Kentucky Performance Products: Health Considerations for Traveling

Do you travel with your horse? Kentucky Performance Products has plenty of tips for keeping your horse healthy in the process.

Graphic courtesy of Kentucky Performance Products

Traveling is harder on your horse than you think. Tired, stressed horses are more likely to hurt themselves in the trailer, and they are more susceptible to illness during and after the trip.

Traveling in a trailer causes:

• A decrease in immune function
• Muscle fatigue
• Respiratory stress
• Digestive imbalances and dehydration

The longer a horse is in the trailer the more stress their systems are put under.

8 things you can do to reduce travel stress:

1. Drive smoothly to reduce muscle fatigue from constant shifting in the trailer.
2. Make sure your horse is fit enough for long trips.
3. Adjust vents and windows to improve ventilation; remove soiled bedding to reduce ammonia buildup.
4. Keep the trailer at a comfortable temp; check blanketed horses often.
5. On long trips, stop periodically to allow your horse a chance to lower his head and relax. Lowering of the head allows the airway to clear itself of airborne particles that tend to collect during travel.
6. After a short competition give your horse an hour or so to rehydrate and relax before hauling home.
7. After a strenuous competition or events, stay overnight and leave the next morning when your horse is less tired and has had a chance to recover (especially when it is a long way home).
8. Support your horses with the appropriate supplements.

• Elevate® natural vitamin E: supports immune, respiratory, muscle and nerve health
• Neigh-Lox® Advanced: supports digestive health
• Summer Games® Electrolyte: supports proper hydration

About Kentucky Performance Products:

The feeling you get on an early morning hack

It’s why we do what we do.

It’s why you get up a couple hours before work on a hot summer day to school your horse. It is why you hang out at the barn, waiting for the storm to pass so you don’t miss an opportunity to ride. It’s why you barrow the quietest horse in the barn to take your significant other on a trail ride. It is why you love riding across the field bareback on a cool summer morning. It is why you do everything you can do to keep your horse happy and healthy. Here at Kentucky Performance Products, it is why we spend hours researching the best formulations and ingredients for our supplements so that we can help you address the challenges facing your horse.

Fill the nutritional gaps in your horse’s diet.

Micro-PhaseTM vitamin and mineral supplement is a low-calorie way to provide your horse with the vitamins and minerals that are often found missing in some equine diets. If your horse or pony is on a feeding program similar to one listed below, he or she is at risk for vitamin and trace mineral deficiencies.

• Easy keepers eating less than recommended amounts of fortified concentrates or those on restricted pasture
• Horses and ponies in light work consuming all-forage diets
• Horses and ponies fed unfortified grains, e.g., plain oats
• Horses and ponies on restricted diets due to obesity or metabolic syndrome
• Older horses and ponies that are unable to digest and absorb nutrients efficiently

You can trust Micro-Phase to fill the nutritional gaps so your horse receives all the nutrients needed to remain happy and healthy.