Planning on traveling with a Horse in the near future? Looking for useful tips? You’ve reached the right place. A knowledgeable person suffers less than an informed individual. That’s why you should collect all the information related to traveling with your horse beforehand. It boosts your confidence and reduces the chance of an accident on the journey.
But collecting every piece of advice you find on the way about horse hauling is sole foolishness. You should search for experienced travelers for valuable chunks of suggestions. Let me tell you that you end here. Because we have brought you 10 smart tips for traveling with horses from polished travelers all over the globe who have been traveling with horses for years. Let’s see what these smart suggestions are.
1. Choose the horse trailers wisely
The first tip is to choose the horse trailer wisely. You, your family, and your horse’s security depend upon the type of trailer you choose for hauling. Choosing a decent horse trailer is not a bed of roses. There are a lot of trailers revolving in the market and boasting of being the best, even if they are not. That’s why you should choose a trailer that can promise both security and luxury.
There are several types of trailers. Slant load trailers, straight load trailers, stock trailers, gooseneck, and bumper pull trailers are special kinds. After a lot of research, we concluded that double d trailers’ living quarters horse trailers have been performing well in the trailers industry for several years.
Double-d trailers are worth considering if you are searching for robustness and extravagance. Their lavish rooms with extra space and amenities are their specialty of the trailer with living quarters which have the power of making your folk feel prosperous.
2. Selecting safe escape doors trailer
The trailer’s escape doors play an important part in deciding on trailers for your horse. Some horse trailers have sharp ends which can be harmful to your horse. These pointed ends can give your horse serious leg injuries while loading.
Especially if you are taking your horse to any exciting racing contest, even the slightest leg injury can harm the utmost performance of your horse badly resulting in defeat. These leg injuries often result in instant bleeding which can even be permanent and fatal for your horse.
The vehicle which is going to tow the horse must have enough towing capacity. The general towing capacity of a horse trailer is 7500 lbs. With this capacity, you can haul even two healthy horses and still have the 5000 pounds space available in the trailer to keep cargo and other stuff. The vehicle should be thoroughly inspected beforehand.
Slant-load trailers are safer than straight-load trailers. Straight loads are conventional trailers and many horse owners admit that they find it more stable to load their horses in slant load trailers. Although you should load your horse carefully as the extra slant in some trailers results in the sudden slipping of horses. Don’t forget to check the tightness of the hitch at last
3. Preparing a travel accessories checklist
You should prepare a travel accessories checklist just like your mother makes a monthly ration list. Yes! It includes enough quantity of water and hay and some flavors to add to your horse water while traveling if needed. The other required stuff of a checklist includes:
- Multiple bridles
- Lead rope and spare hurtle
- Grooming materials
- Registration papers
- Health papers
- Horse first aid kit
- Sawdust shavings
- Spare stirrup leathers
This checklist should also contain a test drive and some former training in loading and unloading your horse. The horse should be asked and trained calmy to pile up in the trailer. It clears if the horse is facing any stress in riding trailers. Short drives of half an hour to forty minutes should be followed by the training.
4. Deciding the resting spots and pre-studying the weather forecast
Studying the weather forecast is crucial before heading towards horse hauling. Dehydration is the biggest body disorder horses face while traveling. You should never leave the house in excess of summer. The hauling journey should start in the early morning.
You should take appropriate rests in between and a long rest in the afternoon. Afternoon temperatures are at their peak which can affect horse health bitterly. The rest should be taken after 8 hours of traveling. You should not let your horse come out of the trailer while resting. You just have to open the escape doors and let your horse sit and breathe fresh hair.
5. Storing sufficient hay and water
The trailers should have sufficient hay and water-storing capacity. You should not give your horse water from anywhere or everywhere. A horse doesn’t like water anywhere or everywhere. This makes it consume less water during the journey leading to dehydration and other health issues.
That’s why you should always carry the same water the horse has been drinking for the past month. In case your trailer doesn’t have sufficient towing capacity to carry large amounts of water, you should carry some flavors with you to add to your horse water while traveling. This allows horses to consume enough water required by the body.
The horse should be provided water 12 hours before the final journey. You should also make the hay wet so that the horse can consume more water through its food as well.
6. Consulting your veterinarian before and after traveling
This remains a big question to horse owners how many times should they hit a veterinarian before the journey? The answer is that you should hit the veterinarian at least one month before the journey.
After that, you should keep continuous check-in contact with the veterinarian until your horse returns from the journey and even for a little longer time. Horses tend to lose weight during traveling. Losing 5-10% of horse weight is common while hauling.
You should check the horse’s weight before hauling. You just have to make sure that your horse regains its weight after half or one month. If your horse doesn’t recover its weight in the specified time, then it is a matter of concern. You should hit the veterinarian as soon as possible.
7. Conserve the horse from falling into stress and anxiety
Stress can be both physical and mental. Both kinds of stress are enough to make your horse mad and increase the chance of mishaps. Make sure that the horse doesn’t put extra stress on its feet and joints while strutting.
Moreover, the test drives before traveling should put their focus on removing horse stress and anxiety relating to trailer confinement. Waiting while traveling can also make your horse catch tension. That’s why you should not take several stops in between and keep heading towards your final journey.
You should have all your horse-related documents ready to cross the border. It conserves and reduces the journey time. These crucial papers include brand inspection, Coggins tests, and health certificates.
8. Allow fresh air inside the trailer with safety
Excess openings present in a trailer allow flammable materials and dust. Since hay is a combustible substance, hence if a flammable material such as cigarette leftovers comes in contact with hay, a fire explosion can take place.
Moreover, the dust gets into the eyes of horses and causes serious eye and respiratory health problems. But closing all the windows in a trailer is not a wise idea.
This often lacks the fresh air to breathe inside the trailer and again causes respiratory problems, but this is with closed windows. That’s why your trailer should have open grates. These grates not only allow fresh air without dust but also appropriate sunlight for horses.
9. Restraining horse hydration
You should regulate the upper gun capillary refill test or salt pitch test to check if your horse is sufficiently hydrated or not. If your horse is even dehydrated before the racing contest when your veterinarian is not with you, then you should avoid the racing and let your horse recover its health first. Ignoring the signs of dehydration can be fatal for your horse’s health.
10. Taking care of little things
Additional little things are proposed in this section, which if not followed properly, can affect your horse’s fitness. You should keep the trailer clean and regularly groom it properly. Dust inside the trailer can be allergic to your horse.
Moreover, you should be well aware of the allergies of your horses and avoid placing such stuff near your horse. You should opt for leg pads to protect your horse from severe leg injuries. Other decorating horse clothes should be avoided to avoid excess heat.
Wrapping Up
Hence these were the 10 smart tips and tricks for traveling with a horse. While traveling, you have the responsibility for yourself, your family, and your horse. A little miscarriage can destroy several deaths or lifetime injuries.
That’s why you should pre-plan a journey with all the above-mentioned precautions taken beforehand. Now don’t wait anymore. Just consume these suggestions thoroughly and enjoy a delightful trip with your family and darling horse. A happy journey!
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