Horse transporters - are they a good idea?

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SW3

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Hi there

Basically, as the title says really, are horse transporters a good idea for travelling a horse on a long journey, say 4 1/2 hours, when said horse was not used to travelling for longer than about 2 hours. Would you use one of these in preference to driving your horse (on his own) from A to B yourself??

I'm trying to work out what the benefits are, since I have heard horror stories about horses being put on with 8 others and spending waaaaay more than the actual journey time accompanying the other 8 horses to their respective and different drop off spots...
 
We use them when we can't do it ourselves or when it's not within the country- They sort the paper work out ;) Wouldn't use them through choice within this country, but then we are lucky to have a nice lorry. Depending on the transporter some have really fab lorries, and fab staff. Others best steered clear of.
 
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If I could, I'd always do it myself. I don't particularly think there's any major benefit to the horse going in a transporter.

When you book your horse on a transporter though they always tell you exactly what route and drop offs they'll be taking... I think it's a bit unfair to call it horror stories!

I sold a pony and a transporter took her to Manchester. Did a few pick up and drop off on the way. Think the journey took her 9 hours? Pony was completely fine and unbothered the other end. She was the 1st on our end (being on the south coast). The lorry prob took 6 horses I'd have thought.
 
It depends what you want. The big boys in horse transport make their money by combining journies so it is allways going to be unlikely that your horse is going to be picked up and driven long distance directly a to b. However they are the best people for the job with the best tools for the job. Given the experience and back up they have behind them i would reccommend them any day. wheres my tenner then mr gillie? Eric Gillie horse transport!
 
By choice if its only 4/5 hours I'd do it myself. But any longer than that I'd generally get a transporter. They'll tell you how many other horses are on the load and where it has to stop off if you ask them. More horses on the lorry means a cheaper fee for you ;) Some transporters are better than other. As someone has mentioned - Gillies are a big one and they do have lovely lorries. I've used them 3 or 4 times, sent a horse off with them to Sussex last year (not my horse) - I believe it got there happily. If its a long journey (ie. top of Scotland to bottom of England) they'll often stable them at their Kelso yard. I did use a different transporter once to bring up a horse from Wales to NE Scotland (they were Wales based, cant remember the name) and they were fantastic. They were much cheaper than Gillies and looked after my horse beautifully the whole way up, even arriving in blizzards. Was very impressed. They also gave my horse hay for the whole journey which Gillies don't (my biggest pet hate as colic risk and god they must be bored!).
 
If I had a super-duper ultra reliable lorry and probably someone to share the driving, I would do it myself. As I don't I would use a transporter, there are many very good ones about who really do give the horses the best journey possible.
 
Trying to settle a debate with my mother to be honest! ;-)

I can't see any particularly strong reason why boyfriend and I can't drive my horse from North Wales to South Glos area ourselves in our little lorry (esp as we will share the driving and go at the quietest time we can for traffic), but the Maternal One is adamant that he should go in a transporter as "it's too long for him to be on his own and he might panic".
Granted, he is only 4 (or will be shortly and when we do the trip) and has not travelled for long distances as yet, but we shifted him around for shorter journeys fairly frequently as a 3 yo which he hasn't batted an eye at. I can't see why he should be fine in a big transporter with loads of horses he doesn't know and poss no hay but not fine travelling with us, when we know we will take him on as direct a trip as possible AND he will be with people he knows... but yes, on his own.

Is there something I am missing that would definitely make it a really bad plan to drive a comparatively sane and chilled solo 4yo 4 hours in his own box?

Argh. I may have ignored something obvious here but I just cant see it !! thanks
 
i've used transporters twice (same company). The last 2 horses that I bought / acquired came from the SE and I am in SW Devon. It wasn't so much travelling them down, it was taking trailer up there and back. It was far more convenient and cost effective to get transporter.

The first one was 9 years ago. He was picked up on the Saturday, stabled overnight and then brought down to me in a joint load on the sunday.

The second was done in a day from Goodwood, again as a joint load.

Both arrived in fabulous shape, and I wouldn't hesitate to use this particular transporter again. But probably only if I was actually buying. If I was moving or competing, then I don't see anything wrong with taking it yourself, even if it was in a trailer. (unless of course it was wild!)
 
SW3 said:
Trying to settle a debate with my mother to be honest! ;-)

I can't see any particularly strong reason why boyfriend and I can't drive my horse from North Wales to South Glos area ourselves in our little lorry (esp as we will share the driving and go at the quietest time we can for traffic), but the Maternal One is adamant that he should go in a transporter as "it's too long for him to be on his own and he might panic".
Granted, he is only 4 (or will be shortly and when we do the trip) and has not travelled for long distances as yet, but we shifted him around for shorter journeys fairly frequently as a 3 yo which he hasn't batted an eye at. I can't see why he should be fine in a big transporter with loads of horses he doesn't know and poss no hay but not fine travelling with us, when we know we will take him on as direct a trip as possible AND he will be with people he knows... but yes, on his own.

Is there something I am missing that would definitely make it a really bad plan to drive a comparatively sane and chilled solo 4yo 4 hours in his own box?

Argh. I may have ignored something obvious here but I just cant see it !! thanks
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If he is going to panic it will be within the first quarter of an hour or the first time you stop probably. I would defo have driven my sane 4 year old that distance. Basic what if's need to be considered. ie if you break down will he be OK for possibly hours whilst traffic goes whizzing past. If yes then fine. If no then mum has my vote here
 
scarymare said:
If he is going to panic it will be within the first quarter of an hour or the first time you stop probably. I would defo have driven my sane 4 year old that distance. Basic what if's need to be considered. ie if you break down will he be OK for possibly hours whilst traffic goes whizzing past. If yes then fine. If no then mum has my vote here
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hmmm, that's food for thought.... I hadn't really spent too much time thinking about the possibility of breaking down.... which of course can never be discounted, but could also happen to the transporter too couldn;t it!?
 
A transporter took my mare to Yorkshire from the north of Scotland when I moved down. She was part of a load, so the journey was done over two days with an overnight stop. When she got to Yorkshire, she was totally exhausted and took days to recover, I think because of all the travelling on back roads to drop off other horses.
Several years later, I transported her back up in my own trailer (having earned enough to buy one!), along with another horse. It took 8 hours, with only a brief stop to refuel, and was all on motorways. Both horses bounced off the trailer looking like they had been round the block.
I would never use a transporter if I could possibly help it, especially for an impressionable youngster.
 
For such a short journey I would do it myself, but if you can't I suppose the trick is to find the right transporter. I had a nightmare with the people I selected to move the horses to France, will PM you details.
 
Thanks everyone, to be honest, judging by how well he has travelled so far, I probably wouldn't consider a transporter if he wasn't a youngster. We used to take my old chap on journeys that long in order to compete and in the fullness of time I hope to be in a position to do so with the little squirt. I'm just trying to figure what's best for a youngster in these circs. I certainly don't want to put him off travelling. Thanks for the perspectives re +'s and -'s of the 'pros'! x
 
I had a transporter move my pregnant and her 5 year old unbroken pony companion from wales to newcastle. I requested that they travel alone due to mare being in foal and very protective over her companion and they travelled beatifully, they were picked up in the early hours of the morning( pitch dark) to avoid as mush traffic and had hay to eat en route and was given regular updates on how they travelled.
As his lorry went quicker than me and my trailer he got there before me, he unloaded them, removed boots and bandages and settled them in their boxes with something to pee on and hay and water. It cost me £1 a mile for the pair and I would use him again if needed. My mare travelled far better in a lorry for the distance they had to go than I could have towed her in her trailer.
 
I would use a transporter but one from recommendation and with a small box so you are sole load. We did this for our move up from SE England to Aberdeenshire. Because of extreme weather for the previous load we had to miss out on the overnight stop (thankfully they were licensed for the long trips) so they came up 12 hours with just rest breaks 550 miles but they were absolutely fine on the trip and on arrival even tho theyd never done more than an hour before.

We used the transporter as he had lairage he could go to if they got upset on the trip, and also his box was virtually new so a lot less likely to break down. Also he would be calm which would help the horses be calm!

Really glad I did use the transporter. For a multi load, Gillies are the biz but we didnt want a very long trip being made longer by drop offs and pick ups, despite their ultra comfy lorries and great drivers. Also big horse had been poorly not long before so didnt want to risk any germs!

Edited to add for a sole load its about £1 a mile (for both) as per the previous post, thats what we paid too. The guy we used normall transports racehorses worth £££££ so we figured he would be a careful driver!
 
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