[Horse transport in general][Floating/trailering]
There has been worldwide concern over the terrible conditions some horses have been forced to endure during transport for slaughter at abattoirs. Horror stories abound from Europe and elsewhere of horses subjected to days of travel without feed and water in severely overcrowded double-decker transport vehicles designed for cattle. They often arrive dead or severely injured. Australia’s record is not much better, because vast numbers of feral horses were and still are transported great distances to abattoirs often under similar poor conditions, though in recent years various codes have been drawn up to improve their welfare. The ARMCANZ Report No 62 Land Transport of Horses (1997) states that horses can be humanely transported long distances by road or rail if care is taken to ensure they are fit for travel, are not roughly handled while loading and unloading and that facilities are safe and adequate, and that the trip is completed without unnecessary delays. There are recommendations for loading density, feeding and watering, segregation due to age or pregnancy, minimising stress, providing adequate headroom (the major concern if double-decker transports are used), care of sick or injured animals, design and ventilation of transport vehicles.
Regarding rest periods, the ARMCANZ report recommends that “horses” (obviously meaning feral horses and others intended for slaughter) should not be travelled more than 36 hours without feed and water. This is too long a period, particularly as feral horses may not have had a drink for some hours prior to loading due to suspicion of strange drinking facilities in holding yards, but the report also points out that the stress and injury risks associated with loading and unloading feral horses at shorter intervals for feeding and watering may be a greater problem. Recommendation in the same report for “horses used for racing and other purposes” is no more than five hours between feeding and watering.
Individual states may differ in their recommendations, e.g., the Victorian Code for the Land Transport of Horses (2001) only allows a maximum 24 hours continuous travel before a rest stop for watering and feeding - applicable to all horses including brumbies.
Transport vehicles need regular maintenance both mechanically and structurally. Non-slip flooring must be provided in floats and trucks. Often a reason for horses “playing up” in floats is that they are uncertain of their footing. (A tip - a few shovelfulls of roadside dirt thrown into the float can solve the problem in an emergency.) Rubber mats are often used on the floor of floats to provide grip, but they trap urine and manure and must be cleaned frequently and the flooring beneath allowed to dry out, otherwise it will rot. It has happened that horses have fallen through the flooring of floats with devastating results.
Horses should be secured on floats with a halter and a quick-release knot and should not be tied too short. Bits are not recommended, they can cause severe injuries to the mouth and jaws if there is an accident. Extra partitioning or barricades may be necessary to prevent unrestrained foals travelling with their mothers from jumping out, but it must be secure. Rattling and banging are terrifying to many horses and should be minimised. Adequate ventilation must be provided, in fact the ARMCANZ report recommends that the air be refreshed every five minutes in fully enclosed vehicles.
Rugged horses need careful management, in fact even very fine-coated racehorses travelling on large commercial transports usually are not rugged because of the heat generated inside the vehicles. Horses should not be left parked in a float for ages, particularly not in warm weather and particularly not with a rug on. Unload the horse if there is likely to be a lengthy delay.
Not uncommonly, the trailer or float-loading scenario presents itself as a sweating, half-mad horse surrounded by a heap of people shouting and waving their arms in the air, upsetting the horse even more.
It does not have to be this way. If horses are taught to load properly from their very first attempt there should never be a problem, provided they never have a bad experience in an unsafe or poorly designed float. It is a pleasure to see a horse walk confidently into a trailer or truck simply with a voice command.
As already discussed under Horse transport in general float, flooring must be sound and non-slippery and the float as rattle-free as possible with good ventilation but not a howling gale blowing through it. Some floats must be absolutely terrifying to a horse and extremely uncomfortable - little wonder they refuse to load. Size and light are other factors, it is usually much easier to get a horse onto a double rather than a single float, and one that has light at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. Trying to get a horse into a pitch-black interior goes totally against their instinct to avoid dark, confining places.
It is most important to take time to prepare the float and the horse before the actual loading is attempted. Make sure the horse will lead into a stable - young horses often resist this quite vigorously the first time, but once accomplished, float loading then is usually easier. The float should be backed into some area like a gateway in a railed fence or against a building to prevent the horse trying to dodge up the side. A proper loading bay is ideal - a small safe yard with an opening just wide enough to take the tail gate (ramp) of the float.
Once all these preparations are in place, the horse should be led up to the dropped tail gate of the float without haste and allowed to sniff it, then urged to step onto it. The handler might reinforce the message by light taps with a lunging whip, if the horse is used to this form of cueing. If this fails, lead the horse away a little and try again, maybe several times. As with all aspects of horse handling, quietness but firmness are the keys (excitable people often have excitable horses). After a few repetitions the horse will do one of two things - step onto the ramp and await further instructions, or become quite definite about refusing. In the latter case, try picking up one front foot and then the other and gradually “walking” the horse up the ramp. Give plenty of time, pats and encouraging words. This often works, though the horse might end up awfully stretched out before finally moving those back legs.
A rope around each fetlock, pulled alternately from in front, is another method. Two strong people linking arms behind the horse and pushing will often produce the desired result. Thong throwing or broom waving may or may not help, though tapping on the backside with a length of polythene pipe can be quite persuasive, due to the noise rather than the actual hitting.
Finally there is the tail rope (breeching or rump rope), and this method is the most widely used of all. A tail rope is a large loop of rope secured with a bowline or other non-slip knot and thrown over the tail so that it rests across the lower thigh area, just above the gaskins. The handler holds the loose end of the rope, which may first be passed through the noseband of the halter under the jaw, and pulls with steady pressure. Many horses are taught to lead with a tail rope and automatically respond to it, even when confronted with something as frightening as a float. Great care must be taken to ensure that the rope does not ride up and get jammed under the horse’s tail.
Once on the float the horse should be patted and reassured, the partition chain or strap secured behind and the tail gate raised. Then the horse should be offloaded without being allowed to rush backwards and reloaded twice more. The process should be repeated the next day and only then should the vehicle be set in motion. If the float is safe and well-designed with good footing, and provided the driver avoids sudden stops and starts and fast cornering, horses seldom move much at all while travelling, apart from maybe an initial lurch.