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5 Tips for Keeping Your Horse Happy and Hydrated While Traveling
by Kristi Waterworth, writer for the guest blog from Double D Trailers

Horse travel is all fun and games until somebody gets a little dehydrated -- then you’ve got an emergency on your hands. Horses can be difficult to keep hydrated on long spring and summer trips, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t try your very best to get them drinking. Next time you’re planning an equine adventure, keep these tips for hydrating your horse close at hand:

Bring your own water supply. Depending on how many horses you’re bringing and how long you’ll be gone, it’s possible to bring your own water from home to keep your horses hydrated. They’ll be much happier drinking the water they’re used to and will be less likely to refuse it. An average 1,100 pound horse will need about 6 1/2 gallons of water each day when the temperature’s at 50 degrees Fahrenheit. They’ll need more water the warmer it gets and make sure to pack extra if they’ll be trail riding or performing.

Mask the taste of foreign water. Most horse trailers don’t have enough storage for more than a few days worth of water from home, so that means that some horses are going to have to learn how to drink unfamiliar water. Unfortunately, the quality, flavor and taste of water can vary dramatically from place to place, so your best bet is to mask the taste of unknown water with gatorade, apple juice or molasses. Start a week or so before you intend to leave by mixing the flavorant into your horse’s regular water, that way he’ll be ready and willing to drink it on the road.  

Feed wet food. There’s plenty of water in food, if you plan it right. A traveling horse should get water from every bit of his food when the weather’s hot, soaking hay and compressed pellets in water for up to 20 minutes before feeding can give him an extra source of water. One flake of hay can absorb up to two gallons of water, so this is a great way to trick your horse into drinking foreign water, even if he refuses it straight. If you feed a mash or grain product, you can also make it into a porridge with extra water.

Adding a dash of salt. Top dressing a horse’s feed with salt can help increase their thirst and get them to drink when nothing else will. A horse won’t always use a salt lick on the go, but he can’t dodge the salt you’ve put on his grain ration. Make sure not to give him too much, though, you’ll need to experiment to get the amount of top dressing just right. 

Increasing the ventilation inside your trailer. This one’s a little trickier, but it’s probably the most vital of all the things you can do to keep your horse hydrated. A well-ventilated trailer helps keep your horses cool, reducing their need to sweat and keeping them from dehydrating. If your trailer simply doesn’t have enough vents and opening windows to keep the air moving, you may need to consider looking at horse trailers for sale or make major modifications to your current trailer. Thick wall and roof insulation can also go a long way to keeping the outside heat from moving inside the horse compartment.

These tips, along with stopping every three or four hours to give your horses a chance to have a big drink will help you reduce the stress of travel for your horse. When he’s fully hydrated and comfortable, he’s a happier, healthier horse who’s ready to perform at his very best.
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  • Home
    • Web Site Design >
      • Privacy Policy
    • Links
  • Gear
    • Cowboy Gear - Tips and Tricks: >
      • Three-Way Hobbling
      • Piggin' String
      • Stirrup Hobbles
      • Tying Your Rope Up
      • Buckaroo Scarf Knot
      • Cowboy Night Latch
      • Cut-away saddle pad
      • Center-firing your Cinch
      • Pack Saddle Latigo Safety Knot
      • Quick Keeper
      • Tire Changer Aid
      • Safety Tie-Up
      • No Roll Saddle Stand
    • Saddle Makers >
      • Wade Saddle History
      • Don Howe Working Cowboy Saddle Maker
      • Hamley and Co.
      • Bill Maupin
    • Spurs >
      • E.F. Blanchard Spurs >
        • How to tell authentic Blanchard spurs.
        • More Blanchard Spurs
      • Garcia Bits and Spurs
      • Amozoc Spurs
      • Prison Made Spurs
      • Adolph Bayers Spurs
  • Arts
    • Poetry >
      • Cowboy Poetry by Gary Vorhes
      • Charlotte Thompson Poetry
      • Mike Meaux Poetry
      • Audrey Hankins Poetry
      • Carole Jarvis Poetry
    • Rodeo Photos
    • Cowboy Photos
    • Horse Photos
    • Cattle Photos
    • Gear Photos
    • Dogs and Animals Photos
    • Reminders of the Past Photos
    • Windmill Photos
    • People Photos
    • Ready to Rodeo
    • Books by Dale Woolley
  • Horses
    • Diamond Z English Shire Horses
    • 5 Tips for Traveling
    • Harnessing A Team
    • The Dameles and the Curly Horse
    • Rounding Up Wild Horses
    • Extreme Horse Camping
    • First Pull on the Latigo
    • Twister Heller Starts a Colt
    • Cowboy Martingale
    • Cowboy Training Halter
    • Cowboy & Colt Clinic
    • Using the McCarty
    • Teach a Horse to Stand
    • Cowboy Draw Reins
    • War Knots >
      • Tying War Knots
    • Tail Knot for Pack Horses
    • Cavvy Marks
    • Deworming Your Horse
    • Safe Fall Trail Riding
    • Horse Remedies
    • Hormone Implant
    • How to buy a mule
  • Brands
    • Brands II
  • Chuckwagon
    • Dutch Ovens
    • Recipes
    • Sourdough >
      • Grant's Sourdough
    • Cowboy Coffee
  • Articles
    • Grubbing Hoe Ranch
    • Trevor and Emily Fuhriman
    • Land of Extremes
    • Jersey Valley Cattle Co
    • Diamond Tail Ranch
    • Gang Ranch of British Columbia
    • TS Ranch of Nevada
    • When the TS Ran a Wagon
    • IL Ranch
    • Basque Ranching
    • Crystal Rose Cow Dog College
    • Wyoming Honor Farm Inmate/Wild-Horse Program
    • Cowboy Etiquette
    • Arizona Trigger
    • Longhorn Cattle
  • Stories
    • For the Love of a Horse
    • Breakheart Station Master
    • Freighters Outbound
    • DK Cowboy Stories: A Prophet With Antlers
    • Ben's Trail
    • Spendin’ Time at Cow Camps
    • Slewfoot The Black Bear
    • Orphan Boy
    • Mooney's Stories - The Circle A Ranch of Nevada >
      • Cotton the Horse
      • Wigwam, the Wrangle Horse
      • Spanish Ranch 1
      • Spanish Ranch 2
      • Spanish Ranch 3
      • Spanish Ranch 4
      • Miss Beymer’s Boyfriend by Bill Mooney
      • Recollections by Bill Mooney
      • Branding out of a Rodear on the Spanish Ranch, Part 1
      • Branding out of a Rodear on the Spanish Ranch, Part 2
      • C Ranch
    • Wild Horse Casey >
      • ​A Dirty Ole Mustanger Like Me
    • Hero Cattle Dogs
    • Ranching Traditions
    • Life Lessons
    • Dave’s Summer Adventure
    • Fire-Proofing the Range
    • Cowboy Superstitions
    • Cowboy Humor
    • Portrait of a Cowboy >
      • Cowboy Obstricition
    • Tons of Silver
  • History
    • Fort Worth Stockyards
    • Horseshoe Ranch
    • Andrae - Marvel Nevada Oral Histories
    • Texas 6666 Ranch Historical Photos
    • Gerlach Cattle Company 1906
    • Cattle Roundup Photos
    • Cowboy Historic Photos
    • Sheepcamp
    • Comstock Lode
    • Pony Express
    • Horn Iron
    • Historic Sites
  • Cowboy Profiles
    • Victoria Jackson
    • Flying M Ranch Women's Team
    • In the Big Nevada Desert
    • Mike Laughlin, Cowboy
    • Bob Tanner
    • Bill Kane
    • Wally Blossom
    • Ian Tyson The Legend
    • Allie Bear
    • Marge Prunty
    • Bryan Neubert Cowboy Clinician
    • Rex Blackwell
    • Wiley Carroll - Legendary Hunter
  • Glossary
    • Horse Terms
    • Cattle Terms
    • The People & The Land
    • Saddles and Gear
    • Personal Gear
  • Cowboys of the World
    • Cowboys of the Dark Continent
    • Scrubber Running
    • The Day it Nearly All Ended
    • The Goring
    • Horse Breaking
    • Honduras
    • Mexico