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  Discussion on Questions about shipping 8 month old filly
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Member:
juliem

Posted on Thursday, Jan 31, 2008 - 11:48 pm:

I have someone interested in buying one of my weanlings who is in Florida and I'm in southwest Idaho--clear across the country!! You can imagine how concerned I am about shipping one of my babies at all, let alone that far. I've emailed Cyndy for advice, but I so need words of wisdom, cautions and advice on this one from those of you who have experience. I'm a bit inclined to "just say no", but maybe that's just being over cautious. Thanks, Julie
Member:
ekaufman

Posted on Friday, Feb 1, 2008 - 12:52 am:

Hi Julie,

I've shipped babies several times. It seems to me that they handle it well if they are well handled. Older horses often seem more stressed. I've shipped farther (Costa Rica to Colorado) with good outcomes.

I would suggest keeping the baby on gastroguard for the trip, letting her (?) have a box stall with straw so she can lie down, with free choice hay and water. I would not tie a baby or require her to travel standing.

They seem to do best with a buddy, but that can be difficult to arrange. I like haulers who will stop and turn out at night, but some prefer "shortest time on the road." I don't know which is better.

Take some practice trips so trailering is familiar before the long trip, and make sure she loads well.

It's hard to find good homes for horses, so I wouldn't let the trip stop you, if this is a good placement.
Member:
paardex

Posted on Friday, Feb 1, 2008 - 4:17 am:

With a buddy I wouldn't think it is a problem. From Holland even younger foals were frequently hauled to Skandinavia[with the boattrip I suppose it compares to what yours is up to] and as Elizabeth says they seem to be even more comfortable then older but not so experienced horses.
Professional care is ofcourse important and totally alone I would worry about.
Hope this helps
Jos
Member:
leslie1

Posted on Friday, Feb 1, 2008 - 11:19 am:

I just shipped my mare from az to Kentucky. The company I used was great. It cost 960.00 for a regular stall. the trailer was clean. my mare showed up in Kentucky in excellent condition. She had a layover in Colorado for a week ( which I believe gave her time to really and truly rest before continuing on to ky.) Overall a great experience.
Member:
sureed

Posted on Friday, Feb 1, 2008 - 11:38 am:

Julie,

I agree with Elizabeth, I wouldn't pass on a good home for your baby. I recommend that you search for a shipper on www.uship.com. I had fabulous luck finding someone to bring my stallion and his 10 month old filly from SoCal to NorCal. Of course that is a day trip, but I was worried about the baby (who had never been loaded or hauled) hauling the stallion and the filly together, making sure they were hauled in one day, etc. When you list with Uship post all of your needs and specifications and then you start getting replies and bids. You can ask all of the questions you want and check references and ratings. I found a guy whose rig was set up with two box stalls, he didn't have a problem knowing the filly had never been loaded AND he was on a back haul so he gave me a discount. Then we spoke several times during the day, after he was loaded, half way through the trip and about an hour out. It worked out better than any haul I ever had done and I've had everything from yearlings to older mares hauled cross country from Fl, VT and the midwest to CA. All arrived safe but the one that upset me was the guy who said he would haul my 17.1 mare who had had EPM as a foal and was a bit ataxic in a box stall, but when she arrived she was crammed into a rig that was not all that tall and he had only given her two straight stalls, not a box. They had stopped every night, so that was good, and she did arrive in good shape. Who knows, maybe the narrower stall helped her balance on the trip. But my point is, ask lots of questions, get references, ask for pictures of the rig - inside and out -- and your weanling should do just fine.
Member:
hpyhaulr

Posted on Friday, Feb 1, 2008 - 12:31 pm:

Suzanne,
You hit the nail on the head in the respect that you had great luck. Uship is about the most unprofessional expletive deleted site I could imagine. None of the respected haulers I know will post there.
Sorry, but not much boils my blood like what you find on that site. More like a soap opera than a professional forum. I don't generally invest myself directing the general public how to find my competitors, but if it keeps you in better company... here goes. Movemyhorse.com or if you must travellinghorse.com

Arrrrgggghhhhh... venting incomplete, but discretion is still the better part of valor.
Member:
sureed

Posted on Friday, Feb 1, 2008 - 4:00 pm:

Hey Cindy,

Thanks for the heads up and the new recommendations. The people I know just haven't had the problems you cite with uship so it is always great to have another perspective. On the other hand, I have used some of the well established national haulers and had some unpleasant experiences. As it turns out, the shipper who responded to me from uship couldn't have been more professional, accommodating, or concerned and caring with my horses. He also had among his references a person I respect from whom I had bought a horse in the past. So cautionary note to all, get recommendations from people you know and respect first and check the references, check the references, check the references. Great post Cindy.
Member:
juliem

Posted on Friday, Feb 1, 2008 - 4:06 pm:

I appreciate your responses so very much. What a great bunch. Cyndy has emailed me a very complete list of things to look for as well as a comprehensive description of what a successful haul should entail. She's a VERY valuable resource to this board and I'm hoping if this filly does go to Florida, it will be behind Walt's truck! I'm a bit skeptical why someone would pay to ship a $2500.00 horse that far so perhaps the potential buyer hasn't got a realistic feel for what the price will be. She's a very nice, well bred QH buttermilk buckskin, but still--aren't there any of those closer to Florida? Thanks again to all, it has certainly put my mind more at ease! Julie
Member:
juliem

Posted on Friday, Feb 1, 2008 - 10:32 pm:

Well, reality must have set in when my potential buyer got estimates--from $1400 to $1800--as she can't swing it financially. After forwarding her info about Cyndy and Walt, she said "I would trust my horse in their hands." Anyway, thanks all for reassuring me as I'm sure I'll face this issue again. And thanks to Cyndy for the tutorial! Julie
Member:
hpyhaulr

Posted on Saturday, Feb 2, 2008 - 6:19 am:

Wow, Julie, very flattering, thank you...but it won't change my price...lol lol...actually, I don't think I gave you a $$ as I did not have the towns..
To address your question about buyers: often they are not thinking but acting on their gut and making an emotional buy. That can be the good news for you and your filly as the heart usually trumps the brain. We all know from painful experiences that you can get someone or something off your mind with less pain than getting someone out of your heart. If your filly has spoken to a buyer's heart, if your picture and/or video helps someone fall in love with this horse, then I think you have triumphed as a breeder. You want your baby to have a forever home, rather than to have her heart bruised by being passed around the horse world more than last Christmas' fruitcake. A forever home is what we all want, for ourselves and our horses. Often, when we have breeders we work with regularly,if they can be flexible on the scheduling, we will work with them to make the deal work $$$.(e.g. buyer is getting a weanling, and thinking about taking a second weanling.... "this is the price for a box stall... now I don't care if you put one weanlings in there or 2, or your exhusband in there... (as long as he doesn't smoke) this is the price" That can make it a LOT easier for the breeder to get 2 sold where one was the original deal. (This particular bit of creativity will work with Icelandics, pasos or arabs, not friesians,TB's or WB's etc...)They need to be able to give me time to fill the rest of the trailer with good payers so we cover the costs and make a bit of a profit so we can call it making a living. We find creative ways to make the magic happen, as long as no horse is compromised. And as to the travelling alone factor??? IF we HAVE to have a nervous nellie baby on board alone for any length of time, it would not be the first time we bought a goat for a travelling companion...they come to be great buds!
It looks like you read this buyer right..so sorry this deal did not work out, but that just means the right buyer is still out there waiting for her. Maybe around the corner from you!
Member:
juliem

Posted on Sunday, Mar 20, 2011 - 7:25 pm:

Cyndy, just re-reading this old post and your last comment: "so sorry this deal did not work out, but that just means the right buyer is still out there waiting for her. Maybe around the corner from you!" You were psychic! The woman who bought her is less than a mile from me and became a good friend! She got a great home too!
Member:
hpyhaulr

Posted on Sunday, Mar 20, 2011 - 8:56 pm:

well, the odds are I gota be right ONCE in a while! Glad it worked out for everybody!
Now what about anyminutenowmama?
Member:
juliem

Posted on Sunday, Mar 20, 2011 - 9:17 pm:

Still no sigh of anything happening soon! I had hoped this full moon would do the trick, but...........sigh.
Member:
hpyhaulr

Posted on Sunday, Mar 20, 2011 - 10:05 pm:

LOl take her for a ride in a trailer for the day. Once she is back in a stall without tires... she will be ready.
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