This fun is only limited for short distances, but while traveling with your horse for long-distance then it increases the headache of horse owner especially when you have more than 2 horses and ponies.
Generally, we prefer double horse trailers or box van trailer for more than two horses. But traveling with your horse by road for long-distance is very difficult for some horse owners. So, here we give you some useful tips for traveling with your horse safely. Are you looking for these details and still you can’t get accurate details then read the complete blog carefully.
Tips to prepare your horse for long-distance traveling:
While traveling with your horses for long-distance, almost all horse owners face so many problems. So, before traveling with your horse, you teach so many things which help you to reduce so many problems while traveling. Below I listing out some useful tips that will help you travel with your horse without any difficulty.
- Train your horses, how to load in the trailers before 1 to 2 days of your traveling.
- Before traveling, make sure your horse is physically and mentally fit.
- Clean your trailers or box-van before traveling.
- Keep feed and water in stock at the time of travel.
- Before traveling, select short distance route to reach your destination.
- Check whether your transport vehicle has proper ventilated or not.
- Groom your horse before traveling.
So, these are some important tips that you should look at before traveling with your horse. But not only this, you have to keep remembering some useful tips to keep your horse stress free while traveling. So, let’s have a look.
Useful Tips to keep your horse stress free during long-distance travel:
● Body Weight:
During traveling, the horse loses about 0.45 to 0.55 % of total body weight per hour weight. So, because of weight loss, a horse may be suffering from dehydration, sweating, manure and urine discharge. While traveling by air, the horse loses 45 pounds of his weight and when you travel by ship the horse loses 75 pounds of his weight.
So, we recommend that do not over travel with your horse in ship or flight. As per research, the horse loses up to 5 % of their weight while traveling for more than 12 hours. But healthy horses will regain their weight within 3 to 7 days of traveling. So, before and after traveling you should check your horse weight.
● Take a Break while traveling:
Just like humans, horses also want to take a break while long-distance traveling. So, it is very important to take a break while any road trip. As per the research, you should take a break for at least 20 to 30 minutes after every 4 four hours of your traveling. By this, your horse feels fresh and happy. If you don’t want to unload your horse from the trailer because of road traffic and noise then it’s okay.
At the time of long-distance traveling, horses should be unloaded after 12 hours and stable for at least 8 hours to rehydrate and at this time you should clear horse trailer. So, to make your horse happy and stress-free you should follow this important tip.
● Make sure Box-van has Good Ventilation:
Good ventilation keeps your horse stress free while traveling. As we know infections take place from dried manure and make your horse metabolic process weaken. So, we suggest after and before every trips one should clean your horse trailer. If you open all the windows of trailers then it easily circulates air and this will help to feel your horse more comfortable.
● Avoid Shipping Fever:
While traveling your horse may suffer from viral or bacterial fever. You can easily identify this traveling fever. If your horse suffers from a strong cough from last week after travel then your horse suffers from shipping fever.
To avoid this fever, make sure your horse drop down his head while traveling and clear stuff material from his respiratory tract. Not only this reason but if your horse suffers from stress then your horse also suffers from shipping fever. So, to avoid this problem, make sure in your horse trailer you have more than one horse, which makes him happy and stress-free.
● Make sure your horse is healthy:
Before plan long-distance traveling, make sure your horses are healthy enough to travel. So, for that, before long trips visit your vet and evaluate your horses’ health whether they are ready for traveling or not.
After a check-up, take proof that shows your horses to meet all health requirements like vaccinations and other testing that are necessary for traveling. Now almost all state requires health certificate or vet inspection certificate within 30 days from the date of travel.
● Avoid Weakness:
While traveling stress and muscular weakness is common. If you travel more than 12 hours, then you should take a break overnight. As per my suggestion do not participate in any competition or shows immediately after less than 48 hours of long-trip to make your horse’s blood levels and hormones normal.
● Plan your route of travel:
Before traveling with your horse, decide your travel route. During summer the sun can be at 20 degrees or more. So, it is warmer inside the trailer then outside. So, before travel with your horses make sure the atmosphere is not warm because in this atmosphere the horse feels uncomfortable.
Not only this but at the time of long wait in traffic during summer also make your horse uncomfortable. So, it is advisable that, plan your trip at night during summer which makes the inside and outside atmosphere of trailers make cool. Not only the atmosphere aspects but traffic on road also less than a day. So, before plan your trip, checks your route once and then travel.
● Supply enough hay and water to your horses:
While traveling, make sure you don’t feed grain to your horses. Hay is the best feeding option for your horses while traveling. So, pack enough hay for the entire trip as well as for a new location where you stay for some days.
If you hang hay net or hay bag then you should hang it at the height of your horse so that they can easily reach the hay. Not only hay, but you should also supply clean and fresh water to your horse inside the trailer. So, this is one of the most important tips to keep your horse stress free while traveling.
I hope you will find some important tips for traveling with your horse safely. Apart from the above mentioned Tips for stress free travel, there are so many other tips which help you to make your traveling stress free. If you like How to reduce Horse Stress in Travel? Post then share it on your social media. You can also share your opinion about this blog below the comment box.
