Hauling Horses across the country.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to haul your horse long distances across the country? Last week we made two trips one from Ocala, Florida up along the east coast to Merrimacc, Massachusetts and one trip from Ocala, Florida through the Midwest just north of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Though we only haul our privately owned horses and do not transfer horses for the general public, we wanted to take write a short article that would give you a few tips and tricks for hauling your own horses long distances. So below we will walk you through the process from owning a commercial horse hauling truck and trailer to making the trip to your destination.
The semi truck equipped with a sleeper cab, air ride suspension, and a large diesel engine that makes most terrain throughout the country easy to manuever. The horse trailer has spacious tie stalls that allows even the largest horses the space they need to be comfortable when transporter. The trailers air ride suspension helps it to float over rougher roads and cushions the ride for the horses as well.
Now that you’ve got an idea what the benefits of having a commercial horse transporting truck and trailer is like, we will tell you that it is a lot of work behind the scenes owning one. The truck needs to be kept clean and well serviced so that it is safe and ready to go for every trip. There is a lot of compliance paperwork and responsibility to keeping a commercial horse hauler on the highways. This includes maintenance records, fuel tax records, annual DOT inspections, special licensing, commercial insurance, being enrolled in a drug and alcohol program, maintains an apportioned license plate, having a biannual physical to ensure the driver is healthy with good vision, and a class A commercial drivers license. But now that we have all our DOT compliance in order, lets prepare the trailer for the trip.
Each stall is heavily bedded with shaving to allow for cushion for the horses feet as well as for absorbing moisture from both the horse urine and manure. Every stall has slow feed hay nets that allow the horses full access to free feeding as needed throughout the trip. It is very important for the horses digestive system that they are continually digesting food through out the ride, this helps reduce any added stresses the horse may experience. Every stall is also equipped with a bucket of water and it is essential to the horses digestion that it retains as much water as needed. Stopping within the first few hours of the trip to briefly check to make sure that each horse is eating, drinking water, and relaxed is key to a safe transport.
The trailer is ready and we’ve loaded enough hay to make the trip, now lets load the horses. Horses are loaded into the trailer with a side loading ramp, as they enter the trailer horses in the rear are backed into their stalls and horses in the front are brought in frontwards. As horses are loaded they are tied shorter to help them settle in and this makes it easier to install the front and rear bars that keep the horses secured into their stalls. Once all the horses are loaded onto the trailer we allow them adequate time to settle in and relax. Now that the horses are relaxed, their cross ties are lengthened all the way out so once we are in route the horses are able to put their heads down and relax.
Well the horses are loaded, settled in, and they have everything they need to make the trip. Let’s hit the road!!! As we depart with the semi and shifting gears up to highway speed it is smooth going for the horses. We set the cruise control and enjoy seeing the siites of our beautiful country. As we occasionally make stops for fuel and to check on the horses if one seems nervous or stressed we will utilize an all natural calming paste that coats the horses stomach and helps them to relax and prevent ulcer issues. Most large truck stops have fresh water available at the fuel pumps which makes watering on the road easy and accessible. We prefer getting water from our fuel stops to ensure its freshness as opposed to carrying water in an onboard water tank.
Before we started our trip we already had prepared our route of travel when hauling the horses, a good idea where we would stop to check on them, and a destination to overnight for rest. Planning ahead will take all the pressure off of yourself and those riding with you and ensure a problem free trip. Rest stops are mandatory when hauling horses and enforced by the Department of Transportion Highway Patrol unless you have two drivers to not exceed the 11 hour a of driving per person each day. We have multiple places on our routes to overnight and let the horses rest.
At Pearson Equine we take pride in the quality care that each horse receives while it is being transported both short and long distances. Running a commercial horse hauling truck keeps our horses as comfortable as they could ever be while going down the highways. Though we are not offering services for hauling for the general public, we will always fill an open stall if we can help out our friends, family, and neighbors! As we will be making consistent annual trips to Florida, the Midwest, Texas, and adding adding additional routes over time, feel free to send us an email at levi@pearsonequine.com if your one of our facebook friends/followers perhaps one day we can be of assistance to you!
