Top 10 Trailing Tips From Big Tex
Ever since the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, when elite horses were flown and hauled long distances and had to arrive in top shape, researchers have turned their attention to studying horse in transit and some project already have yielded important results.
The following 10 tips are based in researchers' understanding of shipping's effects on horses. As more is learned, these guidelines may change. Nevertheless, any stress-reducing measures you can implement will improve your horse's response to being trailered-and his performance once he get to his destination.
- Leave horses untied-or tied long-while they travel. All researchers agree that a horse that can lower his head below the point of his withers is much less likely to suffer respiratory stress from traveling. Some trailer designs do not allow horses to lower their heads very far, and some horses fight with their neighbors. But whenever possible, allow horses to carry their heads in a natural posture.
- Transport horses in familiar, congenial groups. When shipped with his pals, you horse has less risk of exposure to infectious disease and of suffering injury, and he won't be doubly stressed by dealing with new horses at the same time he's coping with the effects of transport.
- Keep the trailer spotlessly clean. Pathogens from fried manure can overwhelm a respiratory system weakened by trailer stress. If your trip is a long one, pick manure out of the trailer at each stop. And at the end of each trip. hose out the trailer thoroughly to remove all manure and urine.
- Educate your horse about loading and shipping. Loading is the most stressful part of the entire shipping experience and the time when injuries are most likely to happen. Make sure your horse is thoroughly familiar and comfortable with the whole procedure. If your horse is a difficult loader, get the help of an experienced and patient trainer to help rebuild his confidence. And, even if you never go anywhere, load your horse several time a year and drive around the neighborhood as a refresher.
- Maintain good air quality inside the trailer. Unless you are shipping in the coldest, wettest climates in an open stock trailer, the risk of horses getting too cold is minimal compared to the risks associated with stagnant air, accumulating exhaust fumes and excessive heat.When in doubt about the temperature, blanket the horses and leave the air vents or windows open. To check for draft, ride in the back of an empty trailer, and adjust vents and windows to redirect an strong blasts that could chill the horses.
- Rest horses at least a week after a long journey. Shipping-induced physical changes that leave a horse vulnerable to illness can persist for days after a trip is over. To ensure you don't stress an already compromised equine athlete, plan for the horse to arrive at his destination a week before he will be asked for a major athletic effort.
- Keep the trailer in good repair. Eliminate any opportunity for vehicle failure by regularly checking and repairing your trailer as needed. Pay particular attention to the floorboards, ramp, brakes, and hitch. If anything looks suspicious, don't use the trailer until it is professionally inspected and fixed.
- Be a sympathetic driver. While there have been no large-scale studies if the effects of driver techniques on shipping horses, researchers agree that a slower, steady journey if easier than an erratic, speedy one. Take a ride in the back of an empty trailer yourself to experience in driving styles firsthand. A useful test of driving ability is to place a half-full glass of water on the dashboard. If you can drive without the water sloshing to the three-quarters level on the glass, your driving is passenger friendly.
- Provide ample water and adequate hay, but no grain, while your horse is in transit. Water during travel is absolutely essential for battling dehydration; a common deleterious side effect of shipping that can lead to the other more serious problems. At every stop, or at lease every four hours, offer horses water from home in a familiar bucket. Many in transit horses simply will not drink during the first eight horse on the road and some may never partake, but continue to offer anyway. Hay is a great pacifier of traveling horses and helps retain water in the gut. In certain trailer, however, the hay dust may blow directly into a horse's respiratory tract. Wetting the hay can help to control the dust. Finally, researchers agree that feeding grain to traveling horses is not a good idea. If stress affects equine gut function, as they suspect it does, the grain will sit and ferment, possibly leading to colic and laminitis.
- Cater to each horse's travel preferences. Some equine passengers trailer quietly in situations that others find intolerable. Experiment with their positions in the trailer, their watering routines and the time of day you travel until you find a suitable combination.
