Travel Tips
Show Season
for
By Emily Daily, Jump Media
With show season gearing up, riders around the
country are busy planning their schedules. Deciding
which competitions to attend isn’t the only thing
on their minds. Traveling to shows can be mentally
and physically taxing on horses, so riders are always
looking for ways to make their horses more comfortable
while they are on the road and settling into the
show grounds. Horses can face a myriad of problems
while traveling with gut health issues, such as ulcers
or weight loss, being some of the most prominent.
Horses Traveling Traveling and
showing can be stressful for horses.
by Laura Gillikin © Laura Gillikin “It’s stressful
what we do with horses, going from place to place. I’ll do
anything I can to help them,” says Julie Curtin, a hunter
rider and trainer based out of New Vintage Farm in Woodstock,
Georgia.
The best way to keep the stress of traveling to a minimum
for your horse is to be well prepared for your trip and also
give him the health support he needs.
Preparation
is Key
There are many things you can do to prepare for a trip,
most of which you can check off your list weeks in advance.
One vital step is completing all of your horse’s
necessary paperwork. Although a negative Coggins test
is fairly standard, every state usually has its own health requirements
as well. Check the current requirements in each
state you plan to drive through. Most also require proof of
vaccinations and a health certificate. Chat with your vet to
find out everything you will need, and make sure you leave
plenty of time for Coggins test results to come back before
your anticipated departure date.
Have an updated,
well stocked, travel
veterinary kit
Also, plan to update your travel veterinary kit before your
trip and ensure it is well-stocked. Inspect expiration dates
and toss out any old medicine. Double check that you
have all the essentials you will need in any type of emergency
situation.
Before you pull out of the barn driveway with your horse,
be sure that your towing vehicle and trailer are safe and
road-worthy for the trip ahead. Check the inspection dates
on both, as well as turn signal and brake lights and other
basic necessities. You might even consider taking your vehicle
to your mechanic for a tune-up. Make sure you have
working spare tires for both the truck and trailer—and all of
the tools (and knowledge!) needed to safely change one,
if needed. It can also be helpful to have a membership to
a roadside assistance company that caters to equestrians,
such as U.S. Rider.
TRAINING & Showing
It can be a good idea to have a list of places where you
can stable your horse overnight, if necessary. You can find
people willing to put up a horse for the night as well as
horse-friendly bed and breakfast establishments at www.
horsemotel.com and www.horsetrip.com. Be sure to read
the detailed descriptions, ratings, and comments to see
which facility might be a good fit.
Comfort Counts
If you have a long trip ahead of you, plan for multiple rest
stops. This will keep you mentally fresh and also give you
plenty of opportunities to check on your horse. Help keep
him hydrated by offering clean, fresh water at least every
four hours throughout your journey.
You can also help reduce the amount of dust, molds, and
other allergens floating in the air by wetting the hay your
horse will be eating in transit and also using the most dustfree
bedding possible. Make sure his head is tied loose
enough so that he can cough and expel anything in his
airway. Crack open trailer windows to give the area plenty
of ventilation as well. Also, be sure to safely stow any loose
buckets or equipment in the trailer.
When traveling and showing, a number of factors can also
increase your horse’s risk for colic or other gastric issues,
such as ulcers. These include sudden variations in routine,
lack of turnout or limited grazing time, changes in hay or
grain, and dehydration. Fortunately, there are numerous
ways you can help your horse cope with these common
stresses. Along with appropriate management strategies, a
daily gastric health supplement can be beneficial.
One option many top professionals rely on to keep their
horses’ stomach issues at bay and help them stay on top of
their game is Ulceraser®, an all-natural, show-safe supplement
created by Equine Elixirs.
“My horses live on the road competing most of the year,
and Equine Elixirs has really made a difference in their
comfort and performance,” says Kristen Vanderveen, an
international show jumping rider. “The Ulceraser® keeps
all my horses feeling comfortable and relaxed. Little things
make a big difference in our sport and this adjustment to
our nutritional program has made that big difference.”
64 www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com
/horsemotel.com
/www.horsetrip.com
/www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com