Walking On Volume 5, Issue 8, August 2018 | Page 14
Back to Basics
Caring For Your Horse In-Transit
By Mark Fenwick
Towing your horse, particularly over longer distanc-
es and durations, can cause your horse stress and even
injury or ailments if due care isn’t taken. Consider the
following pointers to ensure the health and safety of
your horse on such journeys.
1. Inspect your horse trailer before every planned
journey. Make sure it is thoroughly clean and in
good state of repair. Check that there are no pro-
truding objects or items left in the trailer which
could cause injury.
2. Provide hay in the horse’s manger. Dampen down
if necessary to avoid hay dust getting in the horse’s
face. Hay is said to help retain water in the horse’s
gut and reduce dehydration.
3. Do not feed grain to the horse while on the move
as this may lead to the horse suffering from colic or
laminitis.
4. Plan regular stopping breaks, particularly if the
journey is long. If you want or need to unload
your horse at these stops, make sure that you have
adequate space and it is safe to do so. Never unload
your horse by the side of a carriageway.
5. Take a supply of water with you and offer the horse
water at every stop, or at least every four hours. Use
the horse’s usual water bucket.
6. Encourage the horse to urinate during travel by
covering the floor with a good layer of sawdust.
Some horses don’t like urinating on board so
unload at a safe stopping
place and let your horse walk
round to urinate outside the
trailer.
7. Remove urine soaked bed-
ding and any manure regu-
larly to avoid a build up of
toxins which can irritate the
horse’s respiratory tract. Do
this at planned stops where
possible. Dispose of the
waste responsibly. If neces-
14 • Walking On
sary, bag the waste and take it with you.
8. Check the air quality in the trailer at each stop.
Check under the horse’s rug for signs of sweating.
Good air flow is especially important in hot or
humid weather.
9. Make sure that there is adequate, safe ventilation in
the trailer but do not expose your horse to drafts
or debris. Also, make sure that your horse cannot
stick its head out of any windows!
10. Give the horse a bit more freedom on longer jour-
neys by leaving untied or on a longer tie so that the
horse can move its head, at least below the withers,
so it can clear its respiratory tract.
11. Check boots, wraps and rugs to make sure every-
thing is in place.
12. Check your horse thoroughly at stops and after any
long journeys for signs of stress, injury or ailments.
13. If horses are traveling in a group, make sure they
are familiar with each other and safely secured
within the trailer.
14. Allow your horse to rest and recover for several
days between long journeys.
Your horse is a major investment, both financially
and emotionally. So, make sure that you take all neces-
sary care of your horse while in transit to ensure your
horse’s safety and well-being.
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