for those that make long road trips

[krissy3]

I am looking at a 16 plus road trip this spring. I am wondering if I should break it up in 3 days...6 hours of driving a day. Then it becomes over a week away from home. What do you guys do ? what is the best for the horse, and how do you find hotels that have stalls for horses? How would you find these places internationally ? any ideas on where to look how to plan this kind of trip? I have never traveled more than 3 hours with the horse before. I cant imagine 16 hours away.... how do the horses handle it. arent you guys exausted for the drive back home , after a weekend of showing , and not sleeping in your own bed, not to mention the horse not sleeping well. Any tips would be great.

thanks ,krissy

 

[MiLo Minis]

It is my personal feeling that you are best to get the horse there as quickly as possible rather than dragging it out over days. I have done both and the horses were in far better condition with a long but staight through trip than they were with stopping overnight to rest. I watch them carefully for dehydration at every gas stop when I offer water, open the trailer windows fully when we stop and allow the air to exchange well in the trailer. They may be tired when we arrive but after one good nights sleep they are fine whereas it took several days to recover fully after the several days trip.

 

[txminipinto]

I've hauled 18 hours to Congress the last 3 years from TX in August and we drive straight through. In the summer, we try to leave at night doing the majority of the haul during the cooler night hours. It takes at least 2 drivers to get it done but I have driven the majority of it. I don't recommend doing it by yourself.

As far as the horses' needs, at every stop offer water and/or wet beet pulp. Lots of electrolytes in a paste well before, during, and after the haul. I try to arrive 2 days before the horses show to give them time to recover because they will draw up. The wet beet pulp helps with this and I'm a believer in it. The first day you arrive, leave them alone to lay down, eat, and drink.

 

[muffntuf]

Long hauls are better. Please read Carin's post carefully - the only addition I will make is I stop every 4 hours.

 

[Karen S]

Krissy,

Carin and I both hail from the State of Texas. I live south of Ft. Worth and it takes me 16 hours to drive to Congress whether it's in Rantoul, Illinois or Cloverdale, Indiana and Carin is south of me in the hill country.

Like Carin we travel during the night or right after midnight to drive when it's cooler. We offer water and hay to the horses when we stop to fill up with fuel usually three to four hours. We do bed our trailer down with lots of shavings to help cushion their feet and legs, and we do wrap legs on our younger horses to help keep them from getting scratched up.

Karen

 

[krissy3]

everything sounds good thanks ..but I cant get beet pulp or electrolites in this country. what would you do if you had to do this without those things. I can get minerals in a pellet, and give it to my horses on a daily basis. Could I put apple juice in the water to encourage drinking? I could put a salt block in the trailer to encourage drinking. I will ask some of the show people around here what they give to their horses.. thanks for the ideas. I like the idea of getting there early and letting the horse rest for the day .

thanks,

krissy

 

[Karen S]

Krissy,

You can add Gatoraide to their water for the electrolytes. Folks that use it tell me they start their horses out on it a week to ten days before they travel so the horses will drink the water with the gatoraide added.

As long as you can offer them water and hay, for that period of time you will be just fine. I don't use beet pulp, but can see where it can be beneficial because it also contains water in it.

Karen

 

[MiLo Minis]

Or add jello to their drinking water. Start with a small amount well ahead of your scheduled departure date and gradually increase it. Or you can use Pedialyte which is for babies/children with the flu that get dehydrated.

 

[krissy3]

all great alternatives thank you. To get water in sometimes (in winter) I make a soupy mash out of a grass pellet, and soak their hay , to get some of the sugar out , would this also be a good idea along with the gatoraid, or pedialyte? I hope I can talk my non horsey husband to go with me and help with the driving .They really need a "rent a husband "company for things like this. How many of you would rent a husband for things like horse shows, hauling horses, etc. It might be a new business oppertunity.

 

[txminipinto]

The grass pellet mash should work just fine.

 

[Little Wolf Ranch]

I stop every 2 hours to offer water and then I offer to let them out for 30 minutes every four hours to stretch their legs. 

 

[~Lisa~]

I think a lot depends on the horses themselves as well as the road conditions you are driving in.

Straight roads and highways I think it is easier to drive straight thru- I do not think it bothers the horses to stop overnight in different places (no more then overnighting at a show does) but it is hard to ensure the sanitarty conditions of each place you stop at and you do not know what horse was there before you.

If you are talking windy mountian type roads then I do think resting and off loading is VERY important as the horse has to work much harder at balancing and that can become very tiring after a few hours.