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When not leading the trams at Hampton Court Palace, our Shire horses live in meadows in Home Park 🐴 The stables team introduced us to their gentle giant colleagues and what they get up to. Shire horses are rarer than pandas and Hampton Court is one of the few places you can meet them in England. New to the stables is a grey mare, Bess, who will join their work next season.
Read more: Meet the Shire Horses of Hampton Court Palace (2:43)
by Lisa Thomas
I have lots of clients who own, run or want to own horse boarding facilities in the wine country. They are a unique breed and what fascinates me is how very different they all are. Each operation is quite different, they all have their own market positioning and way they do business. It's a little like real estate... lots of agents, with lots of different ways of doing business, each potentially successful in their own way. So what is the attraction of owning a horse business? And the secret to success? Here's my view, based on seeing how a lot of these operations are run...
It's a Service Business - make no mistake. Providing horse care and the facilities for people to ride or enjoy their horses is a service. That means that making the client feel happy is the secret to keeping them as clients. Good service is something people pay for. Making something cheap is almost always going to mean that you don't do much for them.
The nice thing about boarding businesses is that there is a market for everything from the basic DIY boarding... i.e. Do It Yourself... to the full service DUP 'Drive up Darling, your horse is saddled & waiting' and everything in between. At the lower end you provide a safely fenced pasture and water and the owners provide the care. At the upper end, you are the all inclusive resort vacation site with full service, 3-4 times daily feeding, supplements, spraying, rugging up, holding for farriers, medicating, tack cleaning... take this as far as you'd like to go service. Find your market and be clear about your service offering. This is the secret to making a profit, not just income.
by Kristin Pitzer
If you are in the horse business for very long, the chances are good that at some point, you will have to hire a horse shipper to move your horse. This may be to buy or sell a horse out of state; to complete a cross-country move; or to visit a veterinary specialist several hours away if you don’t own a trailer. Even for a short move, though, it’s not always wise to trust the first person you find that owns a truck and trailer — there are plenty of horror stories of horses getting injured, not getting picked up, or even disappearing.
Quarter Horse News spoke with Maegan Alexander, Dispatch Assistant at Equine Express, which has been in the horse transportation business since 1986, to get some tips on what to look for when hiring a horse shipper.
As you start researching horse transportation companies, there are a few things you’ll want to look for. One of the most important things to know is if the company is licensed and insured. An easy way to find out — and avoid scams — is to ask a hauler directly for their federal U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) number and then verify it online.
“If for some reason you do go with a company that is not licensed and insured, it is a huge risk,” Alexander said. “If the uninsured hauler gets pulled over by DOT, they can get shut down, and you will have to wait for a legal hauler to pick up your horse. Also, if there is an incident, the owner of the horse could be liable for using an uninsured hauler.”
Another thing you’ll want to look for is a hauler that has experience with horses. There are many companies out there that offer equine transportation, but the drivers moving the horses have no knowledge of horse care or behavior. If your horse colics or gets injured, they may not recognize the signs that something is wrong.
“When on the road, the driver needs to be able to tell if the horse is travelling comfortably, and if not, we need to find the nearest vet,” Alexander said. “When looking for drivers, we require everyone to have horse knowledge before joining our team. It is imperative to know what to look for when out on the road with horses.”
If you’re not sure where to start, the National Horse Carriers Association is a great source to find commercial haulers, as you have to meet certain requirements to be a member, Alexander said. Under the “Education” tab, you can find more information about legal versus illegal haulers, as well.
Once you have a few companies in mind, you’ll want to start calling for quotes. Alexander recommended calling at least three weeks before you want the trip to take place, with the understanding that you might have to be flexible for less-traveled routes. Before you pick up the phone, though, you’ll need to have the details of your horse’s trip prepared. Make sure you know the starting and ending addresses, and have an idea of what kind of stall you’ll want your horse to ship in.
“A horse that has more experience and has travelled before could go into either our tie stall, a roughly 4 x 9 space where the horse is loosely cross-tied, or a box stall, an 8 x 9 space where the horse is turned loose,” Alexander said. “When we ship young, inexperienced horses or stallions, we will always ship in a box stall, and during a long trip, we recommend the box stall for every horse as it is double the size. The horse is not tied, so they do not have to stand in the same direction during the trip and can put their head down to drain their sinuses. Other companies may offer different options depending on their trailers, but all our trailers can offer the tie or box stall options.”
Keep in mind the time of year and the weather in the locations your horse will be traveling through.
“Different companies do offer certain routes, so that is always a great question to ask when inquiring for a quote,” Alexander said. “The time of year you ship can also be a big factor, especially depending on the route you are wanting to go. We try to go to Washington state almost weekly, but during the winter months, that is always a weather-dependent route.”
When you find a company that seems to check most of your boxes, ask about their process for keeping you informed during your horse’s trip. A shipper that balks at giving updates is a red flag. Before the trip, the company should communicate when the horse will be picked up, where it will be laying over, and what day and time to expect it to arrive, barring any delays due to weather, traffic or issues loading and unloading the horse. They should also provide a way to contact the driver during the trip so you can keep tabs on where your horse is.
“We will give out the driver’s name and number before the trip starts so if you have any questions, you can reach the drivers directly at any time,” Alexander said. “Depending on the route, we will have a layover where the horse is taken off the trailer into their own stall, but we will let everyone know that in advance. We also try to send updates and pictures when arriving to the layovers. That way, the customers know we have arrived and the horse is doing well.”
Depending on the state you live in, there may be certain vaccines or paperwork required for your horse to travel. If your horse is traveling out of state, you’ll want to know those regulations for every state he or she will be passing through. For instance, a horse traveling from New Mexico to Florida will require a brand inspection, current negative coggins, and a current health certificate signed by a veterinarian that lists the horse’s temperature and an accession number matching the coggins.
Requirements can and do change, so it’s always best to check on each state’s regulations before shipping. Calling the animal health commission for the states your horse will be leaving and entering should provide the most up-to-date information.
“It’s best to reach out to your vet to see what they recommend for your horse depending on the area they are travelling to,” Alexander said. “We also recommend starting electrolytes two weeks before shipping. That way your horse is drinking well before transport. You can additionally practice loading and unloading with your horse before the hauler arrives so it is familiar beforehand.”
Because shipping can be taxing on the horse itself, Alexander recommended keeping as much of his routine the same as possible to reduce stress. This includes sending some of his current hay and grain with the shipper to avoid changing his diet. Most shippers will only feed hay while in transit to reduce the chance of colic but will give grain upon arriving at a layover.
“If a horse is needing a certain medication, we want to make sure we keep them on what their vet recommends,” Alexander said. “We do carry hay on the trailer if for some reason the horse is not sent with any grain or hay for the trip. We want to make sure the horses’ stomachs are moving and that the horses stay hydrated during the trip. We will stop every few hours to refill hay nets and water buckets, and make sure all the horses are traveling comfortably.”
A shipper that takes the time to check on horses and keeps them watered and fed can mean all the difference between your horse arriving healthy and content or showing up sick. By putting a little effort into finding the right shipper, you can save your horse and yourself unnecessary stress and get back to your normal routine quickly once he’s settled in.
This article originally appeared on American Quarter Horse News and is published here with permission.
You can find resources for horse transportation in our section on Shipping.There are more informative and entertaining articles in our section on Health & Education. While you're here be sure to check out our Curated Amazon Store.
From Certified Horsemanship Association.
This is a sample lesson of Western Turn Backs for horseback riding students demonstrating the 15 minute lesson format used by participants during a Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) riding instructor certification. Visit www.CHA.horse to find a clinic to attend near you.
Read more: Sample Lesson: Western Turnbacks with Tara Reimer (2:29)
By Nikki Alvin-Smith
The foal is the goal and the goal is to keep that foal happy and healthy. Every year foals die due to accidents. While some no-one could have foreseen, some are preventable. Many occur due to poor stall design.
The comfort and safety of ‘Mom’ is paramount. Your mare needs to have space to move around before, during and after birth. The ideal size stall would be 12 x 24 feet for a 16 h.h. horse. To achieve this stall size you may not wish to have a designated stall all year round, so when you design your new barn if you have any thoughts at all that you may have a pregnant mare in your future herd, either by design or accident, it is wise to factor in stall conversion.
If you implement a dividing stall wall that may be removed for foaling season, it will save you much heartache and provide your mare with the space she needs. The boards and/or grills may be removed from the channels and the channels removed to complete this new maternity ward. No sharp edges allowed.
When your mare goes into labor, she may throw herself about the stall as if experiencing a colic. The walls of a stall should therefore be solid board rather than the thinner tongue and groove pine. You can use 2x8 or 2x6 boards. The larger the board you use the stronger. The walls should also have support in the middle through either a wall straightener or brackets and be certain that no nails protrude.
Read more: Horizon Structures Presents….Don’t Fool Around with Foal Safety
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