Safety Precautions In Traveling With Race Horses
The task of transporting horses cross country isn't just a walk in the park Traveling with horses can be even more tedious than traveling with noisy or fussy babies. At least with horses, the most one would get would be whining and occasional kicking of the horse and nothing more.
However, horse lovers would rather do something else and make the trip more easier for them. Here are some tips that could make the trip a bit easier:
• When traveling with green horses (or newly birthed horses), one has to take practice with the way they drive. No sudden stops, no swift turns etc. Also theses horses have to be made familiar with the way that thy should embark and disembark the trailer. Some horses are afraid of this and are hesitant to go near a trailer. One should spend some time showing the horses around the trailer so that they don't get afraid of it. Once they are in the trailer, one should; let them stand there and get accustomed to it and perhaps take them for a short spin before taking them away.
• During the ride, one should check on them regularly to see if they are eating right or if they have enough water after a few hours on the road.. Horses can be picky eaters at times so be prepared with a wide variety of foods in the trailer to make them eat and avoid getting restless. Water or food packed with electrolytes are good things to use when traveling for they don't need have to be totally consumed to be of help. Even small munches of the packed food would do nicely.
•Avoid wrapping the horses feet with clothes that may attempt to stop the blood from circulating. They may keep out the cold but then they have other side effects which may be a bit more harmful for the horse. Although one would want to protect the horses feet, sometimes one just has to improvise and just use several layers of socks instead.
People have to realize that when traveling, one must pack extra supplies in the back seat or in the trailer. One must take note that it shouldn't be in easy reach of the horse else the horse would start chewing and gnawing everything in sight. Extra food, water, and medical supplies are a must not only for the horse but for the human travelers as well. During pitstops at gas stations, the horses should be checked and watched for any signs of illness or travel sickness.
Traveling is fun but one has to make extra care when traveling with horses for they are much used to traveling on their own that being ferried to new locations.