Like with any Horse Transport services, there are some documents you will need to collect before transporting your horse/animal.  Here is a list of what you will need to do  before your scheduled pick up date.

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  Here is a list of things you will need to do:

1. If you decide to book, inform us of the tentative transport date you would like. Please be aware due to loads these dates need to be flexible as the exact date may not be available. We make every effort however to book the exact day you need.

2. We will email you your contract & Shipping schedule; both need to be returned 10 days prior to your scheduled pick up date.

3. 50% deposit must be received 14 days prior to pick up to secure your space for any trip.

4. Gather  all documents, make sure we have current phone numbers, email addresses of people handling your horse for pick ups and at the destination.

 

REQUIREMENTS FOR INTERSTATE TRAVEL:

BEFORE TRAVELING

Make sure all your HEALTH DOCUMENTS are in order.Be sure you know exactly what papers you must have in your state as well as interstate travel, before your horse is picked up for transportation.

At the very least you will need:

• A Health Certification: written  within 30 days of  date the horse arrives at it’s destination (A Vet will require a neg. Coggins Test before signing the visual Health Cert.)

• Negative Coggins blood test: Some states require a test within last 12 months, some are within last 6 months (AK/CA/ID/ME/NV/NH/OR/TN/TX and some states such as AZ/CA/FL require the original while most states accept a copy.

• Brand Inspection: Some states require a brand inspection prior to transporting a horse out of their state (and sometimes when transporting within their state): CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY, and parts of OR, SD, and WA.

• HAY:  Short Trips less than 3 hours, provide 2-3 flakes of Hay. (we can provide hay, but it is best to keep your horse’s GI Tract on their regular regimen.   Long Distance Trips; (over 3 hours) provide 1 Bale of Hay per horse traveling. Any hay left at the end of the trip will go to the handler at the destination to keep the horse eating pattern healthy.

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NOTE:   It is your responsibility to have proper/accurate/current paperwork or else we will not be able to transport your horse and you WILL be responsible for the full fare if we show up and you don’t have it, so do your research and ask questions if you are not sure what you need.

PLEASE CHECK WITH YOUR STATES ANIMAL HEALTH OFFICIAL for both the ORIGIN and DESTINATION requirements. States change requirements periodically, so be sure the information you receive is the most current and up-to-date. 

THIS LINK; IS A GUIDE ONLY & MAY BE OUT OF DATE. Please check the current list on their websiteIf you have any questions, call the State Animal Health Officials for your origin and destination states. The US Animal Health Association's 2017 list of state animal health officials can be found by clicking on this link.

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BOOKING DATES AND TIMES

Why we asked for 3 departure dates:  transporting depends on previously and current booked loads.  Having a little flexibility helps us ensure that we get you horse/animal to their destination in the safest and best timely manner possible.

SPECIFIC DATES, DEADLINES, TIME RESTRICTIONS:  if you have very specific dates, deadlines, operating hours or time restrictions which would apply to your pick up or drop offs, this MUST BE CONVEYED IN WRITING that in writing. This way we can plan and allow the appropriate time for your needs.  We narrow our loads schedules within 2-3 days, therefore you will be notified within that time your specific pick up times. If possible to let you know earlier than the 2-3 days we of course will, as we know you need as much time as you can to plan.

DATES & TIMEFRAMES: we give the best estimated times, but sometimes due to unforeseen changes such as weather, this can vary at a given notice.

PICK UP & DELIVERY TIMES: First PICK UP of the day is approximately 6am. (Earlier pickup times must be arranged in writing no later than 48 hours prior to pick up)   DROP OFF no later than 10pm.  Depending upon the load later times may be necessary due to keeping on our time schedule.         

Due to the fact that loads can be rearranged all the way up until the pick up day, we do our best  to give our clients a 2-3 day window.                                                   

Transportation has a variety of uncontrollable reasons that loads can be delayed such as weather & traffic. Our dispatch team will be in direct contact with you or at the final destination to keep you up to date on an estimated time of arrival.

 

LONG DISTANCE TRANSPORTING:  ( Pertains to any transport over 3 hours)

Tips to help Your horse/animal on their long journey

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• Water and food

Water is a must for horse/animal in transport, and that is why they will have access to fresh water  at all times. Horses are monitored at each stop to calculate the amount of water intake each horse is drinking. At the destination, we will inform the animal’s handler if there was any inadequacy of water intake.

Having water/food available throughout a trip is important for horses/animals for a few reasons. Keeping an active gut helps eliminate any health issues at the end of their trip. Horses also burn calories during their travel and helps keep their strength. Also eating provides a means for something to keep the horse occupied if they are nervous or bored throughout the trip. Providing your own hay keeps your horses GI track stable and used to they typical feed they are used to.  If Supplements or other specialty diets are needed please let our team know when you book your trip.

Offering grain is not something we do during a trip nor recommend.                                                             Days prior to the trip, grain intake may want to be tapered off as some grains may increase energy or nervousness.  Please discuss any special feeding regimens with your veterinarian prior to your horses travel.

 

• Health & Rest

Horses need to stretch their necks down and blow dust and debris from their lungs while eating or standing and therefore should either be tied long or be completely untied in the trailer (which is our preference). This helps prevent shipping fever, colic, and fatigue. We will only tie a horse short if there is an extreme behavior problem on the trailer, and even then, we will be sure to give them ample untied time while supervising them.

Rest time is extremely important and we stop approximately every three hours for about 15-30 minutes... usually timed during refueling, grabbing lunch, taking a 20 minute power nap, or to pick up or deliver other horses. There will often be times when the horses will be taken off to rearrange them in order of unloading, so they typically do get off the trailer for a stretch at least once if not more during their haul. We travel approximately 500-800 miles a day depending upon conditions and circumstances. We stop for approximately 8 hours during the night. Your horses typically stay on board and we stay with them, sleeping in our small living quarters.

 

            We do not typically stop at overnight at “horse hotels” for several reasons:

The time taken to drive (often off route) to coordinate them into a haul is time inhibiting

The time taken to offload and reload horses is time inhibiting

Many horses are not trained to load and unload safely and quietly, therefore, every time they come off there is a potential for injury to horse or human

While you would hope that horse hotels are running a clean ship, the fact is that you are potentially exposing your traveling horse to many more “horses” and “germs”

Horse Hotels typically charge from $15 to $30 a night, so this adds to your shipping costs and using them can add substantially to the overall travel time as well as your cost.

We do make exceptions to this on occasion. If we know in advance that we are transporting a very old, weak or injured horse we will plan our route with horse hotels.

Or, if a kind client offers a clean, acceptable situation for us to offload and spend the night with them, we may take them up on the offer.

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Please contact us if you have any further questions or concerns 

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