Shipping a youngster cross country..

[La Gringa]

From VA to CA. I am thinking to wait until fall when it's cooler...

I need to get a good shipper recommendation. My filly is 2 now and has hauled short distance fine. She loads fine... but I am still a concerned mommy.

I don't want to ship now with the heat, so am waiting til fall probably early October.

Any advice on shippers??

[Home Again Farm]

I sent one to Oregon in May with Equine Express. They were great. Waiting until October is a good idea.

[FriesianX]

If there is an option for a box stall, pay the extra, it is worth it! I've shipped yearlings back and forth (sold and bought), and they've done fine, but I always recommend the box stall, and when I buy a horse, always pay for the box stall. And waiting for cooler weather isn't a bad idea - some of the vans are temperature controlled, others aren't

Another thing to check with - is the hauler picking up the horse and heading 'cross country, or do they bring the horses into a central pick up point, then when they have enough of them, they load them up and head out? I found out at least one or two of the big guys do that - and a horse I sold ended up stuck at race track stabling for a few days before she headed to the East Coast. That gives me the "heebie jeebies" - just one more chance to pick up some kind of virus, and that much more stress on the young horses.

[SOTB]

Ship in a box stall for sure and use a hauler you know or one that comes recommended by people you trust. I've shipped my youngster between VA and IL a couple of times and she's done great with my shipper!

[ElegantExpressionsFarm]

I second Equine Express!! They shipped my mare (who was 9 months in foal) from NS to TX (along with 9 other horses...from yearling to 14 yr olds) and the horses got there safe and sound!! They kept us informed multiple times along the trip and provided us with the drivers number should we have any concerns!

I prefer to use boxstalls when shipping...but (from my EE experience) they do stop every few hours for more hay and water...as well as provide a layover for the horse(s) should the trip be a really long one! (Like mine was 2500+miles!!)

[3Dogs]

I have used a person I think is GOD of hauling. PM me for his info.

[talloaks]

My yearling filly went from Marshall VA to Spokane WA this April with McLemore"s Horse Transport and arrived safe and sound even though it took longer due to bad weather in the middle of the country. They were great with email update both to me the seller and to the buyer. Their website is http://www.McLemoresHorseTransport.com Kay and L. J. were great. I thinki the shipping fee was ridiculously low!! Do contact them for an estimate and to see if they go to your destination.
Good Luck!!

[PineTreeFarm]

Equine Express
I've used them twice for Texas to NY shipping and a friend used them for the same route.
Another friend used them cross country.
They kept me informed about how they were doing, where they were and estimated time of arrival.
I'd use them again for long distance shipping.

[rideagoldenpony]

I've used McLemore's for several years, both as buyer and seller, and have been consistently happy with their service. Their big air ride van is always immaculate and while they are not the fastest, I think the horses arrive in better shape with the nightly stops. I also like that Kay is fantastic with e-mailing updates about how they are doing, and how the trip is progressing. 5 stars from me! ;)

[Dune]

. I thinki the shipping fee was ridiculously low!! !!

Really?? :confused: When I inquired, they were the MOST expensive quote I got! :yes:

[quote=rideagoldenpony;4233557]. and while they are not the fastest, I think the horses arrive in better shape with the nightly stops. /quote]


I think the longer trip, with nightly stops is actually harder on them, and I didn't like not knowing an exact departure and arrival date. Because of that, I've used Cox Equine Transport, they have a set schedule. Also, instead of stopping off at different farms along the way, they stop ONCE at their own farm on the TX/OK border. The horses are only on the van a day or day and 1/2, rest for a day or two and then head out to whichever coast they're headed. They have custom made trucks and the drivers are nice/capable, their prices are not the cheapest, nor the most expensive. They've always arrived in tip-top shape going that way.

[talloaks]

Really?? :confused: When I inquired, they were the MOST expensive quote I got! :yes:

[quote=rideagoldenpony;4233557]. and while they are not the fastest, I think the horses arrive in better shape with the nightly stops. /quote]


I think the longer trip, with nightly stops is actually harder on them, and I didn't like not knowing an exact departure and arrival date. Because of that, I've used Cox Equine Transport, they have a set schedule. Also, instead of stopping off at different farms along the way, they stop ONCE at their own farm on the TX/OK border. The horses are only on the van a day or day and 1/2, rest for a day or two and then head out to whichever coast they're headed. They have custom made trucks and the drivers are nice/capable, their prices are not the cheapest, nor the most expensive. They've always arrived in tip-top shape going that way.

Hey I'm only going by the information I received the first of April this year for the yearling's trip west. I couldn't beleive how low the price was and was told the estimate was about half of other shippers. Maybe the new owner was just lucky!! We liked the idea of them stopping at night so the horses could rest without being taken off the trailer and put into unknown surroundings with the chance of picking up some bug.

[SilverBalls]

Always a box stall! FWIW, I have shipped horses cross country, up and down the east coast... It is not uncommon to get a quote, and call the same company back a week or so later and get a whole different quote. Sometimes more... sometimes less.

[Montanas_Girl]

I used Cox to ship a weanling from CA to TN in October 2007. The filly had never been trailered before and stepped off the rig at 3 am looking as fresh as if she'd just come out of her stall at home. She did have a layover at their TX facility - I think it was 36-48 hours. She had a stall and a half and did fine that way; it was probably almost like a box stall for her, though, because she was so small!

My quote from Cox was about $1100 cheaper than the quote from McLemore's, and they run east coast to west coast every other week, so scheduling was a non-issue.

[ise@ssl]

First of all - whomever you use - make sure it's a box stall and an air-ride rig.

We've used MacLamore several times and I recommend them. They take their time and really fuss over the horses. Plus they have a computer on board so email updates are great. They do off load cross country to let the horses rest a day and I would definitely use them again.