SubscribeGift a Sub
Enable cache 100

Equine Jet Setters

The consequences of jet lag in horses have become more relevant in recent years due to international competition and the import/export of horses worldwide. If you’ve flown internationally, you understand how “out of sorts” jet lag can make you feel. It appears equine travelers suffer the same.



Nearly all organisms on this planet, including humans and horses, have adapted 24-hour cycles determined by sunrise and sunset. Jet lag occurs when there’s an abrupt change in the light-dark cycle resulting from travel across multiple time zones; the greater the number of time zones traversed, the more jet lag.



The Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center at the University of Kentucky has successfully isolated a number of the “clock genes” in horses. Clock genes you ask? During daylight hours, the eyes perceive light—these light “signals” travel to the brain where they activate a number of “clock genes” that relay “time of day information” to the rest of the body. When jet lag occurs, there’s major disruption of each one of these processes. This is serious business, affecting blood pressure, heart rate, wakefulness, hormone secretion, metabolism and temperature.

Continuing study on equine jet lag is still underway, but in order to reduce the effects of jet lag in horses (and perhaps humans too!), here’s what the researchers recommend:

Since feeding schedules help set biological clocks, prior to travel change feeding and exercise routines to mimic the new time zone.

Lighting is the biggest factor in jet lag, so exposing horses to bright early morning light for several days prior to an eastward journey, or extended hours of evening light prior to westward journey, helps synchronize internal clocks.

Recent Posts

ASPCA Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week: My Man Ira

Welcome to Horse Illustrated’s weekly installment of the Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week, offered in partnership with the…

13 hours ago

Riding Lipizzaners in Hungary

Two hours’ drive from Budapest in the picturesque Bükk National Park lies Szilvásvárad, a beautiful little village that is home…

2 days ago

How Horses Helped Two Boys with ADHD

During the height of the pandemic and racial tension around the U.S., two boys struggling with ADHD found healing through…

3 days ago

Adopting a Companion Horse

When you think of the term “companion horse,” one that is versatile with the ability to fill a variety of…

4 days ago

Emergency and Natural Disaster Preparedness with Horses

Each year, hurricanes, wildfires, and severe storms force thousands across the country to evacuate their homes. When preparing for a…

7 days ago

ASPCA Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week: Xanthus

Welcome to Horse Illustrated’s weekly installment of the Right Horse Adoptable Horse of the Week, offered in partnership with the…

1 week ago