Final Part (4) on common
injuries in transport of horses
and fitness to travel horses
If a horse ‘goes down in the box’ what should be done?
Prevention is the key element here. Basically having an experienced considerate driver is, in most of these cases the most essential aspect, where horses are being transported. Also a decision as to whether or not a horse is fit to travel may have to be taken under certain circumstances. For example if a horse is very weak/very sick or in the case of an injured or a very distressed horse or a horse suffering from malnutrition, etc it is unfit to travel. A practical decision here should be taken by the owner, or in a more serious case it may need to be veterinary based. Why would a horse be deemed by law to be ‘unfit to travel’?
Under the transport regulations and guidelines, a horse is deemed to be unfit to travel where all of its four limbs are not weight-bearing. Basically, this means where a horse cannot place its weight on its four feet and it cannot load unassisted on to a trailer/box.An exception in certain cases here would be where a horse has to be transported for or following veterinary treatment and care or to an equine hospital. This obviously would exclude animals with protruding viscera or very serious open wounds. Sick or injured animals can be considered fit for transport if transport is not likely to cause additional welfare problems for the horse. In cases of doubt, veterinary advice should be sought.What are the common injuries that occur to a horse in a trailer or horse box?
1. Wither and back injuries – caused where a horse goes under the front bar (especially ponies and smaller horses).
2. Injuries, cuts and grazes – where a horse tries to bolt out the groom’s door at the front, causing various injuries.
3. Capped hocks. This occurs where the horse ‘sits back’ in the box, balancing itself through its hocks pressing against the side of the box and injuring them. This can be prevented by using hock boots.
4. ‘Tail scald’ occurs if a tail bandage is not used or if it is not properly applied and slips out of place. Again it is more likely to happen where a horse sits back while in transit, to balance itself in the box.
5. Horse nervous/over-excited when loading and travelling – some horses are bad travellers and tend to get excited when travelling. This is particularly so if they have had a bad experience in travelling previously, over use of physical force at loading, or where there is an inexperienced erratic driver.
Having horses properly handled before attempting to transport them is important.
Should nervous and unhandled horses be tranquillised for transportation or can this cause other problems?
Sedation is used to effect, in some selected cases where a horse is a poor /nervous traveller. Ensuring a safe dosage level of sedative is important to avoid consequences of over sedation causing the horse to fall when travelling. Also in some cases if sedation is used initially for a few trips it may help. Alternatively a useful exercise in these cases is to give the horse a few feeds in the trailer/horse box while at home. This approach gives the horse a positive association with the box, loading, unloading etc.Where a horse tends to be a claustrophobic traveller it can be useful in some such cases to discard the use of the partition.The first transport journey that a horse or foal experiences usually determines its future lifetime associations and its behaviour in transit. In other words the animal’s initial introduction to loading and transportation has long term effects on its future associations and behaviour travelling. Therefore, it is important to ensure it has an early positive experience for its future journeys – which are many, in most horses’ careers. Are there any occasions where it may help to remove the front bar and or partition in the box for horses travelling?
Where horses are transported loose in a box, the front bar should be removed.For mare and foal transportation it is best not to use the front bar nor a partition. The mare should be tied as per usual, but the foal is left loose. If there are any concerns about the foal as a potentially weak or problematic traveller, it can be kept within the confines of a few bales of straw up front in view of the mare.Where there is just one horse in transit in a horse box, the horse should always be positioned on the right hand side of the partition i.e. on the driver’s side of the box, for stability and balance.What are the First Aid priorities in the case of a road accident?
Routinely carrying a basic but well equipped First Aid kit in the transport box is all important.When an injury or accident occurs away from the yard/stable/premises, e.g. on a roadway, in a box/truck accident, the action taken and the first aid given is solely dependent on the level of knowledge and skill of the person or owner present.Again, it may be just a case of calming the horse by proper careful handling, having assessed its condition, moving it to safety and giving it the treatment considered necessary at the time.If there is a visible injury, the handler has to assess and decide what emergency action is best to take under the circumstances.What should the handler do where a horse is down in the box?
The main thing is to remain calm and try to keep the injured or cast horse as calm as possible to prevent further injuries. Call a willing horse person to help.A veterinary surgeon may have to be called to sedate the horse or give it a general anaesthetic to facilitate “dragging” it carefully out of the box, preventing further injury.What circumstances are likely to cause a horse to go down in the box?
A horse getting over-excited and panicking while travelling may plunge in an attempt to get out of the box.Some horses can get claustrophobic in a box, causing over excitability. A less skilled or a careless driver/transporter taking bends on the road too sharply, can cause a horse to go down, especially if it has a lot of space in the box. Where the vehicle/box is involved in a road collision. Where the box un-hitches/disconnects from the vehicle.Transporting a very weak horse. Transporting a very weak horse in a truck with a group of other stronger young horses in the box. If the weak horse goes down in amongst the group of horses, it very often does not have the space to get back up on its feet again. There is also the risk of it being trampled on by the other horses.While some of the tips and guidelines discussed in the series on this subject may appear to be very basic and obvious, they are nonetheless ultimately important in preventing horse accidents and injuries. As veterinary surgeons, we see so many injuries in horses that could have been prevented by the use of basic practical means and methods.