11/21/2017 by Mike Kinsey
One of the common hauling practices is to allow horses to eat hay while hauling. But have you ever actually thought to yourself, WHY? Doing things because “we’ve always done it that way”, or “because the horse will be well fed, comfortable, happy and have good gut sounds when they arrive” is thinking that can lead to your horse’s death. In this article, we’ll discuss how to logically approach hauling your horse to keep them safe, healthy and alive throughout your travels together. This logical approach to solving equine issues is also discussed in Western Horsemen’s awarding winning articles and book “Back Country Basics”.
Over fifty years of training, hauling and using horses, a basic observation is that many, even most horses may be finicky about drinking strange tasting water. My first observation of this was in the early 60’s when my Dad hauled Quarter horses to race. At home he typically added roughly an 1/8 cup of molasses to the bucket of water in their stalls. When we arrived at a race track, and the horses were presented “city water”, they typically turned up their noses until dad added the 1/8 cup of molasses. Having race horses NOT drink was a basic that trainers and owners could not violate. Hot, sweaty dehydrated horses MUST be properly managed. On trail rides, it is common to see lesser experienced horses refuse water at streams and water crossings. Particularly, the more nervous horses don’t want to drop their heads to water, instinctually knowing they are more vulnerable to an attacking predator. It is just natural for those horses to prioritize their concern for an immediate threat of life, to the threat of being dehydrated and the subsequent threat of death. The last couple decades as I have hauled horses from our adopted retirement home in South Carolina to Texas, Nebraska, Kansas for the Santa Fe trail rides, to South Dakota for the Mickelson trail ride, to cross country competitions, to NATRC competitive trail rides, and where ever, I have watched and learned to provide for my horses’ wellbeing. I have observed that the horses’ natural inclination and always-present poor judgment can be self-destructive. How-it-makes-me-feel or how I-think-the-horses-feel, is a poor logic that can fail to address the horses’ needs. Making sure horses don’t colic when using or hauling horses, is important. One of the things riders learn to listen for are gut sounds to make sure the horse’s guts are active. Feeding hay does encourage those gut sounds and is one of the reasons given for the practice. When prioritizing a horse’s life, health, and welfare, a horse’s hydration is more important than food. Recognizing that most horses do not drink well while traveling makes hydration THE horsemen’s priority. I have learned another factor regarding horses’ health since I moved to the South. Coastal Bermuda is a favorite for horsemen and their horses in this area. It is readily available, and it is nutrious. It can also be a killer for dehydrated horses, and can be a killer for horses that gorge themselves, even if not dehydrated. “Coastal” is a very fine stem hay that can lead to “impaction”, a potentially lethal form of constipation. Colic is not the problem but rather a warning sign of belly pain. Death is the problem. Vets from the University of Georgia-Athens (UGA) Vet College have repeatedly made the point, UGA sees more colic issues than all the rest of the Vet colleges around the US combined. The reason? Coastal Bermuda hay leading to impaction. When horsemen combine these two factors, dehydration of traveling, with a hay known for a propensity to cause impaction, the “we’ve-always-done-it-that-way” should suddenly and dramatically go out the window. “The tragedy of a favorite horse dying is painful. The most painful deaths are those that could have been prevented, but weren’t due to lack of insight. The thinking “we’ve-always-done-it-that-way” should be a mindset we push aside and begin to educate ourselves on what our horses needs really are. An insightful horse owner strives to focus on the horse’s needs (such as hydration) and not on personal “feelings”. Horse owners might consider getting a better-informed horsemen-mentor as well. Here are some other tools I have use while traveling with horses. · Consider mounting a 25 or 50-gallon tank on your trailer’s hay rack to haul your home water. This can help keep those finicky horses drinking and hydrated while hauling, camping, and trail riding. It also makes it handier to feed the wettened feed-beet pulp on the road. · At home I teach my horses to eat wet rations. I may start off with their normal ration, and a bit of beet pulp blended in, wetted to the consistency of oatmeal. Over a few days I’ll bump up the beet pulp and water and decrease the feed with the goal of getting the feed more to the consistency of grits. No, I don’t care for the molasses added beet pulp. Most have added molasses, but I buy the product with the least added sweeteners. I don’t need extra calories in my horses that may lead to hyper-activity. I need hydration, and I need roughage to keep the guts healthy without risking impaction. I also feed a balanced ration of extruded pellets that dissolve in fluids. No grains, no sweet feeds for my valued critter · On trail rides, or other events, I continue to feed wettened feed with beet pulp, unless I see and know that horses are staying hydrated. · The night before hauling I feed that grits-consistency feed and beet pulp with a small handful of salt before kicking them out into a grassy paddock or pasture, with all the water they want. The additional salt causes the horses to feel thirsty. The next morning, they get the wetted ration with less feed, and more beet pulp so I have a horse that is well hydrated. I have earned veterinarian judge’s respect at competitions for unloading my well-hydrated horses. · Overuse of electrolytes can cause a litany of medicals issues. Equine vets make a point that a number of horse owners seem to confuse electrolyte use with keeping horses hydrated. Caution! · I check my horses regularly while traveling with the skin “pinch” test to have a feel for hydration. I simply and softly pinch the skin mid-neck, about a big thumb full of skin, and release. The skin should naturally pop back to lying flat. If the skin stays raised, I know I have a problem and I immediately take corrective action. IMMEDIATELY! · I buy and use coarse forage while traveling, camping, trail riding, and other events. I find it tough in my location to get good oat hay which is certainly coarse fiber. Too many farmers in our area sell straw, not knowing the difference. I have seen horses coughing, wheezing and blowing snot because of some of the dusty oat hay. I do NOT travel with Coastal hay. Never. Never. I’m not wild about Fescue hay from this area, due to the subsequent capillary restrictions which may lead to overheating. A mix of Coastal and Fescue grasses for hay can be a solution. Hay from Timothy or Orchard are much better solutions. And if one is supplementing with wetted beat pulp, one doesn’t need as much reliance on hay. · I’d rather make one long day haul rather than two short day hauls. I find horses do better to just get the haul over. Get them out with grass and water, rather than questionable overnighting. Obviously, some hauling requires over-nighting. · When I need to over-night, I call ahead and arrange grassy paddocks with clean water for my horses. Grassy paddocks with clean water, good fences, and I know I can sleep well for the next day’s haul! Too many stables have questionable practices with watering, haying, and feeding. This can lead to unacceptable colic rates with their normal boarded horses. I am not setting my horses up for their well-intentioned but death provoking practices. · Both my stock trailers are set up to haul horses either facing backwards, or slant backwards. I don’t know why horse owners think hauling horses forward makes sense. If someone pulls out in front me and I must abruptly brake, I want that big Quarter horse butt to bang into the front of my trailer, not the eyes, or skull. An additional benefit of rear loading, or rear slant loading is I’m never exposed to horse’s butt when entering or exiting the trailer. My old buddy Pogue Reid, a long-time respected equine DVM, and I both noticed decades ago that when hauling horses in open trucks, horses turned themselves to face away from the front. Sometimes listening to your horse is more important than listening to a salesman or other “mentor”. · When braking, I always try to start applying the brakes gradually. Even if an emergency is imminent, I start gradually, then if needed brake hard. Just that half-second can give the horse a chance to brace. Turn off the radio, shut up the passengers, and try “listening” for your horse moving around. Driving fast is not near the issue for your horse as starting off, braking or turning too abruptly. If you want to learn to be a better driver for your horse’s well-being, shut off the noise, and LISTEN! That’s how one learns! · So often horse owners buy and use trailers that expose horses to unacceptable temperature levels. Locally, here in South Carolina, I see horse owners trying to protect their horses from being chilly, and not consider that the temperatures in a typical trailer may get to 120⁰ F or more. Even in the Fall, 6 horses in my Sooner trailer will quickly get to elevated temperatures that can lead to brain damage. Only in Northern states do horses need the protection that some owners try to provide here in the land of sunshine. Owners need to quit feeling sorry for the horse and treat the horse in a manner that is conducive to the horse’s health and well-being. Getting wet is NOT a reason to expose the horse to over-heating! Getting chilly is temporary. Getting brain damage from a “tight” trailer in warm conditions is permanent. The bottom line is that there are many practices managing horses that are past on because “we’ve-always-done-it-that-way”. Your horse can be better protected if you learn to question “WHY” and stop falling for age-old rules that have become convoluted. Happy Trails! Mike Kinsey www.StartemRight.com
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