When you are lucky enough to own a horse, you will likely find it necessary to transport them from place to place. While it may not happen on a regular basis, or it may be an occurrence that happens often, you need to make sure you are doing all you can to keep them as calm as possible. This way, they will arrive with minimal possible stress, which is obviously so important. So, here are a few ways of making sure that your horse remains calm during transport.
Plan with Plenty of Time to Spare:
You certainly do not want to make the whole process too rushed. Otherwise, it can result in a situation that is overly stressful for both you and the horse at the same time. Therefore, it is certainly going to be important that you plan ahead, especially regarding horse transport. Think about how much time you will need on the day and plan out a route that will make the whole process as smooth as possible. At the same time, you should also give the horse a chance to get used to the horsebox. If you are going to be looking into a horse taxi service, it is certainly going to be important that you do this sooner rather than later.
Provide Plenty of Hay and Water:
No matter whether the journey is going to be short or long, you certainly need to be providing plenty of both hay and water for your four-legged friend to ensure that the journey is passed in a way that is fully comfortable for them. The hay can be helpful in ensuring that stomach acid levels are kept down as a result of the stress from the journey. At the same time, your horse still needs to be able to drink – and this is obviously even more important on particularly hot days.
Take Breaks Along the Way:
Unless you are going over a very short distance indeed, you certainly need to be fully prepared to take some breaks along the way. This way, you are giving them the opportunity to be more relaxed rather than feeling stressed over an extended period of time. If you are traveling for more than a few hours, like traveling from one state to another or further, it is going to be likely that you should take a break overnight and fully rest up and ensure your horse remains as comfortable and stress-free as possible.
Watch Your Driving:
No matter who is driving during the trip, they need to make sure that they are highly careful based on the rules of the road, as well as being especially mindful of the fact that the horse could be even more stressed out when the speeds are particularly high.
All of these are amongst the different methods you have when it comes to ensuring that your horse is kept as calm as possible when traveling for their own health and wellbeing. Follow these, and your horse should be able to cope with as many journeys as you need to take.
