Transporting your horse requires knowledge to choose a horse transportation company that will best meet your needs.
Deciding on a transportation company to haul one or more of your horses is one that you want to give a lot of consideration to. No matter where your destination is, great care is required for your precious and priceless animals.
Depending on your location you will have different options available to you. Some horse transportation companies travel only state- or region-wide while others will traverse the entire country. This will be your starting point on your search.
A great first place to look for hauling companies is a local horse trade publication. Often in the classifieds there will be listings for companies which specialize in hauling horses only. Make a list from there and then consider a national horse publication for more options. The Internet is also a great place to look by just searching for key words like "horse transportation" and "equine transportation."
Make a thorough list of everyone who is a possibility and start making the phone calls. What you will find is that each outfit varies in equipment, cost and availability specific to your schedule. By making some initial calls you can get a good idea of what the price range will be and compare while you shop.
You will quickly learn what is affordable to you and what arrangement will work best.
The variety you will find begins with how many horses can be accommodated with the equipment. Along with that you will want to find out how they handle the set amount of horses they will have and how many stops will be made on the trip. For long distances, where drivers go straight through without nighttime layovers, you want to be sure your horses will be unloaded and watered at least twice a day. They cannot tolerate being cramped up for very long.
Feeding your horse along the way is not as important as watering as horses will be stressed from traveling. Be sure they have good weight on them prior to leaving on the trip so they can tolerate dropping 100 pounds without becoming too thin.
Reputation is also an important factor. Find out as much as you can from satisfied customers and be certain they are a responsible outfit. Investigate how many years they have been in business and what type of horses they transport. A company who handles valuable show horses will be certain to take good care of the stock. Also see if they have insurance to cover your horse in the event of an accident or if you need to purchase that yourself.
Current immunizations and a health certificate are required when passing through most states and some states require a current Coggins test to enter the state. Brand inspections are common in the western United States so that must be obtained ahead of time as well.
Making the final decision may depend on your plans. Most companies require at least a two-week advance notice. Some will have open spots at the last minute and can accommodate plan changes but that is not something to be counted on.
Take your time, be conscientious and your efforts will pay off.
