Having hauled both experienced horses and 'never
been off the farm' horses across the country several times- including our 7000
mile XP adventure this summer (yes, we put 7000 miles on our truck, trailer
and three mares in 6 weeks!) I can tell you that there is no one way
to handle hauling. You need to look at your horse's abilities, your
equipment restrictions, and your time and risk factors.
When Cia Reis and I went to Pan Ams last year (2400
miles one way) we traveled 400 miles each day and stopped at night, actually
riding the horses 5 or 6 miles every evening. It worked great and was the
optimum way to travel with a horse- obviously it worked- she
WON! BUT, it was labor intensive and only possible IF you
have a TON of time.
On the way to Nevada to start XP (2700 miles one
way) we drove 8 or 9 hours every day and stopped at night at spots
that had corrals. We did stop to water the horses several times aday, and
took extended (40 mins or more) breaks so that they could stand still. We
did not once, take the mares off the trailer during the day. Cruel?
I don't think they suffered, but the bottom line was that our 18 year old
'mothership' had only an 8x10 foot box in the back and the mares were tied
sideways in that. With only two handlers and three 'joined at the hip'
mares' we would be asking for trouble if we tried to take one or more out in a
truckstop parking area. They were deeply bedded and had hay in front of them at
all times. They did not suffer a bit- doing 900+ miles between them at XP,
gaining wt along the way and staying sound (I am pretty certain I am the only
rider to finish with THREE sound horses). BTW, they also stood tied to
that trailer for the duration of the ride and learned to sleep and get along
fine. They are more bonded to me than any horses I have ever
had...
When hauling new, green, and fairly uncivilized
horses home from Denver (1800 miles) last winter, we bedded them in the slant
load, put hay and water in front of them and hauled ass home to NY by taking
driving shifts and going straight through. We did stop for periods of
an hour or so every few hours to let them stand still. It may have
been suicide to try to load and unload these horses anywhere but in our
barnyard. They too, suffered no wt loss, no colic and little
anxiety. We obviously were not expecting them to participate in an
athletic event when we arrived!
Like Karen, I have found that my horses do best
when I haul straight through to a ride and they have a day to recover and go for
a little ride.
All just my opinion---There IS more than one way to
skin a cat, you know.
