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Shipping a silly mare long distance in winter -- WWYD?

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  • #1

    Shipping a silly mare long distance in winter -- WWYD?

    I'm moving from CT to CO in a few weeks, and my plan is for my horse to stay behind in full training until I get there, see local barns, and find a place for her. I am lucky to have care and training I feel 100% confident in here in CT, which is saying something because my horse likes to color outside the lines. At the moment I'm laid up with injury so the training is a must for December, but it becomes a financial stretch the longer it goes on.

    This horse did not do well when I shipped her from CA to CT a few years back (w/ box stall, air ride, reputable pro haulers). She had a bit of a meltdown on the trailer in spite of previously being a good hauler. She's back to hauling well now locally, but in the wake of that coast-to-coast move she developed new behavioral issues, including stall walking, especially if she can't see any other horses or if her best buddy gets taken out of his stall while she's left in. It's gotten better over time, but it's still there when she gets stressed out.

    On top of that she has a pre-existing sleep disorder that makes her fall down sometimes, especially when under prolonged stress. And she recently got her blanket stuck on something in her stall (probably during one of these falling episodes), battled to the death to get free of it (luckily blanket was on the losing side), and is now terrified of blankets (which trainer is working on, but may not totally solve by move time). Like Fraulein Maria, she's a darling! She's a demon! She's a lamb! I'm not entirely sure how to solve a problem like my little flibbertijibbet, but I'm determined to do my best...

    I know it's going to take a bit to get her settled in on the other side of the move, and I'm not yet sure what sort of care/training I'll find. I have to spend ~10 days abroad in February and probably another couple weeks abroad in late April for work, so I'm a bit nervous about my silly horse settling in with unknown caregivers while I'm away and difficult to reach. She's very creative with her capers and has staged more suicide attempts than Harold and Maude since we moved to CT.

    So, wise COTHers, what would you do about shipping such a ridiculous creature cross-country?
    • Box stall or 1.5? She will probably walk (or worse) in a box for at least some portion of the journey, but I worry about injury if she falls down from sleep deprivation in a cross-tied stall.
    • Weather: she's going to have to ship nekkid, so how much will outdoor weather affect temps in the trailer? I worry about nervous sweat interacting with cold conditions. She'll probably only be bib clipped going forward due to the blanket issue.
    • Timing: Financially it makes sense to ship her out as early as right after my Feb. travel, but should I wait until roads are better/temps are warmer? And if so, should I keep her with my awesome CT barn/trainer until after my second trip?
    • Vaccinations: She's had allergic reactions (she's always gotten systemic reactions from vaccinations involving sweating, shallow respiration, lying down with tremors, but the last several vaccination rounds have also led to hives all over). We can't rely on herd immunity during the move, so which vaccinations are worth the risk?


    I'm a bit overwhelmed right now with other personal logistics, so any advice on this conundrum is welcome!
    Evolutionary science by day; keeping a certain red mare from winning a Darwin award the rest of the time!
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  • #2
    I'd probably try to let mare stay where she is until you get back after february. It would be awful for her to get delayed and be stuck where they have issues blanketing or be in trailer longer than necessary.
    I'd also do a 1.5 stall to give her something to lean against. The extra time will also allow trainer to work on blanket issues. Plus you won't have to worry about strangers handling her when she is just settling in, and you leave.

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    • #3
      Where in CO are you moving to? If on the front range, the weather could be anywhere from below freezing to 65 degrees between now and April/May once you get to the plains states. Road conditions can also vary greatly, but unless there's white out conditions, the highways should be pretty good unless you are moving to the mountains/western part of the state. That said, she probably won't need a blanket while on the truck. You may or may not want her to be able to be blanketed if your driver does any layovers.

      Given all the issues, I think the box stall would be the best, even if she walks.

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      • #4
        Where in Co are you? It all totally depends. However, I shipped my horse from Seattle to the Front Range, Feb 1st last year. I did a box stall because my horse was older and I wanted her to be the most comfortable. I did not have a blanket on my horse because the trailer was warm enough with all the other horses (I think like 5-6) and their body heat. I would ask your shipper about vaccinations.

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        • Original Poster
          #5
          We're headed to Fort Collins, which is a bit of a homecoming (I grew up on the front range and my horse is also from the mountain west). So I know the weather well, but wasn't sure how the big horse rigs do in bad conditions -- how warm they stay inside and how they handle inclement weather. Thankfully the mountains don't factor in!

          As for blanketing, I feel fairly strongly that she should not be blanketed in the trailer or have blankets put on or removed by the shippers due to recent events. In the aftermath of her mishap she will not hesitate to hurt you or herself to get away from a blanket. We're working on it, of course, but given the magnitude of the trauma there's a significant chance that her tolerance for blankets will still be a somewhat delicate thing over the next few months. Right now she's clipped but we can't safely blanket her so she's staying warm on sub-freezing nights by eating obscene amounts of hay and puffing her coat up as much as she can. Not ideal, but she's surviving. I worry more about her getting cold if she gets sweaty from shipping anxiety and/or walking and then has to deal with cold temps without a cooler.

          Last time I shipped her she had a layover in Lexington, KY. The company I prefer to use has facilities there and in PA, and I assume they lay over at one of those locations on the way west as well. The blanketing issue could very well come into play on the layover... hmmm...

          In any case, the earliest I'd bring her out is late February -- I need time to heal and move and find a new barn and she might as well stay with my awesome trainer in the meantime. But if I'm better off waiting until the risk of storms/cold is lower I start to run out of time to settle her in before my April business trip.

          I appreciate the input so far!!
          Evolutionary science by day; keeping a certain red mare from winning a Darwin award the rest of the time!

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          • #6
            Fort Collins is where I am at, and I've done reasonably extensive research on all the barns in the area and visited quite a few. If you want to talk about barns, feel free to PM me

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            • #7
              If you did the box stall, could shipper alternate having her tied for xx hours, and then at a rest stop, untie her for the next leg (and let her walk the stall)? Might strike a balance between exhaustion from pacing the stall, vs being unable to lie down.

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              • Original Poster
                #8
                Originally posted by HungarianHippo View Post
                If you did the box stall, could shipper alternate having her tied for xx hours, and then at a rest stop, untie her for the next leg (and let her walk the stall)? Might strike a balance between exhaustion from pacing the stall, vs being unable to lie down.
                Good idea, HH!

                PS love your signature line.
                Evolutionary science by day; keeping a certain red mare from winning a Darwin award the rest of the time!

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                • Original Poster
                  #9
                  Originally posted by Mooberry16 View Post
                  Fort Collins is where I am at, and I've done reasonably extensive research on all the barns in the area and visited quite a few. If you want to talk about barns, feel free to PM me
                  Thanks!
                  Evolutionary science by day; keeping a certain red mare from winning a Darwin award the rest of the time!

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                  • #10
                    wouldn't it be more dangerous for her to fall down while tied, then in a box stall? Which stall arrangement would be less stressful? I'm thinking the box stall would be less stressful.
                    "The mighty oak is a nut who stood its ground"

                    "...you'll never win Olympic gold by shaking a carrot stick at a warmblood..." see u at x

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