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June 29th, 2010 by KittyKitty

Transporting your horse should never be undertaken before you have made proper plans. Warm weather, especially, can increase the stress felt by a horse during transportation. Never forget that your horse’s health and safety has to be your prime consideration.

The stress of being transported is not displayed by all horses. Don’t forget, therefore, to look out for any odd behaviour or an increase in the horse’s heart rate. Horses are very intelligent animals and have very good memories. Don’t forget this if your horse becomes uncooperative as you put him in the trailer.

Your horse will be fearful of horseboxes if you use bullying tactics in trying to make him enter. Introduce your horse to such transport in a relaxed and gradual manner. You need to have a lot of patience, encouragement and consistency.

You must realize that towing a horsebox is a special skill. Anyone who passed their driving test after 1997 is required by law to take a separate test to tow a trailer or drive a horsebox. Unless you have some experience, you should consider professional training.

You should always get used to the box or trailer when it is empty. Reversing a trailer requires special skill, so do it with a horse on board only when you have acquired the skill.

You must ensure that the horsebox is well ventilated. There needs to be a good air flow so there is maximum air circulation. Don’t be caught unprepared if you have to swerve suddenly or make an emergency stop. First aid equipment should be available for both you and your horse. Having your vet’s number to hand will be very useful should you experience an emergency. Should you be unlucky enough to need immediate veterinary treatment for your horse as a result of an accident, it’s sensible to have ready access to your horse insurance documents.

Horses that are travelling need to be encouraged to drink. Such encouragement will reduce the risk of impaction colic as well, of course, of dehydration. You will want to make sure that you stop often to water your horse so they will stay healthy.

Horses tend to travel better when it is cool so try to plan your trip accordingly. It’s essential that your horse gets plenty of fresh air. Also, avoid travelling in the heat of the day and allowing any build-up of muck in the horsebox. In hot and humid weather your horse will need plenty of water to make up for its increased sweating. A build-up of ammonia can cause respiratory problems for your horse, so make sure that you keep the trailer as clean as possible. The cost of an unexpected visit to your vet can be surprisingly high – especially if your horse insurance provider denies liability on account of your alleged negligence.

Some horses like to drink only the water to which they are accustomed. To make sure your horse will drink during your travels start putting a splash of Gatorade into their water. So you put a dash of Gatorade in their water when you are travelling. The water will be more appealing to the horse when you do this.

Should you be unfortunate enough to have a collision, it’s important that all the details required by your equine insurance company are up to date. If you plan ahead and make sure you have everything you need for your horse, you can have a pleasant trip instead of something that is dreaded.