Nutrition Considerations When Importing Horses From Europe

Learn about feeding your new horse during transport, quarantine, and the first few weeks at his new home.
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Nutrition Considerations When Importing Horses From Europe
Find a good, clean grass hay, and start by feeding at least 1.5-2% of the horse’s body weight per day. | Photo: iStock

Q.​ I’m in the process of importing a horse from Europe and concerned about how I should feed him once he arrives at my barn. From what I know, he currently eats haylage and some kind of sweet feed. I assume that while he is in quarantine he’ll receive grass hay of some kind. Once he leaves quarantine, he has quite a long road trip to get home, and the hauler will also feed grass hay, although possibly a different type. With all this change I’m concerned about colic and gastric ulcers. How would you suggest I feed him, and is there anything I can do to limit the risks of colic and ulcers?

A. Congratulations on your new horse! I’m sure you must be very excited but also quite nervous. The good news is many horses are imported from Europe, and most do very well. My advice is to keep things simple. He’ll need time to adjust to a new diet and an entirely new routine and way of life. Some limited research suggests that horses might be affected by jet lag, so that is something to keep in mind, especially as it relates to his athletic ability.

As the saying goes, “prevention is worth a pound of cure.” I would start off by reaching out to the quarantine facility and shipping company to see whether they would be willing to administer Ulcergard, which is the over-the-counter preventive Gastrogard (omeprazole) dose. This should help reduce gastric ulcer risk. I’d also consider paste forms of digestive tract supplements that contain good prebiotics such as yeast, because these help stabilize the hindgut environment. The paste form makes it easy for staff to administer without having to provide any kind of feed

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Clair Thunes, PhD, is an equine nutritionist who owns Clarity Equine Nutrition, based in Gilbert, Arizona. She works as a consultant with owners/trainers and veterinarians across the United States and globally to take the guesswork out of feeding horses and provides services to select companies. As a nutritionist she works with all equids, from WEG competitors to Miniature donkeys and everything in between. Born in England, she earned her undergraduate degree at Edinburgh University, in Scotland, and her master’s and doctorate in nutrition at the University of California, Davis. Growing up, she competed in a wide array of disciplines and was an active member of the U.K. Pony Club. Today, she serves as the district commissioner for the Salt River Pony Club.

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