Travelling Horses Long Distance.

Charlie Bucket

Charlie Bucket

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 April 2012
Messages
446
Visit site
Hi all :)

So basically I have been invited to work for/train with a very experienced, relatively well known eventer/team chaser at his yard in Oxfordshire :D

Mega, mega excited! But just have one problem I need your help with..

Me and my horsie currently live on the Isle of Man, and to get him down to Oxfordshire is going to be one hell off a trek!! He will be traveled by lorry.
First leg is going to take around 8 hours - 1hour to ferry port, 1 hour loading, 4 hour ferry journey and 2 hours to overnight stop.
Second leg estimated to take between 4/6 hours driving straight down the middle of England.

Soo...I have been worrying myself sick about all this. Horror stories of impaction colic etc have been keeping me awake at night!

He is rising 6, of nervous disposition (TB) but a relatively calm traveler...much better with company. But he has only ever been traveled by trailer with max. journey being 1 hour.

Just wondering if any of you wise heads could give me any advice?
Anything you do to avoid awful things like colic/dehydration/shipping fever?
Anything you do to make horsie's journey more comfortable?
Encouraging drinking etc?

Thanks so much and sorry for the novel, have Ben & Jerry's Phish Food...but you better hurry before I eat it all :D
 
Never done a journey like that before, but we have done some long ones.

Only advice I can give is on drinking. Ours doesn't drink much travelling or on overnight stops.

I always take sugar beet with me. I can usually get her to slurp sugar beet water is all else fails.
 
We travelled a horse from Newcastle on Tyne to Southampton, took 9hours,
regular stops to check her and offer water, always refused, she arrived cool, calm and collected, but was pleasede to be able to stretch her legs, don't worry about it
 
Two of my young ponies have travelled down from Scotland (near Inverness) to Essex (500+ miles?) without any problems at all.

The solution is Eric Gillies, horse transporter, who I would unreservedly recommend. It will not be cheap but probably far cheaper than you thought and extremely cheap for peace of mind you'll get by using someone who knows what they are doing.
 
Introducing electrolytes in the days leading up to the move can be a good idea :)

Are you moving him yourself? If not, then simple things like ensuring you use a reputable transport company and that tail bandages are not left on for too long are useful to consider.

Don't panic though, most cope fine with travelling. My ginger boy did Belgium - Ayrshire, Glasgow - Bedfordshire and Dorset - Dundee which were all fairly epic journeys but went fine.
 
Damp hay/hayledge so that he gets some fluid on board.

Soggy breakfast/tea - sugarbeet/speedibeet can help too

Electrolytes starting a few days ahead.

One of mine likes apple juice in her water, and I can usually get her to drink that - Will he drink from a variety of buckets? If not - make sure you take his bucket!
 
Many years ago, my mare went from Inverness to Hull on an Eric Gillie lorry. Because of the many pick-ups and drop-offs on the way, the journey took two days, with a break at the yard at Kelso. My horse got off at her final destination absolutely exhausted - she took about a week to recover.
Roll on a few years, by this time I had a trailer and tow vehicle of my own and brought her back up (Hull to Aberdeen) under my own steam. It took 8 hours, with a short pause for fuel, and she came off looking like she had been in there 10 minutes.
 
Thank you for all your responses! :D

He will be travelling with a transport company called Blue Rose. She regularly does trips to and from the island, and all in all I have only heard good things. I could travel him myself but the thought of him alone in our trailer for 4 hours on a ferry gives me the shivers!

I had heard the apple juice thing too - he is not very fussy regarding food/drink so i'm not too worried about that, just about the fact he can get himself stressed out if he gets an "anxiety attack" so to speak.
I'll definitely acquire some electrolytes, and have a look at Horse Quencher.

Thanks again :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top