sedation or nah...?

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can-chaser18

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So im moving across the country soon for college and im taking my horse with me. It's going to be a 26 hour drive to Oregon from Minnesota and there is no other way then to trailer. My horse trailers good, (some hesitation always but still good) but a 26 hour drive?!! I'm considering sedating my horse for the long trip; she's never been in a trailer for more than an hour and she gets antsy if she's in the trailer too long but im not sure if that would be the best option.

Im also not sure what type of sedation I would use and how long it would last or if I would have to use it more than once. And I would obviously have to stop occasionally and take a break but if my horse were sedated would she be too wobbly to get out of the trailer to stretch her legs or no?

Im just not sure how to go about this whole moving my horse across the country thing and any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!!
 
That seems far too long to sedate, sedation slows down the whole system putting the horse at risk of colic if kept sedated for too long, most will wear off after an hour or two unless you give a fairly long acting one which would still need to be topped up several times on the journey. I don't know about traveling in the states but would suggest that you find a transporter who can put her on with other horses who will help her stay relaxed. I expect several stop overs would be required, over here they are not allowed to travel for more than, I think, 8 hours without needing a proper rest but driving laws may be very different with you, either way it is a very long journey that requires some careful planning to ensure she arrives safely.
 
AdorableAlice said:
As above, 3 x 8 hr sessions, over 3 days with turn out for the horse overnight, 2 drivers.
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this sounds like very sensible advice-I really would not sedate for travel-if you are worried she will be wobbly to get off and walk about how will she be able to stay upright with the motion of the trailer?
as stated sedation slows the system as does lack of forage/stress/dehydration without a reasonable rest and de-stress period she is likely to not drink enough, she will be stressed to some degree, sedation will just add to this and the risk of colic would be increased a fair bit
 
can-chaser18 said:
That sounds reasonable. I will just have to plan for a place to stop and rest and figure out some other things to help other than sedation. thanks
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How about you send her via a shipper in a box stall and you drive to MN with your trailer separately? We're shippers and we won't transport sedated horses and we definitely don't sedate for journeys of this length.
 
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