Pre-shipping care

[rbrown]

I am shipping my mare from the midwest to east coast to be with me, after 4 long years of being apart!! I am very excited to have her here. I am a bit nervous about shipping her in the winter- she is leaving early February from WI. She is not blanketed, and used to being out in the cold all day long. She's very, very fuzzy, and I worry about the temperature in the trailer increasing with a full load of horses. And I'm just worried about the trip in general, because I know traveling for that long is stressful for a horse. She's pretty used to traveling 1-4 hour trips, but this will be 3-4 days, with stops/unloads every 3-4 hours, and they stable them overnight. Is there anything I can do to make this trip less stressful for her? I was thinking of making sure she gets probiotics before she leaves, but not sure what else to do. Any advice??

 

[Right at Home Farm]

Personally I would find a shipper who could get her there the fastest...the more stops, loading/unloading, stabling at unfamiliar farms is going to cause the most stress and potential for injury. I know I can get from upstate NY to mid-WI in about 17 hours...not sure where on the east coast your destination is.

As to preparing, make sure she is up to date on vaccinations several weeks ahead of time to allow for any reactions. If she reacts to strange tasting water you can start flavoring it a few days prior and see if the shipper will do the same at stops when water is offered. I've always had the best luck with keeping with the same feeding schedule...some people won't grain at all during a longer trip, but if they get grain normally at home, they get it on the road. The only difference I do in feeding is to pretty much keep hay in front of them at all times.

 

[MountainWoman]

Having shipped both large horses and minis coast to coast, I can say have her in good weight, make sure you send along her regular feed (and hay) with her. Send an electrolyte supplement to make sure she stays hydrated. Tell your shipper any concerns you might have about her and find a shipper you absolutely trust especially when it comes to making sure she drinks water. When the vet came, I'd also make sure she had an upper respiratory vaccine as horses can tend to pick up respiratory viruses on long trips. When I shipped my minis from WI to VT they did just fine. If you have one driver, obviously they will have to stop and rest but I would rather use a shipper who had a trailer the horses could stay on during the night. Don't like the idea of over nighting in various boarding stables but that's just my opinion.

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

Non-stops, or few stops are better.

I would not blanket if in good condition.

I would vaccinate against strangles, rhino, and flu. The best choices are Pinnacle (intranasal strangles), Rhinomune (modified live rhino), and Fluavert (intranasal flu)-2-4 weeks prior to trip.

If you opt to use electrolytes for the trip, then start using them at least 1 week prior to leaving. This gets them used to the flavor.

Dr Taylor

 

[targetsmom]

Good advice so far, but I would add some Gastroguard/Ulcerguard while on the trip if the shipper will give it for you. I had a 3 year old mare shipped this summer who have never been anywhere before and she did fine. I found a shipper that had only one other horse on the trip, and the only long stop they made was at HIS place overnight.

 

[Flying minis]

My husband's a horse transporter, here is his advice. . .

Overnight stops are great, long stops during transport not so great. Meal breaks, etc., but not long stops.

DOT regulations don't allow a 17 hour run. If you have a reputable, legal transporter, they cannot run this "as fast as they can."

Again, if you have a good, reputable transporter, they are stopping at places that are clean and safe. I agree with the vet - get her shots, but otherwise, stopping and unloading overnight has more benefits than drawbacks.

Don't blanket. Good shippers will adjust windows and ventilation as horses are loaded / unloaded. The critical part to keeping them warm and dry is ventilation.

Make sure the driver for your shipper is a horse person, not just a hired driver - THAT is critical, because you want him to know how to care for horses, but more importantly, to notice if anything is wrong.

With a good shipper, the horse owner has much more stress than the horse does : ) Most horses have no issues shipping quite long distances.

 

[rbrown]

Thank you for the good advice. I have used this shipper before- he is a horse person and took good care of the other horse I shipped in October. I wish I had posted earlier- she is UTD on her vaccines, but not the flu or rhino vaccines. She is leaving in less than 2 weeks- should I get her those vaccines ASAP, or is that too risky??

 

[Equuisize]

I would add to start her on probiotic as far in advance as possible of her shipping.

I also, used to add a drop of apple cider vinegar to my horses water, when we were

showing. Show grounds often had different water sources and water could smell

'different' from home. The theory was it masked the odor and they'd continue to

drink and stay hydrated.

Never had any horses refuse to drink. Maybe a fluke, I don't know, but I took the

precaution, anyway.

 

[drmatthewtaylor]

Thank you for the good advice. I have used this shipper before- he is a horse person and took good care of the other horse I shipped in October. I wish I had posted earlier- she is UTD on her vaccines, but not the flu or rhino vaccines. She is leaving in less than 2 weeks- should I get her those vaccines ASAP, or is that too risky??

Immunity from vaccines like Rhinomune and Fluavert is <2 weeks, but getting them done sooner is better.

Rhino is herpes, there have been outbreaks every year and one currently in California. Race horses are required to be vaccinated by a Vet prior to being allowed on a race track, I think those are reasons enough to at least try to get the vaccine done.

Dr Taylor

 

[rbrown]

Immunity from vaccines like Rhinomune and Fluavert is <2 weeks, but getting them done sooner is better.

Rhino is herpes, there have been outbreaks every year and one currently in California. Race horses are required to be vaccinated by a Vet prior to being allowed on a race track, I think those are reasons enough to at least try to get the vaccine done.

Dr Taylor

I don't know very much about vaccines, but do they/could they lower her immune system at all? I will get those done as soon as I can.

I will make sure she goes with electrolytes, have her taking probiotics before she leaves, and I think the ulcerguard is a good idea too, based on the awful stories I've heard about horses with ulcers... can I do all of these, or is this overkill? I've never had to worry about water, but I know the shipper carries apple juice, or apple cider vinegar.

I was too preoccupied to even think about this stuff with my last horse who came from WI to MA, so she only had electrolytes... she picked up a cough, which didn't take much to clear up, but I sure wouldn't want anything more serious to happen if I could prevent it! Thanks much for all the help