Horse Transporting Companys

Looking for suggestions for shipping companys. So far have contacted Brookledge, Mark Siebert, Salee, and Creach. Has anyone heard of Leonard, details please…thank you

Where are you shipping from and to?

I used BrookLedge to ship my elderly pony from Colorado to South Carolina. They did a great job with him. I mention this in case you also want a recommendation in addition to having already contacted them.

Rebecca

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I recently shipped a horse from Arizona to Oklahoma with Brookledge. I used them years ago and as it was this time they were professional, kept in contact with me the entire way and were great. They are worth every penny.

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Agree with the above posters that Brook Ledge, while usually higher than others in price, also are the most timely and professional.

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Depending on where you are shipping, I would highly recommend Nobody’s Business, but they are basically just up and down the East Coast. Companies like Brookledge and Johnson are great at logistics. They move things efficiently on a schedule. Smaller companies like Nobody’s Business will drive you nuts with scheduling and communication, but they are horse people first and business people second. The larger companies will pick a horse up in a smaller van and then let them sit at a central location while they accumulate horses from different locations at different times to fill the van. The horses are not being mistreated, but it is stressful for them.

If you are shipping across the country, I would highly recommend looking into Horseflights or Tex Sutton. I recently flew my horses across the country after finding it was only a couple hundred dollars more per horse to fly rather
than truck them.

Good luck. Let us know what you decide and whether you are ultimately happy with whoever you choose. The more information we share,the better our horses’ travels will be.

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https://www.equineexpress.com/

Have used them several times over the years, as has my best friend. Our horses have always arrived in excellent condition, including pregnant mares, thirty-something gelding, horse post-surgery, weanling, etc.

Real horsemen are the drivers.

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It’s been a few years, but I had a great experience with Brookledge. They shipped my 4 horses - 3 were mid 20s and 2 donkeys - one mid 30s - from the midwest to Southern California, all in box stalls. My younger donkey did not want to load and they took the time he needed. Everyone arrived in perfect shape. Flash my oldest donkey popped off the trailer and looked like a million bucks. Which is good, as that’s about what it cost. Thanks to my employer for a generous relocation package!

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Kevin Hennessy is amazing. I second this. Him, Brookledge, Creech are all good.

Lorraine is another one that is good

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You didn’t ask, but I’m going to share some questions you need to ask of the horse transport company. I’ve learned a few lessons the hard way over the years. :grinning:

  1. What route are you taking?
  2. How many stops are you making along the route?
  3. Will my horse be offloaded at any point?
  4. How long will my horse be on the trailer?
  5. Will my horse have access to hay and water throughout the trip?
    5a. If not, how often will you make water and hay available?
  6. What kind of trailer are you using and what are my options for stalls (box, single, etc)?
  7. How many drivers/horse handlers will be in the truck and what is their horse experience?
  8. What is your policy for keeping me updated on the trip and how my horse is doing?

Don’t assume anything and pin them down on details as much as you can.

I have had good experiences with Brookledge, Sallee, and Lorraine, but those were all on the Lexington-Ocala route, so were simple, straight-shot, no-stop trips.

My worst experience was with a company that was recommended here on the forum in a previous horse transport company discussion. Another not great experience was with someone that was personally recommended by a friend.

My very finest horse transport experience was with a small, Mom-and-Pop transport company that I called because “a guy I know knows a guy who says they’re great.” :woman_shrugging:

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Additional Qs: Will my horse be on more than one trailer and, if so, what size are the different trailers? Are they all air-ride trailers? Will my horse be in the same kind of stall in each trailer?

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Brook Ledge has a $5,000 limit for all horse mortality, you may want to inquire as to what coverage the carrier has and what additional coverage could be added

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EHT. Ecclestone Horse Transport.

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I’ve tried to use Brookledge a FEW times, but they’ve never been able to give me even an idea of when the horse will ship. It’s always “we’ll let you know when we have a load” which just hasn’t ever worked. I don’t know how it works for anyone, tbh! Maybe it’s just the routes I’ve needed?

I’ve had great experiences with Equine Express, based in TX. Also with Holly Hill, out of Mass, and Judge Manning, in NY.

Location is important, in my experience. The closer one end of your route is to where the shipper is based, the better. Or closer to a hub.

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My Dad got transferred from Michigan to Pennsylvania. He submitted the horse moving expenses to the company. When they questioned it, he told them, “Hey, if the horses don’t go, my kids won’t go and if my kids won’t go, I won’t go.” They paid it.

Three years later, they offered him another promotion and transfer to Kentucky. The first thing they said after making him the offer was, “But we’re not paying to ship any horses this time.” :rofl:

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I used Brookledge and I loved their communication. I also used equine express a number of times and they were mostly good. The hay doesn’t seem to follow the horse.

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Equine express is very good just depends when you are shipping who makes that route.

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I’ve used Fairway and JR Hudson. Both have been great

Mark Choper has retired so I don’t know if Fairway is doing any more business. Their website is still up. Have used JR Hudson and Holly Hill and they have both been great.

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I’ve tried to use Brookledge, but they wouldn’t even talk to me, and both stops were pretty close to I-95.

My go to was Tapp’s, but they’ve retired. I can’t remember who bought them out.