Tips for traveling with horses

• Practice loading your horses well before your trip so that they easily load during your travels.  No one wants to spend the time and energy trying to load a balking horse that would be better served traveling to your destination!
• Consult with your veterinarian to put together a comprehensive first aid kit.
• Try to keep your daily driving times to less than 10 hours.  Remember, when you are figuring daily mileage, it takes longer to drive with a horse trailer than it takes to drive alone.
• Give your horses an occasional break every 3 hours or so.  Don’t take them out of the trailer, just allow them to rest their legs by not having to constantly balance their weight.
• Be sure you have a safe place to unload your horses for the night.  Never unload horses at a roadside or travel stop.
• Keep your horses hydrated.  Before you take your trip, you might like to get your horses used to a “splash of Gatorade” in their water bucket.  Then when you travel, keep Gatorade on hand.  A splash in the water buckets will make strange tasting water more palatable (many horses won’t drink strange water).  The Gatorade also helps with electrolyte balance (I usually use the full sugar stuff as I doubt artificial sweeteners have been tested on horses).  Offer horses water at each stop, even if they do not drink.
• When you tie a horse in the trailer, allow him to have enough rope to lower his head a bit, but not so much to get tangled in the rope.  Horses need to be able to lower their heads to clear their lungs and sinuses (to prevent respiratory illness).
• Make sure your trailer stays clean and is well-ventilated.  Ammonia buildup can play havoc with a horse’s respiratory system.
• Bring enough hay for your trip — strange hay can cause colic in sensitive horses.  That said, if you travel in most western states, you will need to have certified weed-free hay.
• Consider equine insurance for your trip.
• Have all health paperwork in place.  You will need to have a health certificate for each horse as well as a valid Coggins test.  Though it can vary from state to state, these are generally good for 30 days.
• Check to see if any states you will be traveling through require a brand inspection.  For listings of state regulations, visit this link, or do a Google search on State Veterinarian or Department of Agriculture for a specific state.