Bit of youngster transportation advice please???

[SW3]

I have a 3 year old who is living at a friend's in North Wales (old home) whilst I moved to Bristol a year ago. We're going to back him this year in North Wales, give him lots of handling (he's already well used to being groomed and played with and so on), put him in the trailer and take him for some local trips (he's already been in a couple of times, with his half brother for company) as I'd like to move him to livery near Bristol in late summer/autumn so he is near where I live.

Question is whether it is totally irresponsible to consider taking a 3yo on his own in a trailer from North Wales to Bristol (will take about 5 hours when towing)? This would not be until has had a fair bit more handling and has been taken out in the trailer a bit more (and assuming his current fairly chilled approach to the trailer continues).

My mother is convinced I should put him on a professional horse transporter's lorry, in fact she's so adamant that she is 'not going to let me do anything else' that she has got me really angry with her for trying to dictate what I do (so I need to check I'm not being purely angry and stubborn and 'back-lashy' when I say I'm not convinced by the idea). Truth is I'm not madly keen on him going on a massive lorry with a load of strange horses - and -s ounds awful - potentially being exposed to any germs they might have given I have no idea what sort of horses might be on such a lorry or how long a journey he will have if he is on with 10 odd others and ends up being the last drop off having taken a load of other horses to their yards and being stuck on the lorry for a couple of hours longer than it needed to have been.

Am I being reasonable? Or is my mother bang on the money on this occasion? What, do you think, is the best and safest way to take a young horse on a longish journey?

 

[Tanta]

If it was me - and we have done similar trip bringing a 4 year old down from Cumbria to Bershire - I'd get a professional to do it - then he can be part of a shared load so wont be stressed by being alone, in a good big lorry, with professional people to handle him. A good company maintains their lorries very carefully, disinfect between each trip, and will have head boards etc so he wont have direct contact with his neighbours. They only travel for a set number of hours at a time before resting the horses, and take great care of them - as long as you get the right company.
Dont think they would do your area, but we used Gillies to transport ours - you could try ringing them, and if they dont cover where you are they would recommend someone of the same standard. It cost us under £200 to transport our horse from Cumbria to Berkshire as a shared load - and he arrived on a top of the range Oakley lorry, very unstressed. Worth every penny!

Good luck - main thing is to get him there safe - and without too much stress to you and your mother

 

[SW3]

That's really interesting and I absolutely agree with your last sentiment - thanks Tanta. I was hoping that a few people on here would have dealt with this issue! My previous plan was to put him on a friend's 7.5tonne lorry with my old horse - an angelic traveller, as babysitter to chauffeur the wee squirt to his new abode, hang out with us for a week or so and then travel back by himself, but sadly the poor old chap (aged 20 but had seemed to be in such good nick, fit and full of life) died suddenly of a heart attack in October last year and we don't have a substitute babysitter.

Do you think a professional horse transport company would let me come with them? I'd rather like to be there and be involved. I suspect the answer to that one is no, as they don't want owners fussing around when they have to be efficient and get the job done with lots of different horses, but worth asking! I will investigate Gillies - and their recommendations if they don't cover the West Country. I'm still a bit nervous about putting him on one of those impersonal looking lorries, but your email has helped to dispel my ignorance and allay my fears a lot ! Thnx

 

[Tanta]

Gillies were delightful - lovely people who are used to handling everything from very expensive yearlings/broodmares to very normal pones. They treated them all very carefully and caringly. I'm sure anyone they recommend would be the same. Well worth asking if they mind you accompanying him - they are large lorries with more than one driver, so may well be possible to sit up with them...

and it is surprisingly reasonably priced for shared loads

what I would avoid is anyone trying to do it on the cheap who is not properly registed, insured etc - the proper companies have very well maintained lorries with safe floors etc - what you dont want is someone's cattle truck!

all the best - I know it is all very stressful until you have them safely where you want them...

 

[Zebedee]

My OH is a professional livestock haulier.
It wouldn't worry me to be honest. We take lone yearlings on four hour journeys to county shows in a trailer. Provided you've done your home work & done a few short practice trips it isn't a problem.
Mind you we also quite often meet up with continental transport lorries in motorway service stations to collect unbroken youngstock thats just been shipped across the channel (fully papered competition horses before anyone yips up) & some of those are on;y barely halter broken - no practice runs for them before being herded on board & shipped across the channel !!
By the way the transport in the heading means trailers etc that have been stolen .....you'll get far more replies if you repost this in the New Lounge

 

[SW3]

oops

how embarrassing!

luckily I posted in NL as well anyway when I spotted how few people were looking at this section of HHO (not bright enough to read the title though, was I?!)

Thanks for replying Z - I'll see how he goes when we start playing with him more in the spring (he's still in furry monster winter mode at the mo) - if he's happy doing local trips on his tod in the trailer etc....

interesting that opinions are split on this one. praps I'm a control freak

but I do dislike the idea of handing him over to anyone else, but on the other hand I dont want to do the wrong thing, he's rather a trusting big hairy lug at the mo and I would hate to make the wrong call and affect that attitude...

 

[maxweg]

Due to work my horse has travelled from the south of england to scotlnad 3 times in the last 2 yrs! not through choice I hasten to add.
I have used Gillies everytime, well worth the cost, approx £450 each time. The men are fantastic, very professional and caring. She travels over 3 days stopping twice overnight in excellent stabling (once at their own place in the scottish borders).
My mare can be a bit "stressy" but every time looks very chilled and happy when she arrives, almost like she hasnt just travelled over 400 miles!. very comfortable boxes, padded, air con and sprung floors so no real bumps making it a smooth journey

She is on the move again in she next a few weeks and I completly trust them.
last time her move was from the South England to Yorkshire , she had just had a neurectomy in her legs and had staples (letter from vet said she was fit to travel) and they really took care of her. so patient and kind to her.
I wouldnt risk doing it yourself, a long journey and full of pit holes leave it to these professionals.

p.s Gillies have just been given the "royal warrant" for transporting the Queens private horses around her royal residences!!

good luck