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Trailering from TN to FL

Off Course
#1

I have a few questions for those that have done long hauls. For as long as I have owned horses, I have never driven more than 4 or 5 hours with a horse in the trailer. In January we are going to be moving from FL to TN (10 hrs 30 min without a trailer), and I will either be purchasing a trailer for the trip, or paying a hauler. I have questions for either scenario…

If I buy a trailer, what are the things you bring with you? How often do you stop, how often do you offer water, and is an 11 hour trailer trip too long to go without unloading the horses if we stop to offer water and they have hay bags which I will refill as we go along (both my daughter’s horse and mine are mustangs, and I really really don’t want to unload them until we get to our destination and can back up to the corral. I could probably unload them and reload them with no issues, but I really don’t want to tempt fate)? Aside from the horses paperwork and health certificate, is there anything else I need to bring as I have never left the state, and I have never been to an ag station. I honestly have no idea what to expect.

If I pay a hauler, what do you usually send with the horse aside from the obvious (halter/lead, all paperwork including coggins, health cert, copy of immunizations, etc)? Do you provide the hay? Or does the hauler? If you provide the hay, do you just fill several hay bags with hay for the trip for the hauler to change out? Just curious in how this works as again, I have never even had someone ELSE move a horse cross country for me. Also, would you be happy with a slant load trailer, where the horse has to stand the entire time, or would it be better to spring the extra cash for box stalls since it is such a long trip?

Please add anything you feel you didn’t know you needed, but that you now bring with you, etc…things that will make or break having a smooth trip. We will also be going from Florida winter to TN winter in January (probably near the end of January). Obviously I don’t want to blanket them for the trailer trip, but will they be okay riding in the trailer without a blanket until we get to their destination and unloaded and settling in? Just worried about the shock from the change in weather. I don’t want any colic!

Any advice is greatly appreciated! :yes:

#2

I can’t help with your professional hauler portion.

But I hauled my horses clear across country twice; ~2,100 miles each trip.

  1. Make sure the trick and trailer are both well maintenanced, including bearings packed in the trailer wheels and new tires on everything!!! I don’t care how much tread is still on the tires, if any of them are five or more years old, put new tires on. Even tires with like-new tread can be victims of weather rot and have a big blowout.

  2. I would haul straight thru as long as you know for fact there is NOT any road construction to slow you down, or the weather doesn’t happen to be brewing up an ice storm, since you’re coming at the first of the year:)

  3. Don’t take the horses out of the trailer for anything, unless you do decide to lay over one night. In which case https://www.horsemotel.com is a great website to find a safe and clean layover.

3.1. Much has changed since I moved back east of Mississippi in 2003, but my three dogs moved with me. They were well schooled and very well mannered, so it was easy to sneak them into a motel room at the back of a motel:):slight_smile:

  1. Bring a few bales of your own hay for transitioning and keep hay in front of them at all times.

  2. I offered water to my horses every time we stopped for fuel but my truck only got 8.5 MPG, so that was often, lol. Carry or buy human water with you. DO NOT offer them water out of a gas station hose.

  3. Keep your banamine and other serious meds up front, in the truck. I never needed to use banamine —- probably because I had it where I could reach it in 30 seconds or less:):slight_smile:

  4. During both of my trips, I was only stopped at an Ag or weigh station once each trip - entering Southern California and leaving Southern California.

When I was leaving, the guy came right out to my trailer with a flashlight to check my horses against their Coggins papers. He was more anal about descriptions than he was their health certs.

So make sure your Coggins match to a T in case you are stopped.

  1. You’d be surprised how much heat the three of them will generate. I had a 4-horse open stock and I moved to the west coast in early November <—-mom had had a heart attack and I had to delay moving. The only time my horses really needed a SHEET was when we hit a snow/ice storm coming into Flagstaff, AZ. But they already had Pennsylvania thick winter fur and nobody got sick. They each lost 20-30# as the vet predicted but it didn’t hurt any of them:)

When I left SoCal for Middle Tennessee, it was mid-September so no sheets and they were fine.

8.1. To help decide “to sheet or not to sheet”, Download a weather app from one of Nashville’s stations as those are what Ashland City picks up. I have three on my IPad but my favorite is on my cell phone which is WSMV. I use it all the time, especially at the barn.

https://www.wsmv.com/download-the-4warn-weather-app/image_bbc50c52-2362-11e9-bba9-07e84281f2e9.html

You can pack sandwiches and beverages for you and your daughter. If you stop for a meal, stop at a well traveled truck stop. When you come out, check all of your tires and check your hitch to be sure it’s the way you left it. Not to scare you but I learned to do that fifty years ago from a guy who trail rode everywhere. I check my hitch and tires, anytime I’m parked and can’t see the rig; I am so anal, I even check things at the vet facility, lollol

#3

Straight through is better for anything 12 hours of less

2 Likes
#4

I had mine hauled by Brook Ledge from Ohio to Florida (14 hours) in 2016, largely because umm, no thanks, that sounds just miserable to me. :lol: Seriously though, I have panic attacks on bridges and in mountains so, hauling them myself was out of the question. I feel like if you have to buy a trailer just for the haul, you might as well pay a professional. Brook Ledge quoted me $800 each for the 1.5 stall, and $1500 each for the box stall. I did a box stall for both of mine; my senior gelding required it (balance issues) and so I figured I’d just spring it for my girl too. I greatly disliked the idea of the 1.5 stalls because they don’t untie them on their breaks, they stay tied, so for any drive time they are unable to lower their heads. They stepped off happy and fresh, we didn’t have a single issue, and the drivers were wonderful. It was a super easy process, and was a huge weight off my shoulders being able to focus on moving the furniture and such and not have to worry about the pones as well.

They went with their Coggins, health certificate, copy of immunizations, halter, lead, a bale of hay each, the blankets they wore (trip was in December, both were clipped) when they left, and a plastic tote for the driver to put their blankets in once they got to warmer temperatures. This is what Brook Ledge instructed me to do. No leg wraps/boots.

1 Like
#5

If you haul yourself:

  1. New tires, jacks, blocks, spare tires, basic tools and a roadside assistance plan that hauls loaded horse trailers and a mechanic are needed
  2. Horse sedatives, never unload your horses but if you are in a crash and have no choice but to unload on the side of an interstate you will want those sedatives

If you have them shipped

  1. Luxuriate in the fact you made the least stressful choice for everyone
2 Likes
#6

If you haul yourself, do NOT bypass the Ag Stop into Florida. They will come after you. They will not be happy.

5 Likes
#7

You’re probably going to add at least two hours to that 10.5hr itinerary by pulling a trailer, given slower travelling speed and more frequent gas station stops, and the time it takes filling hay bags and offering water. Will you have a 2nd driver or are you doing all the driving? That’s too long, in my opinion, for one driver to safely operate, especially since this is new to you. Chances are in the rush leading up to your move, you will not be getting a ton of sleep, you’ll have worries about a million details, random things may go wrong-- none of which is conducive to getting behind the wheel for 13 hours.

A commercial hauler will have a more powerful pulling vehicle than your pickup/SUV and their heavier trailer will not be as bouncy or get pushed around in a cross-wind as much as yours might. This should all translate to a smoother ride. Probably takes longer overall, depending on how many pickups and drop-offs they’re making along the way.

Given this trip is associated with a house sale/move, which is already a highly stressful event, you’d be pulling a trailer that’s new to you, your horses don’t sound like super-easy haulers–I really really think you’d be wise to just hire this one out. Get box stalls for added peace of mind.

#8

I moved from middle Tennessee to Maryland in 2017. It is usually about a 10-11 hour drive in the car; it took more like 13-14 hours with the trailer.

I hauled mine straight through in a single day. I used my 2H slant stock combo trailer, and had to me 2 trips for my 3 horses.

My girls did great. No issues. I brought several extra hay nets, which I didn’t need. I brought 5 gallons of water per horse in my portable water jugs. I also hung buckets in the slant stalls. No one drank much of anything on the road, which is typical for mine.

Every 2-4hrs after getting gas, I’d turn off the engine for 15-20min and give them a break from the movement. I kept them loaded, but I’d use the time to untie their heads in their stalls to clear their lungs and refresh hay/water.

As far as paperwork, you just need a valid coggins and a health certificate within 30 days (and anything else FL requires). The only place you’re going to be checked is Florida. It is highly unlikely anyone would check in AL or GA or TN, but still best to have everything.

The only other thing to have on hand is basic first aid stuff for the horses and basic tools/safety equipment for the trailer. Tire blowouts are extremely common on long interstate drives; I was blessed I avoided any.

#9

I don’t know. I’ve commercially shipped a lot of horses, mostly clients but occasionally my own.

It was only luxurious when shipping client horses from big barn in a horse hub to another big barn in a horse hub.

Every long distance commercial shipping experience I’ve had relocating my own horses ranged from really stressful to downright disastrous.

Maybe shippers just hate me, but nearly all of them give me the cable company treatment when planning cross country hauls: “We’ll be there to pick up your horses sometime between 12:00am and 11:59pm on a day between the 1st and 30th of the month.” Cool, thanks for narrowing that down for me. :lol:

2 Likes
#10

That time frame for pick up is crazy! I live near a major interstate corridor in FL, maybe that’s influenced my experience?

#11

Thank you EVERYONE for your advice. I get stressed just driving on Florida roads, I get anxious in the mountains even when someone else is driving. It does sound miserable on my behalf, and I think I’ve talked hubby into springing for box stalls with a commercial hauler. Huge weight lifted off me, I am just not cut out for that long of a haul and while I would have someone switching off with me driving (DH), we both are unfamiliar with the mountains. The biggest hill we have around here is called Thrill Hill. It’s actually a very old, very big sink hole with a road up and down through the middle of it :lol:.

Another question, I would have to and need to be on this end helping load. However, I also need to be on the RECEIVING end to unload…mostly the reason is because this is a big move for my mustangs and quite frankly I don’t want anyone…horses or human…getting injured. I only trust myself to handle them, they both still have a decent dose of stranger danger running through them…its something we are working on. My mare is way better than my daughter’s gelding. Would a commercial hauler typically have several stops, so that if we left when the hauler left, we could get there first if we drove straight through (which is, quite frankly, exactly what my husband does each time lol…have to use the restroom? Too bad! We need to make better time lol!).

2 Likes
#12

Oh dear, lollol. Yes, you are better off paying a high caliber shipper:). The actual shipper you choose might be the best person to answer your question:):slight_smile:

Now that you’ve decided to hire a shipper - the folks who have that experience need to come in with their best recommendations, and also who to stay away from:).

Even if you have to make a pit stop or two, you are in a faster vehicle, so you should be able to catch up to the shipper:)::

#13

You should definitely be able to beat the trailer to Florida. I generally use Brookledge, but they have always delivered and picked up my horses in a smaller trailer and taken them to their depot to load onto the tractor trailer. So be sure you ask whoever you contact if they do that.

#14

I guess I flipped things around in my title, we are moving from FL to TN :lol: Good to know that I may be able to beat them there, of course I will coordinate with whichever shipper I end up using.

So, suggestions? Who to use who not to use? It would more than likely be either a commercial line like Brookledge or a smaller trailering company perhaps based out of Florida? I did find a company that several friends have used, comes highly recommended, it appears she charges 85 cents a loaded mile per horse. I have so far contacted two other companies based out of Florida (smaller companies), they charge $1.00-$1.25 per loaded mile. Does that seem about right? The distance is 678 miles, so it is a long trip :yes:

#15

It definitely influences your experience. Commercial shippers make regular routes to/from FL with all the horse show and racing activity.

My experience is that when you’re “off the beaten path” without the ability to fill the entire truck with horses, you are often at the mercy of when the shippers will be coming through your area. That can be hard for them to predict, hence the uncertainty. Though I was exaggerating a bit, when I was based in middle Tennessee, I frequently had to deal with vague and variable pick up and drop off windows.

I don’t say this to discourage anyone! I just find it funny so many people tout the convenience of commercial haulers. While their service is second to none, because of the scheduling headaches, it’s always been anything but convenient for me!

#16

With the commercial haulers, unless you’re filling their entire trailer, you’re on their schedule, not yours. It’s one of the downsides but unavoidable. As they get bookings, the hauler puts together a route of pickups and dropoffs. So they can’t give firm dates until very close to the actual move. In the beginning, you’d get a very approximate time window (such as “we’ll be heading your way in late October”). Within a couple weeks of the trip, they should be able to narrow it down to the actual week that they’ll pick up. But you won’t have real date certainty until you’re very close to the date.

All this to say: you won’t be able to time the horses’ move with your own transit to TN, unless the timing of your household move is very flexible (which usually isn’t the case). My recommendation is to make the household move and the horse move two separate things. Are the horses currently boarded out or at home? Assuming boarding, simplest would be to book the horse transport for February. You move the household in January, get settled in, then a few weeks later fly FL to meet the shipper for pickup and load the horses. Fly back to TN to meet the shipper at that end.

If the horses are kept at home at both ends of this move, that complicates things a bit. Try to find a temporary layup barn that would allow you to leave them behind in FL for a couple weeks. (or conversely, a layup barn at the TN end, and ship them a few weeks earlier than your household move).

If that’s impossible, then either focus on a smaller hauler where you can book their entire trailer and therefore have more control over the shipping date, or revert to Plan A and buy your own. You have lots and lots of time to practice driving it in the mountains, cities, etc between now and January (you should make sure DH practices too-- he needs to know that hauling horses is not the same thing as pulling a boat or utility trailer)

Hauler recommendation: Yoder Equine Transport. He’s based in Iowa but I know he goes to Florida regularly. He brought my mare from MA to IA, very happy with his rig and professionalism. I think it was a 5-horse trailer though, so it’d be $$$$ to hire the whole trailer.

#17

We do an 11 hour trip from our farm down to Wellington with our 2H GN. It’s really not a bad trip at all, and the horses do fine. I have a water tank in my trailer’s dressing room and offer water when we stop for gas, restroom breaks etc, but they rarely drink much on the trip. I alway expect them to dive for the buckets in their stalls when we arrive, but they don’t show any signs of dehydration or distress of any kind.

I have had my horses shipped commercially a few times. I can’t say it has generally been awesome. Brookledge once “parked” my horse for a few days at a layover site - I’m sure to consolidate a load - and went completely black about his whereabouts. I was frantic and they could not have cared less. He did arrive just fine but I’ll never use them again. I did have a great shipper bring my horse from quarantine in upstate NY down to me in Atlanta, but apparently he is retired now. Sigh.

#18

When I moved from Chicago to Florida 2 years ago none of the big commercial haulers had any loads going to Florida. Brookledge had no service to where I was going in Florida.

Start making phone calls now & get arrangements in place. I had found someone & that fell through 2 days before he was set to move. I have a friend that sent her horse to Aiken for training & asked her for recommendations on haulers. I finally found someone to move him 2 weeks later. I drove straight through & was waiting for him the next morning.

Keep in mind that per DOT regulations, a trucker can not be driving for more than 10 hours. There will probably be a stop where they are unloaded.

#19

Just curious, I read something awhile back about people driving horse trailers across state lines would require a CDL. Do you know if that is true or not? There were some changes surrounding transportation of livestock…

#20

That I don’t know but the person that moved my horse does it as a business & had a DOT number.

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