Posted 2005-12-06 11:17 AM (#33789) Subject: How often do we stop?
Veteran
Posts: 230
Location: Louisiana
We are hauling a horse from Louisiana to Texas. This is our longest trip so far. It is about 370 miles. How often should we stop? Where should we stop? We are hauling one very large horse. Should she ride on the drivers side or the passengers side? How should I prep her for the trip? She loads and travels well. Any helpful tips would be greatly appreciated.
Posted 2005-12-06 11:53 AM (#33791 - in reply to #33789) Subject: RE: How often do we stop?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 524
Location: Lone Oak, Tx
I assume your trailer is a straight load. If I were you I would take the center divider out and let her have the entire trailer to "stretch" out in, or at least swing it off to one side so the horse has more room. My rule when taveling a distance is I figure out how long it is in hours and split that in half. (i.e. 4 hour trip, stop for 15 to 20 minutes at the 2 hour mark). Your trip, depending on how fast you travel, should take between 5 to 6 hours and if that were me I'd probably stop every 3 hours. I won't travel more than 4 hours without stopping to give our horses a break. Everybody does it differently.
Hope this helps.
Posted 2005-12-06 2:43 PM (#33799 - in reply to #33789) Subject: RE: How often do we stop?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 648
Location: Coconut Creek, FL
I agree with previous poster as you usually need to fill up the tank at that point. If you have the drop down windows, I open them, let the horses hang out in the fresh air, offer water, but close up before taking off again.
Do not unload at these stops as they could get loose and hit by a car. Keep them in the trailer.
370 miles isn't that long a trip as there are many on this board that go cross-country all the time and only stop for gas, driving straight through. I prefer to stop overnight and like to find places that have pasture or paddocks, but that's my preference.
Posted 2005-12-07 6:23 AM (#33816 - in reply to #33789) Subject: RE: How often do we stop?
Veteran
Posts: 168
Location: Stem NC
I too think stopping for gas is enough. 370 miles is not such a long trip. When I get to my arrival point I make sure the horse can stretch his legs before I put them in a stall if that is what will happen.
Posted 2005-12-07 7:29 PM (#33842 - in reply to #33830) Subject: RE: How often do we stop?
Expert
Posts: 1719
Location: PA
370 miles is not a terribly long trip. It might seem like it to you but it's almost an average drive for me. I would stop for food and fuel. If the stop is 10 min. or 20, that is plenty. You can offer water but don't be upset if she doesn't drink. She'll drink when she gets off. I also would let that divider closed unless she is so large that she doesn't really fit in the stall area. You don't need her to be moving around a lot.
Posted 2005-12-07 10:48 PM (#33846 - in reply to #33842) Subject: RE: How often do we stop?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1011
Location: Oregon
If it was me personally, I probably would not even stop. On my long trips, I tend to stop every 350-400 miles, about when I need to get gas (depends on how many horses I'm hauling and over what kind of roads). Then if we stop to eat, there is another 30 minutes to an hour. Then there are potty breaks. I feel this is enough stopping for a 370 mile trip. I would not make any special stops for this trip. I would also leave the divider closed. Less room for her to move around in and make the trailer start to sway.
Posted 2005-12-08 11:17 AM (#33861 - in reply to #33789) Subject: RE: How often do we stop?
Expert
Posts: 1723
Location: michigan
Conventional wisdom says stop every 3 hours. But I'd rather drive straight through and get there faster rather than dragging it out. Of course,there is stopping for fuel and bathbroom breaks, other than that, just get there.
Posted 2005-12-09 10:05 AM (#33899 - in reply to #33874) Subject: RE: How often do we stop?
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1011
Location: Oregon
In a straight load when hauling 1 horse, I always put them on the driver's side. If hauling 2 horses, I put my worst hauler on the driver's side. If the both haul equally well, each trip I would rotate on who would be on the driver's side. My old man IS the perfect hauler, until you get him on the left side. He tends to stomp and move a little bit (probably as bad as stomping for a fly). To most people, this would seem normal. But when he is in a slant or on the right side, I have never felt him back there at all.
Posted 2005-12-09 5:20 PM (#33907 - in reply to #33789) Subject: RE: How often do we stop?
Expert
Posts: 2689
Driver's side, divider in place, horse tied.
I make a sanity check at the end of the driveway and if there is a strange (to me) horse on board another one about 10 or 15 minutes out, just to be sure there isn't a settling down problem. If hay is being eaten and there is no kicking I will offer water at a 20 minute stop every 3 hours, up to 4 hours or down to 2 hours to divide up the trip evenly. I don't budget more than 50 MPH average or 500 miles per day on the longer trips. If I have to go much over 500 I try to make the next day a short one.
They will USUALLY take a decent size drink when I first stop - then I go and get my own drink/snack/bathroom break - then they'll usually be ready for another drink.
For 370 miles with a horse that is an unknown quantity wrt travel I'd do the end of driveway check, maybe a 10 or 15 minute check, offer water at 1 hour, then divide the remaining trip in half for the next one.
Posted 2005-12-09 10:23 PM (#33915 - in reply to #33913) Subject: RE: How often do we stop?
Expert
Posts: 2689
Originally written by xyzer on 2005-12-09 8:59 PM
Shipping boots?...........?
I don't, others do.
For a short journey such as this I wouldn't wrap either, unless the horse is used to being wrapped, but this sounds like a first time haul.
SOME people wrap for the mile or so trip to the friend's barn just down the street (-:
Posted 2005-12-10 8:26 AM (#33921 - in reply to #33913) Subject: RE: How often do we stop?
Expert
Posts: 1719
Location: PA
I think shipping boots are more dangerous than nothing at all. It is very easy for them to slide down enough to be stepped on and half torn off. If you want to wrap, use pillow or No Bows quilts under wraps and make sure you know the correct way to wrap. I poorly wrapped leg can be just as bad as shipping boots.
Posted 2005-12-10 10:37 AM (#33923 - in reply to #33789) Subject: RE: How often do we stop?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 366
Location: Albany, Oregon
I personaly don't like them but my wife thinks otherwise...she had a horse get stung and go balistic....he trashed the trailer....and his lower legs....so now she always uses them...the one time she insisted I put them on I had a 300 mile haul in a two horse straight load with one horse....got to my destination one of the parties horses reached in and nipped him in the butt...he set back....broke the trailer tie...launched forward and put his front feet over the hay manger through the window in front...took some work getting him straightend out but the only thing hurt was the trailer...boots do help! could have been bad lots of sharp edges....each to his own....slant loads kinda help that problem. Our horses are used to boots so they have no issues slipping or otherwise ....relay101..."just a helpfull hint" If the horse isn't used to them I wouldn't use em either. All the other subjects on hauling have been covered basicaly the same way we do it...
Posted 2005-12-10 6:08 PM (#33941 - in reply to #33789) Subject: RE: How often do we stop?
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 322
Location: Fort Madison, Iowa
On that length of a drive I'd stop at a minimum of one time. If I'm driving by myself, I have a rule that I usually will stop every two-three hours for about 15-30 minutes to give myself a break as well as the horse. When your getting tired you'll make more mistakes and you don't have a lot of room for error when pulling a trailer. I usually stop at big truck stops because they have plenty of room to move a trailer around and park. They also offer everything I'd need when I stop; diesel/gas, food, restrooms, munchies and safety in number of people around. I'll leave the back door open and I do offer water. I have a buck with a lid and put it in my shower or bed of truck. I always have a hay bag in front of them and I wouldn't recommend to grain any before leaving. I find my horses don't eat or drink much while traveling. I do take my divider to give them room and find they don't move around much even if they're by themself. I also put down plenty of shavings for cushion and keeping it cool from a hot highway during the summer. It also encourages my gelding to urinate because he doesn't like it to splatter on his legs. Would also recommend to have your trailer checked over, spare tire and a heavy duty wrench & jack in case of a flat tire. Have a safe trip!
Posted 2005-12-12 11:02 AM (#33979 - in reply to #33941) Subject: RE: How often do we stop?
Expert
Posts: 2689
horsin around,
Thanks for the reminder, yes DO eat light and stay awake.
I try to avoid too much coffee, it seems to make me (unusually) impatient with other drivers, traffic, etc., for ME it is not a good way to stay awake.
I seem to munch a lot of horse carrots when driving distance, they help you see in the dark, right ?
(-:
Posted 2005-12-20 1:50 PM (#34239 - in reply to #34017) Subject: RE: How often do we stop?
Veteran
Posts: 238
Location: West Coast
We haul a lot and consider anything less than 300 miles a short trip. When we stop for fuel, we make sure it's at least a 20 minute stop to let the horses rest. We leave the horses in the trailer and offer them water. Two of my horses will drink when on the road the other two won't, but I offer it to all of them.
If the trip is going to be longer than 9 hours, about halfway through the trip, I will get them out of the trailer once and hand walk them for 15 or 20 minutes. I get them out of the trailer only if I have a safe place to unload on dirt (not pavement) and it's a place where they cannot get onto the highway if they get loose. I've found that fairgrounds are usually a pretty good bet when it comes to a place to unload and walk the horses. If you ever travel through Amarillo, Texas the Big Texan Steak house is a good place to stop. They will let you turn out your horses in good sized pens (they have 4 plus a round pen) for no charge while you eat lunch.
I've always read that because most roads are banked lower on the passenger side, the general rule of thumb is that, if you are hauling one horse they should ride on the driver's side. If you are hauling two horses the bigger horse should ride on the driver's side.
I put shipping boots on my horses because I want to protect them from stepping on themselves or being kicked by another horse. I make sure I put them on properly and my horses are used to them. I've never had a problem with the shipping boots sliding down or scaring my horses. If I am hauling a friends horse though, since their horse may not be used to them, I always ask if they want shipping boots on them or not.
Posted 2005-12-25 9:30 AM (#34389 - in reply to #33789) Subject: RE: How often do we stop?
Expert
Posts: 1989
Location: South Central OK
If you have never wrapped before don't. Hauling alone it's not really that important.
I would only stop for gas and don't pull her out. Don't let other folk touch her either...I don't open up my trailer when I stop so people won't come over to pet the pretty horses. Germs are bad for horses under the stress of shipping, a little cold can get out of control.
Drive carefully and remember it's not about when you get there but THAT you get there.
Posted 2006-01-01 1:10 AM (#34653 - in reply to #33789) Subject: RE: How often do we stop?
Regular
Posts: 54
Location: Danielsville,Ga.
I transport horses for a living towing about 90,000 miles per year. the rule of thumb is that one hour on the trailer ,going abt 65 mph equals about one mile on the trail.So rest the horses the same as you would trail riding.The USDA law says a horse must be unloaded,fed and watered after 30 hrs. on the trailer,however I'm told his law is only enforced on horses going to slaughter and not on private haulers and maybe the law don't apply to private haulers?? Ive only had horses on my trailer over 30 hrs, once,got caught caught in a blzzard in up-state New york and spent 48 hrs. in a truck stop.The temp was -10 degress,horses did fine just stiff and stocked -up some.Vets are now saying that hay bags and horses tied-up short in trailers may be a major cause of shipping fever. The dust from the hay and in the air collects in the nose and throat.,its not natural for a horse to have its head tilted -up for any lenth of time.I don't offer hay anymore on trips under 10 hrs ,unless the owner insists.In regards to wraps and shipping boots ,I leave that to the owner or trainer,but don't advise it. The horses legs become hot under the wraps or boots after a while and they start stomping and pawing,tryin to get them off.The horse should get hay only, the day before its hauled and its a good idea to carry water from home, horses are reluctant to drink strange water,unless they are very thirsty.Like anything else involving horses every-one has differnt opinions and who can say whats right or wrong.I'd say just use common sense. The two biggest threats to your horses safety while hauling is COLIC and Auto-accidents. My trailer is monitored so I can spot colic symptoms early and take action.The thought of a horse going down and thrashing itself to death in the trailer is very sobering.