By Leigh Ballard
Any travel for a horse for more than five hours is considered “long distance transport.” A Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine report states, “Horses lose 2-5 pounds of body weight for every hour they travel, and that’s in cool weather. This can increase dramatically in hot weather due to evaporation at the body surface or frank sweating.” Energy expenditure for keeping balance in the trailer is roughly equivalent to the effort required of walking. While that energy seems minimal, combine that effort with sweating and a disruption in normal food and water intake for hours on end, and some horses might develop a problem.
There are several respiratory and digestive complications associated with long-distance transport. Two major complications are dehydration and colic. Horses often refuse to drink during travel, and it is possible for them to become “clinically dehydrated,” which means they experience a loss of at least 5% of their body weight. Colic is usually secondary to dehydration. When a horse’s body loses water, so does his digestive tract. The food in his digestive tract becomes dehydrated and becomes a big risk for impaction colic.
Most horses travel just fine most of the time, especially those who are accustomed to a well-planned travel routine. However, problems can start to develop for some when their time on the road is too long.
The following are tips for dehydration/colic-free travel:
1) Plan to stop frequently and offer food and water every 2-4 hours. In hot weather your stops should be closer to the two-hour range, and in cooler weather within the four-hour range.
2) Plan for stop-overs. A horse should not have to travel more than eight hours at a stretch because of the stress this incurs.
3) Get some mineral oil into your horse in a bran mash a few hours before the trip. Check with your veterinarian on appropriate amounts.
4) Another recommended digestive aid plan is to start feeding beet pulp or wheat bran mixed into his normal feed for about a week prior to the trip, reaching about a 50/50 mixture. Continue feeding this through the trip, and gradually decrease to normal feeding after the trip.
5) Since travel stress can upset gut function and balance, probiotics prior to and during the trip can keep the intestinal tract balanced and moving. Check with your veterinarian on administering appropriate doses.
6) Feed your horse wet hay for a week or so before a long trip so he is accustomed to eating it. Eating wet hay the day before the trip and during the trip will give your horse the extra water he might need if he refuses to drink.
7) Give your horse an electrolyte supplement in his feed beginning at least one day prior to the trip and also during the trip. Use the kind that will top-dress over his feed since electrolytes in his water won’t do him any good if he won’t drink the water!
8) Get your horse accustomed to drinking flavored water. Most horses like apple juice, and the flavor will disguise the taste of “foreign water” so they won’t reject it. Also, products such as “Horse Quench” can induce a horse to drink.
9) If possible, at stop-overs let your horse graze fresh grass for additional moisture.
10) Check trailer ventilation.
11) Besides being aware of your horse’s food and water intake, watch for:
a. A lackluster expression
b. Decreased amounts of manure/decreased urination. If there is no manure as expected, an extended break might be wise.
c. Dry manure. Be sure to know what “normal” looks like for your horse before the trip.
d. Classic signs of colic- pawing, looking at sides
e. Excessive sweating
12) After the trip, continue to keep an eye on the horse for any of these signs, and give him as much turnout as possible.
Resources:
“Transporting a Horse”, bulletin, http://vet.tufts.edu/sports/transport.html
“Probiotics and Prebiotics” by Heather Smith Thomas, article number 14007, www.thehorse.com
“Transportation Stress: Potential Importance in the Competing Endurance Horse” by Todd C. Holbrook, DVM, www.aerc.org/upload/VetNL0807.pdf
Any travel for a horse for more than five hours is considered “long distance transport.” A Tufts University Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine report states, “Horses lose 2-5 pounds of body weight for every hour they travel, and that’s in cool weather. This can increase dramatically in hot weather due to evaporation at the body surface or frank sweating.” Energy expenditure for keeping balance in the trailer is roughly equivalent to the effort required of walking. While that energy seems minimal, combine that effort with sweating and a disruption in normal food and water intake for hours on end, and some horses might develop a problem.
There are several respiratory and digestive complications associated with long-distance transport. Two major complications are dehydration and colic. Horses often refuse to drink during travel, and it is possible for them to become “clinically dehydrated,” which means they experience a loss of at least 5% of their body weight. Colic is usually secondary to dehydration. When a horse’s body loses water, so does his digestive tract. The food in his digestive tract becomes dehydrated and becomes a big risk for impaction colic.
Most horses travel just fine most of the time, especially those who are accustomed to a well-planned travel routine. However, problems can start to develop for some when their time on the road is too long.
The following are tips for dehydration/colic-free travel:
1) Plan to stop frequently and offer food and water every 2-4 hours. In hot weather your stops should be closer to the two-hour range, and in cooler weather within the four-hour range.
2) Plan for stop-overs. A horse should not have to travel more than eight hours at a stretch because of the stress this incurs.
3) Get some mineral oil into your horse in a bran mash a few hours before the trip. Check with your veterinarian on appropriate amounts.
4) Another recommended digestive aid plan is to start feeding beet pulp or wheat bran mixed into his normal feed for about a week prior to the trip, reaching about a 50/50 mixture. Continue feeding this through the trip, and gradually decrease to normal feeding after the trip.
5) Since travel stress can upset gut function and balance, probiotics prior to and during the trip can keep the intestinal tract balanced and moving. Check with your veterinarian on administering appropriate doses.
6) Feed your horse wet hay for a week or so before a long trip so he is accustomed to eating it. Eating wet hay the day before the trip and during the trip will give your horse the extra water he might need if he refuses to drink.
7) Give your horse an electrolyte supplement in his feed beginning at least one day prior to the trip and also during the trip. Use the kind that will top-dress over his feed since electrolytes in his water won’t do him any good if he won’t drink the water!
8) Get your horse accustomed to drinking flavored water. Most horses like apple juice, and the flavor will disguise the taste of “foreign water” so they won’t reject it. Also, products such as “Horse Quench” can induce a horse to drink.
9) If possible, at stop-overs let your horse graze fresh grass for additional moisture.
10) Check trailer ventilation.
11) Besides being aware of your horse’s food and water intake, watch for:
a. A lackluster expression
b. Decreased amounts of manure/decreased urination. If there is no manure as expected, an extended break might be wise.
c. Dry manure. Be sure to know what “normal” looks like for your horse before the trip.
d. Classic signs of colic- pawing, looking at sides
e. Excessive sweating
12) After the trip, continue to keep an eye on the horse for any of these signs, and give him as much turnout as possible.
Resources:
“Transporting a Horse”, bulletin, http://vet.tufts.edu/sports/transport.html
“Probiotics and Prebiotics” by Heather Smith Thomas, article number 14007, www.thehorse.com
“Transportation Stress: Potential Importance in the Competing Endurance Horse” by Todd C. Holbrook, DVM, www.aerc.org/upload/VetNL0807.pdf
