How DOES one drive coast-to-coast with horse(s)?

[JoZ]

This is just a hypothetical question that has always intrigued me. I may put the info to use at some point but for now it is just a mental exercise. I’m talking about transporting one or more horses for distances in the 3000 mile vicinity. And I’m talking about private individuals/owners, not a commercial transport company.

• So first question, is it ill-advised? Would a horse be very uncomfortable in a typical 2-3 horse trailer?

• If it is feasible, is it best to do it as quickly as possible? Or meander across the country, having shorter drive days and more off-trailer time?

• Has someone put together one or more routes cross-country, complete with places to stay/board?

I was thinking about this last night, with regard to my Difficult Mare. I would be afraid that she would aggravate a professional so much that she’d be left tied to a telephone pole somewhere. So my thoughts went to “well you have a trailer and if you were moving back to Boston you’d have to get the trailer there too, soooo… what about driving?” Which set me off onto all these tangents.

Now there is no guarantee that Difficult Mare would behave for me, but I’m obligated (and willing) to stick with her! I can see it taking me a full season to get from WA to MA, like it took the pioneers, all because Imp decided somewhere in Iowa that she wasn’t going to play any more.

But regardless of whether I ever put it into play, I am curious. I like to drive and I’m very comfortable hauling horses, but find the logistics daunting. What if someone (coughImpcough) caused a delay and I couldn’t get to the next layover spot. That sort of stuff. Would love to hear firsthand accounts.

[meupatdoes]

I trailered two horses from NJ to TX and back in a 1990 Arndt (old and hoopty two horse).

It was two 12 hour days and one lay over.

They were offered water at gas stops.

My friend found the lay over barn in a quick google search and I called and scheduled them in advance. On the trip down she found them stalls with attached paddocks. On the way back a year and a half later she found them layover stalls in a gorgeous farm in KY, they decided to let them have the run of the indoor overnight so they could stretch their legs.

This was before we had smartphones, now your whole truck can explode and you can fix it as you would at home: by finding nearby vendors or people to help on your phone.

[Manni01]

Polo people do it all the time. They trailer with 8+ horses through the country. They have 3 seasons so they do it sometimes twice a year. But they have a very good network throughout the country. They help each other if there are problems and they know a lot of layover places…

[Guilherme]

[QUOTE=JoZ;8611499]
This is just a hypothetical question that has always intrigued me. I may put the info to use at some point but for now it is just a mental exercise. I’m talking about transporting one or more horses for distances in the 3000 mile vicinity. And I’m talking about private individuals/owners, not a commercial transport company.

• So first question, is it ill-advised?

No.

Would a horse be very uncomfortable in a typical 2-3 horse trailer?

No.

• If it is feasible, is it best to do it as quickly as possible?

Yes.

Or meander across the country, having shorter drive days and more off-trailer time?

No, don’t meander. Don’t dawdle. Pick a straight, interstate route and plan on driving three days for 8-10 hours and then taking a day off. This will do for healthy horses. If you’ve a sick, injured or aged horse then you might want to do two and one or even one and one.

• Has someone put together one or more routes cross-country, complete with places to stay/board?

More than once. Google “horse motels” and you’ll get at least three sites.

I was thinking about this last night, with regard to my Difficult Mare. I would be afraid that she would aggravate a professional so much that she’d be left tied to a telephone pole somewhere. So my thoughts went to “well you have a trailer and if you were moving back to Boston you’d have to get the trailer there too, soooo… what about driving?” Which set me off onto all these tangents.

Now there is no guarantee that Difficult Mare would behave for me, but I’m obligated (and willing) to stick with her! I can see it taking me a full season to get from WA to MA, like it took the pioneers, all because Imp decided somewhere in Iowa that she wasn’t going to play any more.

But regardless of whether I ever put it into play, I am curious. I like to drive and I’m very comfortable hauling horses, but find the logistics daunting. What if someone (coughImpcough) caused a delay and I couldn’t get to the next layover spot. That sort of stuff. Would love to hear firsthand accounts.[/QUOTE]

Too late for long answers but it’s no big deal if you do it smart.

G.

[js]

I’ve always been told its best and easiest on the horses to get there as quickly as possible; so horses are spending the least amount of time in layovers at strange places. The longest haul for us was 1,200 miles, we did stop each day at places that offered overnight stabling. We had one gas colic episode at an overnight stop, thank goodness the BO of the stables was super nice, called a vet out and all was good. We spend an extra unplanned day there, they were very accommodating! We had a seasoned show horse and a new 2 yr old that had never traveled before. We stopped every couple of hours for rest and water. We all made it safe and sound but it was the last long distance travel we’ve done, since then I’ve paid commercial haulers.

[walkinthewalk]

I moved the same three horses across this U.S. twice, five years apart.

I was single and 51 on the move out to SoCal. People who didn’t know me too well told me I’d never make it, lollol

I made both trips in four days and three nights.

Www.horsemotel.com is your best friend for pre-arranging layovers.

Pre-arranging layovers means you had better be good at figuring out how many miles you can comfortably cover in one day; sometimes construction delays can hamper that.

Make sure your truck and trailer are in excellent mechanical condition, regardless of their age.

No site-seeing - you’re on a mission to get those horses moved to Point B as safely and quickly as possible.

FWIW, I had someone drivingmuch of my house in a Ryder truck, that was pulling a classic car, while someone else drove my daily driver car.

Along with three horses, came two dogs and one cat the first trip. Coming back, a third dog was added.

You have to have a boatload of common sense, be Drill Sergeant organized, and not have meltdowns when there’s a hiccup in the plans — as there certainly could be when talking about a cross-country move.

[Doctracy]

Yes,use horsemotel.com,great resource.
I prefer shorter days and taking longer. Gives the horse more time to eat and drink each day. If under 750 miles I’ll do it in one day,though.
We moved 1 1/2 years ago from Phoenix to NC.
My oldest mare has been from CA to OK to WA state to OK to AZ to TX,back to AZ,back to TX and now to NC. She’s never had an issue with all her travels and she does sometimes have slight colic with weather change.
Try to haul in the cooler part of the day if summer. Stop for hay and water frequently as many won’t drink while moving.mi prefer to unload every night so they can eat and drink plenty. Give electrolytes. Check them frequently.
Our trip here to NC,I had my gelding who has anhidrosis, I had to unload him a couple of times to douse him with water on a really hot,humid day. He is the only one I’ve had any problems with and I knew from the beginning that I would have to watch him closely.

[roseymare]

And don’t take the “advice” to unload every 3 hours…
When you stop for bathroom breaks or food the horses will be able to catch some rest for their legs. Most will be ready to get on the road by the time you are.

[tuppysmom]

We have made about 10 trips across the country. Multiple horses on most trips.
ID to NC and then north to PA and MD, then back to ID.
ID to FL and then north to Ky and then back to ID
ID to NJ without stopping, put horse on plane to UK. Return trip 2 months later.This trip was hardest on the horse FYI.
Horse Motel website was very helpful. We made good friends along the various routes too.
We tried to have each day roll for about 600 miles, or 12 hours except for the straight thru trip. The horses always did very well and ate and drank their way across country

[bayhunter]

It’s already stressful enough driving across the country that personally, I couldn’t imagine doing it with a horse in tow.

When I moved from the East Coast to California about eight years ago, I moved with my horse at the time who would just get sometimes anxious in the trailer. Not bad, didn’t scream or do anything naughty, I could just tell he was anxious.

I paid Brook Ledge for a box stall and it was well worth it for my horse to be more comfortable and me not to have to be worrying about him if I were to have driven him myself.

[Jarpur]

When we’ve had a horse shipped cross-country to our home (as when importing), we’ve hired professionals. When we’ve had a broodmare to bring to or from a stallion, or a clinic or trail ride to attend, we’ve hauled them ourselves, even for considerable distances. These have all been amenable horses in good physical condition.

Our longest trip for a clinic was 3500 miles round trip. It’s certainly doable with a suitable rig in road-worthy condition, with overnight stops at appropriate intervals at suitable facilities along the way. We never really meandered, but traveled pretty much Point A to Point B.

[showidaho]

Our herd has moved from Calgary to Kansas, Kansas to Connecticut, and Connecticut to Montana. I hauled myself for the first two, last one I hauled my horse trailer full of stuff and hired a semi to take the herd plus some stuff. Horses are all fine.

My jumper flew over from Holland and was just fine.

[Manni01]

my personal experience. We imported 5 horses so far. 4 of them were trailered from Miami with a professional, 2 I picked up myself. The 4 brought by the professional were very unhappy… One horse looked like it would colick soon (luckily it didnt but it was really unhappy)
The 2 I picked up myself with my personal trailer arrived in perfect condition…

I have no idea why this happened. I assume they are released in Miami in perfect condition… ( the ones I picked up looked amazing, the other ones I did not see in Miami)

So for me the lesson was… I haul my horses myself, because then I am in control…

[Kwill]

These days it’s pretty easy to get weather reports on your phone, and before you leave – I would take that into consideration, as well, if you might have heavy rain, ice, snow, wind, and so forth. Might change your layover plans or how far you plan to drive, as well.

I have driven cross country a few times, but never with a horse. I think it would be fairly stressful. My limit now at my age is about 500 miles in a day, so consider how much stamina you have if driving alone. A trailer rig is going to be slower and cover less ground than a passenger car, in general.

I would have emergency stuff in the truck, like cones for emergency stops, reflective vests, and a good spare, jack, and all the other stuff needed to get you through an emergency both mechanical and with the horses.

Also making sure that you have all the health papers and brand info in order would also be a precaution you would want to take.

Personally I would just ship with a shipper but I certainly think it could be done if you are a good driver.

[otisrider]

I would definitely invest in US Rider if I were doing it. I’ve done NE to UT and UT to MN myselff but that’s the farthest.