17 / 24
SUMMER 2016 ISSUE
EQUINE MATTERS
16
Prior to travel:
Horse check:
Only healthy horses should be transported
for long periods of time. You should consider
the health of your horse before taking a long
journey, along with whether the journey is
necessary
.
Are there any predisposing
lameness or respiratory problems that may
increase the risk of complications during travel
?
If your horse is travelling abroad, either to
Europe or further afield, an Export Health
Certificate is required, issued by DEFRA and
completed by an Official Veterinarian. This
inspection helps reduce the risk of transporting
horses showing signs of, or testing positive
for, contagious diseases. Export abroad
should be planned well in advance so the
correct certificates can be issued for travel.
Transport check:
Make sure your chosen mode of transport is
safe for use. Lorries and trailers should be
regularly serviced, and particular attention
paid to the flooring. When planning your
route, take a note of local veterinary clinics
nearby, and have their numbers to hand in
case of an accident or emergency en route.
During travel:
Make sure your horse is wearing protective
clothing during transport to help protect the
most prominent points on his body. Boots,
bandages, tail and poll guards are all
sensible
(figure 1)
.
Soaking or steaming hay, or feeding haylage
will help reduce the amount of dust your horse
is exposed to during transport. If your journey
is longer than 4 hours, you must allow time to
unload your horse to let him graze or eat from
the floor and have a stretch of legs
(figure 2)
.
This will help improve circulation to the limbs,
and aid the mucociliary clearance from his
lungs, reducing the risk of pleuropneumonia
(shipping fever). Water should also be freely
available throughout the journey.
At destination:
Monitor your horse carefully following long
distance travel. Taking the temperature and
respiratory rates regularly are useful to monitor
your horse’s respiratory health. If you have
any concerns about your horse you should
contact your vet immediately.
Veterinary surgeon
Nancy Homewood
XLEquine practice
Hook Norton
Veterinary Group
Export and long distance travel:
Keeping your horse healthy
Nancy Homewood BVetMed MRCVS,
Hook Norton Veterinary Group, Oxfordshire
The modern day horse can and does travel far and wide, via several modes
of transport, for a variety of reasons - predominantly competition, breeding
and sales. With the availability of equine specific transport modes, horses
can travel across land, air and sea to get to their destination.
Any form of transportation of horses involves an element of risk, and this
article aims to identify those risks specific to travelling horses, how you can
minimise the risks involved to your horse, and what to do if problems occur.
Figure 1. Tail bandages and travel boots
help to reduce injury during travel
EXPORT AND TRAVE L
Figure 2. Horses should be unloaded at least
every four hours on long journeys