Horse's Death Exposes Illegal Horse Hauler - Pete's Story

[wildlifer]

Heartbreaking though it is (I had to skip parts of your post, they hit too close to some of my own human-related open wounds) & as nauseating as the photos are (WHO TAKES PICTURES? SHOULD YOU BE BUSY, YOU KNOW…HELPING THE HORSE??) –

Thank you for sharing the story & publicizing it (I commented on it on the eventing board).

The big, glaring gap is their lack of a DOT#. Not that you should blame yourself for not asking for this – many members of the general public are grossly uneducated about this and the regulations can be very confusing. I work for state (& previously federal) gov’t, so have to deal with those types of red tape more often, hence my rage-filled AHA! when I read about their lack of registration.

It’s frightening enough that many PRIVATE horse owners are either unaware (some willfully, many not) or just ignore many licensing & hauling regulations that put horses & other drivers at risk – it’s even worse that someone CLAIMING TO BE A PROFESSIONAL SHIPPING COMPANY can’t produce something as simple (because when you have a rig that size, that is one of the simple basics) as a DOT #.

Your story will help raise awareness & educate people that these things even exist (they can vary by state, but there ARE federal DOT regulations as well), which will hopefully reduce such unethical business practices.

Vehicles which require registration also must clearly display their DOT# on the exterior of the vehicle (even the little Suburbans used by the biologists we often work with at Duke Energy), so you (& enforcement officers) can also look for it on the rig itself.

My deepest condolences again – I have seen plenty of humanity’s underbelly, but it was the photos & the casual, even sociopathic (in the sense that it seemed completely emotionless for haulers) relaying of horrific details & information…I know that will haunt me for some time, I can only imagine the effect on all who knew & loved this great horse.

(((hugs)))

[SLW]

OP- what a heartbreaking, needless death and one that was preventable if the drivers had been attuned or using the camera. I’m so sorry this happened.

Years ago a friend was hauling 6 horses on an Interstate and he felt something happen in the back and pulled over. All 6 slants had a horse- either a gelding or a stallion. The horse in the second slant had gone down and when he tried to right himself he gashed his rump open on the aluminum divider when it ripped away from the wall. He was pinned under the damaged divider and the horse in the third slant.

A new rig was sent, the injured stallion sent to the vet clinic. The right croup was split open with a cut like a chicken leg- one long straight line and 3 lines off of it. The cut went through 3 layers of muscle- my size 6 hand fit into the wound up to my knuckles. This was in June and that stallion competed at the AQHA World show in November because the rig driver knew he had a problem.

[IrishWillow]

[QUOTE=SLW;7895583]
OP- what a heartbreaking, needless death and one that was preventable if the drivers had been attuned or using the camera. I’m so sorry this happened.

Years ago a friend was hauling 6 horses on an Interstate and he felt something happen in the back and pulled over. All 6 slants had a horse- either a gelding or a stallion. The horse in the second slant had gone down and when he tried to right himself he gashed his rump open on the aluminum divider when it ripped away from the wall. He was pinned under the damaged divider and the horse in the third slant.

A new rig was sent, the injured stallion sent to the vet clinic. The right croup was split open with a cut like a chicken leg- one long straight line and 3 lines off of it. The cut went through 3 layers of muscle- my size 6 hand fit into the wound up to my knuckles. This was in June and that stallion competed at the AQHA World show in November because the rig driver knew he had a problem.[/QUOTE]

Exactly, SLW. I’ve had a young mare just lay down in the trailer. Not in distress or fall, just lay down. And I knew the instant it happened something was off.

[IrishWillow]

[QUOTE=wildlifer;7895458]

The big, glaring gap is their lack of a DOT#. Not that you should blame yourself for not asking for this – many members of the general public are grossly uneducated about this and the regulations can be very confusing. I work for state (& previously federal) gov’t, so have to deal with those types of red tape more often, hence my rage-filled AHA! when I read about their lack of registration.

It’s frightening enough that many PRIVATE horse owners are either unaware (some willfully, many not) or just ignore many licensing & hauling regulations that put horses & other drivers at risk – it’s even worse that someone CLAIMING TO BE A PROFESSIONAL SHIPPING COMPANY can’t produce something as simple (because when you have a rig that size, that is one of the simple basics) as a DOT #.

Your story will help raise awareness & educate people that these things even exist (they can vary by state, but there ARE federal DOT regulations as well), which will hopefully reduce such unethical business practices.

Vehicles which require registration also must clearly display their DOT# on the exterior of the vehicle (even the little Suburbans used by the biologists we often work with at Duke Energy), so you (& enforcement officers) can also look for it on the rig itself.

My deepest condolences again – I have seen plenty of humanity’s underbelly, but it was the photos & the casual, even sociopathic (in the sense that it seemed completely emotionless for haulers) relaying of horrific details & information…I know that will haunt me for some time, I can only imagine the effect on all who knew & loved this great horse.

(((hugs))) [/QUOTE]

Thank you. That was exactly our intention. I just had no idea. I dont ship horses cross country often, I’d say I’ve shipped 5 from out of state in my lifetime. People just DONT KNOW. Its not even to say its ignorance, it’s just not even knowing that someone who SAYS they’re a professional, licensed, insured, etc may not be. And how to check these things.

[dani0303]

As someone who is a DOT-regulated driver I ASSURE you that if they were doing things legally the incident would have been handled differently.

I’m so sorry this happened to your and poor, poor Pete.

For future reference, here’s a great website to search a company’s safety rating. You can search by DOT # or company name
http://www.safersys.org/CompanySnapshot.aspx

[jetsmom]

[QUOTE=Lady Eboshi;7894353]
I’ve had excellent service from Bob Hubbard who does that Southern route every week. The first time was sending a frail elderly gelding from CT to NM; the next was bringing my own greenbean from AR who’d never had a long ship before.
Both horses arrived calm, well-fed and watered, no dehydration or signs of stress.
They’ve been in the business for many years with solid credentials.[/QUOTE]

Bob Hubbard is good, and I have used equine Express numerous times and always been very happy with them. Great communication, caring drivers (They were hauling a mare that was blind in one eye, whey I got Fanny shipped to me, and were very careful and considerate of her when they were unloading Fanny. made sure to talk to her when approaching from blind side), and nice equipment.

[IrishWillow]

[QUOTE=dani0303;7895677]
As someone who is a DOT-regulated driver I ASSURE you that if they were doing things legally the incident would have been handled differently.

I’m so sorry this happened to your and poor, poor Pete.

For future reference, here’s a great website to search a company’s safety rating. You can search by DOT # or company name
http://www.safersys.org/CompanySnapshot.aspx[/QUOTE]

Thank you. I’ve since learned about the SAFER website. I had no idea it existed before. We sincerely feel they would have been in less of a hurry to leave if they were legal, and would have handled the situation quite differently.

Thank you for posting.

[IrishWillow]

I’ve used Equine Express and Brookledge almost exclusively prior to this incident. Also had good experiences with both.

[AlexS]

There just are no words, I am so sorry that this happened to you and Pete.

[Griffyn]

What a needless tragic end. Im very sorry OP, and so very sorry for the previous owners who are no doubt in shock and grief over this terrible thing. They were thinking of his retirement life with you, so sadly cut short. RIP Pete, and Im so glad you took the time to post this. Ive only shipped one horse twice long distances, and she came through fine. I know now to be much more careful in the future

[Lady_Counselor]

I am so sorry.

[stolen_virtue]

I just have to say that with horses, we are NOT expecting UPS where the “cargo” sits in the back in a box until the delivery. We pay much more for much more delivered in service. I paid over $400.00 for a 450 mile trip for my young OTTB. I do expect that if a horse falls in the trailer that he/she be dealt with appropriatly, and that may include a vet since it is a live animal.

I am happy to pay for hauling with experienced drivers and staff. We are not hauling furniture…

[AlterTops]

[QUOTE=IrishWillow;7895717]
I’ve used Equine Express and Brookledge almost exclusively prior to this incident. Also had good experiences with both.[/QUOTE]

I’ve used Brookledge with great success, many many times.

Equine Express- once left my horse in KY for 3 days, at the Brookledge layover barn. Brookledge was kind enough to look after him and keep me updated. I had to call EE to get any update. They didn’t find it ‘necessary’ to let me know they’d taken him off the trailer in KY and ‘forgot’ (Yes, FORGOT!) to put him back on.

They, on the same trip, also tried to deliver a 3 yo QH mare instead of my 17yo warmblood gelding… They asked if they could ‘just leave her here for the night’ and ‘bring my guy over in the next day or two’. :mad::eek:

I apparently had the worse luck with them, as they came highly recommended. Never again.

[Gorgonzola]

[QUOTE=AlterTops;7897729]
I’ve used Brookledge with great success, many many times.

Equine Express- once left my horse in KY for 3 days, at the Brookledge layover barn. Brookledge was kind enough to look after him and keep me updated. I had to call EE to get any update. They didn’t find it ‘necessary’ to let me know they’d taken him off the trailer in KY and ‘forgot’ (Yes, FORGOT!) to put him back on.

They, on the same trip, also tried to deliver a 3 yo QH mare instead of my 17yo warmblood gelding… They asked if they could ‘just leave her here for the night’ and ‘bring my guy over in the next day or two’. :mad::eek:

I apparently had the worse luck with them, as they came highly recommended. Never again.[/QUOTE]

I had a very similar experience with Equine Express- you are not alone!!!

[trubandloki]

It is very clear that the OP is far more classy than this trailer operation will ever be.
I am thankful to the OP for turning this horrible tragic event into a learning experience for the rest of us.

Count me as one of those people who does not understand how they can have a camera in the trailer and not notice a horse is down.

[danceronice]

Whether the horse was dead or alive when they dumped him on the side of the road, that’s not just a bad horse hauler, that’s a crime (if he was alive, it’s animal cruelty, if he was already dead, at bare minimum it’s illegal disposal of a carcass and creating a hazard in a public road.) Someone ought to be going to jail over this or at bare minimum buying their way out with some massive fines and probation. I hope the authorities in the county where the horse was dumped off are pursuing criminal charges.

[Lauruffian]

This is a big tall glass of WTF?!

I’m so sorry for your loss, and thank you for sharing the story with us. Yeesh.

[MyssMyst]

I’m so very sorry for your loss, and the manner in which it happened.

I don’t have much to say that hasn’t already been said, but maybe we need a sticky thread for how to check out haulers. Or maybe a subforum for hauling, with that sticky, and each hauling company has their own thread for reviews.

[sdlbredfan]

This is so tragic. My heartfelt condolences to Pete’s humans, both the former owner(s) and his was-to-be retirement caretaker. I agree that sharing this with RMHP was a very good idea, with the hope that some other horse will be spared a possible repeat of such a horrific fate.

[sdlbredfan]

I hope there is some litigation going on, even if there is small likelihood of collecting anything.