# Shaving is horse trailers?



## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

i have seen some people put shavings in their horse trailers when they trailer their horses. i personally have never used them while trailering as it looks like a slipping hazard to me. is there a benefit? is it just preference?

i ask because we are looking to move to kentucky in the next couple years and we are bringing our horses. we know it will be a long trip so i want to make it as comfortable as possible for them.


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## Avna (Jul 11, 2015)

I used to use shavings but I stopped mainly because they are messy and they blow around. Not sure they add as much traction as one would hope.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

I do use shavings but never thought of them as traction enhancers. I use them to soak up urine and then remove the dirty shavings when I get home. I really don't think that adding shavings make it slippery. Typically my horses don't pee in the trailer but I imagine that if they were in there long enough they would.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Just dredging memory banks here - the transport company that took our horses from central Europe to the UK for quarantine en route Australia in the early 1980s had several loose boxes in their truck knee-deep in straw, which they used for transporting weanlings, yearlings and horses that needed extra TLC. We travelled in the back of the truck with the horses, in a special compartment. Ours were adult horses in stands, but very wide stands, also well bedded with straw, soft rubber footing beneath, and the horses could and did lie down on the journey, and had enough room to be comfortable lying down and getting up. They were fed on the transporter - hay 24/7, water offered hourly, supplements at intervals; and not taken off the transporter at any point on the long journey, which included a long ride in the belly of the Channel ferry, so we were glad they were so comfortable. It was more like a snug barn than the normal truck transporter bays. I've never seen this again, but then again I only have one experience of a long-distance horse transporter's setup in Europe.

When the horses got to Australia, they came across the Nullarbor in a semi-trailer with the conventional narrow horse bays, and had to be taken off and rested and fed in yards at regular intervals. No straw bedding on that journey.

Straw at least doesn't get blown around, and it's probably easier to muck out compared to wood shavings.

PS: I was a kid and had recently seen _The Poseidon Adventure_, and nearly died of anxiety on that ferry trip!


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

When just hauling short distance, like from home to vet or to the local trail head, I don't use anything. For long trips, over 4 hrs, I bed pretty deep. Keeps the pee from splashing all over the place and hopefully keeps them a little more comfortable by providing some underfoot cushioning.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

I use to drive a 6-horse head-to-head for local horse shows at one of my jobs...
Enclosed truck, it was a commercial horse shipping straight job truck.
Our truck was fully matted floors, partial walls and the rest of the wall and ceiling was tongue-n-groove wood.
So, our horses were backed into their shipping stalls.
At the back of each stall was shavings so if the horse defecated during shipping the animal did not stand in wet sloppy manure but in shavings. 
Not only did it absorb the wet that comes with manure it also helped to lessen flies attracted to & collecting in that manure.
The stalls were filled with 1/3 bale of shavings per stall.
If a horse urinated on the truck it sure was easier to clean quickly tossing absorbent shavings on that urine, need not I mention the stench of urine was immediately controlled as was the slip factor not having that underfoot..
Today, I would not even consider doing a cross-country ship without air-ride suspension for my horses comfort and fatigue to be reduced.
Larger stalls, box would be nice but not a necessity, so body shift and movement could be attained.
If not boxes then designated off-load areas at a designated lay-over barn for the horse{s} to be able to walk and stretch those legs, and if they wanted to lie down in a stall to rest and sleep.
Several hours at a time for horse to rest and human to also rest as R&R is necessary on true long-distance travel so no fatigue mistakes happen from driver error. :frown_color:
If commercial, true commercial hauler of tractor-trailer design then team drivers, that special suspension and professional handling of my horses...I trust and leave their care in experienced haulers hands.
I'm picky and will only use certain shippers, for good reason.. if you read shipping news articles and horror stories...:|
Those teams still stop, but for far less time as driving duties are shared.
If a true cross-country transport company they often have their own barns to lay-over at that are cleaned and "disinfected" between housing of animals is done...

If you are shipping yourself, then barn stops to me are_ a must._
No off-loading roadside _ever_ and you must make prior arrangements to stop and rest you as the driver, the horses in safe locations to feed, water and necessity of cleaning out that trailer properly.
Shavings in it, yes, depending upon the kind of trailer it is as swirling shavings are not advisable to a horses eyes or breathing either...so many trailer variables, mean so many answers of what is best.
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I hauled my three horses in an open stock trailer from PA to SoCal, then to Tennessee five years later. 

I did not use shavings. They would have been great to soak up urine as has been mentioned but they would not have been great blowing around the horses and out the open sides of the stock trailer.

*As an aside*: I had my trailer double-floored, and standard trailer mats on top. There were days we were on the road 12+ hours due to construction. Nobody stocked up. Duke was prone to stocking up, when he was young, but he never puffed up once. At the advice of my vet when I left PA, I did not wrap legs either.


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## elkdog (Nov 28, 2016)

I use sand, especially in the winter when things freeze up. It doesn't blow around makes good footing, and soaks up urine pretty good.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

walkinthewalk said:


> *As an aside*: I had my trailer double-floored, and standard trailer mats on top.



So, in effect a "air" cushion of floor to floor to absorb the vibration was made..


*Yes?*


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

I will put down shavings on a longer trip--- but use the larger shavings, not the stuff that's nearly akin to sawdust. I use a stock trailer, and have never had them blow around. We usually dampen them before the haul if it's hot out, as that really does help cool the trailer. Shavings give the horse a little more cushion to stand on, and soak up urine or wet manure so the horse isn't a splashed mess when he arrives at his destination. If I'm only hauling a short distance, I usually won't bother unless the horse is the 'nervous watery diarrhea' type.


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## TeeZee (May 26, 2018)

It's hot and humid where I live, so I need as much air flow as possible inside the trailer. I only use shavings and haynets for long hauls. I always put flymasks on to protect the horses' eyes from blowing debris whether shavings or hay. I have seen horses slide while loading or unloading with shavings but never had one fall due to them.


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## GracielaGata (Jan 14, 2012)

I have used both shavings and straw on separate occasions. I prefer shavings. 
I don't haul without anything if I can help it, as my mare even on a 30 min ride home from the park will 99% pee in the trailer instead of when tied to it, for whatever her reasoning. Not to count all the pooping. 

We used straw at one point for a bit as we had LOTS leftover from her stall rest. 
Maybe we needed to bed it down very thick, which I didn't think of, since they aren't box stalls... but our horses slipped regularly on it, to the point that I was worried someone would slip while tied and travelling and get hung up. We have wood floors with thick rubber matting over top, if anyone wants to know that part. 

Our trailer has about a 8-10 inch wide, full length slat of openness on the top of both the head and butt sides of the 3h slant. So they get airflow, I am sure. We have never had any major movement of the shavings in that I have never seen shavings or shaving dust up on their backs or in manes, etc. 

Who knows, but my 2 cents of info.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

horselovinguy said:


> So, in effect a "air" cushion of floor to floor to absorb the vibration was made..
> 
> 
> *Yes?*


You betcha:cheers:


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

we are looking into a longer trip from arizona to kentucky with 4 to 5 horses (assuming we take they crazy mustang). we plan on stopping every 4 hours to get them out offer water and such. the ones who can eat hey will have it (i have two who cant for choking issues or age issues). im somewhat worried about my old guy. he is in better shape then my youngest horse but he is old so i want extra support for him. my arab is in her 20s and does not really trailer well when not loose so she will be in boots. the trailer is a stock type at the top so maybe straw will be better. its about a 23 hour drive without stopping so it will take us longer with the horses, kids and other livestock my sister in law is bringing (dogs and goats). it will also be longer because the 89 cummins dose not go over 75 lol. the 3 horse slant we have now (another trailer will be acquired before the trip) has rubber matts down on top of the flooring so that should help a bit. my brother in law will be getting a 3 or 4 horse trailer, if he gets a 4 horse my fiance will most likly pull that with most if not all the horses in it. 

cross your fingers this works out because i cant handle another 120f summer. its in the 110s right now an i have overheated and my horses have dropped weight already from heat despite misters.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

Fingers firmly crossed and best wishes!  I'd die in that kind of heat, which is why I'm in the most temperate part of Western Australia. The capital would melt me dead in summer. Have you picked the place you're moving to yet? If so, what's it like?


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Kiger...you refer to stopping every 4 hours for a water break..
That's good....
The part that concerns me is you mentioned unloading the trailer...
_That is *not *safe..._
Unless you are going to a barn every-time you stop, unloading roadside is not wise.

Offer the water, from the trailer.
You will be traveling along interstates, high speed roads and using truck stops which are very busy, noisy places...
Those places are just not made to unload horse trailers in with safety for the horses or humans handling them.
Consider another way to getting water to your horses other than unloading roadside...please.
:runninghorse2:...
_jmo..._


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

we are planning on finding horse safe stops. there are at least two horses who wont be unloaded. the others are used to traffic and crazy. out here most of the riding is along the road and we have ridden on a trail that fallows the freeway. how the trailer is we cant offer water to some horses without unloading as you cant get to the other horses. no road side unloading though. Not our first long haul but first one for a trip this long. We cant keep horses standing in a slant load for over 2 days. 

so no we wont just pull over and unload. we plan on mapping out where our stops are. the main horse that will need out will be rocket as he is the oldest. the others can skip getting out at least one stop. as i said its a 23 hour drive non stop. with 9 dogs (sister in law ia a breeder), 5 kids, and the 4 adults who have small bladders lol we will need stops. we plan on at least one overnight stop so we will find a place for the horses to be stalled overnight. 


edit: add two hours since sister in law is 2 hours away from phx out in tonopah.


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## seabiscuit91 (Mar 30, 2017)

I always use. 
It's far easier to clean, and keeps the trailer floor in better condition depending what flooring you have.

I always get my horse out after 4-5 hours for a break. But make sure to stop at either a reserve/pony club grounds/rodeo grounds. Somewhere large and equipped for horses. Definitely not on a roadside though, make sure you have a safe place and call ahead if necessary. This would depend on the trip, in my instance I had to drive 4 days doing 8-9 hour days. So we always stopped for an hours break to let him walk/drink/have a break. Obviously if you don't have great floaters it may not be feasible.


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## SilverMaple (Jun 24, 2017)

Don't unload. Haul at night or when it's cooler, wet down the shavings and every time you stop for gas or food, buy a big bag of ice and toss cubes under the horses--sounds crazy, but as it melts, it will bring down the temp of the moving air in the trailer. Take two drivers and haul straight through-- do NOT unload. Keep the horses on the trailer, offer water and hay, but then keep moving. They will do better and be less-stressed with fewer stops and it just isn't safe to unload. At hotter temps, the only thing keeping the trailer at even remotely decent temps is that the rig is moving. Stop at a horse-safe facility overnight (or during the day if you haul at night) if you can't go straight through, but no need to unload every 4 hours. Do NOT unload just a few of the horses if you do plan to stop. That's just asking for trouble from those left on the trailer. All or none except in dire emergency. 

I've hauled 25-30 hour drives several times. If you stop, stop overnight once. Otherwise switch drivers and pull straight through. When it's hot, plan to be driving at night during the hottest or most humid stretch, and if you have some leeway, keep an eye on the weather and wait for a cooler or rainy spell.


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## KigerQueen (Jun 16, 2013)

sadly we have two drivers and two riggs. i COULD drive but my sister in law cant. will talk about fewer stops. we most likly wont be going in dead summer for the dogs and horses sales. dogs are going in kennels in the trailer (our trailer has a large tack room with over the tongue area with screened windows and a sun roof). dogs will have water and be checked on but they may end up in kennels in the 3 horse with the goats so they get more ventilation. we will shoot for fall or spring. depends on when the money comes in but dead summer is NOT the best time to trailer.

thank you for the imput Silver! id rather not make too many stops. there will be some since again 4 kids and a baby and 4 adults WILL need to pee at some point lol.


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## trailhorserider (Oct 13, 2009)

Hi Kiger,


I hope the move works out for you! If so, I will be jealous! We are up in the White Mountains and it has been in the 90's. Probably sounds good compared to 110, but that is VERY hot for up here. We hardly had any winter weather at all, no spring to speak of, it is dry, dry, dry and the fire danger is extremely high. It is the hottest and driest I have ever seen it up here in the mountains (we've been here 20 years and lived through the Rodeo/Chediski fire.....it's drier than the year of that fire). 

We dream of moving somewhere it actually rains and has that green stuff on the ground........what is that stuff.......oh yeah, GRASS. Anyway, I wish you luck and hope your escape works out. That sounds like a dream come true!


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