The next 3 installments of horse trailer tip of the month will focus on caring for your horse while traveling.

Even the calmest of horses experience stress reactions from the start of the loading process.  Even in transit, those perfectly content looking horses are likely to become dehydrated, or have experienced exhaustion.

The following are 3 suggestions that may help in transporting your horse.  Any stress-reducing measures you can implement will improve your horse's response to his time on the road.

1.  Leave horses untied--or tied long-- while they travel.
Researchers agree that a horse who can lower his head below the point of his shoulder will be much less likely to suffer respiratory stress from traveling.  Some trailer designs do not allow horses to lower their heads very far and some horses fight with their neighbors if given any leeway.  Yet when possible, allow the horses to take advantage of whatever room there is to carry their heads in a natural, mucus-draining posture.

2.  Transport horses in familiar, congenial groups.
When shipped with his pals, your horse has less risk of exposure to infectious disease and of suffering injury, and he won't be doubly stressed by dealing with new horses at the same time he's coping with the physical effects of transport.

3. Keep the trailer spotlessly clean.
Pathogens from dried manure can over whelm a respiratory system weakened by trailer stress.  If your trip is a long one, pick manure out of the trailer at each stop.  At the end of each trip hose out the trailer thoroughly to remove all manure and urine.