Transporting my Horse..how to cope?

[rodriguezpoultry]

I've decided that rather than have myself, a novice on the road of horse handling and care while on the road, I'm going to have a transporter bring him up. What should I look for in a transport company? It will be far cheaper for a transport company than for us to try this endeavor.

I've found several that are willing to bring him up past November but I want to make the right decision as to which one. Of course, I'm scared of losing him again. How do I get past that fear?

 

[BorderKelpie]

Wow, sorry, I haven't a clue. Just wanted to send my best wishes for a successful, safe, and stress free transport.

(and a bit of a bump for your post

)

 

[carolinagirl58]

I know a woman who uses horse transport companies a lot...I will ask her who she likes.

 

[Jasmine1998]

This is who I used when I transported my blind pregnant rescue mare from South Dakota to New Jersey. I was so nervous but they were really respectful & she was very relaxed when she got off of the trailer. They were very reasonable priced as well.

http://www.zeiglerlivestocktransport.com/

 

[Peaches Lee]

Well, what you've got going for you is this is all that transport companies do, haul horses.

Equine Express--based out of TX, very efficient. Large semi with air-ride box stalls.

Perry Transport--they are good with international transports (borders etc).

Wings Horse Transport--out of San Francisco, CA--the cheapest but they take forever to get to your place.

Good luck.

 

[welsummerchicks]

I think the way to not have any problems is to pick a really good transport company like Blue Chip(I have used) or Nationwide or Salle or Santa Fe(sound good, I have no direct experience with). The established companies are very, very good at what they do. They use very nice places for layovers and they do an excellent job. I think that it would take several days to get your horse from Ok to Pa.

I wouldn't try to get a friend or a second rate outfit to do it for cheap. That's where it seems people run into trouble.

The owner of Blue Chip actually sold one of his trailers because he felt horses got too warm in it. Really conscientious.

The last shipper I used, John MacDerry, is a husband-wife team; he works on his own, and he specializes in partnering with the bigger companies to complete their routes. So for example, my horse was shipped by Peden to a quartantine barn in Virginia, and then came from Va to here with John MacDerry. In a full size stall. What a gorgeous rig.

That's another issue - the better transport companies tend to stop over at the better overnight facilities - like quarantine stations.

But in general you just sit back and wait for them - they tend to take their time.

I usually pay extra for a full size stall and direct route (though from OK to PA I don't think any of them would be able to do that). Most people don't bother to do that, and their horses are fine.

It might not be necessary to wait til November - or you may need the time to find a new stable or for the barn you choose to have a stall open...

 

[carolinagirl58]

Don't try to find a shipper using Uship. I did that with my pups and it was a mistake. He promised delivery in 15 hours, and it took 44 hours instead.

 

[welsummerchicks]

I would not recommend using uship, but there isn't much in common between dog and horse shipping companies.

Too, when a horse is shipped cross country, there are always delays. It ALWAYS takes longer than the time/mileage in a car would be. ALWAYS.

Extra time is needed for dropping other horses in the load at each of their destinations, for resting the horses, for feeding and watering, and for picking up horses.

The shipper always tries to have a full load on the outbound and return trip.

Trips are always combined unless you pay extra for a direct trip/empty rig except your horse. But that is fairly expensive, and most people do not go to that expense.

A good many people PREFER the 'full load' trip, for several reasons. Horses shipped alone tend to fret and become nervous. When there is a full load, there are periodic stops to load and unload, so many people feel their horses get checked over more frequently, and get to rest their legs more often, and get watered and fed more often. Many people feel horses eat and drink more when other horses are around - the companionship often relaxes horses and they feel more content and drink and eat more.

Even so, horses tend to lose weight on cross country trips. Even so, I do not ever ask shippers to grain a horse during a long trip. Their digestion will go far better if all they do is eat hay and drink water. Constantly eating hay can provide more calories than the grain the horse does without.

I've even had a shipper tell me he has stopped to re-arrange the horses so each was next to one he wasn't tussling with. Though the partitions and how the horses are loaded prevents much of the nipping and tussling reaching a victim, he wanted them all to ride quietly and not get worked up. Kinda nice.

By the way, opinions vary a lot on how to ship horses- bare legged or bandaged or booted.

Generally, western riders tend to prefer shipping bare legged, and there's more of a tradition among english style riders to cover the legs. However, most people who do cover the legs, use the high quality, stiffer, thicker more protective shipping boots, which cover the hocks, heels and coronets, and afford a lot of protection.

The boots should, however, fit very well and not sag or slip, or they will cause more trouble than they'll solve.

Some shippers prefer the horses go bare legged so they don't have to redo the bandages each day, don't have to remedy a slipped bandage or boot, and don't run into possible disagreements with the owner as to how to wrap or place the boots (you know how horse people are).

IF you ship bare legged, you can still put bell boots on all 4 feet - that's really the area that most needs protection in most cases - the coronary bands and tops of the heels.

After a long trip, I generally take the horse's temp morning and night to be sure they haven't picked up a bug from any of the other horses or stables they have rested at. I usually put them into light work immediately when they arrive - light work helps to loosen them up if they're a little stiff from traveling.

 

[WIChookchick]

One of the signs you want with a good shipping company, ask them for referrals, different people you can call. Ask how they liked the service.
Ask for the cell phone number of the driver, ask that he call you to tell you if there are issues, when he will be there, and make sure the seller has
the health certs and coggins as well as any special things the horse needs ready for the shipper.
Ask to be updated enroute.
Check their state to see if they have a lot of tickets or other violations in relation to their shipping company.
Check Rip off reports to see if there is something there.
AND check out consumer protection OR BBB in their area to see if there are complaints against them.

IF they refuse to do any of these things... Don't use them.

Hope this helps

 

[Rusty Hills Farm]

This time last year I used Equine Express out of Pilot Point, Texas. These folks are super good and my mare got the very best care. They did what they said they would, did it when they said they would, and kept me in the loop the whole time. Ginger arrived in tip-top condition.

HTH


Rusty