Horse transporters

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glitterpuss

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Hi everyone,

I'm moving from Yorkshire to Cardiff in August and I've been getting wildly different quotes for transporting my 15hh cob.

Does anyone have any advice on travelling a long distance - am I better to go with someone with a massive air conditioned Oakley who does an overnight stop or best to get it done and dusted in a day?
Would you trust a 3.5ton two horse box to be able to make that journey comfortable for my horse?
Any recommendations (or advice of who to avoid)?

Thanks!
Rachel
 
I have used Boothroyden twice, once to do West Yorks - S Wales, and once for Scotland - S Wales. Both times horses have arrived calm, happy and have both subsequently loaded well and without fuss.
In the first instance, the journey was made in a marlborough Hunter type box (with 1xchunky 16.2hh) and the second time a shared load on a big wagon. As I say, both times horses were happy as larry. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them for any journey.
 
Cardiff to Yorkshire is not that far really no need for a stop overnight.

A 3.5 ton will be fine or contact the bigger firms and do a shared load.
I have sent horses with Gillies, very professional and ran to time, they do regular runs south from Scotland so would be worth trying .

I have travelled that sort of distance in my own lorry often enough with just one or two stops for hay refill and water, the horses just tend to settle down and relax once you are on the road.
 
Another vote for Eric Gillies - very professional, amazing lorry and our mare came from Scotland to Essex with one overnight stop. She came off the lorry with not a hair out of place or any signs of stress. Driver was lovely, knew his stuff and handled her very well as he unloaded her.
 
Thanks all - have had a quote from Gillies and they sounded great.
Have tried Boothroyden's website but its quote thing isn't working - will try again later.
I was just concerned a smaller 3.5ton may be cramped and/or claustrophobic after a fair few hours on board?
Did any of you travel with your horse or follow behind or did you just let them transport them without you being on hand?
 
The one we had from boothroydens certainly wasn't cramped at all, it was massively roomy.
I left them to it, can't think of anything worse than a professional transporter having to put up with a fractious owner on board/in tow :D
 
glitterpuss said:
I was just concerned a smaller 3.5ton may be cramped and/or claustrophobic after a fair few hours on board?
Did any of you travel with your horse or follow behind or did you just let them transport them without you being on hand?
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3.5 ton would be fine if she's an ok traveller, I don't think it really makes that much difference to most horses :)

I've used Gillies a fair few times now; for shorter journeys (i.e. one day) I usually try and be at both 'ends' of the journey to see them safely off and then zip up to new yard to welcome :D For the longer journeys where they have stabled overnight it hasn't been possible, but I have always found that they travel really well. Last one involved 2 overnight stops, but it was the same driver for the whole journey and I got regular text updates.
 
To be honest I think I'd be more terrified than the horse! Just wouldn't like to think of anything happening and me not being there to be on hand, I'd like to be there to load and as you say be there to welcome at the other end :-)
I'll keep trying Boothroyden's website :-)
 
They are also very nice, if you end up giving up and just calling them. People of few words, but always given good prices and helpful :)
 
Can't give any recommendations as I'm in the wrong area but have used a transport lady twice, she has a 3.5t and it was plenty roomy enough for my (then) 16hh, very energetic horse. I was worried that she'd be a bit "confined" in it because I was warned that she didn't like trailers, but when I saw the box I was surprised at how much space there was inside - it was one of the pricier 3.5's so quite fancy, and had so much space for them to move around and she was perfectly happy to go in / travel, and that was for a very long journey. It also had a sunroof & air con! She travelled beautifully in that so I wouldn't worry about a 3.5t horsebox being too small for that kind of journey, and that distance could be travelled in a day, I don't think there's any need for an overnight stop as they tend to settle & relax once they've got going :)
 
I have just used a recommended transporter from here, called we move any horse . com

My yearling was transported 3 hours in a 3.5t and although the only second time she has travel, she came off sweat free and relaxed, cant recommend him enough and the price was better than anything I had found.
 
The reason for the varying quotes is different people are quoting for different things. A shared load your horse might have to do one or two stops, whilst they pick up and drop off everything else. An individual load in a 3.5 tonner can go directly but, a 3.5 tonner has no air suspension so does not give as smoother or as stable ride. Also bear in mind 3.5 tonners are outside of operator license rules so in theory if they pass their mot they are good for another year. Alternatively you could ask for a direct load on a bigger truck, this obviously is the most expensive, but your horse goes straight there in a large stable truck with air suspension that is seen by an indipendant mechanic every six weeks. Very different services, very different prices.
 
BoolavogueDC said:
I have used Boothroyden twice, once to do West Yorks - S Wales, and once for Scotland - S Wales. Both times horses have arrived calm, happy and have both subsequently loaded well and without fuss.
In the first instance, the journey was made in a marlborough Hunter type box (with 1xchunky 16.2hh) and the second time a shared load on a big wagon. As I say, both times horses were happy as larry. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them for any journey.
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I used Boothroyden to travel my youngster from exeter to london - he'd never been travelled before. The guy transporting was excellent - he was on time, in fact he got the lorry there the night before and with help from my youngster's breeder got loaded and on the road at the crack of dawn. He arrived in London within excellent time and a very happy and calm young horse came off the lorry. I would absolutely use them again - not least because the price they quoted me was by far the cheapest but also because they were brilliant with my young horse and obviously drove safely and at a good speed as my little one was half asleep when he came off the lorry!
 
glitterpuss said:
To be honest I think I'd be more terrified than the horse! Just wouldn't like to think of anything happening and me not being there to be on hand, I'd like to be there to load and as you say be there to welcome at the other end :-)
I'll keep trying Boothroyden's website :-)
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I know exactly where you are coming from with this BUT, if you use a professional transporter you really don't need to worry, these people do this day in day out and know how to handle any situation that may crop up. TBH, if anything did happen you would be more likely to be in the way. I once followed my pony who was being travelled by trailer, he reared up and down the whole journey and I was behind watching his head appear over the ramp and having kittens. I would never travel behind like this again with a trailer and I would never travel in a box with them again, having done that with a bad traveller, far too stressful!
 
mutley75 said:
The reason for the varying quotes is different people are quoting for different things. A shared load your horse might have to do one or two stops, whilst they pick up and drop off everything else. An individual load in a 3.5 tonner can go directly but, a 3.5 tonner has no air suspension so does not give as smoother or as stable ride. Also bear in mind 3.5 tonners are outside of operator license rules so in theory if they pass their mot they are good for another year. Alternatively you could ask for a direct load on a bigger truck, this obviously is the most expensive, but your horse goes straight there in a large stable truck with air suspension that is seen by an indipendant mechanic every six weeks. Very different services, very different prices.
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Good advice there about sharing. Also, bear in mind that transporters make no money driving an empty lorry so you will get a better quote for a "return load", i.e. they've transported a horse from A to B and it is a bonus if they can transport one from B to A soon after delivery. Sharing has been mentioned above. That's why it isn't all that expensive to transport horses to and from Scotland (sales plug!:D). So, if you are not in a hurry or are flexible on dates, say so, it might earn you a discount (if you ask)!
 
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