HORSE TRANSPORT
Private Farm - Not For Hire
We Specialize in Trailer Training!
Please call, text or email for a Quote or with Questions:
* Economy Rate (Bus Service)
* Express Rates (Limo Service)
For your convenience, we offer the following methods of payment:
Non Refundable Reservation Fee due prior to departure:
Balance:
Our top priorities: Tender Loving Horse Care, Excellent Communication, Punctuality, Customer Care. Your beloved babies get the same Tender Loving Care as our own. Delivering your horse happy, healthy, safe & sound is Job One, our top priority, first and foremost. We do unto others as we would have done unto us. We are a family of devoted horse & pet professionals with decades of experience transporting as well as breeding, boarding, leasing, giving lessons, showing, special events and training, mares, geldings, stallions & pets of all ages, breeds, sizes. We take great pride in uniting horses with their people; our work is very rewarding. We see more smiles in a month than most folks see in a year - even the horses smile! No pain, no fear, no confusion, resistance-free natural methods. Law requires Coggins within State & a health certificate if transporting across State lines. Your horse will travel with us as a family member, plenty of rest breaks - time to drink, eat & stretch. We provide constant communication with cell phones, text messages, email & GPS tracking. When booking your horse with us, please keep in mind that stress-free travel takes time - we don't just throw them on the trailer & run as fast as we can. We stop often to let them eat, drink, rest & stretch to keep their journeys stress-free. Cummins High Output Turbo Diesel powering 4Star and CM Drover horse trailers for a safe and comfortable ride, with well-ventilated box or slant stalls, veterinary mats, and independent suspension rubber torsion axles. Owner-provided hay at all times. Water offered at every Rest Stop. Rest stops every 2 - 3 hours. 500 - 600 miles a day. We specialize in Trailer Training!
Thoughts on Transporting
* Transporting is much more that merely pulling a trailer down the road. From the moment that horse steps on my trailer, my thoughts are on its comfort. Stress of a long haul can cause issues. Only years of experience around horses will give one the ability to read and recognize problems as they may arise, such as dehydration (long periods without water), discomfort (colicky), distress (sweaty and nervous) or disease (elevated temp, mucous). Additionally, smooth, common sense driving is paramount to providing a comfortable ride for the trailer occupants. The driver should be looking far ahead, watching for brake lights, signals, erratic drivers or other hazards.
* What can ensure a horse's comfort? There are good travelers and not such good ones. A variety of scenarios can make a horse uncomfortable: too hot, little or no ventilation, rattles and noise and rough roads are but a few. A well-ventilated trailer is imperative. Smooth acceleration and braking provides a secure and tolerable ride for the horse. One should avoid quick acceleration or slamming on brakes. Throwing horses around in the trailer is a sure fire way to make them resent being hauled. I've determined that driving in stop and go traffic is the most fatiguing for horses -- it is for me. Constant acceleration and braking takes its toll. Driving curvy mountain mountain roads, as well, can be a significant workout for trailered horses. This should be a positive experience for all involved, especially the horse.
* Box stall vs. slot? Commercial transporters that offer a box stall are providing a seemingly attractive upgrade. While offering more room for the horse to move around or lie down, a box stall eliminates any sort of security and support for the horse against turns, braking and acceleration. Take a ride in your trailer and see if you can ride without holding on or leaning against the wall. Likewise, a horse should have something to lean against. Therefore, in my estimation, a slot stall provides a more secure ride. Box stalls are required for:
* Feed and water. It's a good idea to provide horses something to occupy their time while in transit. If a deck of cards isn't available, eating seems to fill the bill pretty well. A bag of a horse's normal hay (don't suddenly change its diet) can be provided and will probably be happily devoured. Grain or pellets shouldn't be fed on the road as it may cause choke and other problems. Water should be offered at each stop, several times. Many horses aren't interested in odd tasting water, so I add electrolytes or bring water from home. Persistently offering water will usually pay off, but there are those that will continue to refuse.
* To tie or not to tie. A horse should be able to put its head down to clear nasal and esophageal passages. This is one reason I don't use a trailer with mangers. If tied too loose it's an opportunity for a foot over the rope. So, a free head usually is a better choice, unless they can get turned around in the slot stall. However, if tied, the ideal length would be about two times the length of its head, with safety/panic snaps. If you choose to utilize a box stall, tying would defeat the purpose.
* Notes on equipment. A clean, well-maintained trailer cannot be overemphasized! Commercial transport trailers see a variety of horses leaving behind sneezed-on screens, feeders and walls (yuck!). After the trailer is used, it should be thoroughly cleaned, power washed and disinfected. At regular intervals, the entire rig should be inspected; brakes, lights, wheel bearings, tires should be looked at regularly; checking for damage and sharp edges in the trailer should be done after each trip.
* On long trips, how often should horses be rested? Frequent rest stops are encouraged. Stopping the trailer stops the vibration that can lead to stress, both mental and physical. When the trailer is moving, the horse's muscles are in constant use for balance, leaning into turns, stops or acceleration. Rest for the horse comes in the form of stopping the motion of the trailer; taking a break from moving every 2 - 3 hours gives the horse time to relax. The route should be planned within a time/distance frame of 8 - 9 hours of actual drive time, 10 - 12 hours total ( including rest stops), around 500 - 600 miles per day. With plenty of rest stops, a horse can be aboard the trailer for quite some time. There are many variables such as age, physical condition and overall health that enter into the equation of time/distance. Very young and very old horses should be monitored closely for signs of fatigue, distress or dehydration. If your horse's hind foot is resting and its demeanor relaxed when you check in at each rest stop, you know you've got a happy horse. The point is to keep it that way.
* When should the horse be off-loaded? Preferably, it should be at the end of the daily leg of the trip or at the destination. Off-loading should be planned well in advance, as it presents a complete set of new problems. The horse may not load up again, or it may get spooked and get loose. Off-loading should be done only in a contained, safe facility -- NEVER off-load at an interstate rest area! (I've seen it done!)
* Where shall I stop at night? This is where planning and calling ahead are important. Estimate where and when you'll be reaching your day's destination. There's a plethora of different facilities where one can stop with a horse for the night, including Horse hotels, county fairgrounds or show facilities. Why I do not off-load at these facilities if at all possible: Midge Leitch, DVM, formerly of Londonderry Equine Clinic and now the radiology clinician at the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center, says it's debatable whether or not an overnight stop at a "horse motel," accomplishes what you hope. "Most horses don't settle in very well and won't relax in a strange place for just a 6- to 10-hour stop," she explains. "There are many horses that are shipped across country without unloading," she notes. "They may be stopped along the road, resting in the trailer, getting a break from keeping their balance while traveling." They are comfortable in their own trailer and at ease. Not every horse can be unloaded into a strange barn and actually get some rest; he might be worried about being in an unfamiliar place and fretting over the horse in the next stall. You also have no idea about the health status of the horse that occupied your stall previously, and you must take this risk into consideration when deciding whether to stop and unload your horse or just leave him resting in the stationary trailer. Endurance horses are often tied to the trailer or turned out next to it in a portable electric fence enclosure while the owner sleeps in the trailer. "Most people who ship horses, however, are better off to leave their horses in the trailer," says Leitch. "Letting horses rest in the trailer works well, especially if it's a box stall or compartment so they can be loose and have their heads down to eat and drink and clear the airways of mucus and collected debris (such as inhaled dust)."--Heather Smith Thomas
* What should it cost? Cost should not be your only consideration. There are variables that enter into the final fee, in addition to a per-mile rate. Do you want to send your horse via bus (Economy) or limo (Express)? A cheap trip may mean your horse in on board the trailer longer than necessary since the transporter is picking and delivering other horses before it reaches your destination -- kinda like a bus. Direct routes and door-to-door routes will be more expensive, but your horse will be fresher, less stressed, after a more direct trip -- kinda like a limo. An efficient route, knowledgeable, compassionate personnel and indulgent treatment are worth the extra little expense, if for nothing more than your peace of mind. Especially if your horse happily loads in a trailer again.