normal." Shortly after Tellington's interest in horse transport developed (1966-67), a horse trainer/automotive engineer from New Zealand by the name of David Holmes conducted research leading to similar conclusions and, ultimately, the development of a rear-facing two-horse trailer. In Cregier's Equine Veterinary Science article, she related her extensive studies on the physics and ideas regarding rear-facing transport in an effort to validate (and making a strong argument to that effect) the observations previously noted by Tellington and Holmes. More recently, there is conflicting research in regard to average heart rate with respect to direction of travel, but one study noted increased "rump-resting, a lower head and neck carriage, and a 35% reduction in the frequency of shifting position" in horses facing backward. There appears to be a mounting body of evidence that it is less stressful for horses to face backward (if possible) while being transported. ** For those who can take their horse for a ride in a trailer loose, with enough room to turn around, you might try it, to see how the horse prefers to travel. Mine took a few trips before they turned around, as I think mentally they had been taught to stand facing forward, tied. After a few trips loose, they would always be facing backwards when we arrived at our destination. Jonni in TX =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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