How to Prepare Your Horse Farm for Relocation

Getting your hands on a new horse farm property is just the start of the challenge. Now, you need to transport your animals to the new location. While the task may seem daunting, if you approach it the right way, everything will go well! Let’s review how to prepare your horse farm for relocation.

Provide comfort

If you think that people suffer from stress during a move, then just imagine what animals go through. They can’t rationalize and understand the experience. You throw them into a stressful situation without any prior warning, which is unsuitable for their health! So, to prepare your horse farm for relocation, you must keep your horses calm and comfortable throughout the preparation phases of the move. That will somewhat soften the impact of the actual move on them since they will be in good physical condition. Thus allowing you to worry about other matters, such as how to build a long-lasting horse barn on your new property.

Make sure they get enough water

An interesting fact about horses is that they can get used to the taste of water in their current home to the point they feel reluctant to drink any other water. Of course, when trying to prepare your horse farm for relocation, this becomes a severe problem. There are a few ways to make things a bit better. First, you can always ensure that your horses get plenty of water immediately before the relocation. That will give you a slightly longer timeframe for you to start getting used to the taste of water at the new farm. Plenty of people like to take some water from their previous farm with them, too, so they have a backup option if their horses are stubborn. Doing the opposite is an option too. You can bring some water from the new property to start the acclimation process.

Try and stick to the routine

Routine is as important for animals as it is for people. That means that you want to stick to it both immediately before your move and after it. If you have a specific time to feed your horses, keep doing it then. No matter how hectic the preparations for the move get, you mustn’t change things. That will also help with the first advice we offered you and helped keep your animals in top condition for the move. Of course, if you are planning to shift how you run things on the new farm, you should consider starting early. This way, the animals will have time to get used to things, and the stress of changes won’t further exacerbate the stress of moving to a new farm.

Pack everything but essentials

A frustrating number of people decide to wait until just before a move to start packing in earnest. Without really having any clue about how long packing can take, at that! If you leave things for the last minute, then more likely than not, you’ll find yourself running late, which could completely mess up your schedule and make your move a lot more uncomfortable and stressful than it needs to be. That doesn’t mess with just you, either. Animals are excellent at sensing the emotions of their caretakers. If you are radiating anxiety and rushing about, your horses are likely to get spooked, too. That will not help your efforts to prepare your horse farm for relocation.

Pay keen attention to the health of your horses

Whether you are organizing a move or buying a horse property on a budget, there is one thing you cannot afford to save money on. Your horses’ health! A move’s stress and other difficulties can easily lead to severe complications if you are not careful. And while trying to keep them calm works most of the time, it’s still better to ensure things are okay. That is why we recommend giving your horses a checkup at two points. First, when preparing for the move itself. That allows you to single out the horses who need special care and attention. You should organize the second checkup shortly after arriving at the new farm.

Have the right equipment

Some items will make your horses a lot safer and more comfortable. First, you should own a proper horse trailer for maximum safety and comfort for your animals. Second, you should buy equipment to protect your horses’ legs when boarding the moving trailer. Finally, it’s also wise to put down rubber mats for your horses, which are more comfortable and easier to clean. Of course, just like when moving and hiring residential movers, you can let pros deal with this. But it’s still better to remain close to care for your animals during the move.

Know how to manage stress during the move

It pays to learn how to keep your animals calm during the transfer when preparing your horse farm for relocation. After all, even if you find the ideal equestrian property, it would be meaningless if they get hurt while in transit. The best way to offer them reprieve is to keep their trailers clean, check on them periodically, and even stop every couple of hours to pet them and briefly release them from their trailer. Letting them have a short walk can mitigate the stress of the move and reassure them you are right there with them.

Final word

Understanding how to prepare your horse farm for relocation will allow you to organize things properly. If you place your animals first and ensure they get through the relocation safely, everything else will naturally work out.