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Re: [RC] hauling horses long distance to unload or not to unload--drinking - Lynne GlazerYep, soaked hay; I think I learned that from Heidi here some years ago. My horses can take or leave orchard grass the rest of the time, but when hauling long distances (to me 10 hrs is a long way) they love *soaked* orchard grass. I hand feed it to them, soaking it on the running board and handfeeding them with their heads out the drop down windows. It must taste really good. They'll eat a ton that way and turn their noses up at plain old water. The running board looks "interesting" after one of those sessions, often in a gas station. ;-)I soak it in a big bucket in between stops. It worked really well when a year ago June I had a double blowout on the trailer on the "off" side, in Arizona, on a Sunday, when it was 109 degrees out. The tires were obliterated, couldn't even get a conventional jack underneath on the slope, let alone use the Jiffy jack. We had to wait 3.5 hrs to find someone who would install the spare and a new one with the horses still in it--I had a 2 yr old stud colt aboard along with my newly pregnant mare, and unloading on the side of I-10 was NOT an option. If I'd had the mare alone I'd've unloaded and cut the fence, but the colt wasn't mine (hi, Sandy! the Fadjur kid she's standing now) but my mare taught the kid what a delicacy soaked orchard grass was, and he ate it readily. Lynne who learned just because tires LOOK good, oxidation can have killed 'em anyway On Sep 18, 2004, at 9:28 AM, abigail Madden wrote: I've got a question for those folks who haul long distances without off loading the horses.? In terms of drinking in the trailer.? Are you stopping and offering water from a bucket?? Leaving water in front of them at all times?? I've put a square "rubbermaid" tub about 1/2 full of water in front of my guy during long trailer rides and I don't know if he drank any during the trip, but if he did, it wasn't much.? I've also stopped and offered from a bucket and he wasn't very interested in that.? He eats well in the trailer, but I was concerned about him eating too much dry hay without drinking as well.? I started soaking some hay in a tub and putting that in front of him with the intention of throwing out what ever was left at the first rest stop.? Haven't had to throw any out yet as he cleans that up very nicely.? So, how does everybody "water" their horses on the trailer? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
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