I am moving to El Paso, Texas and I am planning on shipping my horse from south Florida to Anthony, NM. I have no experience with shipping companies or what I need to looking for and how to prepare him and what to pack with him when they ship him, and if I need to get equine insurance for the trip. Would anyone know how much it will cost as well? Any advice will be very helpful.
A quick search in the forums will provide a lot of threads on the topic of long-distance hauling. A commercial hauler will be the most comfortable, but it’s typically the most expensive (aside from air travel). You’ll have to reach out to the different companies for quotes, price depends on your timeline and what stall configure you would like. Most professional haulers carry their own liability insurance.
Personally, I recently shipped my horse cross-country from SC to WA. Box stall on air-ride semi. It took about 4 days and she got gastroguard the week leading up to, during, and 1 week after travel. Grain won’t be given en-route but they can feed your hay (in lieu of hay they provide). You’ll also need to provide a health certificate completed w/in 30 days of travel and a negative coggins.
Here are a couple of commercial companies you can reach out to for quotes:
Brookledge
Creech Transport
Equine Express
Bob Hubbard
Johnson Horse
There is also a facebook group called “Hitch your horse a ride” where you could get quotes as well.
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The good shippers (see list in previous post) will have lots of info on their website. Equine Express has a good FAQs page.
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I’ve spent lots of time riding in El Paso because my trainer was located there and I lived in Las Cruces! The mountains are beautiful and purple at sunset! You and your horse will love the lack of humidity.
I have shipped horses around a number of times. So has my friend in El Paso, so have friends in Houston (to Wellington and back). We all really like Equine Express. They have a hub in Texas and so likely do many runs to your area from Texas (your horse will have to stay at their hub and change trailers). They are, in my experience, very kind to horses. I also shipped a horse from Las Cruces to Pittsburgh, PA with Blue Chip and they were fantastic and communicative. But Blue Chip’s hub is up north.
Look for an air-ride van to avoid wear and tear on the long trip. You CAN ship in a straight stall but if you can spring for a box stall, go for it. Many people say “pull shoes” but I think that makes an uncomfortable experience even more uncomfortable. You can decide on that. Most shippers don’t want foot wear (boots) because they will not be able to “fix it” if the boots start to come off. I’ve always shipped horses “naked”. I’d put the horse on a trailer with a halter with your/his name taped on it and that’s it. Don’t be tempted to send nice hay - they will likely “lose” it. Ask if they have hay they’ll feed and go with the answer. You can send a well-sealed tack trunk that is well-labeled with your horse’s name, your name and your address, but that costs extra. Most shipping companies are happy to discuss what works/doesn’t work in their experience.
I don’t know of companies who insure just for travel, as my horses have had insurance anyway. But I do think that if you go with a reputable company, your horse has as much chance getting injured as s/he’d have with you trailering. Knock on wood, I’ve never had a problem with long distance shipping. And really, discuss this all with the company/companies who do this all the time.
Good Luck! Enjoy the purple mountains and non-existent humidity!!
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I have shipped around the country with pro haulers and hands down the best was Brookledge. That was from Montana to New England. They got a box stall, an air ride, water, hay and when they stepped off the trailer, they looked fantastic. The drivers were available, helpful and responsive. I think I did have meds administered (and they were willing to do that) One of the horses shipped east was elderly and frail and he looked terrific getting off the trailer, so, a big fan. It can take them a few days to get you dates (but likely not for you as FL is a lot more traveled than Montana!!!) but very helpful. Did not get extra insurance. It’s been a few years but I think the box stalls for that trip were about $3500.
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I shipped my elderly pony from Colorado to South Carolina via Brook Ledge. It was a very positive experience. He came off the trailer happy and calm. He wouldn’t eat while traveling, and the drivers made a big effort to figure out something to tempt him. I shipped him wearing just a halter (he was never shod in the 15 years I owned him). I went for a box stall since my horse was over 30 years old and I wanted him to be able to lie down if he wished. He was only on the trailer for about 30 hours, which was nice given that he picked that moment to decide he no longer liked soaked hay pellets.
Rebecca
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I used U-Ship years ago and had a very good experience. https://www.uship.com/horses/ You can get a whole bunch of quotes at once and also see reviews of the shipper. A lot of the big name shippers are on there already so it saves some time in sending individual emails to ask about pricing and availability. Good luck with the move!
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I used Equine Express to ship my horse from Boston to Los Angeles and they were wonderful. Not the cheapest, but not the most expensive, either. They sent regular texts and photos during the trip and my horse arrived in great condition, very calm and relaxed.
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I used Equine Express with great success several times; the drivers appeared to be horsemen, and I’d call them first if I needed to ship another horse.
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I have used Equine Express to ship a horse from So. Cal. to Washington State with great results. I have also used Terry Konkle of Light Star Ranch to ship a horse and pony from So. Cal. to St. Louis who was also excellent. Both times horse rode in air ride vans in box stalls. http://www.lightstarranch.com/
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