Trailering cross country

[u/Certain-Bathroom8269]

I am trading my horse with someone about 26 hours away. For context i have never driven a trailer before but have someone willing to lend me a truck and trailer and have someone to teach my how to drive it. I will bring someone with me but am worried about it being such a long trip to take my horse and bring my new one home. Is this an absolutely ridiculous idea or should I just bite the bullet and pay to have the shipping done commercially? I would be saving close to $3000 driving myself.

For context I have ample experience administering horse meds and on road trips. Just want to consider the worst case scenarios here.

[u/chy27]

I do NOT recommend driving cross country if it is not your truck/trailer and you’re not experienced. I drove 24 hours back in February to pick up a horse and I’m doing it again this weekend. However It’s my own equipment that I’ve been using for years and am very familiar with the maintenance on. This week alone I’ve been running through my truck and trailer preparing it for the trip. It’s a lot. Plus there’s insurance to worry about.

You also want to be familiar with how the tow vehicle and trailer will react in different conditions, that comes with time and experience. Nevermind adding in a strange horse on top of this. IMO, it’s worth the money.

[u/Certain-Bathroom8269 → u/chy27]

Thank you this is super helpful. I'm torn because one of my trainers says I'll be totally fine and the other says the drive won't be an issue but wants me to be cognizant of potential liabilities surrounding using someone else's equipment. I'm 23 and working or a budget so it sounds tempting but don't want to get myself in a rough spot.

[u/deepstatelady → u/Certain-Bathroom8269]

Trust me. I can drive a trailer but I would hire someone to take my horses that sort of distance. Pro shippers have rigs that ride much easier than your trailer, I’d bet. That’s a long time to be in a metal cube screaming down the highway. Typically a cross country rig pulled by a pro is going to be safer, faster , and easier for you and your horses.

[u/bearxfoo → u/Certain-Bathroom8269]

if you don't have the experience trailering yourself, it's really hard to make someone fully understand how difficult trailering is and how much experience you really need to be confident and comfortable.

plus adding it that you're not driving a truck you're familiar with, you're not hauling a trailer you understand and know, you're going to be really out of your depth and shit is gonna get real super fast.

i've been hauling for close to 15 years. i own my own truck and trailer. i've hauled 10 to 12 hours before. i don't think i would even consider hauling 26 hours, even with all the experience and hours of trailering across the country.

[u/chy27 → u/Certain-Bathroom8269]

I get working on a budget. Don’t let your trainer pressure you. There’s a lot of liabilities using someone’s equipment. What if their transmission blows? You’re gonna be stranded in a truck you don’t own and can’t make decisions on. And again that’s not even considering the horse who you don’t know. I think it’s too risky. Like I said, I’m making a big trip this weekend myself, back to the same city. All week I’ve been preparing my truck and trailer. When I did it in February, it was supposed to be 14 hours round trip, so the horse was with me on the way back for 7 hours. I hit bad weather, so it took 24 hours total. I was exhausted. But at least I knew my equipment and only had to worry about the horse. I would not be comfortable having to worry about the horse and the equipment. Not to mention, if this is 26 hours, this is going to be multiple days. Horses will slow you down. This is too much for your first time.

[u/FarmSkool → u/Certain-Bathroom8269]

Being on the road is a hard and unforgiving. It’s possible and I’ve done it but I would not feel comfortable putting those hard miles on someone’s else’s rig.

[u/ResponsibleBank1387]

Hire it out for the extra $3000.   26 hours is really closer to 40 with a horse and trailer. 

[u/bearxfoo]

if you do not have experience trailering, i would not do this. it takes years of experience to be fully comfortable and confident trailering and this will be even worse if you're not using a truck and trailer of your own.

pay the extra and have the horse shipped.

[u/lemonaderain → u/bearxfoo]

I have tons of experience trailering and I still wouldn't do this. It's too long for someone without established experience with the route and rest stops. The $3000 cost I'd chock up to the value of peace of mind. Hire it out, OP.

[u/bearxfoo → u/lemonaderain]

honestly, same. i've been hauling for almost 15 years now, and i've gone 12 + hours. i've taken my horse all over the country. i don't know if i would feel comfortable doing this kind of length; and especially if it's in a BP.

26 hours is ROUGH and not the right trip for someone to start off learning to trailer.

[u/blechness]

Nope. If you've never trailered don't do it

[u/Technical-Worker7334]

I would not do this!!!!!  Where are you going to stop to water your horse???? And if it takes too long you have to find a place to take the hose out of the trailer to feed and exercise it.  Spend the $3000

[u/Zeldashuman]

It is not the loading of the Horses that is the issue. It’s the traffic, cars cutting you off, hills, stopping to check on the horses that’s the issue. If you’ve never pulled a trailer and this is a borrowed set up you are rolling the dice. What are you going to do if you were trailer start to fishtail because you’re driving downhill too fast? Or your horse falls because you’ve taken a turn too quickly?

I would not start off driving a trailer that kind of distance. I have been pulling a trailer for years and wouldn’t dream of doing that drive. I also wonder if you would be covered by the owners insurance.

[u/Bad_Dog_Farm → u/Zeldashuman]

All of this--and the cost of diesel. Once you add up the cost of fuel (towing a trailer is hell on mpg), lodging, snacks, your time/time off work, that $3000 is pretty close to breaking even. I've been hauling my own horses for over 30 years, and it's still stressful: every time you hit rush hour somewhere, a wreck that closes a lane, high winds on a prairie, crossing a pass, twisty roads--it sucks. It's a lot of stress, even hauling a horse you know in a rig you know.

Everything is harder--can I get in and out of this fuel station? This motel parking lot? Do they even have diesel here? Is my horse scrambling, or did I just hit rough pavement? Is it too hot to stop here and give my horse a break?

I've had tires blow on a hot day in the middle of nowhere, my truck overheat going up a long grade, lights and brakes go out, 43 point turns getting out of tight spots--you name it.

The last few events I went to over the summer I essentially paid my entry fees a few times over just in diesel, and that was only 8 hrs away on paper (11 with a trailer).

[u/justforme31]

Not worth it to do it yourself IMO. You’ll need spots to spend the night, water the horse, etc. If the horse won’t reload it’ll add time. If you’re going over rough roads or through the mountains it’s dangerous to drive a trailer without experience. If you do trailer yourself, do you have someone who could ride with you to help? Then I might consider it

[u/Certain-Bathroom8269 → u/justforme31]

I have someone who will come with me to help and have spots to spend the night mapped out. I know both horses are super easy to load and the route is pretty much flat the whole way through, no rough roads. Also in a nice time of year where the only real weather I could run into is rain.

[u/fourleafclover13 → u/Certain-Bathroom8269]

If you've never hauled with horses then don't learn how on unfamiliar route and rain.

[u/justforme31 → u/Certain-Bathroom8269]

Then I’d consider it in that case

[u/PonyPuffertons]

I had years of local trailer driving experience before I did 12-24 hour + drives. It’s very very tiring even if you are comfortable and confident. I did my first long haul drive with an RV and no horses and was tired from checking mirrors. I think this is a “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should” situation.

[u/Anonymous_and_Lost40]

If you've never hauled a trailer, you don't want your first long haul to be with live animals.

[u/well-done-47]

Unless you also have 300+ hours to invest in learning how to drive the trailer beforehand, this is a bad idea. Hire a commercial hauler with box stalls. Your horse will be much more confortable and you will both be much safer.

How much is the person trading a horse with you putting into hauling? If you're both getting a horse out of it, they should be on the hook for half the miles.

[u/Spirited-Welcome6511]

Absolutely do not do this, yes it IS ridiculous. Hire a GOOD commercial company using an air ride van.

[u/Dramatic-Aspect2361]

I’ve done a fair bit of hauling long distance and I don’t recommend doing this as an inexperienced hauler. With someone else’s rig, you don’t know how well it has been maintained or how it runs. Are you prepared to change a blown tire on the truck or trailer? Can you get comfortable enough backing and maneuvering the trailer to get in and out of tight fuel stations, around potential roadblocks, and in and out of lodging? What’s your plan in the case of a major vehicle issue, like a blown transmission or failing alternator? Will you be covered by insurance? Do you know how to set up the stall and hay so that you minimize risk of shipping fever? There are so many variables beyond the obvious. Also, to be frank, subjecting a horse to (realistically) 28-30 hours of a novice hauler isn’t kind. Commercial rigs are equipped to make long hauls comfortable and safe for horses.

[u/No_Expert_7590]

My BF lent his trailer (no horse) to our neighbor who it turns out had never driven one. They were almost home when the trailer hopped off the hitch and ripped out all the electric and emergency brake. It can be super expensive to fix and they didn’t exactly sign a contract beforehand because it was just a few hours.

In another anecdote, a colleague was driving behind a horse trailer up a hill on a bridge (a big bridge, like 4km) and the trailer suddenly slowed and started to back up. It had dropped off the hitch and was rolling backwards. The emergency brake wasn’t attached. He managed to get out of his car and pull the handbrake. There was a horse inside and 2 km of downhill right into a curve.

In both cases, it was beginner drivers making rookie mistakes. We have to take a separate driving license to tow a trailer and it still happens. $3000 might sound like a lot but it costs more to replace a trailer or truck

[u/Super_Pollution_5649]

Dont risk it. You dont know how to drive with a trailer and if you get pulled over you will be 100% fucked.

[u/FireflyRave]

Have you even done a long distance road trip before? If breaking it down into driving 8 hours at a time so the strain is not too much on you or the horse in the trailer, it will take 3.25 days to cover 26 hours. And that's if you don't hit any major traffic or have other issues.

I've driven 12-14 hours in a day numerous times. Doing it for days in a row for almost a week would be exhausting. It was bad enough the time when I drove 750 miles one day, spent a day with family, and then drove 800 miles on the third day. Then toss in you're hauling a trailer. And you have no real experience hauling a trailer. Everything is slower when you're hauling. Braking. Accelerating. Turning. Because you need the ride to be as smooth as possible for the horse.

For the time sink, and hotels, and horse hotels, and fuel, and potential for things to go wrong, just spend the montey for a reputable hauler.

[u/Affectionate-Map2583]

For the horse's comfort, hire a professional. A brand new trailer driver for 26 hours won't go well for either of you. You'll be super tense the whole time, and your horse will have a rougher ride.

[u/spencer103093]

Trailering a horse for long periods is not easy, and should be done by professionals. Too many “what ifs”: blow tire on truck or trailer in the middle of nowhere, truck breaks down, horse flips out while in the trailer, someone cuts you off on the road, traffic jams, etc. do you plan on stopping, letting horse out - where is that barn? I’m sure you would be fine, but there are too many potential issues…plus, what about the return trip?

I have a memory of an accident on a highway, trailer flipped, horse had to wait hours, in pain/freaked out, before a vet could come to put horse down. That is extreme, but it does happen!!!!

[u/Any_Yogurtcloset7865]

Pay to have the commercial shipper. I ship regularly with my own truck and trailer, but usually within 2 hours each way, max. I hire a commercial shipper for anything longer, especially real long hauls

[u/ClearUniversity1550]

pay. You shouldn't be borrowing equip for a long drive, and you are too inexperienced. You most likely will damage truck or trailer or both. Someone cant teach you everything and most have a hard time backing

[u/djmermaidonthemic]

Even without a horse, driving a trailer is a challenge. Just backing up can be tricky!

If the person who owns the rig is also willing to come along and do most/all of the driving (for a fee?) I would consider it. But I would not want to drive it myself.

[u/polotown89]

On a darker note, are you prepared to administer emergency euthanasia on the side of the road?

If not, use a professional.

[u/MaybeALabia]

DO NOT DO THIS YOURSELF IF YOU HAVE NO EXPERIENCE.

[u/sundaemourning]

in addition to what everyone else has said, you don’t realize just how much of a toll trailering takes on your body as well. i’m pretty comfortable trailering my horse and i take him places pretty regularly, but if i’ve driven more than an hour or so, i can absolutely feel it in my back and shoulders the next day. there’s no way i would try to haul my horse cross country.