18/06/2025
What are your feeding and hydration practices when it comes to transporting your equine partner? Here are some things to consider:
- Hydration is crucial for maintaining normal body functions and regulating body temperature. Make sure your horse starts the trip well-hydrated and has a plan to stay hydrated while traveling and at the destination.
- If a horse refuses to drink during a rest stop, keep offering water throughout the break. Bringing water from home and using familiar buckets can encourage drinking.
- Feeding hay (not grain) before loading can help buffer stomach acid. Hay digests slowly and stimulates thirst, so always pair forage with regular access to clean water.
- For trips scheduled to take six hours or longer, it is recommended to provide hay in the trailer. For trips shorter than six hours, it’s generally best not to feed during travel.
- If feeding during travel, offer soaked hay, steamed hay, or soaked hay cubes to reduce dust and mold exposure. Be mindful that soaking in hot weather can encourage mold on long trips; steaming is an alternative that reduces both dust and potential pathogens.
- Horses fed during transport should be watered at least every four hours, or every two hours in hot/humid conditions.
- Whenever possible, limit continuous hauling to under 12 hours at a time.
Research is ongoing, and every horse is different, adjust these strategies to suit each horse and trip for the best results.