Long distance travel care

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myhorsedaisy

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Hi everyone, i'm new here, so apologies if i have posted in the wrong part for my question.
I plan to travel my horse down from the East Coast of Scotland to the bottom of London in the New Year, it will be her first long trip.
I'm just looking for travel advice and tips on care and preparation. Are there any specific things i should do on the arrival? boots or bandages? tail bandage or not?
I do have plenty of experience with horses in general, just not traveling.
I look forward to the responses.

p.s , i wont be driving, I have hired a 3.5 and a driver, so no tips needed for that side of things. Just pure care and preparation tips.
 
It depends a bit on what the horse is like to travel and what you would usually do for a short journey but I would probably use the lightest rug I could get away with to ensure her muscles are warm enough but she is not too hot, bandages if they are essential but I would rather put down a decent amount of bedding and leave them bare unless she is very clumsy, no tail bandage for that length of time, make sure she has several nets so she never runs out, ideally wet to help with hydration, and a container of water from home, the driver will probably have their own preferences so speak to them before the day.
 
Ive travelled mine 3 or 4 times from NE Scotland down to competitions in Lincolnshire and Warwickshire. Once in a lorry, the other times in our trailer. Generally Id just put on a lightweight cooler (unless the horse has a big clip and its cold in which case I might put on something like a lightweight stable rug). I chose to put on a tail wrap instead of a bandage (in case it came undone or was too tight etc.). I just used regular travel boots as again Id worry about bandages coming undone. I also tended to stop 3 or 4 times on the way down too to let the horse out (in a safe place obviously!) to stretch their legs (Id whip off their travel boots too so their legs could breath for a bit) and eat some grass, have some speedi-beet water etc. (I found mine rarely drank plain water in transit whereas they would drink very dilute sugar beet water). I also found getting them out for half an hour or so meant they usually could have a nice big pee (mine never went in the trailer!). Plenty of hay or haylage too to amuse them. Id normally give electrolytes in a very wet feed on arrival too.
 
No boots or bandages (keep the legs cool) and tail gaurd but no bandage- you don't want one to tighten and over longer journeys they may get damp. Hay bags rather than nets and no loose forage in the horse area. Ideally either damp hay or haulage. Offer water at each break but don't panic if they don't want it.
 
Thank you for your reply. I think i will just keep her with nothing on then. My main concern was the legs but most people have said none so i will go with that. Thanks again, i will have a look into getting a hay bag
 
appreciate the reply, thanks so much. I will look into getting some electrolytes. Do you have any brand in particular that you'd recommend? I cant imagine i can go much wrong with that.
 
I have always been taught to never go more than 6 hours without stopping and getting their heads down (either grazing or in a feed bucket) for a good fifteen minutes or so. Presume it's to ensure their systems drain downwards so that they don't get fluid in their lungs.
 
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