VCMBH: Travel bug

What is your best tip for traveling with horses?

Moving ten to fifteen (twelve to eighteen depending on how many dressage ponies go) horses three times a year is a giant pain in the ass and extremely stressful, so here are some of the things we do to make hauling go a little smoother. I'm going to go ahead and assume that everyone knows to do a safety check on the truck and trailer. (Sorry, I couldn't just pick one tip.)

My absolute favorite shipping company. If we're sending or receiving a horse or two and it's a long trip, this is our go to. They take PHENOMENAL care of the horses and the recovery time is not nearly as long when these guys haul them. *If we are hauling a bunch of horses to one place, we usually hire a whole van from North American Horse Transport. Otherwise, we have to make 2 or more trips. It cuts the price in half. Good if you have a lot of people going to a far away show.

• Always have a lunge/buggy whip close by before you even try to load. I'm not saying to beat them to death with it, but a tap the second they hesitate and before a fight can start will go a long ways. If they really don't want to load, treats and feed to coax them probably isn't going to work.
• We never tie/hook a horse up until the divider or door is closed behind them. Better safe than a vet bill from your horse pulling back and flipping over inside of the trailer.
• I think shipping boots are pretty much worthless (just my opinion). Standing bandages are great when they're put on correctly, which I'm completely anal about. I never ever use the cotton sheets with vet wrap to ship in. More likely than not, they are going to slip down. Putting a good pair of bell boots on is never a bad idea.

So, I guess that's it. Happy hauling!

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