Travel Feed Tips
𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗹…
Now your ‘horsey social calendar’ is starting to look fuller and you have dusted the cobwebs off your trusty lorry or trailer there is no doubt about it; you have plans for travel with your horse!! Whether it be to shows, lessons, or hacks what can you do from a feed perspective to support your fun-filled plans whilst in transit?
Time for some top tips:-
Soak hay as necessary but be careful of slippery lorry/trailer floors (consider using a hay bag)
Always take supplies for longer than you think you need. For example if it is a one hour trip for a lesson, take a full day supply of forage, feed and water.
Don’t suddenly switch forage type. Why is it we always make changes gradually to reduce the risk of digestive disturbances but when we travel it suddenly seems to be a ‘get out of free jail card’ to just switch forage types?! It really isn’t…. This is far from ideal. If you want to change to haylage to travel consider feeding half and half at all times so it is not a sudden change when you do then use the haylage.
Some horses simply do not eat well whilst travelling, whilst others will happily tuck in so make sure you take plenty of rest breaks on long journeys to offer a relief for all horses but also to give those who struggle to eat whilst on the move a chance to tuck in. On shorter journeys allow time for your horse to eat some of his forage at the other end before the events of the day commence.
Always allow much longer to reach your destination. On long journeys it is also worth during these breaks to offer forage from the floor.
Have as much of your own water with you as possible and offer it regularly to help your horse stay hydrated.
If your horse is not taking enough water, consider creating very sloppy feeds using your regular feedstuff to try to encourage fluid uptake.
Travel can be a stressful time for many horses. You may wish to incorporate a good pro/prebiotic to help to support hindgut health. Introduce into the ration a couple of weeks before travel outings.
On top of this in time as the temperatures start to rise (one can hope right?!) try to travel in the coolest hours of the early morning or late evening and check for traffic updates before you leave.
