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Your Horse’s Nutrition & Long Distance Trailering – Part II 

Last week, in Part I of our series, Dr. Juliet Getty, Ph.D., helped us understand the importance of a healthy diet. She stressed that horses about to embark on a lengthy trailer trip should be in good health. Since a balanced diet is essential to achieving this, Dr. Getty provided guidelines on how to feed a nutritional diet. 

To prepare your horse for the rigors of travel, Dr. Getty advises to begin adding the key nutrients listed below to the diet two weeks prior to your departure date. By supplementing the feed, you’ll boost immune function and protect the nervous system against stress. (If you’re interested in any of the following products, visit Dr. Getty’s online supplement store at http://horsesupplements.gettyequinenutrition.biz.)  

Magnesium – important in maintaining the health of the nervous system, appropriate levels of this mineral are often lacking in most equine diets. Supply magnesium at a rate of 5,000 mg per 500 lbs. of body weight, but build up to this amount over a few days. Since magnesium is a natural laxative, loose stools are common. This is normal and will stabilize. Quiessence by Foxden Equine is an excellent magnesium supplement. 

Prebiotic – fermentation products that feed the existing bacteria living in the horse’s hind gut. These bacteria are critical to a horse’s health because without them horses cannot digest fiber (from hay, pasture, or any fiber source in feed.) Stress can reduce the amount of bacteria, so creating an environment that encourages them to grow is very important for overall health and enduring the strain of travel. A good prebiotic is Ration Plus. 

Oligosaccharides – substances that promote better immune function in the horse’s gastrointestinal tract. Often combined with probiotics (live microbes as opposed to the fermentation products found in prebiotics), oligosaccharides play a large role in keeping your horse healthy. Daily Start by Drs. Choice Supplements or SUCCEED both suit this purpose. 

B Vitamins – the eight B vitamins work together to keep your horse healthy in different ways. One of their primary functions is to maintain the health of the nervous system and provide a natural sense of calm. Supplement with a double dose of B complex. Be careful of those that contain additional iron, often called “blood builders.” Most horses get enough iron from their forage and don’t need more. BPlex by Horsetech contains only the eight B vitamins. 

Vitamin C – an antioxidant, vitamin C destroys damaging free radicals produced by stress. A horse’s ability to produce vitamin C naturally decreases with age. But even if you’re shipping a young horse, it’s worthwhile to supply an additional 6,000 to 10,000 mg of vitamin C each day. Build up to this level over a few days. 

Omega-3 Fatty Acids – found in flaxseed meal supplements, omega-3 fatty acids help maintain the health of the immune system. If you don’t feed a flaxseed meal supplement or think your horse isn’t getting enough, providing six ounces (by weight, not volume) per day divided between meals will help. Nutra Flax by HorseTech is a great choice. 

To encourage your horse to drink the unfamiliar water he’ll encounter while traveling, begin adding ¼ cup of apple juice per 5 gallons to his water at home. He’ll soon become accustomed to the flavor and it will mask any taste differences he might experience when drinking water on the road. For horses that can’t have sugar, use artificially sweetened Kool Aid instead. 

If you’ll be staying at your destination for only a few days, continue feeding this “stress diet” while you’re there. Once you arrive home, continue feeding it for another week. Then, spend an additional week weaning your horse off of these nutrients, with the exception of vitamin C – take 3 to 4 weeks to wean your horse off of it. 

Next week, we’ll discuss feeding your horse en route, and how to keep him comfortable and healthy. Stay tuned!