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travel with horse

Travel With Your Horse

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Travel With Your Horse – What To Bring?

travel with horse When you go on a long car trip, usually the first thing you think about is what to take with you to make the trip more comfortable. Food, a book, maybe a blanket. The same applies to your horse, especially since they will be standing for fairly long periods of time. We have come up with a small list of things to consider when transporting your horse. Some of these will be included when you transport your horse with a horse transport company, but we have added them for when you might be doing a trip that is not as long a distance.

Light, breathable rug – gives protection from draughts. A heavier rug should be used if weather is colder. At Bang For Your Buck, we have a wide range of horse rugs that will keep wind chill off your horse, while being breathable and providing protection. You can find the range here.
Protective front and back travel boots – horse’s legs are very delicate and prone to knocks, cuts and bruising.
Padded halter – Behind the ears and around the bridge of the nose is prone to rubbing, a padded halter will help cushion the skin from the horse moving their head around to take in their surroundings
First Aid Kit – you should always have a stocked first aid kit wherever your horse may go. It is better to have it and not need it, than the other way around! Horses can be very clumsy at times.
Hay Net – keeps the horse occupied and his digestive tract working while travelling. Feeding grain is not the best idea due to the possible risk of choking and even travel sickness.
Water storage and buckets – you may not always be able to stop where fresh water is. Take clean buckets and a storage container of fresh water, just in case. Never keep full buckets of water on the float while travelling, as it can spill and make the floor surface slippery for your horse. Always offer water while stopped for a break or once you have reached your destination.
Torch & batteries – things always seem to go askew after dark, so a torch and fresh batteries are essential
Hopefully, this has given you some good ideas on what to include when you next go on a trip with your horse. We will have a follow up next week or preparing your vehicle for towing a horse float, so stay tuned!
horses feeding and water

Can You Recognise Heat Stress In Your Horse?

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Can You Recognise Heat Stress In Your Horse?

Recently, the east coast of Australia had a week-long spell of unusually hot weather for October/November. While it is relatively easy for us humans to cool ourselves down, horses aren’t quite so lucky. It is very important to recognise the signs of heat stress in your horse and steps you can take to prevent this.

Signs of Heat Stress:

  • If riding your horse, try and do it first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon. Not only is it less likely to send your horse into distress, but it reduces the risk of your harm as well, from sunburn and dehydration.
  • Make sure your horse has ample access to cool water. If there is no choice but to have water in an area that receives full-sun, why not try adding some large ice blocks made out of soft drink bottles into the trough or bucket to assist in keeping the water cooler?
  • Adequate shade in their paddock is vital, or a well-ventilated stable or structure. Some people don’t know it, but it is actually considered neglect if a horse doesn’t have some form of shade in their paddock to get out of the sun. Having one of these, especially during our summers, is a no-brainer and should be a priority.
  • When hosing your horse to cool them down, always scrape excess water off them. If the water is left on their coats, it can heat up itself once the horse is outside and actually make them hotter! Some horses will roll after being hosed. To us, it makes them dirty again; to them, it’s adding a protective coating to repel heat getting to their skin.
  • For horses with medical conditions such as Cushings Disease, you need to be extra careful. One of the symptoms of this disease is a horse not being able to self-regulate their body temperature through coat shedding, among other things. If you suspect a horse heat stress is not from direct exercise or other outside conditions, get them checked by a vet.

How do I recognise the signs of heat stress?

  • Horse is sweating profusely, or alternately not sweating at all, along with:
  • High breathing rate, even panting to try and get more oxygen circling their body
  • Rapid heart rate
  • Skin to touch is dry and hot
  • Higher than normal temperature

If your horse is showing some of these signs, you need to act quickly. Move them into the shade and hose them off with cool water and scraping after. Always seek veterinary attention, particularly if your horse is severely distressed. Untreated, it can cause organ failure and the inevitable death of your horse.

Horse needs horse rugs

Protect Your Horse From Flies

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Protect Your Horse From Flies

How CAN you protect your horse from flies? It’s that time of year again. The warm weather and wet season bring an influx of the bane of a horse’s existence! For whatever reason, flies and mosquitos seem particularly attracted to a horse’s legs and face. They can cause anxiety and fidgeting in horses on the ground and while being ridden, and in some cases cause illness and injury through blood loss and itching.

Today we will outline some steps you can take to minimize flies, mosquitoes and other biting insects around your paddock and stable, and causing misery to your horse.

Fly Prevention Tips

  1. Clear Away Manure – flies LOVE horse poo! One of the best ways you can help discourage flies is to regularly clear out paddocks and stables of manure. It is also a great idea to have your manure pile as far away as practically possible from where your horse spends most of its time.
  2. Put On A Mesh Horse Rug – putting a light mesh horse rug on your horse is a great way to protect them just about everywhere except their legs! While some might think that horses would get too hot with a rug on, the fabrics created today can actually reflect heat, keeping them cooler. The added protection from biting insects is also a plus! You can find a wide range of summer rugs on our site HERE.
  3. Repellents – applying fly repellant regularly to your horses’ legs will provide temporary relief. There are many varieties to choose from, with varying prices. Rotating different types of repellents will help you find the one most effective for your situation.
  4.  Keep Water Fresh & Aerated – ensuring your horse has plenty of clean, fresh water is a given. It should be cleaned out and/or topped up each day. Make sure any empty containers that get filled with water don’t sit for too long and go stagnant. This is the ideal breeding ground for insects. By removing these, you’re giving the insects less opportunity to breed.
  5. Use A Flyveil – if flies are bad while you’re out riding, consider putting a fly hood or veil on your horse’s head to give them relief. If your horse has never had one on before, then proceed with caution and acclimatise them to one. It could make training and trail riding a much nicer experience for both of you!

In Summary

Flies and mosquitoes can make our lives a misery, but at the same time, they can provide a valuable service to nature. We hope these tips have helped give you ideas on how to protect your horse from flies this summer. If you ever have any questions about our range of horse rugs, don’t hesitate to contact us.

 

horse, horse riding

Ever Ridden The Brisbane Valley Rail Trail?

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Have You Ever Ridden The Brisbane Valley Rail Trail?

Have you ever ridden the Brisbane Valley Rail Trail? It’s a very good question to ask! Especially to locals and those that live anywhere around Wulkuraka in Ipswich, or up to Yarraman in Queensland. The trail offers any rider an amazing variety of scenery, experiences and unique locations. And they really do have to be seen to be believed.

One of the best ways to experience them without a doubt, is on horseback? Made up of 161kms of beautiful trails, they are easily accessible to all, and steeped in rich local history! Along the way, your senses will be delighted to everything the area has to offer. Even if you don’t own a horse, you’re still able to cycle or even walk along the trail. Scattered along it are multiple options to stop for a cuppa and meals or even get some refreshments for the journey ahead. For those that really make an adventure of it there’s even overnight camping options. Why not check it out as something to do one weekend with your best horsey pals? If you want to discover more, you can find out more by going to their official website – brisbanevalleyrailtrail.com.au

Do remember though, that it can get cold at certain times of the year when visiting the trails so be sure to pack the horse rug just in case!

Speaking of horse rugs, with the change of season. Now is the time to make sure that you correctly store your current horse rugs so as that they’re all good for the next season. Or, if you’ve gotten your horse rugs out and noticed they’re a bit ‘worse for wear’ now is a great time to get new ones. We have some great sale specials on selected rugs so why not take a look and SHOP NOW!.