Ha ha ha magnificent beast alright. I just realized I need to make arrangements for Remus to get down to TN. I mean he is fine staying up here for now but definitely want to get him down South once we get settled. I think I shied away from looking into this due to not wanting to jinx our actually getting the farm in TN but the appraisal went through on Wednesday and was fine. FULL STEAM AHEAD. WOOHOO….still not entirely sure it will all happen but on the assumption it does I need to figure out how to get Remus to TN.
Any good, bad,and the ugly stories about commercial transport of your horses? Any recommendations? I have also emailed Emily for recommendations and will email Sally but thought I would ask you all as well!
I am still glad I didn’t consider taking Remus on my own and would prefer to pay for a company to bring him at a later date than haul him on my first run to TN. I am taking the trailer with me but don’t want to put my truck through pulling Remus through the mountains as well as not knowing where to stop with him etc. Better off to find a company to bring him later.
So let me know who you used before, who you think is worthwhile, and who not to use. Thanks as always! I used Equine Express a zillion years ago from DE to TX but no clue where to even start this time. They were fine back then but we are talking about 14 years ago so would rather start from scratch.
Fat Buckskin in a Little Suit 
Sorry, I am no help. We hauled our two from WI to SC when we moved down here. Really, travelling with horses long distances isn’t that bad. Any highway stop that has room for trucks will have plenty of room for your trailer and I never, ever get my horses off the trailer while in transit. We stopped every 4 hours to offer water and topped off the hay nets and both arrived no worse for the wear.
But I get you on paying someone else to worry about it too. The only piece of advice I have is to go with a box stall if it is an option. I did that when we paid someone to move them from OH to WI when we didn’t have a trailer yet and the box stall was great. Good luck with your search!! Brookledge is a company I see frequently on blogs but I have no personal experience with them.
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no stories (good or bad) to share, unfortunately, but good luck! i see brookledge trailers all the time on 95 but have no concept as to how they compare to other haulers. i don’t blame you one bit for wanting to go that route tho – i’d probably do the same in your shoes. that’s a LOT of wear and tear on a simple truck and trailer, plus sounds like potentially a logistical nightmare. good luck figuring it out and hopefully all continues to go smoothly!
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I know we already talked about this, but I can’t help but sing their praises!
I used Brookledge to move May from NJ to KY. It is the only time I have moved a horse across this distance, and is thus, the only time I have used a commercial hauler. They were great. Professional, timely, and obviously had a well established system down.
May was picked up in NJ by a small trailer, trailered to their base in PA, loaded onto one of their large air ride trailers to their Lexington base. She overnighted there and was delivered to the KY farm the next morning at like 8AM. They were even good enough to give her the regular dosing of her ulcerguard for the trip. I only used a stall and a half for her, and she arrived in great condition, ready to eat some KY bluegrass.
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I used Morrisy Shipping to get Romey from CT to Kentucky last year, and they were wonderful. Morrisy Shipping. 845-855-5026 Contact I had was Will.
But I will second Emily, Brookledge is wonderful too.
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Ah, unfortunately I have no commercial hauling experience. I’ve usually hauled my own horse, and I’ve hauled across states before. The first trip is obviously the worst but it isn’t so bad lol. I can absolutely understand you wanting someone else to haul! So so so so so glad that you get to take him with you to TN and that everything with the house is going well so far! (knocking on wood! lol)
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I’ve done a lot of long-distance hauling myself (you know how much I drive my trailer!) – but I’ve used some commercial shippers as well on MD – KY routes and from PA/MD to Aiken. DE to TN is a long trip but not like going cross-country, so you could either use a BIG commercial shipper (like Brookledge) or a smaller company/individual.
Brookledge is fantastic – they have a base in PA – but with the big commercial companies, you may have to wait until they have a load going your way…so you don’t know when they’re going and then may just get 24hrs notice when it’s time to pick up your horse and go. I’ve shipped from Kentucky to the East Coast a few times with Brookledge and the horses showed up looking great. I have a friend who used them for a VA – CO route and also had a good experience.
As far as smaller professional folks with nice rigs, I’ve been happy with Scott Norris (based out of NC but does a lot of runs up the East Coast to NY and back, so may have a trip he could add you to) and Cameron MacLeod (based in Aiken, but again does runs up and down the East Coast…I used him to ship Poppi from MD to Sally’s this winter and he was fantastic…Sally was impressed with his trailer and how good Poppi looked when he arrived). Jess Redman’s husband Ian does long-distance hauling too (he has a nice trailer…he actually bought it from Scott and it’s the trailer Poppi came from NC to MD in…) and he’s based in Delaware, so that might be convenient for you!
I can get you numbers for these guys when I get home if you want 🙂
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yes you are the kind of person who hops in the truck and goes four hours for a lesson 🙂 HA yes send me any contacts you have my phone and my email already i think. Hope your guys are doing well!
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I’m no help either, when it comes to recommending companies. When I bought P sight unseen from FL, I hired a commercial shipper to haul him up to NC- TWO cancelled on me last second citing truck issues (suuuuure) and he eventually hitched a ride with the seller’s friends.
So happy the appraisal was successful! Looks like you’re getting a farm!
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