Travelling horse approx.3hrs

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naid pollyanna

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Ive never travelled that long with a horse. Longest is about half an hour haha so I need advice.
I will be traveling with two members of family to stoneleigh with my horse. She will be travelling alone in a horsebox not trailer..
If anybody could help and tell me anything i should do during the journey there which will be around 3 hours it will really be appreciated as I'm very anxious to do it at the moment.
 
Well I travelled my horse 3 hours yesterday and didn't make or take any particularly special precautions. It's not an unheard of distance, particularly for those who go eventing. Obviously choose the right combination of rugs and fresh air, access to hay. I didn't stop to give her water and she didn't go straight for a drink at the other end. But it was cold yesterday where I am, I'd obviously reconsider this in warmer conditions.

The main thing is just to keep the driving as smooth as possible. For me on good roads that doesn't mean driving slowly per se (though of course safety is paramount) but mainly making sure braking, cornering and gear changes are all as smooth as possible.

ETS - my one paranoia is getting stuck on a motorway or somewhere overnight. No idea where this random worry came from, so I always make sure I have plenty water, hay and rugs etc. And probably food for me but there is less guarantee of that part :)

Don't panic, she'll be fine!
 
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Echo the others and just remember that coming off a motorway onto a normal road is a big shock to their muscles so drive slower for a short while until they acclimatise again to turning and more braking.

Also, make sure your travel boots fit well and don't slip; they're one of the regular reasons for uneasy travelling.
 
How does she travel? I assume she's a "good" traveller?
If so - as others have said - don't do anything different really! Horses tend to travel for longer distances better than they do shorter ones so you'll probably find that your horse relaxes into it and travels just fine. Maybe stop half way to offer water / check on her if necessary. Give her a haynet so she has something to munch on (possibly soaked hay if you think she won't drink water when offered), but otherwise I wouldn't worry about it. I certainly wouldnt think about unloading and letting her walk around, then reloading at that distance - it's safer to keep her on and this way her journey won't be disturbed x
 
3 hours is no dramas, I regularly do those sorts of trips to get to events! The only difference is, I offer a haynet for those trips when I normally don't. I like them to eat when they can and I find it keeps them more placid if you have to stop for some unkown reason (like blowing a tyre and waiting 2 hours to have it replaced :rolleyes: )
 
I am a bit of a water bore and have a vested interest in this discussion as I sell one of the available products that gets your horse to drink water when you want him too but I won't say which one (to avoid the advertising rules) and that is why I know quite a bit about the effects of travelling on a horse.

If you are travelling for 3 hours, I would definitely recommend you get your horse to drink before, during and after the trip. Dehydration is one of the more serious problems that can occur when horses are travelling, and lack of water can also interfere with proper gut motility.

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 sweating.

A revealing new piece of research on horses’ stress levels during transportation showed that stress was detected despite the horses appearing calm. If a horse is stressed, generally he stops drinking. If your horse doesn’t drink well on the lorry, or on arrival after a trip, then his water intake might be considerably reduced and dehydration started prior to the first step he takes. Hydration is important for optimal performance — therefore, especially when travelling precedes an athletic event, drinking during and after transportation becomes an important consideration.

In addition to loss of performance and fatigue, your horse can be more susceptible to gastrointestinal disturbances such as impaction colic if he is not drinking. Low fluid levels in the body may also cause a horse to tie up.

On every journey your horse also loses water through sweat, even in cool weather. Therefore the potential for him to become significantly dehydrated during transportation is great. So you need to make sure that, especially if your journey is prior to an athletic event, your horse is drinking before, during and after a trip.

Arrive at your destination in enough time for him to replenish the fluids that he has lost during transport. Once the event is over, monitor your horse carefully. Although it is not always convenient, it may be best to wait several hours after finishing an event before transporting your horse home. Also, avoid dry hay after competition - it will soak up water that the horse needs elsewhere in the body, either wet your hay or offer haylage.

Transportation can be a dehydrating experience on its own, and transporting an already dehydrated horse may increase the potential for more serious problems such as colic. And keep an eye out when you get home, dehydration can persist for three or more days after a trip.
 
I'm about to do a 5.5 hr trip in considerably hotter conditions than anything in the UK atm on Wed ;) Though not to a comp.

I always give him a haynet when travelling (rye & clover on the in flight menu this time) and will offer him water when ever I stop (fuel or a break for me!) but he never does drink while on the float. Tends to just take a mouthful and then dribble it all over the place.

When doing a long trip I make sure I have hay & particularly water to cover any prolonged stop aka breakdown, massive taffic jam due to pile-up etc and a first aid kit!

Very interesting post Lucinda! I will make sure to give him some electrolytes on arrival to make sure he drinks sooner rather than later. Though we have done similarly long trips in the past and he has not shown any adverse effects.

From what I have read frequent stopping and checking or even unloading on a trip is meant to be more stressful for horses than just pushing on through (with in reason). I would not want to do more than 5- 6 hrs in a day though.
 
Ive travelled mine 5hours to
Compete , and always coped well stopped couple of times to
Offer water of didnt drink gave an apple adjusted any rugs ect , always have CCTV on whilst driving also to keep an eye as when travelling home this year from Wales we had bad wheather and took a while to settle , I always use electrolytes also , mine are used to travelling and never had any problems just allow time to relax and recover when you arrive at ur destination
 
I've taken mine on a round trip of about 5-6 hrs every couple of months to go to referal vets, we did 3 hrs there & then if he wasn't being kept in about 2 hrs back on the same day & he was sedated for a procedure while at vets! I used bandages instead of boots,haynet in all the time & just pushed on through, offered water(always refused) before coming back. Took it all in his stride & never seemed at bothered. I always booked a morning appt which meant I had to leave really early but meant I could get back in time to turn him out for at least an hour when we got back.
 
3 hours - your horse will be fine, maybe take a damp hay net if worried about dehydration. Keep a window open in the lorry to circulate air, I usually have one open at the ramp end if herringboned so that the air flow doesn't blow any grass seed into eyes or ears.

You can always stop and check your horse if they aren't used to it. Just be prepared - carry some water onboard, take an extra rug in case she gets cool or be prepared to take one off if hot etc etc
 
What you do after the journey is almost more important than the journey itself.
Are you travelling up the day before the competition? If so leave in good time ideally to arrive in the daylight.
When you unload if there is somewhere for the horse to have a pick of grass and have a pee before he goes in the stable, do this and let him get his 'sea legs' back for a few minutes.
I would also leave it at least an hour before you go to ride or exercise on that day if possible.
Bear in mind that when he gets back from the competition he will be tired and perhaps need an extra day off, rather than just one.
We regularly travel our horses 3 hours to show - my youngster has been doing it since he was three - but rest and proper care at the event and after is vital.
 
Not a problem. I do unload mine straight into his box as soon as we get back as he needs to wee immediately and won't do it away! My old mare would not drink at events so I used to keep a clean sponge and squeeze water into her mouth at regular intervals.
 
The only time I ever change what I do when traveling is I give them a hay net and offer water if the journey is over 6 hours!
Make sure you do have some hay/water on board just in case you get stuck in traffic
 
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