UPDATE -- Timeline for seller to ship purchased horse to buyer?

[danacat]

UPDATE: Seller contacted my friend – horse shipping in few days; waiting for another horse to go on same trip but to different location. Thanks all for the replies.

Horse purchased from very reputable high end HJ show/sale barn – horse is paid for, shipping included in price, seller will be shipping horse themselves; they have their own rigs and experienced interstate drivers. What is an acceptable amount of time to wait (after purchase) for delivery? Horse is 3-4 hours away from buyer’s farm. Asking for a friend. She paid for the horse on Tuesday 6/28 and has not yet received a firm delivery date. 4th of July weekend might be part of the problem? TIA for any replies.

[ZELLA]

The internet is not going to be able to answer this question. The buyer should get this info directly for the seller.

[hoopoe]

last thing I would try to do on the long 4th of July holiday weekend is drive a rig on the freeway. I dont even drive myself if I can help it.

traffic weather and prior commitments may all be in play. Health certificates. payment settlement may also be a factor.

[trubandloki]

@danacat

Horse purchased from very reputable high end HJ show/sale barn – horse is paid for, shipping included in price, seller will be shipping horse themselves; they have their own rigs and experienced interstate drivers. What is an acceptable amount of time to wait (after purchase) for delivery? Horse is 3-4 hours away from buyer’s farm. Asking for a friend. She paid for the horse on Tuesday 6/28 and has not yet received a firm delivery date. 4th of July weekend might be part of the problem? TIA for any replies.

So she paid for the horse three days ago and it is holiday weekend so I would not be too upset yet if I was her.

[Calvincrowe]

Well, for planning purposes, I’d shoot an email or make a call asking for an ETA (or E-day-A)-- and say it that way so it doesn’t sound demanding. I’d have thought that the sellers would have talked about this during the sales process, but maybe their show schedule and the holiday weekend got in the way. Have your friend inquire so they can make plans for the arrival.

[islgrl]

@hoopoe

last thing I would try to do on the long 4th of July holiday weekend is drive a rig on the freeway. I dont even drive myself if I can help it.

The one time I moved a horse on July 4th I thought it was the best decision I had ever made. NO ONE was on the road. It was empty. This was different than the day before when moving a different horse when literally EVERYONE was driving. EVERYONE.

[trubandloki]

If the horse is going to a boarding barn, an easy way to ask is to tell them that the boarding facility is looking for the arrival day.

[WildGooseChase]

I am not a professional hauler, but with this situation (assuming all paperwork, health certs, coggins and payment is complete), I’d be looking for 5 business days, not including the holiday. So by the end of next week I think is reasonable. It may be different for long haulers, but 3-4 hours isn’t bad and I think 5 business days is obtainable.

[vxf111]

If she wants the horse sooner she should hire a commercial shipper who can get the horse sooner. Given the holiday weekend this delay doesn’t seem that unusual or problematic to me— but if she wants the horse sooner all she has to do is hire someone to get it.

[CBoylen]

For sure they are working on getting it to her as soon as possible. Literally no one wants a paid-for horse sitting around eating and getting injured.
Is she sure she gave them all the relevant information from her end? Address, payment cleared, all paperwork signed, date horse able to move in, anything left undone that might be holding them up?

[Jaegermonster]

Only 3-4 hours away I would go get it myself

[mmeqcenter]

It should have been discussed before completing the sale. However, within a week or two would be pretty reasonable IMO.

[Rel6]

I would want a delivery date to be set pretty quick after payment if you’re not dealing with coordinating a third party commercial shipper’s schedule. But I wouldn’t be upset with the date not being until the end of next week. I would be upset if a date wasn’t actually set until the end of next week.

[paintedpony]

How was horse paid for? Is it possible that amongst numerous valid concerns surrounding travel on a holiday weekend, that the vendor could be waiting for their bank to verify payment is good. No way would I ship until payment is in my hands, and bank has released any hold on funds.

[RAyers]

3-4 hours?! They could have picked up the horse the day they bought it.

I assume the horse is crossing a state border this needing a health cert? 4th of July is an easy day to haul. Nobody around.

[Tha_Ridge]

Not everyone can go pick up a horse themselves.

I’d say a week is very reasonable. Haulers are in a crunch due to fuel prices and trying to optimize loads right now which can push out ship dates.

[Tini_Sea_Soldier1]

Agreed. It’s been really tough to find rides for horses lately and even the ones that are willing to go are looking for full rigs for runs that are longer than a few hours. So it can be a scramble and the more proactive, the better.
That being said, whenever we’ve bought/sold, arrangements are usually part of the whole process. Typically, it’s something that starts in the discussion and I’ve tried to secure a shipper after it’s vetted, so that everyone knows that I’m serious with next steps. That being said… I’d say that 3-5 days is typical, but up to a week if you’re dealing with a holiday weekend. I typically just like them to get here ASAP after the check is in the bank since it’s hard to see how much care and interest is going into horse after it sells.