Need Advice on shipping old horses

[HappyTalk]

We bought a home in the Tryon/Landrum area last January and moving has been a slow painful process due to Covid. We are up in Ohio and the trip down is 600 miles. Our horses are 31,30, 28, and 18 (mini). The three older ones all have Cushings; and one of the three is not being treated as he could not tolerate Prascend.

The 31 year old also suffers from periodic ataxia which seems to get more frequent in warmer weather. Two weeks ago we had to balance him against a wall to get his feet trimmed, but the next day he was running around the pasture. He can get up and down pretty easily. He is otherwise very healthy and truly has almost never had a sick day in his life. He physically does not look his age.

The other two horses are very arthritic.The black smith has difficulty trimming them even when medicated with bute. The 28 looks a little rough due to his untreated Cushings, but he has a healthy appetite and is able to walk/trot in pasture. The 30 year old suffers from diarrhea when on hay; it gets much better when he is out on pasture. The black smith was not able to trim his feet at all two weeks ago. All of the horses play with the horse balls in the pasture. It is not like they just stand around.

The mini is pretty healthy and has no problems other than a slight case of laminitis that has resolved.

All four are buted EOD.

Our plans was to trailer them down ourselves with a layover in Lexington, KY which is close to the half way point. Horses have gotten vaccines and Coggins tests. They will just need their health certificates.

We are on the fence about shipping them down. Does it make sense to ship horses that old that far of a distance? How stressful would it be to be in a new environment? We have our own farm now and the horses have resided here for 25 years. We would be moving them into a boarding/retirement situation.

My vet and I have a long relationship. He is open to euthanizing them, but the choice is up to me

Can anyone around the Tryon area recommend a retirement farm. We have not been able to get down there to look at facilities.

Hearing about other people’s experiences would be welcome.

[goodhors]

Wow, they sound pretty shakey, already in the home place! Moving is going to add a LOT of stress to their present conditions. And riding in a trailer for hours, even with rest breaks is LOT of work on those bad legs. Think how well would YOU do on a bus trip, without ever being able to sit and rest? What shape would you be in with only one overnight rest stop, stall to lay down in. Then another day of the same standing travel? Horse is constantly balancing, using muscles to stay standing while taveling. Muscles get really tired.

And their changing environment, from home farm to “not sure yet boarding,” then maybe moving again to your new place, will add more stress. They have lived at your farm 25 YEARS! Not used to big moving changes like a boarded horse who moves every year or two. May not mentally be able to accept those changes, even in their friend group.

Have to say that grass there is not like good pasture grass in Ohio. Hay is usually a LOT more expensive, if you can even find good stuff. Coastal hay is not very nutritious, though cheaper than grassy hay there. Boarding costs may be considerably higher, and summer heat is awful for hairy old horses that do not shed. Even clipped, they are not used to heat and humidity there.

Sounds terrible, but I think I would put the horses down, instead of putting them thru such a move and surprises you will find when you get to Tryon. The Mini sounds able to more easily deal with such a move. Even so, I would get myself to the Tryon area, to closely check facilities to board him at, get a MUCH BETTER grasp of the horsey area. Expenses may surprise you, in good or bad ways! At this point you are blindly jumping into a pond with no idea of what is under the surface!

[ThatBayHorse]

I dont know what you should do. I did ship my then 26 year old ottb gelding from louisiana to wisconsin because he stopped sweating and i was going to put him down otherwise. It was extremely stressful as it was over 1200 miles and about 36 hours. He did not eat or drink the whole time and he looked like crap when he got off the trailer. He then did not eat anything for a few days and we had to have the vet out several times to get the shot that stimulates appetite. He went to a boarded situation to my parents farm with their other two horses.

He is currently 29.5 and doing as well as a horse that age can be. I’m personally glad i made the decision to move him as hes lived several more years and seems happy.

[Elsari]

This is just my personal opinion (and it’s easy for me to say because I don’t need to make this decision today), but I wouldn’t do it. I have a horse in a similar situation (been at his current boarding barn for over 20 years and is an older gelding - 32). I decided a while ago that if he needed to be moved for whatever reason, I’d most likely just put him down. He’s lost some vision and just knows his daily routine and the layout of the grounds, I’m concerned that exposing him to new animals and a new barn wouldn’t go over well, especially if he was no longer in a self care situation. He doesn’t have the stability problems that you mention and isn’t on a daily pain killer for maintenance (he still canters up to the gate when called in from his paddock).

If you decide to move them, some things to consider:

• Is stopping half way enough? When is the last time these horses have traveled a good distance in a trailer? How did they handle it?
• Are you shipping them yourselves or hiring someone to do it? Not sure if a straight stall or boxed stall would be better.
• What's the likelihood of a horse going down in the trailer? What is the plan if this happens? How will you be alerted?
• For the heat - have the horse(s) body clipped before traveling to remove excess hair, give the electrolytes days leading up to and throughout traveling
• My horse can't eat hay (chopped or cubed), so I'd need to make sure I could get access to hay pellets. Not sure if that would be a problem for your guys or not

Definitely not an easy decision to make. Good luck in your new home. I completely understand wanting to keep your horses with you, but at some point we're forced to do what's best for them over our own wants/needs.

[Bluey]

Every horse is different and only you and your vet know where your horses stand when it comes to their quality of life.

Our vets generally consider a horse having trouble getting up and down, trouble standing to have feet attended to and on pain medications, all that as part of chronic conditions that are not going to improve, to be a fair reason to evaluate horse further for that last question.

Seems like your horses are about there now and that your vet agrees that more time, much less a long trip and change of management may not be in their best interest.
A hard decision that, where you are only buying them more time if you can, but at what cost to their quality of life?

Here are some points from experts to consider in that situation that may help you.

https://aaep.org/guidelines/euthanasia-guidelines

The way you describe the situation, not knowing any more than what you present, considering a stressful move, you may be there now, where letting them go may be best after all?
Of course no one here knows.
Keep asking your vet to help you decide, maybe?

[Zu_Zu]

the ‘correct’ decision is your decision ~ whatever and however way you decide ~

you will figure this out using your brain and heart together ~

use all your resources ~ process it ~ you’ll know ~

((hugs)) laced with strength ~ comfort ~ support ~

Safe travels !

[SuzieQNutter]

I personally wouldn’t do it.

If you meant you give them bute daily that means ulcers.

If you do do it, you should stop every 2 hours to let them put their heads down to drain.

[Melissa.Van_Doren]

If you decide to bring them down, I suggest you wait until late October/early November to do so.
I lived in south central PA and NE Indiana, so I know Ohio gets hot/humid, but not like it does here. When I moved from the mountains of western PA in July 2010, I left my three geldings (22, 20 and 8) behind for a couple months. And I wished I had waited longer. All were healthy and well-conditioned so the trip was fine (I hauled them myself), but the heat, bugs and different pasture grasses hit them like a ton of bricks.

If you’ll PM me with what your ideal situation would be, including cost/month, I can give you some suggestions for local facilities that accommodate retirees.

[HappyTalk]

Thanks Melissa. going to send you a pm

[BrokenArrow]

I would give them as much time as I could, kiss them all on the nose, and euthanize. Take the memories of them with you.

It is a huge ask for the three oldies to do a big trip, especially with chronic health conditions. I had a 23 year old trucked to me from another state when I brought him, he was in work and totally sound but the trip really knocked it out of him, even in good health. It took him a good 2 months to really bounce back and settle in. He’d been at his former home for quite a few years and it wasn’t until he retired that he ever fully settled into his life here. He was a little neurotic at the best of times but there were a lot of times I questioned whether I done the right thing by buying him.

[NaturallyHappy]

I’d like to share I have a friend who shipped her very rickety 32 year old Arab from Ohio to Washington State. He did really well-way better than anyone thought. She just couldn’t bear to leave him and I’m glad she didn’t. He did well and lived several more years! I would worry about hauling in the heat, but I worry about that regardless.

[js]

We shipped older horses when we moved to our present location. Ages were 30, 25, and 19. It was a 1300 mile trip with a 1 night lay over at the shippers holding facility. The big difference for our trip is we chartered an entire van from Equine Express and had them hauled in box stalls. Granted our horses were not as physically challenged as yours are but if you are set on shipping them I would charter an air ride van and have them professionally shipped in box stalls. However, before I would consider this talk with your vet and with some potential shippers and be honest with them, explain your horses challenges and see if any would be willing to haul them. The biggest concern I think would be the horse with ataxia, that poses a challenge if he should go down in the trailer, at least a box stall would give you some ability to get him up easier without unloading the other horses. Have you tried Equioxx rather than Bute? Isn’t as hard on their gut as Bute is.

[SLW]

If you decided to haul from Ohio to the SC upstate in the summer try to drive during the overnight when it would be a little cooler for the horses. There are things you can do to improve their comfort on the trailer

I’m not sure I would take the ataxic horse on the move for many reasons, the first being it would be a compassionate euthanasia in Ohio due to his condition. The second, the heat in SC will be tougher than in Ohio.

Your crew of aged equines are lucky to have you as their owner providing them with age appropriate care.

[A3dayeventer2009]

If you’re going to put them into a retirement situation down south, is it possible to put them in a retirement situation in Ohio instead? If you have someone there who you know and trust to board the horses with and like your vet there, it could be an option. I totally agree about waiting until at least mid-fall to move them if you decide to go that route. I moved my young OTTB from Ohio to the panhandle of Florida in July and he had a horrible time adjusting to the heat and humidity. I believe he was only 6 at the time. Constantly dripping sweat, hives, not eating his full meals, etc - for the entire summer. He was miserable until fall. The following summer he adjusted with no problems because he was able to gradually acclimate as the weather grew hotter. I live outside Atlanta now and it’s already disgustingly humid and in the mid 80’s with drenching humidity.

[WildGooseChase]

I would euthanize. But not because of their ages, because if their deteriorating health condition. The stress of standing, bracing and not being able to balance themselves well, wouldn’t be fair to expect from them.

[Quinn]

When I “sold the farm and moved to the city”, I had 7 personal horses. Of the 7, Max was 29 and Hudson was 33. I knew the move would be terribly hard on Max and had him euthanized and buried on the farm. Hudson, even though older, I knew would transition just fine and he did. Your choice of course, but I am comfortable with my decision at the time. Wouldn’t have been fair to him.

[Mango20]

I would not bring the one with Ataxia. For the rest, I don’t think anyone here can say for sure, since we don’t know the horses. They might make the trip and transition just fine, or they might not. I just wouldn’t want to subject the one with ataxia to a long trailer ride, though.

[GucciJumper]

My healthy 15 year old struggled when I moved him from CO to SC. He never got used to the weather and struggled in the summers.

I would struggle bringing guys with heath issues that aren’t used to that environment. I would personally bring the mini but would euth the older guys.

[joiedevie99]

If your vet feels they are all truly safe to travel, I’d hire a professional hauler and put them all in box stalls unless you think they need dividers to lean on, on both sides. Have them picked up after dark so they can do their trip through the night, when it’s coolest.

Make contact with a vet at your destination before you leave, and make sure they are aware of your arrival day/time, so you have someone to contact ASAP upon arrival if you need IV fluids run or other support.

[Punkie]

I just shipped my 35 year old from Florida to Massachusetts after having shipped him from Long Island to Florida last October. He has Cushing’s, but is otherwise in excellent health. I don’t think I would’ve made the decision to ship him if his health wasn’t as spectacular as it is, to be honest. I did the shipping myself from LI to FL. I set up a box stall in my 6 horse, bedded it heavily, hung water and his hay cubes and we stopped overnight at the MD/VA border. He was spunky coming off the trailer and tore around the paddock for about 15 minutes after unloading. He made the second leg without incident.

Given the COVID-19 situation, I decided to ship him commercially this round because I was concerned about how many places I would have to stop between FL and MA. I set him up with a shipper I have used regularly over the past 25 years and made she he had a box stall right in front of the cameras.

I do take some specific precautions with him before/after shipping. He receives a bolus of 5L of lactated ringers before loading as well as gastroguard for 3 days before and 3 days after his trip. He also receives a tube of electrolyte paste before and after shipping as well as 10 cc of IV banamine immediately before loading.

That said, he is in phenomenal shape for his age; fully sound and still ridden several days a week. Given the condition of your horses, I might think twice about the trip, particularly for the one with ataxia. I would be very worried about him/her having a fall in the trailer. However, it is definitely a decision to be made between you and your vet! If you do decide to move them, I would absolutely hire a commercial shipper and set them up in box stalls. I would even consider following behind the trailer and taking each stop as an opportunity to check on them yourself, but that’s just me.

Good luck with your move!