Travelling with horses
Written by Mishel Metcalf Equine Nutritionist for Hi form Australia 2024
Being away with your horse is just like being at home, right?
Wrong!
Horses can be fussy or easy going; some travel well, some throw everything at you while you are away. The calmest of horses may find something they don’t like in their new environment, including the horse that they get stabled next to.
You should do your best to be prepared for all situations, whilst not exceeding your GVM limit and bringing your entire stable and tack shed. That is a skill in itself.
There are some must-pack items that will make the trip more comfortable for you and your horse.
Australian Summers are very hot. Competitions are more likely to be cancelled due to extreme weather these days. I have been away from home competing, and the weather has dialled up to the low 40's. It was horrendous for humans and horses. It is not usually possible to pack up and leave, as travelling in that type of heat is unbearable for the horse.
Horses may refuse to drink the local water. Even if at home they are good drinkers, sometimes the taste of the water is unpalatable, and even dehydration can’t convince them to drink it.
Bring a minimum of 20L of water from home
A horse that won't drink can become seriously ill, very quickly in hot temperatures. A loss of 10% or more of body water can lead to severe dehydration, collapse and death.
In hot weather or hard exercise, a horse requires 10-15L per 100kg body weight of water per day.
Some people prepare by adding molasses or flavoured electrolytes to the water. These are introduced for a week before the trip. I don’t recommend molasses as it can add to the dehydration status of your horse. Molasses is also at risk of fermenting in the hot weather due to its high sugar content. This will produce toxic mould growth, leading to toxicity and colic if consumed by the horse.
Bring at least 20 litres of water from home, or more if you can safely carry it, and slowly introduce the new water to the horse.
Put a small bucket of water in the stall from home, along with the new water in a big bucket. Bit by bit they will change over to the new water.
Having two buckets in the stall reduces the likelihood of you coming back in the morning to find manure floating in their water or that they have knocked over one bucket and have been unable to drink for hours.
