Page 1142 - The Veterinary Care of the Horse

abuse of the horse. Random bandage and boot checks may be carried out.

VetBooks.ir The best advice is to check with your vet beforehand.

TRANSPORTING YOUR HORSE

Most of us who own horses will need to transport them at some stage. Whether this is to a
show, for a ride in the countryside or to a veterinary hospital for investigations and treatment,

the experience can quickly become a miserable one if problems are encountered during
loading or on the journey itself.

In most cases, these problems can be avoided by taking the time to familiarize the horse
with the lorry or trailer and making sure that the first few experiences are positive ones. If the

horse is forced into a trailer in a stressful situation, it is hardly surprising that he will resist it
next time. The following tips may help.

In advance

• If you are planning a journey with a youngster or inexperienced horse, park the trailer or
lorry in the yard a few days before so they are used to its presence. Offer the horse a

small feed close to the vehicle each day or from a bucket on the bottom of the ramp. Do
this in quiet, relaxed surroundings so the horse has no sudden frights.

• Familiarize your horse with the clothing he will be wearing for the journey, e.g. travelling
boots or bandages, tail guard, poll guard (Figure 25.14), rug etc. Some horses sweat

during the journey so the rug should be of a breathable material that wicks the moisture
away from the coat. Take a spare rug for the return journey. Unclipped horses do not

usually require rugs to travel. However, a cooler rug should be taken to prevent them
becoming chilled on arrival if they do sweat up.

• Make sure your horse is fit and well for this experience. Travelling sick horses should be
avoided especially if they have any kind of respiratory disease as this increases the risk of

pleuropneumonia (also known as transit or shipping fever, see page 450). The saying
‘sick horse on, sicker horse off’ applies to every horse that travels. The only justifiable

exception is when horses are travelled to an equine hospital for treatment.