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  Discussion on Moving Soon
Author Message
Member:
Lhenning

Posted on Monday, Nov 10, 2003 - 4:50 pm:

I am going to be moving my 2 1/2 year old gelding from the boarding facility where he is currently, to a new farm about an hour away. He was trailered once about a year ago, before I owned him, but has been at this farm ever since. I am new to horse ownership and have never done this before, but I will have help from an experienced friend. I am wondering what I can do to prepare my horse for the trip, and what to expect when he gets to the new facility. Would it be better to keep him separate from the "new" horses? So far, he has always been pasture-boarded, with lots of buddies around. Will the whole event be frightening for him? He seems to have a pretty calm disposition, but I have never had to test it either. The new place is much nicer than where he is now, and only ten miles from my home, so I can visit him more than I used to. I know this is a good move for us, but I am worried about the transition. I'm grateful for any advice you can give me.

Linda
Member:
Jojo15

Posted on Monday, Nov 10, 2003 - 6:16 pm:

linda,
everything should be fine. But, I wonder if your experienced friend will start your gelding in some trailer lessons before the "big" haul... that could help matters a bunch. Or maybe hire a trainer to help in his lessons? This way you know before hand what to expect. Or not to do it till he is better behaved.

Also, your nervousness can have an impact on the outcome of the trip. As i have learned my "kids" look to me for cues. and I have in the past acted nervous and they can pick up on it. If you are confident so shall they. Especially if you already established a rapore and trust with him. I have a mare that never really trusted me. And until i got over my nervousness, all the little nightmares that could happen... did. So, let your friend help you in loading and unloading, practicing and all that entails.

You didn't mention if he has been broke yet? or how he handles? What are his ground manners like? all this is important. What was his experience from the last trailer trip? What did the last owners do in terms of training him as a yearling? I would think that he must be a puppy personality for you to have bought him. Right?

It should go fine just let your friend do most of the work. if you feel uncomfortable in any way stop. Don't move him till YOU feel comfortable. 90% of good ownership is not doing something until you feel confident in your ability to handle the situation. And not put you or your horse in any situation where you could get each other hurt.

Another option is to hire someone to help. A service that does it routinely. or trailer a buddy along with him?
.
Most horses once inside the trailer travel fine they are more worried about the movement and behave.

as for the new digs? the facility should ask you for your coggins and if he is up to date with all his shots and what your worming schedule is.... They are the ones to worry about quarentine of new horses. But there is no standard where i live. New horses come and go weekly. They will adjust in time.

Everything will be grand just read up on this site for other trailer experiences... i know there are plenty.

joj
Member:
Lhenning

Posted on Tuesday, Nov 11, 2003 - 4:40 pm:

joj,

Yes, he is broke. I've been riding him for a few months now and he handles beautifully. He is normally very calm and doesn't startle easily. When something has caused him to jump, he hasn't ever run, just looked suspicious for a moment and then relaxed. As far as ground manners, he leads and ties nicely. I've been using a round pen with him for six months, and I really like the way he stays focussed on me and responds to my directions. I don't know what his trailering experience was before, since I didn't know him then. I will find out though. I think he must have been handled as a yearling, because he was always comfortable around people.

I like your idea of having my friend do trailer lessons before moving day. I think I could take him near the trailer myself and just hang out around it for awhile too. That might help my nervousness too. I will make an effort to try and relax, because I have a lot of confidence in my friend. I appreciate your good advice.

Linda
Member:
Jojo15

Posted on Tuesday, Nov 11, 2003 - 6:01 pm:

Read up on the articles here about trailer lessons.
when you have time and aren't stressed then the lessons will happen easier.

Does anyone have a trailer that you can feed him in? or practice putting him in? I fed my one mare for about a week on the steps of the trailer and kept moving the hay further and further in till she was half in. My trailer is a very old one and was painted red. Even though both of my horses trailered before i bought them, I had a heck of time trying to get them into this big scary black pit.... lol
Member:
Lhenning

Posted on Wednesday, Nov 12, 2003 - 4:08 pm:

Yes, there is a trailer on the grounds that I may be able to use for training. I can try putting some hay in to see how he reacts. I like your idea of gradually moving it farther inside. I have been reading up on trailering too, as there is a wealth of information on this webpage. Thanks.

Linda
Member:
Canter

Posted on Thursday, Nov 13, 2003 - 8:46 am:

Linda,
Also, you may want to take some hay/feed from the current facility when you move your horse, so that you can transition his feed slowly to whatever the new barn is feeding.

When I moved my gelding to a new barn a couple of years ago, we transitioned the feed, and the pasture was set up so that for a couple of days, he was able to run alone in an "aisleway" with pasture and horses on both sides of him. Once the owner of the barn saw how he adjusted to the other horses over the fence, she slowly introduced him to another pasture of geldings. And she kept a good eye on things for a few days to make sure everyone got along.

The move went very well--no health problems due to abrupt changes in feed and no problems with his new buddies out in the pasture.

Good luck with your move!
Member:
Lhenning

Posted on Thursday, Nov 13, 2003 - 12:33 pm:

Now you have me worrying about something else. How should I transistion his feed? He is on the underweight side and I don't want him to lose weight. The new facility is using a higher grade feed than my current one. Should I bring a few bales of hay from the old place and mix it with the better hay, or start giving the old stuff and gradually give more of the new hay? How long will it take until he is completely on the new feed? Since he is underweight and winter is setting in quickly this year, I've decided to keep him indoors, with daily turnout. He has been on pasture board for the past year, but I don't think he would fair very well outside unless he puts on more weight. This is one reason I'm moving him, because I feel the current facility didn't work with me to get his weight up, at least not until fall. Unfortunately, our weather has been very cold, very early, so he has not improved at all. I just don't want his condition to worsen in the transition of moving.
Moderator:
DrO

Posted on Thursday, Nov 13, 2003 - 6:12 pm:

Yes whenever possible changes in feed, particularly forages, needs to be done slowly. That includes changing from grass to hay for more on this see » Care for Horses » Nutrition » Roughage and Forage for Horses, an Overview.

Even with great diligence weight loss following a move is common: consider adding 1/2 cup vegtable oil twice daily to the concentrate for a sage way to boost calorie intakes, for more on this see, » Care for Horses » Nutrition » Fats and Oils in the Diet of Horses.
DrO
Member:
Lhenning

Posted on Friday, Nov 14, 2003 - 1:28 pm:

Thanks, I checked the article out and it answers a lot of my questions. I talked to the owner of the new boarding stable and have worked out the feeding issues. I am feeling a lot more confident and relaxed about this move.

Linda
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