Question.. How would you go about finding reputable transport for a horse? I have a friend who is looking, but having a hard time putting that much faith into a paid transporter. -Katelyn P.
It is good to be concerned when looking into horse hauling companies. Like anything there are good and not so good companies out there.
While I was in college, in Ohio, I needed to have my horse hauled back to Maine for the summer. I asked around (I was at an equine college) and made calls but no one had any real answers. The best I could find was an ad in the back of a magazine. I called a couple until I found one that was going that direction.
Scrapper, my horse, couldn’t get a ride until two weeks after I had already gone. I wasn’t worried though because he was at my college. A friend called and told me when he had been picked up. I was excited and began the countdown. It takes about 16 hours to drive from Ohio to Maine.
They told me it would be a little longer because they had other stops. One day went by. Then two (no cell phones back then). Finally on the third day a call. They would be there late that night.
When Scrapper arrived I saw the rig for the first time. It was a very large stock trailer that had slant load stalls inside. They unloaded several horses to get to Scrapper. I was shocked.
He looked like a greyhound. He was so drawn up I couldn’t believe it. I had raised him and had never seen him look like this. He was crusty from sweat that had dried all over his body. I was working at a barn and the lady there said I should be concerned because she doubted he had been watered.
In the stock/slant set up there were no drop down windows to water horses. The hauler was in and out and didn’t ask to water the horses he had unloaded to get Scrapper off. The lady I worked for was probably right.
Stacy Westfall hauled Commanders Nic from OK to OH and was contacted by word of mouth
I don’t say this to claim that there are no good companies. I am hoping that people will leave comments below telling of happy stories. That is my only personal experience with a horse hauler. Everything I have done after has been by word of mouth or done myself.
If we have a horse we want hauled we look for a big show that is happening near there and find another trainer who is coming or going. I have hauled horses for other trainers in the same situation (see side photo). I know this isn’t available for everyone, I am just saying this is how I handle it.
My short answer is word-of-mouth. First hand experience relayed to you by someone else. As I don’t have a lot of experience with hiring horse haulers, lets see what comments we can get here. Have you had a horse hauled? From where and to where? How much did it cost? Did the company do a good job? Would you recommend them?
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Has anyone used Wright Horse Services from NC to ship?
Customer BEWARE! I have recently done business with Gilfry Horse and Cattle Transport and I have patiently waited to have my horse delivered before I begin warning as many people as possible about this company. I purchased a horse in Apache Junction Arizona and needed him trailered to Fallon NV. It is a 731 mile trip and is said to take around 12 hours at 55 miles an hour. Before my contract was signed and my deposit was paid they were wonderful, but as soon as the time got closer to when my horse was to be transported things went terribly wrong.
I am in Anchorage Alaska, and my gelding needed to be in Fallon NV on the 17th in order to get prepared for his trip to Alaska. He had a farrier appointment on the 18th and the trailer to Alaska was pulling out of Fallon on the 19th. Needless to say, my gelding missed all of these deadlines. It is not easy to get a transport from NV to Alaska with someone that you know and trust, so for him to miss this ride was a very big deal and extremely stressful.
I had signed a contract and had a schedule put together on the 17th of MARCH. The horse was scheduled to be picked up the 15th of April around noon. I checked in with the owner of the company on the 10th of April to make sure we were still on schedule, I was assured he was scheduled for pick up on the 15th in the afternoon. April 14th I asked for the driver info so I could keep in touch with everyone involved. I was told she was out of the office and would contact me in the morning. That did not happen. Here is where the communication started to breakdown.
When planning a trip like this to Alaska for a horse there are many moving parts, and me being in Alaska makes it very hard when schedules are not met. I needed to coordinate with the person they were picking the horse up from, and the people that the horse was being delivered to, the hauler to AK, and the boarding facility keeping him until he went to AK. I had to make sure all his paperwork was complete in time to travel with Gilfry and also make sure it was not expired by the time the horse went across the Canadian border. Everything was falling into place until the 13th of April.
The lady who had my gelding had contracted the hauler to make sure that she would be home for the pick up. On the 13th of April she (not me) was informed that they were fighting bad wind across NM and they might not be able to pick him up until Sunday (Easter Sunday). Thank god the person handing my horse over did not have plans for Easter Sunday and would be available for the hand off. No one showed up to pick up the horse Saturday and there was no communication from Gilfry. I called to inquire about what was happening and when she called me back she told me that her driver was sick and needed to rest. So the first original scheduled pick up date and time was missed.
I had hope that he was still going to make it to NV on time if they picked him up Sunday the 16th. Sunday morning the lady who had the horse called the transport company to see when they would be there to pick up my gelding. She was told late afternoon. They never showed up to pick up my horse Sunday and they never communicated this with me. They contacted the lady who they were supposed to pick the horse up from, but they never contacted me. She was told that 8 miles from the transporters house the check engine light came on in her truck and she had to turn around, and it being Easter there was nothing open. I called the company, they never called back. They sent an email late that night because they thought it was too late to call me back. So now the second scheduled pick up time has been missed. Mind you this horse has to be in Fallon by Tuesday morning for appointments and to get ready to travel to AK early Wednesday morning.
I am told Monday on the phone that her truck had to go into the shop, she told me that if it was fixed maybe they could pick him up the next day April 18th. At this point I had to cancel my appointments for him in NV and just pray he made it in time to leave Wednesday to Alaska. I am sure you guessed it, but I was contacted the 18th (after I called and emailed for an update on the vehicle), and I was informed that the truck will be in the shop until Friday the 21st of April. The other driver she had working for them was sick and he would not be able to pick up my horse and the third truck was out in Missouri so I had no choice except to wait until the 21st.
My horse had missed his first scheduled trip to Alaska all because a professional trucking company could not transport my horse 700 miles within five days. At this time everyone moved their schedules around to try and wait for my gelding. The boarding facility, the farrier and the hauler were kind enough to reschedule. Friday the 21st comes and we are told they will be there late afternoon to pick him up. At this time I send a text message asking if I would receive any kind of discount considering the inconvenience they have not only caused me, but the lady who was responsible for handing the horse off to them, the farrier, the boarding facility and hauler that was making the trip to AK. She let me know that the balance was going to be due in full. The pickup on Friday the 21st for late afternoon turned into them showing up at 7:30pm. Communication with me at this time has completely stopped unless I reach out to them for updates.
The owners of boarding facility that the horse was being transported to in NV had scheduled a trip out of town for this particular weekend. So we had to set up a drop off with a neighbor that was kind enough to help me. I let the neighbor know he would arrive in the afternoon on Saturday. I gave the driver and the drop off location each other’s names and numbers so they could communicate. Saturday morning 10:30 AZ time the lady who is waiting to receive my horse called the hauler and was informed that they were only in WICKENBURG AZ. They had traveled 100 miles since 7:00pm the night before! They stopped the truck and stayed overnight at 10:00pm in Wickenburg. Now they let her know that they will not be arriving in NV until Sunday morning the 23rd of APRIL!
Here is where the best part happens. No one tells ME that my horse will not be delivered until Sunday, so we start calling both owners. We then received a call back from a very angry owner. When we explained to her our frustration about the time line, and the communication she exploded. She began yelling and screaming. At one point she claimed the only reason we were making a big deal out of this was to get out of paying!!! Also she had my credit card number on the contract! I had already paid half! I had no intentions of disputing the payment, I just thought I should receive some sort of discount. At one point she got angry enough to threaten leaving my horse in Wickenburg and having us find someone else to haul him to NV. Of course we backed off real quick. The thought of my horse being left in Wickenburg while I am located in AK was terrifying.
My gelding made it to Fallon NV at 2:45 Sunday afternoon. 9 days late from the original pick up schedule. It took this company 43 hours and two over nights to deliver my horse 731 miles away. And – my credit card was charged the final balance due IMEDIATLY after my horse being unloaded off the trailer.
The only good thing I have to say about this company is I believe the husband is a nice human, My horse looked in good condition when he finally did arrive, (but it was only a 11 hour trip, of course he should have been in good condition) and they were a decent price (but now I see why). I had a couple other companies warn me about them, but I just thought it was a competitive thing, I wish I would have listened to them.
After this, I took some time to scour the internet and see if anyone else has had issues with this company. There are multiple bad reviews in different locations. As a matter of fact I was able to get in touch with a lady that just had her horse delivered that Thursday before my horse was picked up. She had almost the identical story I did. My mistake for not doing my homework and not listening to other trucking companies. I hope my reviews will stop anyone from having to go through what I did. THANK GOD people were willing to work with me and were kind enough to move schedules. I am so thankful my horse only needed to go 731 miles, I cannot imagine what a long haul would have been like.
Looking to get a price on hauling a good loading mare from the Up to lower mi. About6.5 hours. Any ideas?????
I am a reliable, safe and conscientious equine transporter located in Mason, Michigan,
I safely pick up and deliver horses in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Tennessee, Pennsylvania Illinois, Minnesota and Missouri.
Please call if you want it done right.
Scott Burgess – 517-927-3273
Hi Scott
Can you tell me the price it would be for one fjord shipped from Festus Missouri to Dodgeville Wisconsin ?
I am considering air transport for my stallion from Ocala FL to Portland OR. I got a quote from Horse Flight Travel & Transportation for $4,000 and read really good reviews. Anyone ever used that company or any other companies? My friend used Bob Hubbard many times and speak very highly of him, great service. Thank you.
Hi Jacky,
That quote appears very reasonable compared to my ground transportation quote from Northen Calif to South Carolina.
I tried to find the website for your air transport company but, I am not sure it I located your company or not.
May I please have the info for their website?
Thanks,
Owen Bramlett
Hi, I need a 13 yr. old mare Q.H picked up in Jeromesville Ohio 44840 and shipped to Faulkner Md.20632 Can you do this if so how much and price?
Thank you,
Gwen Galloway
That is amazingly cheap. Who’s the company?
I would appreciate any feedback good or (more importantly bad)
About Brook Ledge. I am moving my 15 year old mare from northern Cali to South Carolina.
Their proposal makes sense and I have no problem with their pricing. I am concerned that they are not off loaded until they get to their Lexington, Ky facility. That’s 40 to 50 hours. They do claim to stop every 3 to 5 hours.
Again, I appreciate any info you may provide
Did anyone respond to the question on Brookledge? I received a quote from them but have the same concerns. I’m shipping from Los Angeles to Nashville.
Used Brookledge to ship from upstate N.Y. to central coast CA and used them again to ship back to N.Y. horse arrived looking like he went around the block instead of 3000+ miles. Highly recommended
I will be using Goodpaster to transport a filly from KY to SC. Does anyone have experience with them?
I purchased a horse in Minnesota and I live in Northern California. I am going to get her myself. It’s 1900 miles one way and I don’t want to gamble with her life. I have a new Dodge and 4 horse Eixs. Will be leaving in November. I am going over empty and hauling O e back.
Do not use AC Equine Xpress out of Phalen CA or Western Horse Transport out of Grants Pass OR. Just had a nightmare experience where AC Equine Xpress sub-contracted the haul without my approval to 2 other companies that are not legal (no US DOT# or revolked for violations) to do interstate horse transport. The contracted 3 day trip took 8 days and they tried to get an extra $500 out of us. They never feed our horse the feed we sent along and she arrived very stressed with lots of dried sweat, sunk in the back, and cuts on the legs.
I need to move 6 older Arabians (2 stallions, 3 mares, 1 gelding) from California to Ohio. I have obtained several quotes but am not sure of the caliber of the movers. My horses have never been in a stall and never transported. Can anyone recommend an excellent hauler who can handle inexperienced horse travelers? Thank you in advance for your kind assistance.
Looking for a reputable haulter from Mid East Alabama to South East Texas. Any recommendations? I have a quote from Equine Express but their timing is not ideal due to lack of trips from North Texas to South East Texas.
Thanks!
Contact Shelly with S&W horse transport inc.
352-443-9901 or cowgirlangel1973@hotmail.com
also have a Facebook page S&W horse transport inc.
have a lot of references and happy customers and happy horses! Will haul anywhere I. The bottom 48 states!;) they are awesome!;) highly recommend
I am desperate to find a reasonably priced transporter from CT to CO in about a week. The company I booked cancelled on me and went out of business?? really?? Anyway, I have heard mixed reviews about Nationwide …. any information good and bad is really appreciated!!!
I used Nationwide to move my two horses from the Chicago area to Western Nebraska (9 miles from Colorado) ten years ago. They were great. Horses were picked up and arrived on time – in a blizzard no less. Found out that the driver lived on my farrier’s ranch about an hour away from my stable and had been a trainer for years.
We are moving back to Illinois and I am using Nationwide again.
Has anyone used C-bar-C-equine-express out of TX, and can tell me about their performance?
Has anyone used C Bar for shipping?
We used C Bar C and it was a horrifying experience. Our horse was on the trailer 5 days and was supposed to be a direct route from IL to Ga. They would NOT communicate with us until we threatened to call authorities. We had to have a boarding facility intercept and take our horse so we could find another hauler. Our horse is directly in the middle of the two destinations. Only 6 hours from home and 8’hours from destination 5 days into the trip!! Also this was supposed to be a direct route and when the horse unloaded the trailer was full! Our horse was dehydrated and snotty and stiff!!
Do NOT use this company.
A friend hauled for C bar C and only did a few jobs. They will not return calls or texts and will completely ignore them. They are making promises that they cannot keep. The drivers are getting chewed on because of that. And their drivers are getting left stranded because they are not being paid like they were told, as well as being sent all over the country and using up way more fuel than needed because of the way the pickups/deliveries are being done. You can’t run a company like that. This driver has had many great compliments but not so much for the company.
I need 3 horses transported from Klamath Falls Or to Palmer AK, must be a reputable company with lots of experience crossing the borders. I have already tried A-! and All Pro, both are not available at the time I need. Looking to transport first week of May.
I need to transport my mare from Arkansas to Northern California this month. Can anyone recommend? We need a box stall and some stops along the way.
I’m shipping my 22 year old Arab mare from Wa, to NC. I have one transpoter that I really like but I want as much info on him as possible. The SSC transporter out of Alabama. Has anyone used him and if so- how did you like him and would you use him again,
How did you make out and who did you use? I’m looking for transport from NY to NC in a month.
Any recommendations for reliable hauling from Salt Lake City Utah to Driggs Idaho?
I cant remember the name of the company, but when i rescued my two mini horses from a rescue in Colorado (14 hours non stop, but longer with stops) we had a hauler bring them down to az. The people were great and very professional. They put the girls in the one slant with a wall that went all the way down. They were watered and kept cool (poor girls went thru a 75 degree temp difference). They were VERY patient as the girls were not good at loading or un loading. I guess i got lucky with this because (stupidly) i didnt really look into them much because i just figured that if the rescue used them, they were good. (Cheap too cuz they were also bring an arab stud to a barn a few miles away)
Equine Express out of Pilot Point, TX is wonderful, safe and always proving the best care for horses. Mine was in a 12×12 box stall with shavings . Semi-hauler
I am certainly watching this thread. I recently moved to Kentucky and now need my gelding transported from Central Florida to Paducah Ky. I thought this would not be a difficult route, but am having a hard time finding a reputable company.
CMP Equine Transport. They hauled my horse when I bought him from western Indiana to northeast Ohio. Chris did a great job. The horse was picked and delivered in the promised timeframe. I received a call when he was picked up and then when they were enroute with an estimated arrival time. The horse arrived in great shape.
I am so happy I found this site and thread! We are moving from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to southern Missouri and need to find a reliable company to haul our 3 horses. It’s hard to find someone willing to come up to the upper peninsula! Can anyone recommend someone?
Could you recommend a reliable transporter to relocate 2 horses from a town near Knoxville Tennessee to Fort Wayne Indiana?
Thank you,
Bob
I shipped my pony from Fort Wayne to Georgia with C&E Transport. They were fabulous.
I have shipped three ways this year. Once myself. Five days from Utah to Indiana. (never again) Once via C&E from Indiana to GA. They were fantastic. Once with Nation-Wide Horse Transport from Utah to Georgia . They took 8 days, which seems like a lot but they had the horse on a four day layover in Colorado while they gathered horses from various areas for the transport to Georgia. They were very professional and willing to answer questions. I liked my experience with C&E best, but they don’t ship on the west coast or western states. My attitude is, when shipping horses, no news is good news so long as you are shipping with a reliable and reputable company. You can check online for a company’s accident rate and there is a certifying organization for horse transporters.