Keeping Your Horse Healthy While Traveling

‘Tis the season for horse shows and trail rides! As the weather warms up more and more horse
owners will be traveling and coming into contact with new places and horses. It is important to follow
some simple guidelines to ensure that your horses stay healthy when traveling.

When horses travel, they come into contact with new surroundings and new horses increasing their
risk of getting an infectious disease. Making sure your horse is up-to-date on their vaccinations and
following a good biosecurity plan can help keep your horse healthy throughout the show and trail
riding season. It is recommended that horses get vaccinated at least 30 days prior to traveling to
ensure they have had enough time to process the vaccines and mount a good immune response.
Horses should get their core vaccines, including Eastern and Western equine encephalomyelitis,
rabies, tetanus, and West Nile virus. Your veterinarian may recommend additional vaccines based on
your geographic location and where you plan to travel. Additional vaccines include equine influenza,
equine herpesvirus, and strangles to name a few.

Having a biosecurity plan means you are taking steps that are intended to protect your horses against
disease or harmful biological agents. It provides another layer of protection for your horse when they
travel to new places and are around new horses. Here are some recommendations that can be
incorporated into your biosecurity plan.

• Use your own equipment - especially buckets! Clean and disinfect your buckets and any other

  pieces of equipment (water hose, muck bucket, pitchfork, etc.) used when away when you get

home from traveling before putting them away or using them on your farm. This will help make sure

you are not introducing anything onto your farm that you may have picked up while traveling.

• Do not let other horses drink from your buckets.
• Do not get water from a communal water hose. Use a water hose or spigot to collect water or

bring your own. If you do use a water hose or spigot that is not yours, keep the hose nozzle

above the water level and don’t let the nozzle touch the water or sides of the bucket.

• Make sure the stall is clean of any organic material, such as manure, from the previous stall

occupant. You can also spray the stall with a mild disinfectant before allowing your horse to enter.

• Avoid nose-to-nose contact with other horses. The equine herpes virus and strangles virus can

be transmitted during contact. Humans should also avoid contact with other horses because they can

transmit diseases back to their horses.

• Be cautious in communal grazing areas as well because bacteria and parasites can live outside

of the host. Be especially cautious around other horses’ manure as that can be a source for parasites.

Another tip while traveling is to keep your horse’s stress level as low as possible. Stress can cause the
horse’s immune system to become compromised. Continue a familiar feeding regimen to keep your
horse on schedule to avoid stress and colic. If your horse is not used to being in a stall and gets
stressed when they are in one, taking them out frequently and hand-walking them can help decrease
their stress level.  

You love our horses and traveling with them. It is important to take steps that will keep them healthy as
you go on your adventures. If you have more questions on this topic or any others you can always
contact your local Extension Agent.