# Long Distance travel?



## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

I don't think you necessarily have to unload him every 2 hours as long as you open the doors, offer him water and let him enjoy the scenery while you're taking your breaks. I think the rule of thumb is to unload every 5 hours or so depending on how bumpy the ride it.


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## RhondaLynn (Jan 26, 2010)

I cannot help you but am interested in the answers you get. Hubby and I are going to be retired soon and I really hope to travel with the horses.

Rhonda


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## PDGx (Mar 24, 2013)

Here a good site to find overnight boarding sites. 

HORSEBACK RIDING: DUDE RANCHES - CAMPING - BED AND BREAKFAST - HORSE TRAILERS
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

I would not unload him at all at anyplace other than the barn you will be staying at for the night, period.
A roadside rest stop, yes by all means. Time for water and hay to be replenished, yes...
Taking him off a trailer in a unfamiliar place with unfamiliar smells, sights, sounds...no!!
What do you do if he refuses to reload? It happens.

There are overnight stabling directories available online...you need to have your truck and your trailer in tip-top condition for such a trip. If in doubt, have him shipped by commercial carrier with air-ride suspension trailer, available a/c and predetermined and designated stop-overs along with experienced horse-handlers that can handle almost any imaginable issue on the road that could (sometimes does) happen.

Be very careful out there... safe travels.


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## Rideabighorse (Jan 12, 2014)

I totally agree with not unloading except at night. Being trailered is work for horse he has to constantly balance himself. He just needs a break every so often. Going in and out of the trailer would just be more work and stress for him.


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Unloading for a rest may can be tricky so don't do it without knowing how your horse will behave first. I personally have done it without a hitch but my horses are used to traveling to strange places to go for trail rides. I wouldn't do it with a single horse who is not used to those conditions.

There are also sites where stables can sign up to be horse hotels. Plan your route and drive times to take you from horse hotel to horse hotel. Don't forget to call in advance to make arrangements with the owner/manager.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

You do need to do some planning but it's no big deal to move a horse cross country. First off you do need a current (less than 6 months old) coggins and a health certificate within the past 30 days. Have some type of ownership record if possible. WY is a brand state but that mean nothing to you until you get here because you are coming from a non brand state. Don't worry about that. Even though you pass through multiple states you only need to abide by what WY requirements are. Do expect to stop at the WY state line and show your paperwork. They are getting anal about that and with the rodeo season in full swing there are buckets of horses in and out of the state so they are doing what they can to regulate all livestock traveling through the state.

You do not need to stop ever 2 hours and you never take him out of the trailer until you get to your destination for the night. If you did not only would it take 10 days to drive cross country, what would you do if he flat out refuses to get back in? Or to make matters worse, he gets away from you? Plan your route. If you have to go through a major metropolitan area, time it so you so through late morning, early afternoon, after rush hour (6-7pm). You don't want to be stuck in bumper to bumper traffic in a city you don't know where the exchanges seem to pop up at the last minute and the jerks in the other cars won't let you over. On the subject of multilane interstates in cities, pick the 2nd lane from the right and just stay there. You don't have to contend with merging and exiting traffic. With stops for fuel, meals and rest, I average 50 miles a day. So if I put in 12 hours I should be 600 miles down the road. That's doable with one driver but much easier with 2.

So where do you stay overnight? I have found that fairgrounds are about the best place to stop. They will run you $10-20 a night, you have an arena to let them out in for a few hours, they are usually pretty quiet, easy to find, hotels are close.

I'll be back, someone just pulled up and the dogs are going nuts.


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## Left Hand Percherons (Feb 1, 2011)

False alarm.

Another option is to post your travel itinerary here and see if anyone is close to your overnight stops and would put you up for the night. Can be a fun way to meet people on the forum and you should get a relaxing dinner to boot.

Travel with a full gas can in the back of your truck. I learned that one the hard way. I ran out of gas on the beltway that goes around St Louis at 10 at night in heavy traffic. Gas stations can also be a problem when traveling. It seems like most aren't set up to deal with rigs where you can easily pull up to and pull straight out. Stick with the big ones right off the interstate. In western Nebraska, there are really nice fueling stations just out in the middle of nowhere. It will be the only thing on the exit. They are designed for combines and only accept CC (no attendant, no bathrooms, no snacks) but they are the best when pulling a horsetrailer. I keep saying I'm going to mark the exits... I like traveling W on I-80 as opposed to I-70. There always seems to be more of a head wind going through KS and it's a little more hilly so your MPG really drops. 

Your trailer is a nice handy size. You might find that he will travel best loose where he can stand the way he wants to and can balance. You might be surprised that you find him riding backwards. If you have lightweight floor mats, I would invest in some thicker ones. Even buy the standard 4x6 mat and throw it on the top to provide more padding and insulation from the road. Trailers can get quite hot just from the heat of the road radiating up. If the sides are open slats, put a flymask on him while traveling. I don't blanket or wrap because that's not my guys. They would be more stressed out with polos than going naked. They also sweat underneath them.


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## Mingiz (Jan 29, 2009)

I moved my horses from MD to MO last year. Yes need current coggins and a health Cert. I only stopped when I needed fuel or to eat. I usually drove a 10hr day. I stopped the first night in Kingston TN off of I40. Then drove on in to Mo the next day. Never took horses off trailer until I stopped for the night. Of course I have a slant load. You can offer water when you stop for fuel. Mine never would drink. I did offer them hay. I did a 10hr haul with my stock and tied the horse loose enough so that she turned around facing the back. No issues at all. Good Luck in your move... :wink:


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

I think this was said by someone above (is my memory that bad already? ) but I would very carefully set your route, and where you'll be staying overnight with your horsie.  I'm sure you've already taken this into account, just a friendly reminder. ^^


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

Mingiz said:


> I moved my horses from MD to MO last year. Yes need current coggins and a health Cert. I only stopped when I needed fuel or to eat. I usually drove a 10hr day. I stopped the first night in Kingston TN off of I40. Then drove on in to Mo the next day. Never took horses off trailer until I stopped for the night. Of course I have a slant load. You can offer water when you stop for fuel. Mine never would drink. I did offer them hay. I did a 10hr haul with my stock and tied the horse loose enough so that she turned around facing the back. No issues at all. Good Luck in your move... :wink:


For people with slants. They make water proof canvas corner feeders to hang in there. You can put both water and feed in them at the same time if your horse is the type who refuses to drink on long hauls. This way they at least get some water. Just be careful and dump the lot before it starts to sour.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Cacowgirl (Feb 19, 2011)

I had a 10-hour trip to go pick up a new horse-we didn't know each other at all-I checked for their comfort when I stopped for fuel-I drank water & ate snack food-did not want to waste time at a restaurant, Yes, I did get in L. V rush hour traffic & there was an accident, but most folks were nice, to this senior citizen, since I would hang out the window & practically beg for room to move over a lane. If you make eye contact, & then smile & wave NICELY, people will usually respond in kind. Bathroom stops?- My trailer (slant-load) has solid 4' sides, so my new mare got to know me really well by the time we got home 10 hours later. I was very careful to only pull into fuel stations that I could again pull out of w/out any backing! Even if that meant I did a little back-tracking.


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## Mingiz (Jan 29, 2009)

Darrin said:


> For people with slants. They make water proof canvas corner feeders to hang in there. You can put both water and feed in them at the same time if your horse is the type who refuses to drink on long hauls. This way they at least get some water. Just be careful and dump the lot before it starts to sour.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Thanks Darrin. I did buy the corners feeders but the one horse I have will destroy them. as soon as he finishes what ever is in it. He can't keep his feet out of them. Even tried hay nets. Same out come. So I haul without them now..:wink:


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

Horse Motels International. Horse motel & overnight stabling directory for the traveling equestrian. We find horse motels, horse hotels, overnight stabling, overnight boarding, horse vacations, ranches, bed and breakfasts, and hurricane shelter. 

Horsetrip.com-An Online Overnight Stabling Directory for Horse Stabling and Horse Motels

I found overnight stabling using these two sites. Was most impressed.

I trailered from lower Al to NW MO, stayed overnight near Memphis, just off of I-55...and again near Mexico MO, close to HS best friend.

Cost me 20 dollars a night, had 2 horses. First place was a full out barn, very nice set up, but unused mostly, appeared to have been training barn, was able to drop trailer, and go to motel without it. Locked fence, owners on premises.

2nd place was a small MO Foxtrotter trainer, stalls adequate, but not huge, single run of stalls. Horses were satisfied though.

I would not attempt to get horses out, they are perfectly capable of watering if they will drink while standing in a trailer. And in years of hauling I had very few that would drink much, if any during the travel.

I have seen people at rest areas leading their horses around and really felt they were doing it more to show off, than anything else. Considering the chemicals that are used on the grasses there, would not be letting horse graze, and considering the probable outcome should a horse balk, or get loose? Nope. No way would I be doing that.

Also, good way to get yourself mugged, or worse, standing around trying to load a horse. Those rest areas can have some rough characters in them. Not a place to loiter in my opinion.

Call some of these people on here. Find out how close they are to road you will be traveling on, and also how easy it is to get to them, a few of them are B&B's, so you could stay there too. Others are more than willing to direct you to a good motel, and food.

Ask how much room they have to maneuver trailer, as if you are tired? You do not want to be trying to back around 40 acres and mule in the dark. Ask about stall sizes, paddocks? Turn out runs?

But all in all, not a bad trip at all.


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## jmc (Jun 10, 2012)

*Thanks!*

Thanks to everybody for your advice! Especially everyone that let me know I don't need to get him out of the trailer except at end of day - that one did have me worried! The trailer is open slatted at the top, so it gets lots of air, and came with nice, thick mats.

The idea of fairgrounds is a good one, is there a guide to fairgrounds that accept 'guests' or will they just be in any other "travel with horses" guide I can find?

When we head west, we usually take Rt 20 through Nebraska, but I'm not sure if that's a good idea with a trailer - it's a pretty empty road. Anybody gone through that way with a horse?

Alternately, I could take 80, then take 26 up. I've never been up that way (goes through Scotts Bluff, NE and Torrington, WY), but is a shorter stint on a rural road.

Please, keep the advice coming - only about 4 or 5 months until this happens!


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