Hi y’all.
So I have two horses, one trailers well the other we are teaching to trailer.
We are fixing to move from Iowa to Mississippi. I was going to hire a hauling service but my dad and I were talking. And he thinks we can move them ourselves.
I am looking for advise on doing this and general information.
How frequent do we stop. How long do our stops have to be?
we have hauled them before just not long distances.
Any and all help is welcome.
Thanks.
Hire the commercial hauler and save yourself and your horses a lot of stress.
Do they both tie reliably?
Do you have a stock trailer or a straight load or a slant load?
How much experience do you or your Dad have hauling livestock?
I think the answer to this heavily depends on the type of trailer you have.
two spacious box stalls on a gooseneck with a decent driver? Not that big a deal.
tiny 2h steel stock trailer that bounces all over the road? Substantially different proposition.
js has a good point. Being a Canadian, I have no idea how far this trip will be. But if you are determined to do it yourself, several questions and points come to mind.
Is your truck and trailer suitable for long distance hauling? You can get away with a trailer that is smaller, and bumper pull if you are only shipping locally, but for cross country hauling, a 5th wheel trailer will get a better ride, less sway, more comfortable for the horses. There us nothing worse then breaking down on the side of the road with a loaded horse trailer, so make sure what you are driving is fully road worthy. Professional commercial rigs are often better suited and more reliable in this respect. For long distance shipping, roomier stalls are often better than regular narrow trailer stalls, so if you can provide that in your trailer, that would be a good idea.
Presuming your truck and trailer is suitable for this journey, you need to stop to rest the horses about as often as you need to eat or pee… so every 5 or 6 hours. You do not need to unload the horses, they just need a rest from the motion (as long as they are quiet when the trailer is stopped). If the shipping will take several days, you need to find layover stables about every 12 hours, where you can unload and spend the night. Commercial shippers may ship straight through without using layover stables, but as a non-professional, you will need to stop overnight.
Take enough water and hay from home for the trip. This is the water your horses are accustomed to, and are more likely to drink. If they don’t drink, they risk impaction. So don’t use water that they are not accustomed do. Don’t feed grain, just keep hay in front of them, and offer water when you stop to rest. You must have a trailer that gives you access to the horses for this.
If you ship your horses commercially, you can use your horse trailer to pack your stuff into. This is what horse people often do when making a major move, pack their trailer with all their inert possessions, and ship the horses commercially. So doing that will save you $ on a moving company, and you pay the commercial horse shipping company instead. This allows you to go on ahead, and make sure that your new place is ready to receive your horses, in advance of their arrival.
Good luck with the move, and your decisions. I shipped my own horses when I made the move, but it was only a 5 hour trip, and I made multiple trips, both with horses and with everything else. But I have a big 5th wheel trailer, and lots of horses at the time to move. If you use a commercial shipper, make sure to “check them out” for care of the horses in their care. There is a substantial difference in the quality of care of horses, from “very skilled”, to “complete nightmares”, so ask around before you decide on which company to use. You need to decide if the job YOU can do will be BETTER for your horses than what a commercial company can offer, or not. You may need some vet work and paperwork on your horses before moving them, IDK what regulations are in place in your country. A commercial company will know this.
^ this
Use your trailer for hauling all the horse equipment and extras
Jingles & AO for smooth relocation ~
I’m betting the IA to MS run isn’t one a lot of commercial haulers make…
In my experience, shipping commercially isn’t always the stress free process that many here tout it to be.
My biggest question is exactly how long of a trip is this? NW IA to Biloxi is a different story than SE IA to the Memphis suburbs. That may even make the difference between a one day run and needing to split it up into 2 days, as that’s an 18hr v. 7hr. difference.
Second question is are the vehicles (truck and trailer) in a condition that you feel comfortable making that type of run? No big thing for a well maintained truck and trailer, but if you have doubt, it’s not worth the headache.
Otherwise, a good rule of thumb is to stop, with the truck shut off, every 4 hrs. for about 20-30 min.
This. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a tiny portion of the cost of moving and it’s worth every penny.
When I moved from Florida to North Carolina earlier this year, I hired a professional. I own a truck and a nice trailer, which I am perfectly capable of driving and which I filled with all the leftover odds and ends that didn’t make it onto the moving van. Traveling up I-75 and through Atlanta was stressful enough with just the dog and a trailer full of stuff. I patted myself on the back several times during the trip for being smart enough to have the equines shipped instead of hauling them myself.
They traveled in individual box stalls in a big, steady, smooth-riding trailer and had a much better trip than they would have had in my 2 horse bumper pull.
Again, worth every penny.
Quick Google search showed me a 12h drive - at best.
It will be slower hauling as stops s/b added.
If your Dad is not experienced hauling livestock or if he is, not coming along on the drive, I agree with @js & @Zu Zu .
Why add stress to moving?
Commercial shipper can be $$*, but IMO well worth the cost as it leaves you one less thing to worry about.
Pack your trailer with as much “stuff” < from house & barn, as you can & save on commercial movers.
*please research shippers carefully, If there is a large show-type barn in your area, ask who they use.
Be wary of sites like UShip - had a quote to move 3 from IN to NV by someone with a 5H GN, no air-ride.
Not a trailer I want my horses on for such a long haul with limited (if any!) stops.
OTOH: my WB got here from FL in 36h on an air-ride semi so huge it had to park on the road - could not get down my drive to the barn. He walked off like the trip had been 1h & had a nice big box stall all to himself.
If you do decide to ship them yourselves, invest in USRider prior to the trip. You’ll find mixed reviews online on how helpful they are, but the people I know that have needed to use them have had nothing but good experiences with them. It’s worth the peace of mind!
As a side note, no matter if you decide to haul yourself or commercially, practice on small trips with the horses first. Make it a comfortable, rewarding experience for them so they don’t cause a scene when the professional hauler comes to pick them up.
it is only 800 miles, no mountain passes to deal with, all on lightly traveled interstates … really not a bad haul unless OP attempts to do it in blizzard
From capital to capital, it’s about 12 hours and no mountains to cross. Oh, and since it’s a southbound trip, it’s all downhill, right??!!!
I think 12 hours in that area is very manageable. I’d get my truck serviced if needed and have the brakes and electric checked on the trailer, and practice changing the trailer tire, and like some one said, have a roadside emergency service that can handle livestock.
if conditions are right, when the blue norther comes in there would be a tailwind …save gas/fuel
Personally, I would not hesitate to haul myself.
The decision making tree would go like this: I have equipment that is in good condition, with regular maintenance done. I am confident in my ability to manage driving challenges that I might encounter. I have a driving partner who would be able to change a tire, or perform other minor repairs, and the trailer is stocked with essential tools and supplies. My horses all travel well. If you are not confident in all of these areas, please consider a pro.
For 24 hours or less (including all stops), I would drive straight through, stopping every couple of hours to check horses, buy fuel, sandwiches, coffee etc.Unless some crisis took place, I would not unload until reaching my destination.
I would haul myself. But both my horses haul well. I have done fairly long hauls before. My truck and trailer are in good condition. My husband is comfortable driving the truck/trailer. If it is around that 12 hour trip per Mapquest I would plan on stopping after about 8 hours into the trip at a lay-up farm. With rest stops and slower driving with the trailer it always takes longer. It also is a nice break for everyone and if weather is not great such as snow or rain it means I am not scrambling to find lodging for us all in the middle of the night or driving exhausted.
First, what are you hauling in? Is it a reliable truck and trailer in good, serviceable condition? If so, you can DIY. If not, ship them.
Second, what are you shipping? Old, retired horses or young, healthy ones? Old and retired, ship them. Youngsters, haul them.
How far are you going? I did quick Maps search and it’s about 14 hours from Mason City to Jackson. That’s a long, one day haul but a one day haul. You can even go a bit farther with young horses and two drivers. On long hauls (East TN to El Reno, OK; about the same distance) we’ve done it non-stop multiple times. It’s about our ultimate daily haul distance. We do NOT ever unload on the road unless we are stopping for the night. And NEVER unload at a highway rest area. In a lot of place it’s unlawful. And if you have re-loading issue…you might really SOL.
We stop every two hours for a bathroom break and that gives the horses a short break, too. We do a lunch stop and, on longer hauls, a dinner stop. In more than 15 years of multi-day hauling I’ve never had any of our horses drink on the road. They just don’t do it. I don’t bother to offer anymore. Going all day without water in normal temperatures will not overly stress a healthy horse. They do have a hay bag to munch on.
Breaking a trip at a “horse motel” after a few hours is not a bad idea but is not actually a necessary thing, either.
Good luck on your run! 
G.
I have hauled from MD to CT, MD to SC, SC to FL and FL to SC again. It depends on the horse and how comfortable they are for long periods of time. The drive from MD to CT was rough it was beginning of December and cold. I was really tired by the time I got to CT and made many fuel stops. My horse was an old pro at shipping and would snooze at fuel/potty breaks. I didn’t even go in the rest stop most times just pottied in the trailer. Trailer was full of shavings and again he didn’t care.
My mare after our trip from FL to SC…I shipped her back to FL. It was to stressful. She was a cow getting on the trailer and hated my trailer with a passion. Diva didn’t like my straightload or ramp.
Get USRider because changing a flat on the side of the road is NOT fun.
Hauling of that distance would not deter me. My concern is, are you hauling your horses as well as moving yourself? That’s a lot of work. On the other hand, if you have to haul the trailer, you might as well haul the horses as well.
I’ve never had issues hauling that distance. It’s one solid day trip. We don’t unload on the road. Too dangerous. We check on them when we stop for restroom breaks. When we stopped for lunches and dinners, we opened their windows, turn on the fan (if in summers), and offer them molasses water. They will play and drink a little molasses water but not much. I think we’re doing that for our benefit. We make sure they have hay. Overall I think it’s more taxing on the humans than on the horses.
Oh have your cogging and health certificates in order before you get on the road.
We hauled ourselves in 2-horse BP from MN to GA. We did a number of refueling/pee/food stops, obviously, and also laid up overnight just past St. Louis. It wasn’t super fun, but mare made it fine. LOL - we had the car packed with us, 2 dogs, crystal, china and electronics and the trailer full of mare, trunk and houseplants! Quite the sight, I’m sure!
If you have an appropriate, reliable truck and trailer and horse is normally a good shipper, I would absolutely consider hauling yourselves. The USRider suggestion is a great one, just in case! I also tried to locate nearest equine vets along the way, just in case.
I think it also depends on who YOU are. If you’re a worry-wart and Negative Nelly even when things are going well, probably best to hand off the stress to a well-researched professional outfit. If you’re laid back, comfortable with your trailer and vehicle, etc, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it myself. Just set yourself up for success and have back-ups and back-ups to the back-ups in case weather intervenes, things go south (no pun intended), etc. Having a layover farm planned just in case you can’t do it in one day (if you decide to do a straight shot trip) could be the difference between a slightly extended trip and a harrowing 24 hour ordeal.
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