# hypothetical trailer question



## Kriva (Dec 11, 2015)

In case of an emergency, yes, Farmer Boone should own a trailer. Unless...each horse owner that boards leaves a trailer at the farm that Farmer Boone can use if he needs to. If an emergency arises and a horse needs to go to the vet, would Farmer Boone let the horse lay in pain until the owner could show up to haul the horse to the vet? Also, what if an owner abandoned a horse on the Farmer's property, stopped paying board, and forfeited their ownership to the Farmer? How then would the Farmer get the horse to auction, or to deliver to someone else without a trailer.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

The most common reason is to obtain boarders. Most people starting out in horse ownership do not have trailers, so buy a horse then need to transport it to the stable of their choice. 

Most horse owners expect the BO to be an experienced horse person. Capable of helping load and unload, giving injections, transporting to shows or trails. (usually all for a fee)


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## jonbailey (May 7, 2018)

Kriva said:


> In case of an emergency, yes, Farmer Boone should own a trailer. Unless...each horse owner that boards leaves a trailer at the farm that Farmer Boone can use if he needs to. If an emergency arises and a horse needs to go to the vet, would Farmer Boone let the horse lay in pain until the owner could show up to haul the horse to the vet? Also, what if an owner abandoned a horse on the Farmer's property, stopped paying board, and forfeited their ownership to the Farmer? How then would the Farmer get the horse to auction, or to deliver to someone else without a trailer.


Watching old Lassie episodes, many vets come out to farms and ranches to treat sick or injured livestock. They make house calls for LARGE animal patients. I didn't know one could even bring a cow or horse INTO a vet's office.


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

Honestly... I don’t think Farmer Boone must own a trailer, but I also don’t board. I would assume though that if I did I would still be responsible for my own horse. Does Farmer Boone have a friend he could call to borrow a trailer if an emergency arose? Does he allow the boarder to park his trailer there? 

If I did in fact live in a town where I had to board my horses I would probably find it much easier if I could park my trailer with my horses...


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

Vets do make farm calls, my vet does if need be. For the most part, I will haul my horse to the vet because it's only 10 minutes away and it saves me the farm call fee. You don't bring livestock into the vets office, they come outside or they have facilities to house livestock.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

jonbailey said:


> Watching old Lassie episodes, many vets come out to farms and ranches to treat sick or injured livestock. They make house calls for LARGE animal patients. I didn't know one could even bring a cow or horse INTO a vet's office.


Lassie was a TV show, not real life. 

My Equine specific vet does not make house calls, I haul them there.


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## LoriF (Apr 3, 2015)

I would think that Farmer Boone that is boarding horses for extra income more than likely is not thinking Horse Trailer as he doesn't have any himself. Trailers can be expensive and then their is the upkeep. Farmer Boone is probably thinking that horse owners have their own means to transport their own horses.

Most of the equine vets that I know of in FL make farm calls, mine does. Yes, you do pay a farm call fee and it can be split among horse owners if several need things done like vaccines and such. I don't find it an inconvenience to haul in for simple things and save the farm call fee. One vet that I use on occasions that has more specialized services mainly does a mobile service and services certain areas at a time. I schedule appointments according to when he will be in my area. The last I checked, I live in real life, I think so anyway.


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## Dreamcatcher Arabians (Nov 14, 2010)

I tend to haul mine in for most services, because I can save the farm call but more important, they have more diagnostics available at the animal hospital. It's easier & safer to do a rectal exam in a stock, if the farm doesn't have one, so for colics, preg checks, insemination, things like that, I will haul in. If it's simple, like a laceration that needs sewn, depending on what's going on, I may haul in or may have the vet out. The only time I would routinely have the vet out would be to do teeth, yearly vaccines, pull Coggins and exam for Health certs, if I was doing multiples of all of that. For single horses, I'd just haul in and would do the vaccines my self. 

In any case, I would not expect the property owner to do the hauling for me, that's my responsibility, not his.


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## Hondo (Sep 29, 2014)

jonbailey said:


> I didn't know one could even bring a cow or horse INTO a vet's office.


There is no vet in my area that will make house calls for large animals. Or small animal. Yep, take my horse into the vet. Well, not in his office, he has a special room for horses. Carpeted no less! Been in there twice for x-rays. I think he floats teeth and probably other stuff in there too.

Plus he has some holding pens if a horse needs some extended observation.

Actually, about three years ago we had a badly prolapsed cow we took in, but a neighboring cattle corral with a squeeze chute was used. Vet didn't have one as not many bring in cows. But they do.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

AnitaAnne said:


> Lassie was a TV show, not real life.
> 
> My Equine specific vet does not make house calls, I haul them there.


Adding to my prior statement, Lassie was a TV show not real life. Would not use a TV show which was about a fictional dog and its family for any facts related to equine care. It is rather shocking to me that anyone above the age of 10 would think to use a TV show for facts on horse keeping, especially one that was made so long ago...

My Equine specific vet does not make house calls to my area. I haul them there. One will see many high-dollar horses at that place! 

If I want a farm call then I notify my mobile large animal vet (he doesn't have an office except his truck). He is moving more and move to cattle as opposed to equines because he can go to a large spread for a week and make more money then going to see individual horse. 

OR I call the multi-animal "good ol' boy" practical vet. Nothing fancy there! I usually have to haul in to that one because he is very busy and sets up farm calls himself (doesn't use the staff) 


Again, for most things I just haul in.


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## jonbailey (May 7, 2018)

AnitaAnne said:


> Adding to my prior statement, Lassie was a TV show not real life. Would not use a TV show which was about a fictional dog and its family for any facts related to equine care. It is rather shocking to me that anyone above the age of 10 would think to use a TV show for facts on horse keeping, especially one that was made so long ago...
> 
> My Equine specific vet does not make house calls to my area. I haul them there. One will see many high-dollar horses at that place!
> 
> ...


I have never owned a horse. It goes to show how much I really know about livestock. I have had neighbors who have owned cows, horses, sheep etc. When my neighbor's mare died, she had to hire a special transport service to haul out the carcass. When my neighbor's beef steers had to be taken away, they were slaughtered and butchered on the premises. Any animal with hooves kept in captivity is LIVESTOCK to me. My mother owned pygmy goats which could easily be transported in a family station wagon to the vet. I have always been impressed that LASSIE gave an accurate depiction of farm life, ranch life and rural life. They had a vet on that show, Dr. Weaver, who routinely made farm calls. Dr. Weaver came out in his car, not a TRUCK. I would think it impractical for farmers and ranchers to be hauling in their large livestock to the vet regularly. I would not ever own a horse, cattle, sheep, goats, etc. in any area without regular mobile vet service available and especially one that specializes in livestock.


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## QueenofFrance08 (May 16, 2017)

I agree with @Dreamcatcher Arabians. My vet does do farm calls (although several equine vets in our area do not) but if it was something serious and I was able to I would likely transport the horse to their clinic instead to use their equipment (stocks, diagnostics, access to surgery equipment). Our vet has a garage/pole barn set up attached to the back of the clinic with stalls on the sides and built in stocks/treatment area in the middle. They also have a room they use for equine surgeries (thankfully none of the above is carpeted!). 

As for the Farmer Boone situation, if it was me personally I would probably get a simple stock trailer that could fit a horse in for emergency purposes (unless a trailer was available for use by a neighbor or friend). We use our stock trailer for hauling lumber/hay/etc so I would think Farmer Boone could make some use of it in addition to just having on his farm. For me it would give me peace of mind (and potentially eliminate risk of law suit) if area vet wouldn't come out to farm and a boarding horse was having an emergency. Also as stated above it would be a nice service to offer for potential boarders who were otherwise unable to get their animal to Farmer Boone's farm.


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## jonbailey (May 7, 2018)

AnitaAnne said:


> Adding to my prior statement, Lassie was a TV show not real life. Would not use a TV show which was about a fictional dog and its family for any facts related to equine care. It is rather shocking to me that anyone above the age of 10 would think to use a TV show for facts on horse keeping, especially one that was made so long ago...
> 
> My Equine specific vet does not make house calls to my area. I haul them there. One will see many high-dollar horses at that place!
> 
> ...


Not using the TV show for facts, just impressions in my mind about what farm and country life might be like. 

I think of horses as country or farm animals. Anything that eats hay. My neighbor in northern California did have a mare and also had
a vet who came out to take care of her. Dr. Smiley was his name. This was about the year 1971 or so. I am not hip with modern horse-keeping, no, absolutely not, not by a **** sight to quote John Wayne. The way my life was in my youth is what I know. 

Lassie is old as the hills but still impresses me greatly even at age 54. Almost every original episode can
be viewed on YouTube. The series is largely centered around rural life. 

I have known Lassie since early boyhood and that show is dear to me like a family heirloom.

Most modern TV is crap.


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## AnitaAnne (Oct 31, 2010)

jonbailey said:


> Not using the TV show for facts, just impressions in my mind about what farm and country life might be like.
> 
> I think of horses as country or farm animals. Anything that eats hay. My neighbor in northern California did have a mare and also had
> a vet who came out to take care of her. Dr. Smiley was his name. This was about the year 1971 or so. I am not hip with modern horse-keeping, no, absolutely not, not by a **** sight to quote John Wayne. The way my life was in my youth is what I know.
> ...


Well you may think you know what horse keeping is about from watching Lassie, but here is a little reality for you. 

Long, but thorough.


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