Rockin' H Equine Handling Services
Professional Horse Handling, By Horse People, For Horse People.
How We Transport
From the time that we quote, we are already thinking about routing. We cover all 48 contingent states, but we route so that we can "leap-frog" from barn to barn. I may leave Ohio and do a big loop out west, I may run up into the north east and down the coast before returning home from Florida, or I may do a big criss-cross like a figure "8". It all depends on you, the customer, each trip is different. The main thing that we do, is stay headed in your direction. We don't feel that a 12 hour trip should take 2 days and we don't feel that a 2 day trip should take 5 days or more. I don't think I've ever delivered a horse that took more than 3 days, and that was coast-coast. We don't do multiple layovers where another truck and driver may ultimately be delivering your horse. Once I pick up your horse, he/she will be in my care only until I deliver. In some cases, you may even get a door to door, although we can't guarantee that without further negotiation.
My analogy on horse transportation goes like this. If you take a look at the "Big City", do you use the mass transit system, or do you take a taxi? The taxi is a little more expensive, but it will also take you pretty much door-door. The taxi may pick up or drop off another "fare" along the way, if everybody is heading in the same direction. However, there are no huge detours or layovers. One the other hand, the mass transit system is a fixed transportation route that costs less, but takes longer and has some layovers. You may take a bus to the subway station, run the subway to a general location and then another bus to get you close enough to walking distance to your final destination.
We offer a taxi service and not mass transit. This does not always allow us to be the cheapest, but we feel that it's better for the horses. Limousine service with NO additional stops is also available with further negotiation. Only you can determine how you want your horse to travel.
Once I pick your horse up, I generally stop sometime within the first hour to get a feel for how the trip will go. Each horse travels a little different. After I am sure that everybody is settled in, I stop a minimum of every three hours or so. There are times though, when I may stop every hour depending on the road surface, the traffic and the weather. I usually stop before I enter a big city area, and again right after I leave the congestion. Then again, there are times when I'm on some wide open highway that I can go 3-4 hours before a stop. It all depends on the traveling circumstances and my passengers. Most generally, horses will get comfortable enough to eat, drink and move around while I'm driving.
At every stop, I walk through each stall and put a hand on the horses. I talk to them and stroke them while checking hay bags and water buckets. I've even taken the time to brush a horse if they are a little uneasy. I'm all about the horses, and their comfort. By the time that I deliver your horse, I can pretty much tell you how much hay he/she has consumed, how many gallons of water they drank and what their urine and manure looked like. It's a lot of attention to detail, but it's very important in my opinion.
Another very important aspect is my cell phone. I routinely call my customers twice a day, once in the AM and once in the PM. This is simply a courtesy call to keep everybody updated on travel status and the well being of my passengers. However, you are more than welcome to contact me to check on the status of the trip or your horse 24/7.
My analogy on horse transportation goes like this. If you take a look at the "Big City", do you use the mass transit system, or do you take a taxi? The taxi is a little more expensive, but it will also take you pretty much door-door. The taxi may pick up or drop off another "fare" along the way, if everybody is heading in the same direction. However, there are no huge detours or layovers. One the other hand, the mass transit system is a fixed transportation route that costs less, but takes longer and has some layovers. You may take a bus to the subway station, run the subway to a general location and then another bus to get you close enough to walking distance to your final destination.
We offer a taxi service and not mass transit. This does not always allow us to be the cheapest, but we feel that it's better for the horses. Limousine service with NO additional stops is also available with further negotiation. Only you can determine how you want your horse to travel.
Once I pick your horse up, I generally stop sometime within the first hour to get a feel for how the trip will go. Each horse travels a little different. After I am sure that everybody is settled in, I stop a minimum of every three hours or so. There are times though, when I may stop every hour depending on the road surface, the traffic and the weather. I usually stop before I enter a big city area, and again right after I leave the congestion. Then again, there are times when I'm on some wide open highway that I can go 3-4 hours before a stop. It all depends on the traveling circumstances and my passengers. Most generally, horses will get comfortable enough to eat, drink and move around while I'm driving.
At every stop, I walk through each stall and put a hand on the horses. I talk to them and stroke them while checking hay bags and water buckets. I've even taken the time to brush a horse if they are a little uneasy. I'm all about the horses, and their comfort. By the time that I deliver your horse, I can pretty much tell you how much hay he/she has consumed, how many gallons of water they drank and what their urine and manure looked like. It's a lot of attention to detail, but it's very important in my opinion.
Another very important aspect is my cell phone. I routinely call my customers twice a day, once in the AM and once in the PM. This is simply a courtesy call to keep everybody updated on travel status and the well being of my passengers. However, you are more than welcome to contact me to check on the status of the trip or your horse 24/7.
Here is how I haul 1800#, 18hh Shire mares .......
Here is how I haul 18" mini geldings .......
Here is how I haul mares and foals ........