Do YOU feel guilty for trailering 14+ hours?

[TheOneandOnly]

I'm preparing for my second ooberly long trip at the end of July. Our first one we did through the night so it would be much cooler and we will do the same again, we did frequent hay checks and water breaks and gave them at least a day to recoup before showing. I feel so bad for them having to stand for that long. Anyone else neurotic like me? Stories! :yes:

[pintopiaffe]

I travel 5 hrs one way, give a rest, water, mash break, then take a usually VERY exerting lesson... then rest, water, mash... rest a few hours, then home one way.

I worried about it the first 2 times. Then I realized that he is fresh as a daisy when I get on (far, FAR fresher than at home :uhoh: ) he travels like a champ, and if *I* were the right rider, he's the kind of horse who could do int'l air travel without missing a beat. I'm not, so he gets 10 hrs trailering in one day. :p

There are some horses I'd never even consider doing it with. Others it is a big adventure and they are less tired than I am at the end of the day.

[dmalbone]

I'm hoping to hear some advice as well. I'm looking for a new horse and have found a couple of horses about 12+ hours away (with a straight shot!) that I love and keep feeling bad about it. I've been catching myself trying to talk me out of it because I'd feel bad about moving a youngster so far. :(

[lauriep]

Why would you feel bad? They do just fine. Especially if you can offer a box stall, but even if you can't, as long as you take water breaks, keep the hay nets filled, and unhook them once or twice so they can clear their airways, they do just fine. Horses ship that long all the time.

[dmalbone]

Why would you feel bad? They do just fine. Especially if you can offer a box stall, but even if you can't, as long as you take water breaks, keep the hay nets filled, and unhook them once or twice so they can clear their airways, they do just fine. Horses ship that long all the time.

TOTALLY understand they do it all of the time. It's just weird when you've never personally done it, KWIM? In my situation I would definitely be doing a box stall. It's just out of my comfort zone so it's going to take some getting used to.

[TheOneandOnly]

Why would you feel bad? They do just fine. Especially if you can offer a box stall, but even if you can't, as long as you take water breaks, keep the hay nets filled, and unhook them once or twice so they can clear their airways, they do just fine. Horses ship that long all the time.



I know, I keep telling myself that horses go from coast to coast all the time and survive. On my first trip I took my little 16 yo appendix mare who had aluminums in the front and was barefoot behind. It seemed by about hour 9 she was shifting her wait back and forth like her feet hurt, but she was also the very sensitive type and was perfectly fine the whole week we were there. The current horse is a big goofy gelding with aluminums in the front and steels behind that I'm sure will hold up physically but I'm just hoping he wont get silly on me. :)

[FlashGordon]

Dan shipped up from NC mid-June last year. I think it was a 13 hour trip in total? I was wondering how he'd be coming off the trailer, but as always, he was cool as a cucumber with not even a drop of sweat on him.

I suppose it depends on the horse, but in a big box stall, with a competent driver, I think they do just fine long distance.

[lb2005]

No. I gave up feeling guilty for my horses long ago. They live very comfortable lives. I ask so very little of them. A ten-hour trip for one of mine would involve voluminous quantities of hay at his/her discretion, fresh water every couple of hours (that he/she can play in first and then drink), bedding, proper ventilation. And I don't buy into the box-stall fad either. But that's me.

[ambar]

I usually wind up with a 12-hour haul each way to OR, once or twice a year. Last time, we rigged water buckets in the slant load (under the hay nets) and hauled the horses untied; they arrived well hydrated and happy. Would do again.

Ambar

[Indy-lou]

ambar: how did you rig the water buckets? More info please.

[ambar]

Remember, it's a slant load, and my horses are small, so there was plenty of room for this setup. That said, I bought 18" pieces of chain and double-ended snaps (you could use hay string, but I didn't want to deal with the knots*). Since the buckets get in the way of laying the dividers back, you can only set up one at a time. That is, set up the first stall, with a bucket secured to a D ring at "bottom of window" level, and loaded hay bag in place (above bucket). Half fill water bucket. Load horse, secure divider, set up second bucket and hay bag, repeat. Once everyone is loaded, we untied them through the drop-down windows and rolled off. (My drop-downs are screened, so we weren't worried about anyone thinking about escape, especially since the hay bags nearly cover them anyway.)

We added water en route by half-filling another bucket and pouring it in through the drop-down.

If I were to do it again, I'd make the chains longer, since the position of the D rings made things "interesting" for one stall.

If this is still unclear, I'll try to remember to take a snapshot this weekend of a bucket in place.

Edited to add: I also SERIOUSLY did not want any buckets falling down and rolling around.

[mvp]

pintopiaffe, you are an inspiration!

I can't tell you how many times I have complained (while sitting on the couch, drink-with-umbrella in hand) that the lack of good local help was the obstacle to my progress.

Apparently one can haul 10 hours round trip for a lesson if she wants it bad enough. Thanks for reminding me with your example. You are right.

[Meshach]

I always wondered about this:

For highway driving where there aren't a lot of turns, stopping or starting, is it better to leave them loose in a stock trailer or in the slant load partition? Do you have to worry about them not having something to lean against if loose?

[winfieldfarm]

I only feel guilty about the horses who don't travel well. My mother's mare is a weaver and she tends to trot and weave all the way to where we are going. As she gains axperience, she is lessening the habit but gas stations are interesting, people think we have a gorilla in the trailer the way she gets it rockin' and rollin'.

I am wondering about the water buckets, did they shlosh much water out and did they fill up with hay bits being right under the hay bags? How did the horses drink while the water was shloshing around while the trailer went down the road, I wonder. Don't you hate being the passenger in a car and trying to drink something only to have the car hit a bump and splash drink up on your upper lip and nose?

My pointers for a good trip.
Ride inside your trailer - especially while someone drives on rough roads and on the highways. This will give you a better idea on the rattle factor and how breezy your trailer gets. Then you can batten down the hatches. I know some horses that get stressed in loud rattley trailers, it scares them to have all that noise and they come off tired. Also with the vetilation, you will know how much to open all windows and vents if you have ridden in it.

Secondly, for horses that don't drink well. feed juicy apples. Feed apples in a shallow bucket of water, they will slurp up some water with the bits. Feed watermelon chunks, Feed ice, Serve liquid they can't resist. Start this "traiining" at home so they are familiar with flavored beverages.

For the horse that won't heat (our weaver doesn't) overnight or several hourse before you leave, give them a giant pile of hay, almost more than they would finish. Pack that gut! at stops, try wetted alfalfa cubes or pellets, haylage, anything to get some bites of fiber in their belly.

Here's a suprising find - how comfortable are your trailer walls for bracing against. The Weaver got horrible road rash on her right hindquarters bracing against the wall on a 6 hour trip the first big show. She was leaning and trotting the whole way there (slant stall). The wall is that white glass board with the floor mat type mat on the wall. She was leaning against that mat which had no cushion so we installed trailer pads all around the walls and she hasn't had a booboo since.

I would recommend no leg wraps if your horse is a steady eddie. I know this will probably spark a big debate but i have had horses really fuss and get peeved in a trailer because they are hot, shifty and not the most comfy. If you go with leg protection, just make sure your horse is happy with it or it can cause a horse to start stomping it's legs in aggravation.

Ive never been much for driving overnight because I am afraid of falling asleep at the wheel plus my horses are used to resting at night. But take this into consideration if it will keep your trailer cooler.

and when all else fails, consider splitting the trip. There are lots of barns out there that are happy to overnight out of towners. Don't rule out local fairgrounds, big training barns or even colleges. You could leave late in the day, overnight, leave early morning and arrive fresh as a daisy.

Good luck!@!!!!!

[midkniggit]

A timely thread - I'm driving my 2 horses from KY to CT in September. The mapped estimate (avoiding NYC) is a bit over 14 hours. The older horse will be fine. He's a road warrior, used to being hauled everywhere, and has done a number of 12+ hour trips. The youngster has only been hauled locally (less than 30 min), so I'm very nervous about taking him up. He still gets a little antsy on the trailer. I'm hoping the older one's calm behavior will help keep the young one relaxed.

winfieldfarm - I agree on the wraps. My older horse hates boots and wraps and will rub them and kick to try to get them off. He stands still and is much calmer without, so I've given up!

[SOTB]

I've shipped both of my horses (one young and one old) back and forth between Illinois and Virginia multiple times (15+ hour trip). I have a shipper I trust and I ship them in box stalls. They've arrived in perfect condition every time.

[fivehorses]

I am making a trip from NH to SC, an 18 hour trip.
I am looking at using a professional. Most of mine have never been in a trailer or rarely.

I have three 18 hand drafts, some light horses and ponies.
Are box stalls that great?
I looked at a trailer the other day, and a single is very narrow, too narrow,they'd be like sardines. The double straight stall is ok, the box seems ideal. Is it?
How big is a box stall on a trailer?

Also, I know that none of the pros will stop, except for checks. Its a straight run.
I am sorta ok with that, since the loading part is the stressor. I also am not comfortable overnighting in case of disease. Sometimes even the BO may not know their previous guest was incubating something.

[Go Fish]

No. I live on the West coast and it's not unusual for us to travel 10+ hours to ANY show. Horses do fine...

[Rancher]

A year ago 3 horses got shipped to me in Canada from Southern California. They were a bit dehydrated when they got off, but I think the trip was 4 days in total. Besides looking a bit tucked up they were perky and full of vinegar when they got to my place.

And I just got 9 of them hauled 300 miles in a 24 foot stock trailer. Total travel time was around 6 hours. When we opened the doors they all started eating grass before they even finished stepping off the trailer. That tells me they were not stressed a bit. They were in no hurry to get off. The two yearlings had never been trailered before and they seemed cool with it. When ever we stopped no one was moving at all even though they could (not tied).

An interesting thing to note though was that all of them angled themselves as if they were in an angle haul trailer. Most with their buts towards the front. it's been proven that they ride better at an angle (I think we all know that) and I think that if given the choice they would stand with their butts towards the front. When the driver puts the breaks on it's easier for the horse to take the weight in the back end. My horses almost always travel loose and they never stand facing straight forward.

[Equilibrium]

Any time ours are shipping to England it involves a 12 hour trip including a ferry ride and lots of waiting around. And it completely freaks me out that hay is not something commercial shippers use over here. These would be horses we are sending over to their trainer. When inquiring about the hay, I got the - oh the will colic crap. It's really weird. So before they're long trip I give them a good dose of buffer to keep their stomachs at bay. Obviously, they are watered throughout.

But nobody has died throughout these trips and all seem quite happy, but still wish they could have some hay. Even small trips through Ireland can last ages and you have small windy twisty roads. I refuse to use truck and trailer over here and will only use the small 2 horse lorry instead. The only good thing is we aren't dealing with oppressive heat. Obviously when travelling our own we use the haynet.

Terri

[SuperSTB]

OMG- put a trailer in front of The Mare and it's "where we going???". She is the same about traveling as my previous mare sans the falling asleep part. Going cross country- the longer we traveled the more perky she was. Had to look at the window and people watching at the rest stops a priority.

Giving them a break from the road bouncing is a must in my book. I off loaded to solid ground for a nice walk after every 500-750 miles (of course in a safe area- not like the rest stop or the side of a road!). But then again I have super easy loaders who think that trailers are the cat's meow.

[ambar]

I am wondering about the water buckets, did they shlosh much water out and did they fill up with hay bits being right under the hay bags? How did the horses drink while the water was shloshing around while the trailer went down the road, I wonder. Don't you hate being the passenger in a car and trying to drink something only to have the car hit a bump and splash drink up on your upper lip and nose?


Well, we made a point of only filling them half full. As to how it actually worked in transit -- my trailer wasn't soggy and my horses were obviously hydrated on arrival, so it must have gone somewhere. We were probably stopping every 3 hours for meal/fuel/bathroom breaks ourselves, so there were obviously times when the water wasn't sloshing, and we did re(half)fill when they were empty. Yes, hay fell in, but not enough to matter, and besides, soaked hay is good for 'em. :cool:

[cutemudhorse]

I agree with Rancher's post. Although I only have a 2H GN I take the divider out when hauling one horse more than an hour or two. And they like to stand backwards or backwards on a slant. If I had more money I would have bought a trailer designed for backwards hauling in two stalls, or a stock/comboor two plus one arrangement to get two possible box stalls. I also just had a camera put in my trailer and they look pretty comfy back there. I just took two babies (three and four years old) to a trainer four hours away. It was hot so even though I have windows in the storm doors (and fans!) they were starting to sweat half hour out when I stopped for gas and first check. So I opened the back top doors fully; mine are designed to be strong enough to keep open while hauling. There is sound on the camera, and it surprisingly did not sound much different with the top doors open than with just the back windows open, and the girls did not get upset with passing traffic. These girls have been hauled long distance in stock trailers already as they are PMU foals from Canada.

I have trailered ten hours before with just stopping for rest and water and my guys have been fine. And that was in an older trailer that probably didn't have the better suspension of my current trailer.

Definately do lots of hay and try to keep them hydrated. I've heard of giving electrolytes before long hauls.

[katarine]

be a considerate driver. Imagine a coffee cup on the dash, drive to balance it.

Watery apples, watermelon, etc is all good.

I like good hay bags in front of them, I haul them loose in my slant load.

I have stopped for gas and literally woken them up, they get into a groove.

I am trying to get into the fly mask habit when hauling, I have grills on my windows but meh, about the dust, gunk, etc.

I do recommend you take a ride in your trailer, it's educational about the noise and wind. Mine wasn't as blustery as I expected, nor as noisy.

Go easy on the leg wraps, it's hot out there!

[Jaegermonster]

I don't worry about it in the least. Do it all the time. They get decent breaks when I stop for gas, which I combine with restroom, drink, food, get more ice stops. I don't hang water in the trailer but I always hang a bucket while I'm stopped,and they have hay in the trailer.
If I were hauling a baby I might stop more frequently just to check on them and make sure they were ok but I wouldn't really sweat it.