How to transport my 7 month old mini

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polly

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My mini is 7 months old, 6H and about 75 pounds and it's time for me to bring him from Dallas to Houston (about a 5 hour drive).

I don't have a mini trailer. The breeder tells me it would be okay to put him in the back of our Jeep Rubicon or even the Ford Taures but it doesn't seem like it would be safe for the horse. I contacted a horse transportation service and they said they would ship him in a large closed off stall which sounds ideal but also much more expensive. I've also heard the idea of putting him in a large dog cage for the trip, is that a common practice?

If anyone has feedback, ideas or has been in this pickle before I'd really love some input as this is my first horse and I want to be sure he's safe as can be!
 
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I move a lot of mini foals/weanlings in the back of the suv. I have had a lot of clients pick there's up and take them home in the back seats of cars, trucks and suvs too. I have never had one get injured this way. I do not like moving babies in the horse trailer and I do not have a mini trailer, they bounce and slide around too much in there. As long as they're secure in the vehicle, cannot jump through or kick out a window or jump into the driver's seat, all is good.
 
We also transport minis in the back seat of our pick up truck. It is much more practical than hooking up the trailer for one very small horse. Plus they get to look out the window like the big guys get to do.
 
We've done all of the above...LOL.....We used to be in the miniature horse hauling business for many years and refused to haul a miniature weanling by itself in a trailer.

Larry would fold up or remove the back seat of his pick up and lay down a tarp. When it was me, I would make sure I had an extra person for the ride and would use either our station wagon (when we had one)......and later, I used my mini van........Again, putting down a tarp, but also a thin rubber mat on top. The second person was there to keep tabs on the little one and love on it too.

My longest transport was 4 hours or so.....but Larry's longest was from Texas to New England!

In your case, if you don't have a second person, the largest dog crate you can find, wouldn't be a bad idea. Just be sure the foal can stand up straight in it. The Jeep would be the best choice of vehicle, IMO, but the Taurus would be okay.
 
If you have access to a pickup truck with a shell it makes great mini transport. Just put a couple of stall mats down so it's not slick, throw a flake of hay in a hay net and tie it up against the cab and you are ready to lift them in and go. We still transport Major and Clementine to the vet this way. We made a ramp for them to go up and down but a little one shouldn't be a problem to lift in and out.
 

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