In your opinion what is the best way to travel foals to the sales?

We find that foals travel very well in single stalls. Owners worry that the foals might be upset by being separated, but once the foal can see the foal next to them they settle and travel very well. They come off the box the same way they went on. Having foals in single stalls also means there is less chance of foals bullying one another during the journey.

If owners do not want to separate foals when travelling what would you advise?

If the owner requests that their foals travel with a buddy, you are best to separate the foals into groups of twos or threes. Don’t give the foals too much room as they will mess around with each other and get hurt, allow just enough room for them to stand comfortably.

If you are travelling the foals in groups, we would recommend using anti-chew spray on the foals manes and tails. On long journeys the foals get bored and chew on each other.

What should owners have in the lorry or horsebox when travelling?

Shavings should be put down on the floor of the horse box or lorry to prevent the foals slipping in transit and injuring themselves. You can use straw but we would recommend shavings. We don’t usually give the horses hay when travelling as we find they just don’t eat it and it gets walked into the floor. Offering the horses water regularly is very important. We tend to avoid tying mares and foals, preferring to leave them without any head collars on. If head collars are required ensure that they are leather so that they will break in cases of emergency.

Ballinroe International Horse Transport, Templemore, Co Tipperary

Web: ballinroe.com

Tel: +353 (0)504 32280