Hauling Tips & Tricks: Strategies to Keep Your Horse Healthy & Happy

We are quickly approaching the time of year when more trailers hit the road! Traveling with horses can be both fun and challenging. Whether you're headed to a rodeo, jackpot, branding, or trail ride, ensuring your equine companion's well-being throughout the journey is paramount. In this guide, we'll delve into seven crucial aspects of traveling with horses, offering expert tips and product recommendations to help you keep your horse hydrated, calm, comfortable, and healthy on the road.

Keep Them Hydrated:

Ensuring your horse remains hydrated during travel is crucial for their well-being. Dehydration not only increases the risk of colic but also impacts their performance and overall health. To encourage water intake, consider bringing water from home to provide a familiar taste and smell, thus making it more appealing to your horse.

Additionally, electrolyte replenishment is vital, especially during long hauls and hot weather. Products like OE Revive can help maintain electrolyte balance and promote hydration. Zesterra is another excellent option to stimulate drinking, and some horse owners have found success by adding it to their horse's water. Remember to make regular stops, ideally every four hours, to offer water to your horse and ensure they stay adequately hydrated throughout the journey.

Keep Them Calm:

Traveling can be stressful for horses, leading to issues like ulcers and anxiety. To keep your horse calm and relaxed on the road, consider using products specifically designed for stress relief. Zesterra, for example, helps coat the stomach, reducing the risk of ulcers and digestive discomfort.

Supplement company OE Nutraceuticals offers effective solutions like OE Composed and OE Score. OE Composed is designed to be given in a single dose approximately 2 hours before your event. This paste contains maximum strength calming capabilities and lasts about 2 - 4 hours. This product is ideal for the nervous horse that is going to make a single run at a competition (ie a barrel horse at a jackpot). OE Score was originally designed for ropers that are going to be competing at an event for extended periods of time. OE Score utilizes delayed absorption and lasts between 2 - 8 hours. Both products are excellent at helping your horse focus and perform their best without making them dull or lethargic.

Additionally, using ear plugs can help minimize anxiety by reducing exposure to sudden loud noises, especially during indoor events or while on the road. By prioritizing your horse's mental well-being, you'll ensure a smoother and more enjoyable travel experience for both you and your equine companion.

Keep Them Comfortable:

Comfort plays a significant role in your horse's ability to perform and cope with the demands of travel. Investing in products that provide cushioning and support, such as Cloud boots, can make a significant difference.

If your horse is going to be standing on concrete or other hard surfaces at an event, Cloud boots will become a must-have product. Your horse will feel like their standing on a cushy cloud versus their bare feet. If your horse paws at the trailer, their non-slippery rubber bottoms will help protect their feet as well as your trailer.

In the summertime, it’s a good idea to haul with fly boots, a fly sheet, and a fly mask as well. Your horse can’t get away from the flies in the trailer! By using these products you can reduce stomping, ensuring a more relaxed journey for everyone involved. Fly masks also double as eye protection for debris that is flying around in the trailer. Really maximize the benefits by getting a PHT Fly Mask with built in magnets!

Additionally, clean bedding in your trailer is a must. Clean, dust free bedding helps avoid respiratory issues and keeps your horse clean and comfortable.

Keep Them Full:

Providing a constant source of hay during travel is essential for your horse's well-being. Hay not only keeps them occupied but also helps prevent ulcers by maintaining a steady supply of roughage in their digestive system.

There are numerous hay bag / net options to choose from, but one of the most popular is Hay Chix. The Half Bale Net is great for hanging while your horse is tied to the trailer or even when they are riding in the trailer. Just be careful that you don’t let the net hang too low as a horse can get their foot caught in it! If you have a trailer that doesn’t have mangers, the Hay Chix Micro Mini Net is a great option because it doesn’t hang as low as the Half Bale when it starts to get empty.

For horses with sensitive respiratory systems, wetting hay ahead of time can be beneficial. By prioritizing your horse's nutritional needs during travel, you'll help them stay healthy and content throughout the journey

Keep Yourself Organized:

Staying organized on the road is essential for a smooth and stress-free travel experience. Pack hay, grain, and supplements ahead of time, taking into account the duration of your trip and your horse's dietary requirements. Utilize storage solutions like empty buckets with lids or plastic bags to portion out individual servings of grain and supplements, making feeding routines more manageable. Just dump and go - no more packing the whole containers!

Additionally, invest in boot bags to keep gear organized and separate for each horse, ensuring easy access when needed. Your sport boots and bell boots will stay nicer for longer by storing them in a boot bag! If you have multiple horses, boot bags are a great way of keeping each horse's gear separate and easy to access. For each horse, you can include their boots, bells, pre-race supplements, hair bands, recovery items, etc. all in their own bag.

By staying organized, you'll minimize stress and maximize efficiency during travel, allowing you to focus on enjoying the journey with your horse.

Keep Them Healthy:

Maintaining your horse's health during travel requires careful preparation and attention to detail. Ensure you have a well-stocked vet kit on hand to address any unexpected health issues that may arise. We stock all of the pieces to make one yourself, or you can purchase a ready-made kit like one from EquiMedic. Their Equine First Aid Kits come with their own bag and a variety of different vet supplies in different size options so you can get the one that fits your herd's needs best.

Always avoid sharing buckets with other horses to prevent the spread of illnesses, and prioritize cleanliness in stalls and trailers using products like DrawItOut's SuperClean Stall Cleaner. By taking proactive measures to safeguard your horse's health, you'll help ensure a safe and successful journey.

Keep Them Recovering:

Promoting recovery is essential, especially after long hours of travel and hard competition. Utilize therapy products like Back On Track's mesh sheets, quick wraps, and hock wraps to reduce inflammation and stimulate blood flow, aiding in your horse's recovery process. Just be careful to not use them when it’s too hot out as they do increase circulation which can cause heat!

PHT also offers a range of effective recovery products, including Wonder Wraps, Sheets, Hock Wraps, Stifle Wraps, and Bell Boots, which promote healing. Their products can be used year-round and do not require a break-in period. 

PHT Wonder Wraps and Back On Track Royal Quick Wraps also double as shipping boots, protecting your horse's legs in the trailer!

Additionally, consider using liniments or poultices to reduce inflammation and decrease soreness. Draw It Out's liniment concentrate and gel are reliable choices, and they also have a MasterMudd poultice for those who prefer a "mud" application. A great time to use this products is before loading your horse for the trailer ride home or to the next event. That way the liniment or mud can work it's magic during the trip. By prioritizing your horse's recovery, you'll help them bounce back quickly and stay in optimal condition for future endeavors.

Traveling with your horse requires careful planning and consideration to ensure their well-being throughout the journey. By implementing these tips and utilizing our recommended products, you can make traveling with your horse a safe, comfortable, and enjoyable experience for both of you. Remember to prioritize hydration, calmness, comfort, and health to make the most out of your travels together. Safe travels!