# Best way to transport 30 year old horse?



## alexischristina (Jun 30, 2009)

It wouldn't necessarily be one long trip with a transport company, I know the 'main guy' for hauling in my area at least has a big trailer with spacious 'stalls', lots of cushion and stops frequently to make sure the horses are okay, watered, fed, stretched out. It just depends who you go with, I guess. If you have no experience pulling your trailer it can be harder on the horse if you're nervous and in a stop-go kind of mood.


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## hoopla (Jan 29, 2012)

Don't you have legislation there yet to enforce stopping points and rest breaks on long journeys?


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

hoopla said:


> Don't you have legislation there yet to enforce stopping points and rest breaks on long journeys?


Short answer... NO.


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

hoopla said:


> Don't you have legislation there yet to enforce stopping points and rest breaks on long journeys?



No, and hopefully we never will.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

As I see it, you have a couple of options:

1.) take your trailer in, have it inspected, update, make sure everything is 100%. Do the same with your vehicle. Then purchase US rider insurance, which is like AAA for horse trailers. They are wonderful, and have given me great piece of mind when trailering myself. FInd a horsey friend who is willing to take the time, go with you, help you and fly back. You pay for all the expenses, including the flight, as well as find overnights for you and the horse.

2.) Sell your trailer and use that $$ plus what it would have cost you to too all of the above, hire a reputable company that has box stalls and air ride. (don't forget to factor in your peace of mind, which is priceless). 

As the owner of an older arthritic horse also-I would pick option B if I ever had to move him. To do it myself is just not worth it, for either of us.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Having a rubber mat and plenty of straw, not shavings, helps reduce road vibration and encourages the horse to urinate. If it doesn't urinate it won't drink. There's not the splashing with straw like there is with shavings. I'd use half a bale and really fluff it up with a fork.. Put the rest of the bale plus a few garbage bags on the other side. Offer her water when you have to stop. I've put a few apple or carrot pieces in the water to encourage the horse to drink. If she has a time in the morning when she drinks the most, usually before 9, try not to leave before then as that's when she loads up on water. She may refuse water until a few hours before dark. Don't blanket her as keeping a horse cool in a trailer is key otherwise they sweat up a storm under a blanket. Open all your vents as she is travelling in a metal box that can get very hot when the sun shines on it. If your trailer is a double axle, it will ride smoother than the tow vehicle. I've ridden in one and was surprised at how smooth it was. Corners are very slow. Start braking way back and slow accelerations. Once your up to highway speed it's smooth sailing. Don't feed grain. Just a little hay or a scattering of pellets. Horses often don't eat when the trailer is moving.


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

Option A for a few reasons. 1. Your inexperience, 2. The condition of your trailer, 3. The stress involved for you and your horse. 4. The logistics of stopping several times per day then over night.

Transport companies are experienced in moving horses safely and in reasonable comfort. I think that would be more of an incentive then the grief and aggravation of doing it yourself.


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## CCH (Jan 23, 2011)

Not only will the trip be hard on a horse that hasn't travelled in a while, but the complete change in atmosphere will. The altitude alone can take it's toll on younger, fitter, and seasoned travelers. Do you have all of the aspects of where the horse will stay, feed and vet worked out yet?

I would spend the extra $30 to have a blood panel run since I'm guessing you have to update your coggins, health and probably obtain an import # anyway. That way you have an inkling of whether anything might be starting to fail and a baseline to check against when you get there.

I agree with FrankNBeans about having your trailer and tow vehicle inspected before making the journey. If you haven't ever pulled live cargo for any distance, now is not really the time to start. Also towing on inclines can be very hard on your vehicle, you need to know about running it in lower gears to save on the engine and brakes. The other problem is that ND is just not a shipping hub for many decent transporters and you will have a difficult time finding one who can accommodate you. If you can find someone knowledgable to go with you (I strongly suggest it), they can fly Frontier back to Bismarck for $120 starting the end of April/beginning of May. (check the website because I know they're already booking. Little benefit of being in the oil industry is knowing waaaay too much about flights)

I think you'll end up doing it yourself just to check on her enough. Get on the web and find places to actually get her out of the trailer to stay overnight. Stopping every few hours really doesn't do much good as far as "resting" the horse goes. I don't know how much farther it is for you, but for me Denver is 820, which I would do in a one-day trip with my horses stopping only for fuel. They get checked and offered water at every stop, but we are usually on the road in 20-30 minutes.

Pick your stopping point and plan a little extra time to get there. I imagine you are going to drive 5-6 hours per day with your schedule. That doesn't sound overly aggressive. In order to keep her comfortable, I would talk to your vet about some NSAIDs and maybe a couple tubes of ulcerguaard to protect against the NSAIDs. Then I would schedule an appointment with my Denver vet the afternoon of arrival and make him give some IV fluids and give her a once over. Even if she's been drinking & eating normally, the extra fluids will help with the altitude change etc.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## gunslinger (Sep 17, 2011)

gunslinger said:


> No, and hopefully we never will.



Hoopla, there are regulations for commercial over the road drivers.

None for private use vehicles below 23,000lbs.


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## Micki O (Apr 22, 2008)

I trailered a 38 yr old blind gelding from WV to NC a few years back in a 16' stock trailer. I had never hauled a horse trailer before but didn't feel comfortable hiring a commercial hauler. I just don't think they'll take as good a care of my horses as I will. They're in it for money. Anyway. I took my time. Stopped every 2-3 hours to checked my boy. Made sure he was eating, drinking, pooping and peeing. I was super concious of traffic around me and was careful not to do any sudden lane changes etc. I also had gone on the internet and found vets and boarding facilities along the route just in case. It took 18 hours but we arrived home safe and sound. The first thing my big boy did when he got out of the trailer was lay down & roll them started grazing. He handled it better than I did.


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## GreySorrel (Mar 5, 2012)

Micki O said:


> I trailered a 38 yr old blind gelding from WV to NC a few years back in a 16' stock trailer. I had never hauled a horse trailer before but didn't feel comfortable hiring a commercial hauler. I just don't think they'll take as good a care of my horses as I will. *They're in it for money*. Anyway. I took my time. Stopped every 2-3 hours to checked my boy. Made sure he was eating, drinking, pooping and peeing. I was super concious of traffic around me and was careful not to do any sudden lane changes etc. I also had gone on the internet and found vets and boarding facilities along the route just in case. It took 18 hours but we arrived home safe and sound. The first thing my big boy did when he got out of the trailer was lay down & roll them started grazing. He handled it better than I did.


Micki...not all of them are in it for the money...we had one of our Percheron mares hauled from Texas to VA with a professional trailer and they did wonderful with her. She had her own large box stall in the middle, they said if they had to off load her she was a gem, they talked to her, gave her all the water she could consume, checked for dehydration, had a large hay net full of hay, and when she arrived 2 days later, apologized she looked dusty and couldn't clean her off with a brush! 

I have also had my other 3 horses brought from Texas to VA when we first moved here. Again, they were wonderful with our horses. 

OP, if your worried driving a trailer by yourself and don't have the experience, then get a good hauling company. You can ask them for references and call those references and see what they say, often if you find them on line there is a list too. If they work with a vet call them and ask what they think of that company....good luck.


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## TimberRidgeRanch (Mar 6, 2012)

BUBBLE WRAP!! TONS OF BUBBLE WRAP!! ****

On serious note
I always stop every three hours to allow horse to drop head clear nasil passages. drink water and eat some hay. I never leave hay net etc up.
I feed older horses a good Bran Mash after shipping long distance with electrolites. I hold off on grain for atleast 12 hours after.
JMO


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## yourcolorfuladdiction (Feb 19, 2012)

I'd actually suggest a professional shipper with a tractor-trailer rig. Some have an air-ride suspension that reduces a lot of the bumping and bouncing that your little bumper pull would get on the same road. They may also have a set up to allow your horse to have a box stall rather than a standing stall which your bumper pull probably has. I've even seen some with heating and cooling set-ups in the horse area to keep your horse's climate at a comfortable level.

They also have a lot more experience behind the wheel hauling horses and know what your precious cargo will need. When I need a horse shipped and it's not "urgent" I generally go to Uship, which has a lot of options in the way of shippers and you can read reviews, see the rigs they have, etc. Most of them tell you they make frequent stops for water, will even provide electrolytes for the horses for you (if you want them to), and some even have safe stops for the night where they can take your horse out and let them stay in a stall or small paddock for the night (depending upon the shipper) so your horse isn't just sitting in a rig over night.

Most of the time your shipper will be in constant contact with you via cell phone, and many of them are horse people themselves. Your horse would be considered "special needs" and shipping her yourself could put a lot of undue stress on her whereas a shipper has probably shipped more than one old horse in the past and knows how to keep the stress at a minimum for your beloved horse.

I would also have the vet look her over and give her the "all clear" to make sure she's healthy enough to go on such a long trip and find out what sort of things you should be giving her or doing for her now to help her make the trip with ease.


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## Missy May (Feb 18, 2012)

I have moved my horses many times both by professional transport (because I would not do it alone, either), and personally. If you go with a transport outfit, _really_ search for and check their feedback on the net. I cannot stress that enough. I used one outfit twice, b/c I was impressed w the first experience. In between times (about 2 years), it changed hands, and I will forever and always regret not having checked the feedback the second time around. Of all the times I used professional transporters - I only ever had one bad experience - that one.


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