Preparing Horse for a LONG journey - any tips?!

_April_

_April_

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Little Tara is travelling from Kent to Scotland soon and I am in the middle of preparing everything!

Have never moved a horse so far before.

Am using a very well known company with a good reputation; here is the schedule:

Tuesday - gets picked up and travels to Newmarket and stabled overnight there.

Wednesday - travels on to Kelso and stabled again

Thursday - last leg of her journey to new home.


She has to be on shavings and I have checked and that's what they use so all I need to do is give in a supply of her feed and hayledge.

They don't want her travelled in boots (I totally agree with this for long journeys) so I was just going to travel her in her cooler and pack her stable rug to go on top overnight.

I am calm now but I will be a nervous wreck come the time!!
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Any tips would be appreciated
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Got a new job in Scotland
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Have posted lots about it in the Soapbox area! I am moving to about 30 miles north of Glasgow xx
 
A friend brought a pony from Scotland, to arrive down near Newmarket.
The owners said they would bring it, included in the price, as they wanted to see the yard the pony was coming too.
Poor pony was on a trailer for 8 hours! Fortunately it unloaded fine, and settled in immedatley no ill effects.

I've also travelled with ponies, in a trailer, from near Newmarket to Edinburgh, which took about 7 hours as we had a good run.

Neither of these times did the ponies wear boots. Just regular stops for water, check body temp and refill hay.

Sounds like you're all prepared, and obv Kent is a much longer journey, so the stops are definatley needed!
Good luck!
 
Thanks Ceri!

I don't think my nerves would handle doing such a long trip myself lol - we drove up ourselves yesterday and that's bad enough in a car.

I am loading her myself on the Tues then driving up to beat her home with all of her gear so I can unload her too and give her a friendly face!
She's going to love her new yard, it's small and private with loads of good grazing
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Ha ha i think I know which companies you are using. I moved my TB from Turkey to Scotland back in May so slightly further then you!!

I agree about not travelling in boots, the suspension is so good on these lorries there is little risk.

Most lorries now are fully air conditioned so personally I would leave her rug off for the journey. There is also the small risk that the rug would slip and make her panic, etc.

The main worry for me with a long journey is dehydration. I gave mine electrolytes leading up, during and after the journey to be on the safe side.

If she can do without her hard feed too, it would be a bonus. I know most comapnies don't like to feed them when they're on the move in case they get puffy legs.

Good luck with move, these are experienced people moving her, so she's in safe hands.
 
My OH works for an international transporter in Kent. They're better off without rugs whilst travelling. They're offered water but if you want to give Electrolytes which I think is a good idea, bottle some up for your horse and they will offer it at regular intervals.

I would certainly use electrolytes before and after if not whilst travelling.

Good luck!
 
My TB came down from Kelso to Dorset using a horse transporter. He travelled down for a day and then stayed overnight at Ascot then travelled to me the next day. he was fine on his journey except that he rubbed his tail raw. They took his tail bandage off, I assume because it's not good to have it on all day.
 
I was also going to say no rug. Electrolytes are a good idea, but I have never needed to use them, even when travelling long distances in the summer, depends on the horse really.
 
She rarely sweats tbh Weezy so I think I will just add them into the feed I make up as a preventative measure - the NAF travel pack is only £3.50!
 
I shipped mine down from the central lowlands to Glos, a few years back - it took around 11hrs, poor girl.
I actually found the transport company very good (I knew to avoid the dodgy ones G as my friend used to groom for them
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), she didn't sweat, and gained weight through the constant supply of haynets she was given.
I'm sure your girl will be fine - it's mostly motorway up, and so your horse will have an easy ride.
B
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I've always used a powder electrolyte that you add to the water or the feed but you can make your own using salt and sugar but I'm not sure of the ratio, I'm sure someone else will know.

I'd put a tail guard or bandage on, the drivers take them off at night and I'm sure that a tail guard would be easier and quicker to put back on. I supose it depends how many other horses there are on the same journey, my OH sometimes has 12 horses to deal with on one box! And can deal with many many more horses over one trip. knowing what hard work it is for my OH I'd suggest anything that makes the drivers lives easier!!! LOL!!!

Just a little about what these international transporters lives are like:

I see my OH for about 4 days a month, the rest of the time he's working 20 hour days across Europe or 16 to 18 hour days around England! He's so knackered when he gets home he's no fun to be around anymore!!! Stroll on the end of the recession and a new job in England!

He loves the job though especially when owners are pleased to see their horses, apparently a lady in Switzerland cried bucket loads when her horse arrived last week! And he does find it hard to say goodbye sometimes to horses that have been travelling with him for a few day (big softie!!)

I know that he takes the upmost care with the horses but I can't comment for the rest of the drivers. Another lady on the forum had her mare delived by him to Norway!
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Thanks B!

I can't wait to have all my 'dependants' in the one country.
I miss Tara when I'm in Scotland and I miss April when I'm in London
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(April is not mine, I just used to loan her)

I might even get them into the same yard at some point fingers crossed!
 
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He loves the job though especially when owners are pleased to see their horses, apparently a lady in Switzerland cried bucket loads when her horse arrived last week! And he does find it hard to say goodbye sometimes to horses that have been travelling with him for a few day (big softie!!)

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Aww that is so nice! I hope my driver is like that
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Must be a hard life though - and stressful too moving people's pride and joys!
I hope everything works out for you.

Have a tail guard that is easy to go off and on - I rarely use tail bandages lol

Really appreciate the help M xx
 
Electrolyte Mix
28 g (film canister size)
2 parts sodium chloride (table salt)
2 parts Lite salt (potassium chloride and sodium chloride)
1 part limestone flour.

I wouldn't put the electrolytes in her feed, personally, as too many electrolytes in the body are as bad as too few. Offer electrolytes in water, along with plain water - then your mare has the choice.
B
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Sorry Medley I went and looked at some and then never posted the link Doh!
http://www.supplementsolutions.co.uk/sho...qanff8k027k6bt0

I used the Apple Lytes. Although on a short journey my horse was very good and didn't sweat up she was refusing water and dehydrated that way. As they say, prevention is better than cure!

I'll second the tail guard, mine still has a rubbed patch from leaning on the side of the lorry! Lesson learnt there.
 
I agree with everyone who says don't have boots or rugs on the horse. As you probably know, I had one of mine shipped from England to the USA and then onto our farm here in Canada...in the depths of winter. The shippers I used advised no rugs or boots or tail protectors; they prefer them to be au naturale, so although I packed her rugs for once she arrived in the States, she didn't wear any en route there. I gave the shippers nothing else as every thing else was included in the price.

When her time with Pedens was up, she was then transferred to a huge US shipper and they did the NYC to Upper NY State leg and she stayed at Cornell to do her quarantine. Mersant were also responsible for her journey to Canada, which was another 6 or 7 hours. All in all, it took my girl almost a month before she was with us here. She settled in perfectly and had no ill effects whatsoever.

I'm sure Tara will be absolutely fine. These good shippers are absolute professionals at their job and you have no need to worry.
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Congrats on the job by the way
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Wow Tia that is an amazing journey - how lovely to take your horse with you!

I am super confident in the shippers - just want to make sure I am doing everything right on my end too
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We moved up from Hertfordshire to Aberdeenshire earlier this year and our poor 2 nags had to make the 550 mile trip.

We booked them with a carrier with a small box so they would be sole load and not (a) exposed to germs from random other horses (b) sat on the lorry while other pickups and dropoffs were made.

The plan was to go Herts-Yorkshire then overnight at the transporters yard, then Yorks-Aberdeenshire.

But there were gales so they couldnt go till the second day! So they did it all in one go (transporters were licenced for over 8 hours, which is important!)

They had thin rugs on but one got so sweaty that the transporter removed it. The other still had it on but was VERY hot on arrival, so I would agree leave them off. This was despite them both travelling well (esp considering they had never done more than an hour before!)

I put in lots of feeds but none of them were used: just hay and water, so dont go overboard on that, the horses dont want it and the transporters dont like feeds.

I booted big chap as hes used to that and is clumsy, but not pony as shes never been booted.

I didnt really have electrolytes knowledge so they didnt get any, just a teaspoon of salt in their feed when they got here, which made them drink a lot of water to help flush them through.

They arrived safely and I bet yours will too.

When you get them off the box they may be like people are when they have been in a small boat, just like the earth isnt quite flat and they walk a bit waywardly for a few steps. So just walk them up and down for a few mins.

Hopefully you are as we did moving to somewhere which has much better hacking than down south, its heaven here in comparison to where I was before (squashed between main road and dual carriageway!). the only A road near me now is less busy than the single track lane our stables were on down south!

hope the move goes really well, they will cope a lot better than you will I expect! :-)
 
The company I guess you are using are excellent.

I stay about 60miles north of Edinburgh. With my boss, we travelled to chesire/derbyshire/glos. over the season to event. We did the trip down in a oner, stabled overnight then the horses competed the next day and travelled back that night with no noticeable ill-effects so your girl's journey will be easier!
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When we went to Austria- which was 12 hours in one day, about 7 the next, the only mistake I made was feeding him. The lorry was so smooth, the Pip found 2 days of sleeping and eating haylage with hard feed gave him far too much energy the days after. I the transporters are professionals at moving the horses- so I'm sure they'll do a great job and Tara will be fine.
 
I'd definately be putting bandages on it for each leg of the journey. It's not like it's going to take 24 hours none stop. I never travel my horse anywhere without bandages on, seen way too many horror stories of damaged legs in boxes and trailers on horses with no leg protection on!
 
If you don't generally use Electrolytes I would use Shilsebaubblbubs idea!

My mare has them after lessons and she actually likes the Equine America Applelytes. It's a lot to spend out if you'll never use the rest of the tub though.

Jo x
 
Okay, before she travels you need to keep her really hydrated, before we fly ours to a competition, we feed sliced carrots, apples and pears mixed up in 12 litres of water in the preceeding 24 hours then we repeat this in the air all the way to our destination. Make sure you hand over a bucket with the above to the transporter and tell them that you want them to feed your girl with mix of water and fruit every 2 hours without failure.

Travel her in a light rug with bandages and polo wraps to keep those legs safe.

Also she will drop condition after this trip, hydrate her in the same way and give her lots of walking in hand to loosen her up.Good luck !
 
Sorry but I disagree - air transport and road transport is very different and she will only drop condition after this trip if the transporter is rubbish, sheesh, it isn't that far! Stopping every 2 hours to administer 12 litres of water mixed with fruit and veg will, IMO, only stress a horse out more - they are better when they are kept going until a proper stop over. I have travelled plenty of horses to/from Spain, so overground, and never rugged or wrapped legs as it is a well known fact that these things can cause more harm than good. If she were travelling the whole journey in one go then yes, it could be stressful, but she isn't, so good transportation management should mean she comes off the other end sprightly and as normal.

Just my opinion of course, and absolutely, competition horses worth 10s of thousands of pounds are treated differently
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Just my opinion of course, and absolutely, competition horses worth 10s of thousands of pounds are treated differently
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Oi you! Tara is priceless
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Thank you so much for all the tips everybody xx
 
I agree with Weezy, land transport is quite different from air transport. I also wouldn't stop until the stopover stables were arrived at, where the horse would be fed and watered. Much better to keep going until the horse reaches the destination for the night. I don't actually boot or blanket any of my guys when I transport them, not even for short trips but then we travel horses loose over here which allows them far better balance. On long journeys, I'd never boot up or blanket if the truck was heated (which most of them are these days).

Same with me Weezy when I used to have the WBs shipped over from Germany, never had them rugged or booted as shippers said it was far better not to.

When flying horses, boots are even more unwanted by shippers, due to the expansion of the legs in-flight, but I guess some owners think it best and so the shippers (who generally know better) just go along with it to keep the business.
 
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