From Colorado to Maryland... 1613 miles to our new home.

[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!

[Simkie]

Two layovers for sure.

We came from Colorado to southern Minnesota about a year ago. That trip maps at 12 -13 hours. It took a lot longer than that with the water breaks for the horses and dogs. Closer to 16? We were exhausted, and the horses were very tired.

Have you considered a pro hauler for the horses and loading the trailer with farm stuff? Next time, I’m not hauling the horses myself…I want them to go air ride.

[gottagrey]

hi Petastorm - welcome to Maryland!! whereabouts will you be living? Let me know if you need any equine (or not) related pointers!

[Petalstorm]

Hmmm. I’ll have to think on that one. Who would you use for shipping?

[Petalstorm]

Thank you! We will be living in Barnesville.

[js]

I’d have a professional hauler ship the horses, pack things you will need immediately in the horse trailer. Make arrangements for a boarding facility before hand for temporary place to ship them to. Try to see how long it will take for them to travel with a shipper and then arrange your schedule to be arrive prior to them getting there if possible otherwise have a trusted person to receive them. While shipping isn’t stress free, it is a lot less stressful then doing it yourself, especially with layovers. If you and your horses are seasoned travelers then you might be fine with doing it yourself.

[rustbreeches]

I regularly do CO to VA. Ship the horses professionally. That is a long way to go unless you have an air ride trailer. With my kids and with or without a trailer, 2 solid days. 3 would be much better. With multiple kids and pets, you really need to tag team rest stops. With that many living creatures, you are bound to have mild calamity. Minimizing the number of features (shipping the horses with a pro) minimizes the factors for calamity. Put what fits in the trailer, have pros move the rest. Keep belongings in travel vehicles to a minimum to maximize sprawl room for kids.

[BuddyRoo]

I’d ship the horses professionally and save your money by loading your trailer with your stuff. I can recommend a great hauler that I just used from VA to MI. But there are many good ones out there. If you don’t yet have a place for your horses, being able to leave them where they are for a bit longer is also nice.

If you do it yourself, most Lowes stores and Cabellas allow overnights which are great places to offload on the cheap.

[Petalstorm]

I have someone who is very experienced with hauling to do the driving of my trailer. My husband will drive his car with the kids.
How crucial is the air ride piece?

[Texarkana]

Good luck on your move! Maryland is a great place to live.

Also, you may want to consider vaccinating for botulism if you haven’t already… Very endemic in the mid-Atlantic region!

[Simkie]

[QUOTE=Petalstorm;8226848]
Hmmm. I’ll have to think on that one. Who would you use for shipping?[/QUOTE]

I’d call Equine Express, Hubbard and maybe Brookledge. That’s a well traveled route, so you should have a few options with the big names. Hubbard has a layover facility right off of I-80 in … York, maybe? Some little town in Nebraska.

If you have anyone old or slightly infirm, consider a box stall. I brought two with me (my youngsters) and shipped my older horses here on an air ride. Dove (then 7 yo) did fine and walked off fresh, but Blush (then 16yo) was still really tired. I’d underestimated how much energy she’d use to balance with her mild neuro issues. Next time we go anywhere, she goes in a box. I think the others would be fine in a stall and a half, even with a longer trip.

@Petalstorm;8226876

How crucial is the air ride piece?

For that trip, I would consider it vital. That’s a long way.

[moving_to_dc]

We moved from OKC to southern MD in May 2012 - it was 1413 miles point to point. We moved the entire farm, too - fencing, gates, water tanks, hay, tractor, implements, etc.

We hauled the horses ourselves, at the time they were a 7 yr old Arab (previous breeding stud that was just gelded in April!), 28 yr old Arab gelding, and a 36-yr old Morgan X gelding. Trailer is a 2007 Sundowner 3-horse slant (no air ride). We stopped over in Conway, AR; Lebanon, TN and Lexington, VA.

We had 4 dogs, 3 cats, 3 gerbils, 3 kids and split between my husband & I in separate vehicles. We filled a semi with household goods (which went ahead of us and was held in storage until we arrived), a 26 ft Penske rental box truck with farm gates, water tanks, cattle panels, pipe panels, fencing, hay, tiller, mowers, and freezers full of food. The Penske was pulling a trailer with our Kia Spectra on it. I drove my GMC pulling the horse trailer. Our neighbor drove our Dodge dually pulling our 36’ flatbed loaded down with our 45 hp New Holland w/FEL & mower, box blade, zero turn mower, post hole digger, etc. on it…

We had planned on taking the horses directly to the house we were purchasing but found out while driving thru TN that our closing was being pushed back 2 WEEKS due to issues with the sellers (if they decided to go thru with the sale at all!). That was a bit of a panic moment… Thankfully, we literally pulled into a local boarding place that was happy to accommodate 3 horses immediately.

The move was fairly simple considering our previous move was 4000+ miles ONE WAY from Alaska to OKC. Moving from CO to MD is certainly do-able and MUCH cheaper as a DIY move vs. hiring everything out.

[Flash44]

Welcome! There is a sign on I-70 westbound that has the mileage to Denver listed. I always wondered who would come or go all the way.

[rustbreeches]

Also consider that if you are doing the move this summer, you will face extreme temps. The pro guys can drive all night and avoid the heat. Personally, I wouldn’t ask a horse I liked to do more than 8 hours a day on a trailer without air ride. According to another poster you are easily looking at 4 days on the road. Plus lodging for you and the horses. If you had to pick between using a pro for furniture or horses, remember your furniture doesn’t care how long it takes to get somewhere!

[veezee]

I would do at least 2-3 days for your travels. Give the horses and kids a break and make it a fun move. We’ve gone from West Coast to East Coast and made over 20 moves with horses which we found doing it ourselves with dogs and cats with us also made it more fun for the stopovers by taking time and not feel overly rushed. Back then we used the Stabling Overnight Guide to make our arrangements for the horses. With the internet these days you can easily look up overnight stabling and make all of your arrangements even easier plus find a fun place for you and the kids to stay overnight. This time of year is also tricky for weather so you want to make sure that if it is going to be overly hot that you travel at night and take a break to cool the horses down during the day at the “overnight” stable. Just be careful, have a fun and safe move, and enjoy your new home!

[BuddyRoo]

I’ve hauled my horse(s) all over the US over the years on long hauls. IA to TX, TX to MI, MI to VA, VA to MI…

The biggest issue is hydration IMHO. So if you know now that you’re going to be doing this, I’d suggest flavoring the water now so you don’t have to haul a ton of water with you from home that they will actually drink.

I’d also recommend that you talk to a few vet clinics along the way in advance in case you need some help.

And lastly, if you’re not going to use a hauler, make sure your rig–trailer AND truck–are getting a good work over before you go.

[JanM]

Try not to arrive in St. Louis when the baseball game gets out. I made that mistake, and it was a nightmare.

[charismaryllis]

Yeah, the heat’s usually disgusting. not as bad this summer as previous years though. Welcome to the free state.

[SLW]

OP, something to consider if you haul is to do 1-70 to the west side of St. Louis then duck down and catch 64 east all the way over to 81 in Virginia then shoot north. Looking at the 1-70 route you will be driving by several big cities which means factor in rush hour and road repairs/construction which is everywhere this time of year but more so around the major cities.

Denver to KC would be what, 9/10 hours?? The next day you could drive to Lexington, KY which is a 9 drive by car, longer with the crew you have. Another option would be to overnight in Louisville which is one hour closer to KC. Lexington, KY to your place in Maryland would be the last day of driving. the I-64 route adds about 60 more miles overall but you avoid some of those big cities on I-70.

[moving_to_dc]

[QUOTE=SLW;8227038]
OP, something to consider if you haul is to do 1-70 to the west side of St. Louis then duck down and catch 64 east all the way over to 81 in Virginia then shoot north. Looking at the 1-70 route you will be driving by several big cities which means factor in rush hour and road repairs/construction which is everywhere this time of year but more so around the major cities.[/QUOTE]

We take I-64 every time we have to head west to KS (usually 2 round trips a year). WAY WAY WAY better road, zero traffic, no major cities/rush hours compared to I-70. I-70 between Kansas City and St. Louis flat out SUCKS.

You do have to cross a pretty decent climb/descent by east coast standards on I-64 between Beckley, WV and Lexington, VA, but it is nothing compared to crossing the Rockies. The only time I have driven that stretch in enough traffic where I had to stay in my own lane was Memorial Day. Otherwise, it is a pretty desolate stretch of road and I take the inside lane on all the curves to “straighten” the road out and make the ride more comfortable.