Galop 7Knowledge
Contents
- 01WelcomeOverview
- 02Limb conformationKnowledge
- 03Identification, the passportKnowledge
- 04Travelling horsesKnowledge
- 05RationingKnowledge
- 06Feed labelsKnowledge
- 07Lunging training aidsOn foot
- 08Long-reining, flexionOn foot
- 09Polo bandagesCaring for the horse
- 10The double bridleCaring for the horse
- 11Shoulder-inKnowledge
- 12StraightnessKnowledge
- 13FlatworkIn the saddle
- 14Dressage optionIn the saddle
- 15Show-jumping optionIn the saddle
- 16Cross-country optionIn the saddle
- 17RevisionRevision
Travelling horses: health and welfare
For a horse, getting into a lorry is no small thing: it is a prey animal shut in, standing up, in a space that moves. Knowing what travel does to it is knowing how to limit the damage.
In the exam programme
- Explain and recognise the effects of transport on the health and welfare of horses and ponies.Common module B
Travel brings together almost everything a horse dreads: confinement, for an animal that is naturally claustrophobic; the movement of the vehicle; noise; separation from its companions; heat and humidity; going without water and forage. The most stressful moment is loading, which you practised at Galop 5: heart rate and cortisol, the stress hormone, peak there.
What travel does to a horse
| Effect | Why | What you see |
|---|---|---|
| Muscle fatigue | To stay upright, the horse spreads its legs and braces constantly. | Stiffness, a horse that performs less well on arrival. |
| Stress | Confinement, noise, isolation, rough driving. | Restlessness, whinnying, kicking, sweating; in some horses, crib-biting. |
| Dehydration | The horse drinks little or nothing on the journey. | About 0.5% of its body weight lost per hour: some thirty kilos for a 500 kg horse after 12 hours, regained over 3 to 7 days. |
| Respiratory problems | Hay dust, stale air, a head tied up high that stops it clearing its airways. | Coughing, nasal discharge, fever; on long journeys, a risk of pleuropneumonia, known as “shipping fever”. |
| Colic | Stress, dehydration, hard feed given before or during the journey. | A horse that paws the ground, looks round at its flank, tries to lie down. |
| Injuries | Knocks against the partitions, slipping, treading on itself. | Wounds to the legs, tail or poll. |
- Hay at head height
- Poll guard
- Breast bar
- Vents open
- Tail guard
- Breeching bar, ramp up
- Water and a break every 4 to 6 hours
- Travel boots
- Headcollar, tied with a quick-release knot
Limiting the effects
- Train before you travel: a horse that has learned to load calmly, then to make short journeys, will travel better all its life. The eve of a show is not the day to meet the trailer.
- Check the vehicle: floor, ramp, brakes, suspension, partitions, breast bars, safety ties, vents — before every journey.
- Protect the horse: travel boots and a tail guard (Galop 4), and a poll guard for a tall horse in a low vehicle.
- Drive smoothly: brake early, take bends slowly, choose roads with fewer twists.
- Feed and water: low-dust hay, dampened if need be, but no hard feed; offer a drink at stops every 4 to 6 hours.
- Travel in company: horses show fewer signs of stress in twos or more, each in its own stall.
- Recover on arrival: walk the horse in hand and let it rest before any work; after a journey of more than 8 hours, watch its temperature and breathing for two or three days.
Safety
In hot weather, never leave horses standing in a closed vehicle in full sun: park in the shade, open the vents, or unload them if the place allows it safely.
What the rules say
Transporting horses in connection with an economic activity — a riding school taking its horses to a show, a dealer, a haulier — is governed from the first kilometre by European Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport; beyond 65 km, the transporter must be authorised and the driver must hold a certificate of competence, in France the CAPTAV. A private owner taking their own horse out for pleasure is not covered by it, but remains responsible for its welfare. In every case, you do not transport a horse that is injured, ill or too weak, and striking an animal is forbidden.
Remember
The passport always travels with the horse, whatever the distance.