7 Must-Have Items For Transporting Your Horse
- By Horseland Online
- Feb 17, 2023
3 min read
Transporting your horse can sometimes be stressful! There’s quite a few things that should be considered, such as what sort of leg protection you’ll use. Here are our 7 must-have items when transporting our horses.
1. Float Boots
This is first on our list for one reason, you can never be too careful when it comes to leg protection. Sometimes horses can get stressed and do unpredictable things, so we recommend you have the right leg protection that helps avoid injuries. Our favourite products include the WeatherBeeta Short Wide Tab Travel Boots, WeatherBeeta Deluxe Travel Boots, WeatherBeeta Wide Long Tab Travel Boots. If your horse is not familiar with the feeling of float boots, don’t be alarmed! They often walk with big exaggerated steps as they get used to them. A pro tip is to put them on a couple of times before transporting them and walk your horse around until they feel normal. The WeatherBeeta Short Wide Tab Boots are fantastic for first timers!
2. Tail Protection
The dock is the boney part in your horse’s tail and when transporting your horse, it’s really important to ensure you protect it to avoid injury. When horses brace themselves in the float/truck, they often lean on the tail gate or wall and can rub their tails. In order to avoid serious injury, we recommend you use one of the following tail bandages and wraps. The Roma Nylon Tail Bandage is a great choice to bandage your horse’s tail, or if this is too tricky you can try the Roma Padded Tail Wrap, Zilco Padded Velcro Tail Wrap, Woof Wear Tail Guard or Roma Neoprene Tail Wrap. These styles of tail wraps feature soft padding and touch tape closures so you can quickly put it on instead of having to wrap.
3. Kincade Reflective Bungee Trailer Tie
The Kincade Reflective Bungee Trailer Tie makes tying your horse up easier! Made with elasticated webbing for extra give when additional pressure is applied, and features a touch tape break-away safety feature. All you have to do is load your horse in, unclip their leadrope and clip them up to this! It’s also fantastic for horses that can panic when unloading, as it speeds up the process.
4. Electrolytes and Sweeteners
For long distances, horses can get dehydrated due to not having access to water, so it’s important to pack electrolytes and products that encourage drinking. A must-have in your travel pack is the KER Drink-Up. KER Drink-Up is a highly palatable blend designed to encourage horses to drink water. Drink-Up is a scientifically formulated, complex combination of ingredients which work together to increase a horse’s willingness to drink. Some other extremely helpful products include Virbac Recharge, Ranvet Electro Paste, Io Electrolyte Liquid, Vetsense Nutrilyte 4 In 1, Kelato Appetite and Stockgain which will help hydrate your horses and encourage them to eat and drink.
5. Pooper Scoop
When horses are nervous they often poo! So be prepared if your horse is a little nervy that they may make a mess. This can make it slippery in the float/truck, so always have a pooper scoop at the ready so you can clean it out. A great tip is to put wood shavings down, as this can make the ground less slippery for your horse and reduce the risk of injury.
6. Hay And Water For Arrival To Destination
Make sure you always have some feed for your horse upon arrival at your destination. Not only does this help settle them but gives them something to do if they’re bored. Not every place will have water troughs or a water supply nearby, so we also recommend getting one (or two) of the Red Gorilla Tubs. They’re lightweight, durable and have two handles which makes it easy to carry so many things around in.
7. First Aid Kit
There is an aspect of danger when transporting your horse, so it always pays to be prepared in case of an accident. Having a first aid kit on your hands with the basics like Roma Cohesive Bandages, Roma Cotton Wool Wrap, Roma Elastotape Bandage and Virbac Cetrigen Spray.
At Horseland we’re here to support your equestrian journey. Check out our great range of products for horses and riders. Our friendly team is always eager to provide assistance and recommendations with our products. Visit us in-store, call 1800 021 980 between the hours of 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday, or send an email to onlinesales@horseland.com.au.