Providing Horse Transport Breaks

“Since transport is known to be stressful and few studies have examined the effect of a mid-journey rest, the purpose of this study was to examine if a 12-hour rest and feeding stop during a long journey would impact the horses’ immune response,”
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Horses are shipped long distances for various reasons, including breeding, competitions, and sales … but at what toll?

According to lead author Carolyn Stull, MS, PhD, Dipl. ACVN (nutrition), from the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of California, Davis, "previous studies have reported that long-term road transport increases the stress parameters of cortisol, total white blood cell counts, and alters various ratios of white blood cell subpopulations."

Stull explained that these changes are indicative of stress and have been implicated as causing stress-related immune suppression.

"Since transport is known to be stressful and few studies have examined the effect of a mid-journey rest, the purpose of this study was to examine if a 12-hour rest and feeding stop during a long journey would impact the horses’ immune response," explained Stull

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Written by:

Stacey Oke, MSc, DVM, is a practicing veterinarian and freelance medical writer and editor. She is interested in both large and small animals, as well as complementary and alternative medicine. Since 2005, she’s worked as a research consultant for nutritional supplement companies, assisted physicians and veterinarians in publishing research articles and textbooks, and written for a number of educational magazines and websites.

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