Shipping tips for successful long-distance horse transport

There are many challenges associated with shipping horses long-distance, including managing climate changes, water intake, boredom, rest, illness, and the unexpected, but you can help us make your horse's trip a raging success by following a few simple tips.

Don't over-dress your horse!

Your horse will likely be surrounded by three or four other horses all generating quite a bit of body heat, in addition to any heat emminating from the road surface. We are able to open and close windows and vents to keep the horses at a comfortable temperature. A light sheet is generally the most we would like to have on your horse, but we prefer them to be naked.

Leave the bubble wrap at home

Leg wraps, shipping boots, and head bumpers can cause serious problems when your horse wears them for multiple days because they tend to be hot, and once they get wet with sweat or sweat beads down your horse's legs or head, they start to rub or kick... then the gear slips, and you run the risk of a very upset horse in a tight space. Avoid tendon injuries, kicks, and scrapes by leaving the gear off your horse. Under certain circumstances, we will work with you to manage wraps if your horse requires them for medical purposes, but we will remove them if they slip. The trouble is they can slip and cause injury in minutes, and we are focused on keeping the truck on the road.

Reduce grain intake prior to travel

We encourage you to reduce your horse's feed at least one feeding ahead of travel by at least half, and prefer no grain the day of travel. Your horse will have plenty of hay to make up for the reduced ration, and we are happy to provide a handful of grain at normal feeding times, more like a treat, than an actual meal. We also recommend you do not grain your horse within four hours of arrival, and consider giving only half ration the first day home as they are adjusting to their new surroundings.

Teach your horse to load ahead of time

Our job is to ship your horse, not teach it to load or introduce it to a trailer. It is your responsibility to provide us with a horse who has been on a trailer before. If there are any loading issues, we would like to know about them ahead of time so we can determine the best way to work with you to make it a success. We allow thirty minutes of loading time in our schedule for the horse, but if it exceeds this time, we charge $50 per hour for wait time.

Prepare your horse

Be sure your horse has worn any equipment he will wear during the trip for the same amount of time while in his stall. For example, if he is going to wear a head bumper for three days, be sure you have observed him wearing it for that same amount of time so you can observe the slippage and his reaction to it prior to travel.

Insure your horse for travel

We encourage you to purchase equine travel insurance as we are not responsibility for injury, illness, or accidents involving your horse. Our insurance is for motor vehicle accidents only, and does not cover cargo. By putting a horse on our trailer you understand the risks involved in taking a horse out of his home environment and stressing them. The risks of injury or illness are greater than at home, and you should do everything in your power to protect your equine investment.