EUROPEAN TRAINER ISSUE 46 TRANSPORT_Jerkins feature.qxd 30/06/2014 21:20 Page 2
LONG-DISTANCE TRAVEL
Travelling across continents and time zones is much more commonplace these days for horses, and talented horses will often race all over the world during their racing careers. European horses will commonly travel to countries such as Australia, Dubai, Japan, and America as well as within the Euro zone. There are inherent health risks such as pleura pneumonia (shipping fever), dehydration, and colic associated with travelling long distances. WORDS: DR CatheRine Dunnett BSC, PhD, R.nutR PhOtOS: ShutteRStOCK, aiR FRanCe
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OW much notice is given to disruptions to the diet with movement from country to country? Inappetence and dietary change can impact hydration and may limit performance but are also major risk factors for colic. I have discussed the feed and management risks for health during long distance travel in ISSUE?. Here, I investigate the practical implications of minimising disruption to a horse’s feed program when racing abroad.
Taking your home feed with you Taking your home feed and forage with you avoids any radical change to your horse’s diet when racing abroad, but whilst this is possible, in many instances it can be problematic. The entrance requirements for feed into certain countries have stiff biosecurity controls, making the process complicated and bureaucratic. Australia, for example, has very strict customs controls with regards to the entry of plant-derived shipments including feed, forage, and/or supplements. Import certification is normally required from the feed manufacturer stating the producer, the ingredients, and how it was processed. A declaration of the presence or absence of plant ingredients, mammalian proteins or live microbials, etc., may also be required. For the entry of feed or forage into Australia, it is commonly irradiated in order to destroy any undesirable contaminating ingredients and to eliminate the viability of seeds and grains for germination.
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