Feeding in Horse Trailers?

[sallydm@rmci.net (Sally Miller)]

I went to a ride this weekend that took 6.5 hours to get there.  We stopped
midway for about 1/2 hour to 45 min. to give the horses a break.  We
unloaded the horses and walked around the outskirts of the rest stop,
munching on the tall grasses, then tied them to the trailer with hay and
water, while we took a "pit stop".

What are your feelings/experiences of feeding or not feeding in the trailer
on long hauls?  What do you consider a long haul? (Everyone has a different
version of "long").

***

I have NOT fed in a trailer since a friend's horse choked on the way to a
ride a few years ago.  (My friend and I were hauling a slant load trailer
with hay bags, travel time was about 2 hours).

We were lucky...we checked on the horses before heading off the mountain
hwy to the ride camp and found the gelding standing with his legs spread
out, head down, and green slim coming out of his nose and mouth -
everything was covered.  It was gross!  We didn't know what to do.  It was
Friday night, in the mountains - not a vet clinic around, except for ride
camp about 14 miles straight up the mountain.  We didn't know if we should
keep hauling or disconnect and drive up the mountain to bring a vet back.

We were saved by an angle that must of been watching over us...Dr. Liz
Scott hauled in behind us.  She was riding the ride but still had her vet
bag with her.  She had a tough time but managed to clear my friend's
gelding, but not before I almost tossed my cookies when the gelding
coughed, pushing fluids back thru the tube into Liz's mouth.  YUK!  Liz
just looked at me, gagging, and told me not to [vomit] or she would too.

Liz said the gelding choke was bad and we were lucky she was behind us.

It was an awful experience and I haven't fed in a trailer since.



Sally Miller
sallydm@rmci.net
Eagle, Idaho