Travel can be stressful for horses and associated with a wealth of health issues, including injury, respiratory issues and of course, gastric ulcers.
Is travel always stressful?
Many factors affect how stressful the experience of travel can be for a horse, including the direction of travel (i.e. forward or rear facing), width of the bays, length of the trip, but what determines whether travel is simply part of life, or causes physiological harm to the horse?
The answer, as always, is complex, but a large component of causation is stress. Researchers found that horses who developed gastric ulcers as a consequence of travel, had a higher heart rate, higher rectal temperature, were more unstable on their feet and lost their balance more often, than horses who did not develop gastric ulcers. All behavioral or physiological indicators of increased stress.
We have previously discussed the vicious circle between stress and gastric ulcers, and this is another piece of the puzzle that must not be ignored if we want our horses to fulfill their potential and maximise the quality and value of our partnership with them. It is also important to note that just like with people, different horses respond to stress in different ways, so the disposition and previous experience of the horse are both important factors to consider when evaluating the potential impact of travel on your horse.
So, what can you do to reduce the risk
1) Evaluate your horse’s relationship to travel – do they appear nervous around the float/truck? Do they poop as soon as they get on the float? Or see it pull up? Do you feel them moving on the float? Are the antsy towards the other horse, if they have company? Do they rush off? Do they freeze when it’s time to come off? It is important to remember that our horses often internalize their stress, so just because the horse self loads and doesn’t move a hoof, doesn’t mean that they aren’t stressed by the experience.
2) Be on the front foot – Travel has been shown by researchers to be associated with an increased risk of ulceration of the horse’s stomach, thought to be mediated by the reflux of alkaline contents from the intestine into the stomach. In the short term this can cause horses to ‘go off’ their food, and in the long term can be associated with development of gastric ulcers. Dealing with the gastric ulcers is expensive, painful and frustrating for both horse and rider. A dose of our Digestive Support Elixir either over the tongue, or mixed through a small feed before loading the horse, or our Equine Pre-Work bars can help to protect the horse’s stomach and reduce the risk of damage to the sensitive lining of the stomach.
3) Address the issue of stress internally – If the horse is nervous in general, and/or specifically around traveling or competition, it is important to support the horse’s nervous system to reduce their reactivity to stress. Depending on the specific issues for the individual horse, a combination of our Magnesium Magic added once or twice daily to feed, combined with our Help my Horse Calming bars around events and/or topical application of our Calm Me essential oil blend, can help the horse to reduce the stress associated with travel. Reduction of stress is then likely to reduce the stress related behaviours associated with travel, which combined with the internal protection of the gastrointestinal tract can help to reduce the potential negative outcomes associated with travel.
4) Address the issue of stress externally – Look at training options to help with making the horse more comfortable and conditioned to travel. Also consider the physical environment of your float – is it possible to improve the environment to make it more comfortable for your horse?
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