Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Have done lots of long distance hauls, often with 3 horses, by myself (and
yes, I do unload, but all are seasoned travelers) and to keep them as
hydrated as possible, I do a few things. First, I pre-load them all with a
nice fair sized beet pulp mash (very wet) about 12 hours before leaving, to
get it into their bodies, and get that hind gut moving. Then, they get small
beet pulp mashes when they load to go, and  every time I stop for fuel. I
have a small ice chest, that the lid seals tight. I put the beet pulp and
water in the ice chest, close lid, and leave it in the tackroom. Next stop,
I dump that into their little buckets they each have, and then mix a new
batch, to be soaking for the next leg of the trip. They get these as wet as
they will possibly eat them. I often will add some carrot chunks to it to
make them more appealing if they start to get bored with eating them. Purina
Strategy also makes a nice mash consistency when water is added, so mixing a
little of it in each batch, gives it a little more flavor for the finicky
ones. (does not take much) They usually have hay in front of them at all
times, and I will also soak it. They are offered water at each stop. If I
stop to take a nap, they are tied to the trailer, with their water buckets
set up like I would at a ride. This summer we traveled so much, along the
XP2004, that they never knew if this was a camp for the night, or just a
rest stop.

I have traveled with a bucket of water in front of the horse, but they
usually just play with it, dump it, and then I do not have any way to tell
just how much fluid they are getting. If you do travel with a bucket, put a
little chunk of wood to float on top, and it will reduce the spill factor.

And when we stop, if there is no grass to graze, I put a little feed in a
pan or bucket on the ground and have them eat with their heads down to make
sure they are not having any gunk and snot jam up in their system. Lets the
sinuses drain.

And shoot, might as well add, I use shavings in the trailer, and just wet
them down before leaving to keep the dust down. I feel that it not only
encourages them to pee when they need to, but also, the bedding gives even a
little more cush to their ride.I let the hay they toss around mix with the
shavings.  Be careful with straw, as it can get VERY slippery on some
surfaces when it gets wet. I try to clean the poop from behind them as often
as I can find a good place to dispose of it, so I can tell if one horse is
not going as much as he should, and might be having his system jam up. And
don't make messes at truck stops and rest areas with poop and shavings! Be a
responsible traveler, and leave it clean so no one could even tell a horse
was there!!!!!!

Jonni in TX

PS: some of the public rest areas on I-40 in New Mexico even have corrals to
put your horses in while you rest.



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