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Discussion on California to Canada
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Member:
tangoh
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Posted on Thursday, Nov 6, 2008 - 1:27 pm:
Help! I need advice! I am getting an MFT from Sacramento, CA. She will arrive in Saskatchewan sometime first 2 weeks in December. We are already experiencing below freezing temps. This horse has started to get 'fuzzy' as I'm told that the Sacramento area does get a little chilly this time of year at night and when the rain and wind is very cold...unlike our 'dry' cold. Any advice??? Any experiences with this? Do they acclimatize quickly? This is my 2nd horse from the same place in Sacramento, but that horse came in Sept., and is as hairy as the rest of the gang now and I am not worried about him at all.
I would have rather waited until Spring to get this palomino MFT mare, but for a lot of reasons, it's not possible. It's now or never. I will make sure I have a rug for her and understand that I will likely have to put her in if the weather is extremely cold, will watch for signs of her being too cold. She is pretty chubby right now which will help, I think? She'll have free access to hay and be allowed in the barn if she needs out of the elements and I have people checking on her as we are leaving for Florida on December 16th for 20 days.
Just want to hear your experiences with this
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Member:
paardex
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Posted on Thursday, Nov 6, 2008 - 2:05 pm:
Gosh Sherri no advice from me but I bet that mare is going to be MAD at you. I'm not going to leave this climate unless for very urgent reasons
A blanket? you'd better buy her a designer fur coat to make up for this!
Jos
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Member:
hpyhaulr
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Posted on Thursday, Nov 6, 2008 - 3:44 pm:
Sherri,
I have to agree with Jos about the designer coats. I got gorgeous leather blankets on Ebay for $55 each!!
That having been said, we have often moved horses north & south during temp changes and have found that 5-7 days acclimation time at an interim site is helpful. Example: Moving a barnful from Florida (temps @ 70) to Maine (temps @ single digits) we kept them here (SC) for a week in January let them grow coats. Here we DrOpped to freezing at night, high 40's-50s during the day). As we got further north we put sheets on them and had full winter blankets for them from NJ on upward. Will your shipper have any layovers on this trip? That can be helpful. Have you addressed this concern with your shipper? Can you arrange for a properly sized sheet and blanket with neck extension be on board for your horse? We always travel with several different sizes, but it is best if the horse has their own (WELL LABELED) and be sure to get then when delivered. You can also manage this with feed. When the temp is fluxuating like that and they take a chill, I will make their beet pulp with boiled water. By the time it is cool enough to eat, it is absorbed well enough. I usually jsut do that early in the morning to warm them up before the sun does its job.
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Member:
zarr
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Posted on Thursday, Nov 6, 2008 - 5:41 pm:
Sherri, Have had my MFT mare for 4 years now and to this day her coat is very different compared to the others but she is never cold. They have a run in shed no stalls! When she came she had no coat for winter as she had been clipped. The only thing I used was a rain coat on her.We get freezing rain and I had to give myself peace of mind,  ! Enjoy we love ours she came as Princess Misty and was quickly renamed, by our vet, Pest!
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Member:
ekaufman
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Posted on Thursday, Nov 6, 2008 - 9:34 pm:
Hi Sherri,
I moved a pregnant mare from Costa Rica to Northern Colorado in February-- it was a bit nerve wracking.
We added sheets as she went along the way, provided free choice water and grass hay, gave her some electrolytes when her drinking fell off, and resisted the urge to supplement her feed with all kinds of stuff. My poor hauler was desperate to give her mashes etc., but I was concerned about unfamiliar feeds introduced suddenly and under stress. My hauler hand walked her several times a day, which (I think) helped a lot to keep her comfortable.
I'd rather move a horse from hot to cold than the other way. They truly seem to handle cold better than heat, as long as they have shelter etc..
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Moderator:
DrO
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Posted on Friday, Nov 7, 2008 - 8:36 am:
What is needed is a good eye on the horse once it arrives. Be sure there is shelter always available and ready with the blankets if persistent shivering occurs.
DrO
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