Ideal horse, but far away. Advice Please

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charliep

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Hi, I have seen a horse I think would be ideal for me although it is 3 hours away. Apparently the horse travels fine, but from past experience (read my post entitled "Nightmare trailer experience") I am very worried this would be too long a journey to consider. Has anyone ever done a long journey with a horse? Would it be worth me considering a professional horse transport company to be safer??? Or should I look for a horse closer to home? I am planning to visit the horse myself, but it's the horse's welfare travelling that i am most concerned about. Any advice would be very welcome
 
I'm sure the journey would be fine but if you only have a trailer, I would get a professional to move the horse in a lorry. My horse had to go to Newmarket for an operation which was about 3 hours each way and I didn't think twice about it.
 
Oh bless you Charliep! Ok my advice would be speak to the owner at length about how the horse travels (I'm sure you may have done this already) then talk about how you feel this is the horse for you......then if you still feel confident go and try him/her. Then if all is going well go for it. We take our boy to Norfolk for the weekend....he is a good traveller but we stop en route and I also check him along the way....good luck. Sxxxx
 
Too long of a journey for you?
If that is the case and he is a perfect horse then hire someone to collect and deliver him to your door if you can afford it.
I travelled seven hours to see a broodmare and took the trailer not knowing how she would travel but I took a big hay net and she stood like a lamb and scoffed the lot on the way back.Its just the lucck of the draw I suppose.

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www.ballyshanhorses.webs.com
 
I regularly drive our horses between Gloucestershire and Scotland (5 hours to the Borders) so a 3 hour journey is no problem - in either a lorry or a trailer. My OH has brought a horse down from Scotland in a trailer on many occasions.

Transporters usually charge £1/mile but if it would give you peace of mind then it would be worth considering.
 
I have just got back from Devon (to Essex) with my mare (black and white in sig) - I go every summer for a fortnight, I used to live down there and we go back visiting!

The journey is fine, I stop 2 or 3 times to check her and offer water, and provide a big haynet, and have never (cross fingers, touch wood) had a problem. The journey (with stops) takes around 5 1/2 hours and seems to fly by. BTW, I have an Ifor 510 and tow with an L reg LWB Pajero.

I can appreciate that you may be more nervous if you have had a nightmare experience, and it may be worth paying a professional if you are really worried, there probably isn't much difference in cost if you take fuel into account.
 
I regularly travel mine for 5- 6 hours and have never had a problem, admittedly these days it is in a lorry so i can keep an eye on them but if she travels ok and you give her a large haynet, take water and stop to check her 2 or 3 times i am sure she will be fine. having said that using a pro transporter can be a lot less stressful. Good luck.
 
hey- my new nag is coming from devon and i live in bedfordshire!!!! My old nag used to do somerset to north wales twice a year for uni too. I would use a horse transporter- they are good at thier jobs and do it daily. It takes some of the worry out of it!! If the nag is what you are looking for go for it!!!
 
If it is any comfort to you, we live in Scotland, and regularly travel to events more than 3 hours away!!! We have to if we want to compete!!!

It very much depends on how your horse travels - most tolerate it REALLY well. The one's that don't probably don't travel well even if it is 5 miles!!

Please don't worry that you are being cruel. If the horse is settled while travelling, and you stop to check and offer water regularly, he will be fine!!

If you are worried, get a transporter to do it (Gillies are great) but they will just do the same thing!!

Good luck!!
grin.gif
 
Thanks for all your advice. I'm not worried about the journey time for me. I drive for a living, so 3 hours isnt unusual for me. It's the horse I am worried about, but you have all reassured me! I think I will get a few quotes from a prof though, just for peace of mind.
Thanks x
 
Hi
I have just bought a horse that ws 3 hrs away from me, she is 5 and never travelled before happy to datnd in a wagon.

We decided to use a transporter to bring her back rather than tow.

The only advise i would give is check if they are the only horse coming back I thought this was the case with mine however the guy stopped and picked anither horse up and delivered that one before dropping mine off which made the journey nearly 4 1/2 hours not really nice on the horse who has never travelled before, but she was fine at the other end just wandered down the ramp in the stable not bothered at all.
 
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