Travelling Your Horse In Safety – 7 Top Tips
On the move in your horse lorry or trailer this summer? Here are our Travelling Your Horse In Safety – 7 Top Tips for travelling your horse in comfort and safety.
1. Keep Cool
As temperatures rise think about your horse’s well-being and comfort by travelling earlier or later in the day and avoiding peak traffic times. Also, remember to maximise ventilation in the lorry by opening windows in the horse compartment.
2. Protection On The Move
Protecting your horses’ legs when you travel is advisable but ensure that they fit correctly, and your horse is comfortable wearing them. The temptation to over rug up your horse on a journey can result is a hot, sweaty, stressed horse. So choose a cooler appropriate to the time of year with wicking and breathable properties to keep your horse comfortable on the move in your lorry or trailer.
3. Be Prepared
Check your lorry or trailer tyres and floor regularly. Urine and manure can seep down underneath your rubber matting and rot a wooden base so check under the lorry and lift up rubber matting if possible to check for any signs of wood rot. Checking the oil and water levels is advisable and getting fuel before your outing (without your horse onboard) also reduces the amount of time he or she will be onboard. Taking out emergency breakdown cover is also a good idea.
4. All The Gear
Make sure you make a comprehensive checklist of all the gear you will need for your lorry trip. Regardless of the length of your trip, it is illegal to travel without your horses’ passport and easy to forget with so much else to think about.
5. Allow Time
Allow plenty of journey time so that you don’t have to rush as soon as you arrive at your show. If time is against you, even with the best intentions, this will affect your driving. Remember the smoother and more consistent the speed in which you drive, the more comfortable the ride for your horse, resulting in a relaxed horse and one which will be just as happy to load for the return journey.
6. Keep Hydrated
If you are travelling on a long journey, stop and offer water at regular intervals. Carrying plenty of water with you is imperative in case of delays and also for your competition, especially as some horses are very fussy about drinking strange water. Soaking hay can also offer another source of hydration. This also encourages your horse to lower his head which also helps decrease the chance of pneumonia.
7. Feed Electrolytes & Aloeride
Feeding your horse electrolytes is also advisable but did you know Aloeride can also help support health and hydration in your horse? Find out more HERE /electrolyte-status-during-exercise/
