Trailering Older Horses: On the Road Again

While transporting a horse of any age raises health and safety concerns, horses in their late teens and older require extra attention, especially during a long haul.
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While transporting a horse of any age raises health and safety concerns, horses in their late teens and older require special attention, especially during a long haul. Thanks to advances in equine research and medicine, older horses are stronger and healthier than they have ever been, but like elderly people, the road-bound senior horse will have his own aches, pains, and potential travel-related illnesses to worry about. By being attentive to your horse's needs and using common sense, you increase the chances of your horse arriving healthy and happy.

"There are several conditions that are unique to older horses," notes Tom Lenz, DVM, a private practitioner from Missouri and president of the American Association of Equine Practitioners. "They are prone to arthritis, so they are going to experience more problems in a trailer than a middle-aged horse. Their immune systems are not as efficient as those of healthy, middle-aged horses, so you want to pay attention to vaccinating them against respiratory diseases in advance of the trip. You really have to pay attention to the fact that they're a lot more prone to disease and infections than younger horses."

Temperature

"Older horses don't regulate their body temperatures as well as younger horses do, just like old people are unable to," says Lenz. "Pay a lot of attention to keeping them well-ventilated and cool during hot weather, then warm during cool weather

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Written by:

Carolyn Heinze (carolynheinze.blogspot.com) is a freelance writer/editor. She currently works from her pied à terre in Paris

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