From Arapahoe Hunt to Potomac Hunt; moving from Colorado to Maryland. Need advice!

[Petalstorm]

After a myriad of fits and starts we are moving from Colorado to Maryland. It’s bittersweet and hard to leave many dear ones but my husband got a great new job, we have lots of family there and Maryland is very beautiful, so off we go on a new adventure…

There are just a few things that have to happen first…

We need to get 4 horses, 2 children, a dog and a whole farms worth of STUFF (you all get the point) to Maryland safe and sound (without losing our minds).

I am planning the route and it’s almost a straight shot east on I-70. Did I mention that it’s 1613 miles!!! 24 hours according to Google…We go through Kansas City, St Louis, Indianapolis, Columbus and then a short jaunt through Pennsylvania and then MD.

Would you do it with one or two layovers? I need recommendations on places to layover that aren’t too far off the highway. I’d appreciate any input on anything to help keep the horses safe and happy. Any advice on any aspect of this endeavor will be most appreciated.

We have ordered Potomac fever vaccine for our horses and are doing the equine protocol of the canine Lyme disease vaccine. This will be given well in advance. Thoughts?

Thanks in advance!

[AKB]

I think either 1 or 2 layovers will work. The important part is to find a good layover place, preferably with turnout for the horses and a nice place for you and the kids.

Potomac Fever vaccine is 2 doses if this is the first time the horses have been immunized with it. It is not a highly effective vaccine, but most of us around here do use it. I haven’t seen any evidence that using the dog Lyme vaccine on horses is safe or effective. I am reluctant to give it to my boys, unless someone has good evidence of safety and effectiveness. Some vet practices push it and some don’t give it. Don’t forget rabies vaccine and other core vaccines, as well as coggins tests and health certificates.
Welcome back.

[I_ride_Gibson]

I would recommend staying at the fairgrounds in Salina, Kansas and Terre Haute, Indiana. Your drive would be almost split evenly across three days, and it’s super easy to keep horses at fairground facilities. Lots of parking, nearby hotels, food, etc.

Welcome to Maryland!

[GreyDes]

We live in Lyme Central, and my vet does NOT recommend the canine vaccine for horses. It’s very controversial, with little evidence to support it. You may want to get a local opinion once you move.

Safe travels!

[AKB]

One problem that I found with stopping was that after driving into the evening and then spending the night at a layover place, I was too tired the next morning to want to get in the truck and drive again. My horses were also tired. If you find a place where you and the horses can spend the night with turnout and a nice place with a pool for you and the kids, I would consider spending an extra day there. Consider it a vacation.

[moving_to_dc]

[QUOTE=AKB;8227424]
If you find a place where you and the horses can spend the night with turnout…[/QUOTE]

I agree. When we moved from OK to MD in 2012, we overnighted in places where my 3 horses were turned out vs. stalled. I did not want them on acres and acres of turnout - they were just in arenas or BIG roundpens (>70’). My 3 were all pasture mates so keeping them together was fine.

I think having the ability to move around, roll, do whatever they wanted REALLY helped them all handle the trip in amazing shape. Especially since two of them were seniors at 28 and 36 years old.

[findthedistance]

Welcome to Potomac Hunt country! I’m no help on the drive and layovers, but I would definitely recommend doing the PHF series before you leave home. We’re getting past peak season but it’s not something you want. Posters above are correct, it’s not a great vaccine in terms of fully preventing the disease, but vaccinated horses who contract PHF have a better survival rate.

Feel free to reach out via PM if you have more questions about horsekeeping in this area. I’m five years in and loving it.

[SCM1959]

Look at www.horsemotel.com . I have used this website many times and have found wonderful places to stay. There are a few to choose from in Kansas and in Indiana, if you do as advised above and stop twice, breaking your trip into thirds.

Also look at www.horsetrip.com .

I also agree with turnout! Many of the places listed offer turnout plus human accommodations right on the premises.

Good luck!

SCM1959

[Hunter_s_Rest]

I do this exact trip somewhat regularly.
I have a friend with Mission Valley at KC you can stay with (you, plus the horses.) Or I stayed with a new client closer to the interstate last time - either way, a small turnout or stalls - either one is good.
The second stop may not be necessary - it is an easy 18 hours from there - believe me, you’ll favor getting there rather than yet another stop that requires a lot of orchestration.
Just plan for 20 minute stops every 3-4 hours for your rest and theirs. That’s as far as bladders and fuel tanks hold out anyway.

[Beverley]

When I moved the other way, Virginia to Utah, 20 years ago, I shipped the two horses and hauled the five cats, two snakes, and house plants in the trailer. The dog rode in the other vehicle along with the kids. For us, it was just easier to make the commute without the horse logistics. But I don’t rule out hauling to VA after retirement to do a little hunting and such. If I’m driving solo I will probably plan two layovers, if I have help I might tweak that plan. I have in the past used horsemotels.com for treks around the west. I agree with HR that the orchestration of the nightly logistics is a consideration, but for me the flip side is not wanting to feel the pressure of ‘getting there,’ I try to focus on enjoying the journey and taking what the road gives me in terms of travel time.

[M_al]

Depending on when you are traveling this may not apply, but check the regulations on the states you will be laying over and your final destination MD for restrictions on horses coming IN from Colorado due to the EHV-1 outbreak here.

I was just at a national competition in Loveland and it was announced several times to do this. (I think CA has import restrictions on horses from CO right now, so sucks to be those competitors trying to get home!)

Good luck and safe travels!

[SonnysMom]

If you have USRider I would think they could recommend some layover facilities.

[findeight]

Think 2 layovers, if not 3, is going to be easiest on everybody. Don’t plan on too far that first day, no matter how hard you try or how much planning you do, actually getting underway at the time you expect almost never happens, the more people, animals and objects you are hauling, the worse that gets. If you are on time, it’s because you were up all night and I 70 is the most stupifyingly b.o.r.i.n.g highways in exsistance, almost as bad as I 10 in West Texas for sheer monotony. I agree Salina is plenty for that first day.

Terra Haute is fine too but that segment from TH all the way to Maryland is not as straight a shot as it looks on the map. Oh, it’s dead straight, mostly flat and boring until you get east of Columbus. Then it starts a gradual climb and you will be in hilly terrain (I won’t say mountainous to somebody coming from Colorado) through most of Pennsylvania, which is a much bigger state then it looks on the map.

Every time I’ve driven that, between slow trucks on the grades, construction and wrecks, it’s taken longer then anticipated. Sometimes much longer, especially if it snows. Then, on the eastern end, you will have much more traffic when you are tired and over the experience.

For that reason, I might try to go further then TH on day 2, maybe Dayton or Columbus. That would lengthen the second day over easier and mostly less congested hwy (except for wrecks and construction) and shorten the last day with its challenges the last few hours into Maryland.

Sooo…if you ship everything else, including people, on ahead and just have a relief driver with you? You might comfortably make it on two layovers if you don’t mind the possibility of a looong day somewhere on the road. If you are caravaning with another car and people/pets? I’d pick a third layover, probably stay with Terra Haute and pick something just over the Pen line.

I just look at that 24 hour road time estimate, know most of that route and remember hauling a horse trailer and moving long distances and think 3 layovers. Give you a cushion for flat tires breakdowns and other travel treats.

YMMV, everybody is different, so are their horses.

[Doctracy]

We took I40 from AZ to NC last year. Laid over 4 times. I had some stables planned out from Overnight Stabling.com but since we only had one horse we put some 12 foot panels on our trailer and just found hotels with nice fields next door.
I don’t know layovers on I-70. I’ve only hauled east of OK a couple of times, west from TX-AZ a bunch and a couple trips to WA state. I try to do 500 miles a day in hot summer,700-800 in cooler weather. Younger horses or more fragile horses less miles,too. Last summer, my horse that I hauled had anhydrosis so it was hard to get far, stopping to wet home down and let him out of the hotbox trailer on a regular basis.

[Lutecia]

As somebody already suggested, I second the purchase of US Rider insurance. It will be a long haul for you and the last thing you want is to be stranded on the road without your normal car insurance being able to do a thing for your horses. Also, US Rider customer service will be able to give you recommendations for overnight stabling along your route. It is a very reasonable price for what they can do for you should you need it.

Also, as others already mentioned, many vets in the area are sceptical about the dog lyme vaccine. There is no study on its effect on horses and preventing the disease. However, it is known that a horse once vaccinated with the dog vaccine will test false positive if you need to test him for Lyme disease in the future thus making the diagnosis more difficult.

Good luck and safe travels!

[Doctracy]

Horsemotels.com and horse trips.com are great resources. Also, there are many fairgrounds with overnight stabling. I’ve stayed at Amarillo and Idaho grounds. My favorite overnight place is a lovely place south of Amarillo on the way down to Gainesville. Lovely hotel rooms, showers if you stay in the trailer. Very nice barn and a couple of turnout options. Plus, they have a kitchen with breakfast meals and dinners and they often make dinners,if you stop early enough.
Know this doesn’t help you on I70 but maybe will help somebody else.
Denver to Iowa City is a long haul without the horses as I used to make that trip when I was in college.

[Sendero]

We are going to miss you, D!!!