What is too far for a horse to travel?

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awolstencroft

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I have been debating this for a while as the majority of the horses I find for sale are all far south and I am in Lancashire (North West)

I know competition horses travel all over the world but they do it regularly so know what to expect... would a normal everyday horse cope with such a long journey?

Thanks
 
Why not? If you are sensible, drive at a reasonable speed, stop for rests and offer water and the horse has a haynet - it's not that long a journey.

On motorways, I've found that most horses doze slightly - there's often a readjustment of their feet when you get to a slip road and change the rhythm of the vehicle. What is difficult for them is twisty journeys with lots of roundabouts and junctions - it's more about the quality of the trip than the quantity!
 
Half a mile is too far if the horse has not been taught to travel.

The question is what is a normal horse.

A young horse never been loaded would struggle and it would be unfair to ask it to undertake a long journey. Although many young horses, especially the Irish types endure a very long first journey when they come to the UK.

An elderly horse, no matter how traveled in the past, would get very tired.

A competition horse would not give a flying fig how far the journey is provided its needs are met. A happy hacker who perhaps only gets on the lorry for the odd pleasure ride would probably get anxious but would settle, again with its needs being met.

Weather conditions should be factored in if the lorry is not air con'ed in the container.
 
Thanks!

I think ive been brainwashed growing up because my mum doesn't like driving the trailer and avoids going long distance...

furthest I've been is a 3 hour drive but some of them are showing 6 to 7 hours to the general area (not a specific postcode)
 
Weve travelled over 10 hours to get to the Royal International. All we did was pull up at the services 3 times and offer him some water and make sure he had enough hay. Was fine, but make sure your horse travels well in the first place! :)
 
In terms of 'normal' I'm hoping to find a maxi cob type who goes out and about fairly regularly and about 10-13yo?

something that should be used to travelling preferably....
 
When I took my Po on holiday it was a 3 hour drive without stopping, tiring for both me the driver and the ginger sausage, but he always seemed fine when he came out the trailer, I have a camera to see if all is well, he would either be munching his haynet or head down chilling, I would say it depends on the horse/pony age health condition and their traveling experience as to how far is acceptable.
 
I would suggest the style of driving is more important than the distance. Driving at a constant speed on the motorway is no different to standing in a stable to a horse. That would be less tiring than driving minor roads with frequent changes in speed and direction (i.e. winding roads). Newton's Laws of Motion apply.

But why is the horse travelling? Are you considering buying a horse a long way from home? If that, leave it to the experts like Eric Gillies. It really doesn't cost that much for peace of mind. I am in the Scottish Highlands and 90% of mine go south, so several hundred miles. Gillies stop and unload regularly so the journey takes several days and they walk off the lorry as fresh as a daisy.
 
I agree that much depends on the transporter and its worth paying a bit extra. My first horse came up from South Wales to Scotland but had travelled long distances before. I myself travelled a weanling pony for three hours with no issues in a trailer.

My last horse was transported over from Lisbon-Scotland only having been on a trailer before that. The original transporter let me down at the last minute and I scrambled about finding a replacement company for Portugal-Dover. They weren't expensive but were available but I regret it now-it was a very quick journey and the horse was shell shocked and aloof for a long time (although there are other factors of course) although he loads and travels well now.
 
If the horse is a good traveller and the driver a good driver, a mile is the same as a hundred to them.

If in doubt, remove their watches then there is no way for them to know. ;)
 
yes it would be for the purposes of bringing a new horse home... Thanks everyone, I don't feel half as bad looking further afield now!

I would definitely like a professional transport company but I wouldn't know where to start with reputability as I've heard many mixed reviews...
 
I personally wouldn't like to travel further than 2 hours in a car to view a horse, and even then I would like videos and lots of information about the horse before hand to save a wasted journey.

With regards to travelling, I'm sure the horse would be fine with regular stops and lots of hay, as long as it's a good traveller.
 
I moved three horses from Cornwall to Scotland, albeit with a professional horse transporter.

We have also just bought another from Cornwall, they all arrived bright and happy.
 
awolstencroft said:
yes it would be for the purposes of bringing a new horse home... Thanks everyone, I don't feel half as bad looking further afield now!

I would definitely like a professional transport company but I wouldn't know where to start with reputability as I've heard many mixed reviews...
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where to start is by recommendation. This is the one I recommend

http://www.pchorsetransport.co.uk/services_and_transport_prices.htm

he is Plymouth based so if you are buying a horse on the western side of the country may be useful.

I had to transport a 7mo foal from Scotland to Devon. I looked at Gillies to start with but there were huge disadvantages with them. The horse would have to go to their loading facility at Kelso, would travel with other horses and would have to overnight in Glos. Their lorry was so big that he would have to be unloaded half an hour from home and I would have to provide transport for the rest of the journey. I don't live in the middle of nowhere BTW.

I considered it a big disadvantage that the horse would be in contact with every other horse on the lorry/stabling and therefore susceptible to whatever bugs they had. I had no qualms about the standard of transport, care or their professionalism. It would be a very very long journey as he would be on a part load and would have to spend a lot more time on the lorry.

In the end I went for the above link. It was about £30 more expensive than Gillies but the horse travelled loose and was cared for exactly as I requested, the driver/owner kept me up to date with progress on the journey, the box was lovely. He was the sole occupant and therefore less likely to pick up any bugs. He delivered the foal right into my yard.

As for how far. This was a 7mo foal. He had probably been loaded into a trailer a few times before to practise but had never travelled. The journey was over 8 hours due to weather and especially motorway hold ups. He was totally fresh when he arrived, he loved the box, we had to drag him out of it, he would happily have spent the night in there.

At the end of the day I was the one worrying, the foal didn't. It didn't set him back at all and in fact was a good days training in transportation. He had, as an emergency, to be loaded into a lorry a couple of months later. Up a steep ramp in the middle of the road. He marched straight him. His long journey hadn't put him off travelling in the slightest.
I think by choosing a good professional who transports for a living the horses have far less stress.
 
We collected a 22 year old mare from West Brom, went on to Twyning (where the M50 meets the M5) to collect a racehorse in training, and then went all the way back up to near Glasgow in one go. Several stops along the way for hay and water, but the pair of them just fell asleep in the box.

I've previously travelled a mare and foal from mid Wales to north Wales which took over 3 hours, and also mares and foals from central Scotland to Darlington which was just over that.
 
I have sold several recently backed/ridden 4yo Highland ponies to England and Wales, and also to Germany, from the Scottish Highlands, north of Inverness. None had travelled much before, some not at all, but all are given a careful inroduction to transport and usually load themselves into an IW505. They all travel well and there have been no problems.

All these have been transported by Eric Gillies and for Europe linked up with John Parker. Both have been in the horse transport business for over 30 years and work well together for international horse transport.

Gillies were here last week and the driver told me their lorry cost £240,000 and they get replaced every year. Gilies transport race horses worth mega bucks up and down the country all the time. I think he said they have eight lorries. But they also transport more humble equines. Last week, their lorry contained several Highland ponies, a mini Shetland, and a few non-descripts. I'd phone them and have a chat.
 
AdorableAlice said:
Half a mile is too far if the horse has not been taught to travel.

The question is what is a normal horse.

A young horse never been loaded would struggle and it would be unfair to ask it to undertake a long journey. Although many young horses, especially the Irish types endure a very long first journey when they come to the UK.

An elderly horse, no matter how traveled in the past, would get very tired.

A competition horse would not give a flying fig how far the journey is provided its needs are met. A happy hacker who perhaps only gets on the lorry for the odd pleasure ride would probably get anxious but would settle, again with its needs being met.

Weather conditions should be factored in if the lorry is not air con'ed in the container.
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^ Exactly what she said ^^^

I would also add that if your mum is not comfortable travelling that far there are some excellent transporters that people on here can reccomend
 
I personally wouldn't go more than a couple of hours in a trailer, just because it's much easier on the horse to be travelled in a box.

You can get quite a bit of vibration through the floor of a trailer and you also feel every bump in the floor.

I've brought a horse up to Oldham from Devon in the box though with no problem.
 
I think if we were travelling more than a few hours I would get a transporter (box) as it just isn't worth stressing my mum. Im hoping to do my trailer test asap so that wont be an issue soon hopefully.

The only issue with that is id like to see the horse load first...
 
Mine came from about 5 hours north with a professional transporter. I wasn't around when he arrived, but my sister said he strode off the lorry very cheerfully like he'd just come from round the corner!
 
awolstencroft said:
I think if we were travelling more than a few hours I would get a transporter (box) as it just isn't worth stressing my mum. Im hoping to do my trailer test asap so that wont be an issue soon hopefully.

The only issue with that is id like to see the horse load first...
Click to expand...

no reason why you can't ask them to send some videos of this, or I am sure that there would be a forum member on here who lives close enough and would happily go and check this out for you.
 
I sent a pony down south a few weeks back using Gillies. The new boxes are amazing-low ramps, light and airy, full length partitions. My wee boy was next to a Friesian lol. Yes the trip will take longer and they will stay overnight in Kelso if passing. They also don't feed hay en route but I've seen many horses travelled by them and all come off looking fresh. In the past, they have refused to pick up if the horse is way off a main route-they refused to pick up my first horse for example. Swings and roundabouts really, would use them over any other.

If you go for a professional transporter, do check out they are legal and have the correct operators licence for the vehicle etc. There are an awful lot of amateurs about who are not legal and promising trips they then fail to deliver on, some are using lorries that I wouldn't put a pony in. There is a useful horse transporters page on FB which is listing legal operators-and one that is free for all, both are useful for quotes etc
 
perhaps do a separate post, stating the area in your title - I am sure someone will offer to help, if its in Cornwall - I would be happy to do so :)
 
No worries, also if you are still hunting - perhaps a post on here about what you are looking for? Again, good old HHO - im sure there will be people on here who may know of something that fits the bill.
 
I don't see any issue with travelling a horse a decent distance. I'm unsure of the miles you're talking but we've driven down the Championships in England from NE Scotland which was a 10 hour drive each way. For horses Ive bought from down south though I've always used professional transporters purely because I think the horses are more comfortable in big lorries and they often stop off half way at the Borders for a night to give them a rest, I've had one brought up from Wales this way.

The only time Id question travelling far would be with an old horse.
 
I'm sort of looking but not looking at the minute as we haven't found our perfect farm/land yet so not in any rush but when we do I will certainly start to put more feelers out! :)
 
My boy is coming over in July from Spain and he has previously been in a (6 horse) lorry for maximum of 2 hours. He is a newly gelded Andalusian and tends to get "uppity". It's a 4 days trip but I have every confidence in the transporters.

By the sounds of things you have got a good consensus of answers to (hopefully) put your mind at rest if you do find your future horse a little further afield.
 
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