How long can I keep my horse in a trailer for?
I am considering driving 13 hours to get a barrel horse in Texas. I live in Minnesota and I am 13 hours from the place where I am going to get the horse. Is this too long of a ride in the trailer, even if I stop every 2 hours? Thanks!
Depends on your trailer.
If you have a straight load or a slant load where the horse is stuck in one position and can’t move out of that position, then you should stop at least every 4-6 hours.
If it’s a straight or a slant, if you can, don’t tie the horse or tie in a way that allows the horse to ride with the nose down.
The reason why you need to stop is to allow the horse to drop the nose to clear the sinus and to allow the horse to rest from being stuck in one position.
If your trailer is a stock trailer (5th wheel hitch) then you can leave your horse loose and go the whole 13 hours without taking the horse out. At the gas stations or rest stops and when you stop for food, etc, check on the horse, offer some water and soaked hay in the water (no grain) and go on. Don’t give a horse grain. Only hay, and I’d wet it down.
It’s less stressful on a horse to travel and stay in the trailer the whole time than it is to keep taking the horse out in so many strange places (depends on the horse, he can drop weight easily from stress)
I have gone cross country quite a few times. I’ve stopped repeatedly and it was more stessful on the one horse that I had, he dropped weight from the stress. The other time that I traveled with that particular horse, I didn’t let him out and he did way better.
I got the advice from a well respected vet on this: he said that a horse can stand up to 12 hours in a trailer (stock) and up to 4-6 hours in a straight/slant….but be sure to allow the horse to drop his head enough to clear the sinus.
Be sure if you use shavings in the trailer, to wet them down. If not, they can fly around and your horse will be breathing it in, not good.
as long as you stop every two or three hours and take the horse out every once in a while and walk it a bit, let it eat some grass, have some water, etc. the horse should be fine, we ship horses for quite a length of time for racing, some horses ship better than others, i would try to get to the competition a couple days early if you could, so the horse can relax after being shipped for so long
As long as you stop every hour or two it should be okay. Make sure you take the horse out and walk it around to stretch out. Make sure to give it food and water. Good luck with the horse…must be agood one.
As long as you give him a break for water and walk about every 2-3 hours, he should be fine. That’s what they did when they hauled my horse up here (From KY to MN) and he was fine.
First off, Go Minnesota! Isn’t the weather lovely this time of year?
Very muddy though.
Anyways, back to your question, I’d say, that should be fine, make sure the horse is comfortable when you leave, make sure you have enough water and hay ect.
Yes, stopping every hour or so will do lovely, to check and mak sure that he’s okay. Make sure to take him out once in and a while though! it’d be like sitting in a car for 13hrs.
It should be ok as long as you stop and check the horse every gas stop. I strongly recommend NOT taking the horse out of the trailer; most rest stops are not conducive to keeping a horse calm, and there is no guarantee that you will be able to reload this new horse that doesn’t know you, and you don’t know him.
Check at every gas stop, offer water, and see if the horse is shaking. If he is shaking, it’s time to stop for an hour or so to let the horse recover. Riding in a trailer is quite strenuous for a horse as they have to keep shifting to keep their balance. When they finally get really fatigued, their legs shake and they need some time to rest in an unmoving trailer. Your 13 hour trip will most likely end up being more like 15 by the time you make it home due to making longer stops than you would without a horse. He should be ok, just don’t get in a rush.
Another option would be to stop somewhere in Kansas (where I am) as there are many farms close to I-35 that frequently take travelers. We often take horses for a night’s rest when folks are traveling along that corridor. http://www.windermerestables.com/ $20 for a night in a stall, and several hotels within 10 min drive. It may save you some headache/heartache.
Im with Ponygirl, do not unload the horse because it could be potentially dangerous for you and the horse. But, do check on him every 2-3 hours, or every gas stop as someone else mentioned. My gelding was hauled from MN to ND which was a 5 1/2 trip for him and he was just fine without being taken out and messed with. He had food and he had water when he left and water when he got here, since if you put water in the trailer, its going to be all over the trailer. If you feel the trailer shifting more than it should or something, pull slowly over and check him out. Congrats if you get him!
He should be fine in the trailer for that long. You should stop every couple of hours and take a break and offer water. I would NOT take him off the trailer, though. He is safe on the trailer. If you took him off in an unfamiliar and busy area like a rest stop, what would happen if he got loose? Also, some horses would be difficult or impossible to load back on the trailer in a new environment.
I’ve trailered horses 9 – 12 hours several times with no problems.
Were you planning on stopping 1/2 way and spending the night or driving straight thru? Heres a place in Nebraska that you may consider, if you do wanna let him out. It’s a overnight boarding stable. That is IF you are going that route.
http://miraclehillsranch.com/index.html
Anyone suggesting you take the horses off the trailer has clearly never hauled horses anywhere. It’s dangerous because they could get loose or you could be stuck on the side of the road with horses that refuse to load again.
I used to haul horses from Tx to Iowa and Ohio (17 and 19 hour rides). Check them everytime you stop for gas, offer them water and avoid wrapping legs as shipping boots will slip down on such a long ride and legs will swell in wraps. Keep hay available and you should be good.