HOW TO PREVENT TRAVEL STRESS

Gamekeeper

Victoria Ferguson is passionate about horses.   She is a keen rider, trainer and competitor.  She had great success in the dressage arena with her wonderful Thoroughbred gelding Gamekeeper and this horse's talent is legendary. Victoria has followed her lifelong interest in horse welfare and nutrition and is involved in the use of herbs and natural remedies to assist horse owners to keep their horses well. http://www.herbalhorse.com Victoria has put together this article to assist horse owners to understand travel stress (sickness) and minimise the risks.

HOW TO PREVENT TRAVEL STRESS

Recently I was driving behind a large angle load horse float carrying one medium sized horse. He was apparently a young, quiet horse and he did not have a rug on so I was able to see exactly what he was doing with his body. He continually braced back & down on his front legs which caused his spine to roach up severely while at the same time he was pushing his quarters into the corner of the wall and the divider, which caused his spine to curve severely to the right. The driver was considerate, not braking or cornering sharply. So one does not have to be Einstein to work out that the amount of spinal stress that even a short trip creates on horses is very high.

The other major problem is of course scrambling which is reduced or eliminated using angle loads but is a common occurrence in straight load floats.

It is interesting to note the number of people who will say "I can’t understand why this horse is suddenly scrambling or travelling badly when he or she has always been a good traveller". My theory is they just get to the point where the amount of discomfort and/or pain that they suffer while travelling becomes intolerable and their behaviour should be a very strong signal to their owners.

There are a lot of other signs of stress in travelling horses …

· Increased heart rate

· Increased respiration rate

· Dehydration caused by sweating (sometimes excessive)

· Weight loss and/or tucked up in the gut & flanks

· Respiratory problems caused by inability to put their heads down to clear airways (crucial on longer journeys)

· Trembling

· Scouring or hard manure or not passing manure

A horse which is showing some of these signs is a candidate for travel sickness/colic/laminitis which in severe cases can be fatal. Other less serious problems include tail rubbing and capped hocks. Obvious injuries are caused by excessive kicking sometimes accompanied by panic while a horse may not exhibit any obvious injuries but just be very sore & tired.

Problems with loading and unloading are another area where stress often occurs and where injuries can occur. Reluctance to load and rushing off is usually a sign that the horse is not comfortable travelling. Or it may just be a sign that this area of training has been neglected or not carried out correctly.

It is beyond the scope of this article to talk about training horses to load and unload properly so if you have problems seek assistance from one of the many experts in this area or get one of the self help books or videos.

 

Bach Flowers & Herbs Can Help

Apart from good training Bach flowers & herbs can be used to reduce loading and travel stress. Usually Rescue Remedy and Chamomile tea will produce a good result in horses which are only mildly stressed. I recommend making up the Chamomile tea the day before. Use a good handful of Chamomile flowers to 300 mls of boiling water (about the size of a big coffee mug). Allow to sit for 15 minutes then strain & squeeze the rest of the liquid out of the dregs. Then add 10 drops of Rescue Remedy. Syringe 50 mls of the tea over the horse’s tongue at least one hour before loading and preferably before the horse has any idea about floats. Give another dose just before loading. Take the rest with you in case it is needed for the return journey. You should always use this mixture when training young horses to load and especially for the first few journeys. In fact you can use it as a general travel mix for short journeys. For longer journeys, make up Rosehips tea in the same way using 2 tablespoons of the granules and give it as well. Even if you are routinely feeding Rosehips, or Chamomile, you can still use the extra.

For more nervous horses, extra Bach flowers should be added. Larch for confidence, Mimulus for fear, Scleranthus for balance and Cherry Plum for panic - add 5 drops each of these. Other nervine herbs should also be considered – Hops is a gentle relaxing herb and Vervain is especially relevant for horses that sweat up and or tremble. You can make up the tea for these in the same way. You can also add the tea or the dried herbs to the feed. Or you can get me to make you up a customised mixture using herbal extracts which is much easier as the dosage rate is very small and the herbs keep for much longer.

For travel sickness, there are many herbs which hasten recovery in conjunction with veterinary care, but I need to prescribe these individually depending on the condition.

Travel sickness is more likely to occur on longer journeys and apart from good driving and adequate stops for rest, watering and feeding, the best preventative is a naturally healthy horse with a well tuned immune system. This can be achieved by feeding a customised VF Natural Diet.

 

Vets Endorse JR Design

Another effective way to reduce or eliminate travel stress is to invest in a JR Easy Traveller â float. Tests supervised by vets monitored 16 horses over several 4 day travel periods covering over 10,000 kms comparing the JR with conventional straight load design floats. Their findings were horses travelling in the JR had less dehydration, less weight loss, better heart & respiration rates, more normal temperatures and no travel sickness. It is also essential that travelling horses are able to put their heads down to clear airways. They can do this easily in a JR and they cannot do it at all in angle loads and some straight loads.

The JR Team Barry & Lorraine Beattie & the JR Designer John Chattterton & his wife Janet

Designed by that great horseman John Chatterton and made in Queensland by Easy Traveller Trailers, the design is deceptively simple. The flared side walls provide extra space for horses to spread their legs for balance. The wider tailgate prevents horses stepping off the side of the tailgate which is often a cause of injury. The adjustable chest bars which move forwards or backwards depending on the length of the horse provides chest support, no bracing backwards on the front legs. The adjustable rump bars which move up and down, providing a space for the tail, prevent horses sitting back on the tailgate and provide rump support.

Go to www.jr-easytraveller.com for more information about the JR

JR Easy Traveller A quality product with proven anti stress design

The wider wheel base and proper chassis provides a smooth ride, safe towing and better handling.

I am the happy owner of a JR Easy Traveller Longreach (extended front) model and it has a lot of other design features which make it female user friendly. For example the tail gate is liftable with one hand, the jockey wheel is mounted on a swivel bracket so you don’t have to wrestle getting it on and off and it has recessed door handles so there is no chance of horses pulling back with halters caught in door handles. I tow two big horses with my Ford Explorer in this float legally & comfortably. Having owned a variety of floats in my life, including angle loads, I can safely say it is the best float I have ever owned.

When one considers the amount of money horse owners spend on their horses, it makes sense to invest in a float which will prevent problems rather than create them.

Victoria Ferguson  http://www.herbalhorse.com

Go to www.cyberhorse.net.au/safetowing for a comprehensive
segment covering all aspects of towing a float

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